The 2021 Chattanooga Film Festival has come and gone, and I am definitely feeling the post event blues. The fest remained virtual this year, but that didn’t stop the staff from putting on a truly wonderful and community based experience. Let’s take a look at a few personal highlights from this year’s impressive content.
Short Films
No One is Coming – The cover of this film is a closeup of a spooky jack-o-lantern which means there was no way I was leaving the festival without checking this out. Nathaniel and Matthew Barber knew exactly what they were doing when they set the tone for this short. Chilly autumn vibes, a secluded cabin, and a mysterious killer made No One is Coming a fast favorite of mine.
Body of the Mined –Another film that has an irresistible cover. Body of the Mined is a nice little sci-fi short with some grisly horror aspects. Centered around a quirky engineer and his secret experiments, it gave me a sort of futuristic and apocalyptic feel that left me curious about the world within. Even though we got the full story from beginning to end, I would love to see Eric Jungman expand this into a feature.
Poor Glenna –Once again the cover of this movie totally had me geeking out. Overdue Films brings us a charming 70s style story about a mother who will do anything for her son, even if he is just a bit slimy. This short was filled with beautiful use of colors and effects along with cheeky callbacks to classic horror films. Poor Glenna is just pure fun and rounds out the story with a surprisingly touching conclusion. This was my favorite movie of the entire festival, I will be following Overdue Films content in the future.
Live Events
Mental Health & Horror – Festival Director Chris Dortch introduced the Mental Health and Horror chat by sharing his personal experiences with mental health. It’s no secret that the majority of us are still trying to recover from 2020, but Chris pulled back the curtain a bit when he talked about the challenges of putting on last year’s virtual festival. This introduction kicked off my film fest weekend and it made appreciating this beautiful art form that much more important. It also made me feel so connected to the festival and to the filmmakers.
Presented by Fangoria, Mental Health and Horror is an upcoming documentary that focuses on horror movie fans that find solace in the genre while struggling with mental health. The horror genre has been looked down upon for so long, and director David Barkan wants to stick up for it and show the world the good that it does for some people. He discusses the team he put together and the importance of diverse talking points with one main goal in mind: to help people.
The Kickstarter for Mental Health and Horror has surpassed its funding goal, but every cent counts if this project speaks to you on any level.
Welcome to the Final Girl Support Grady Hendrix – Fans of Grady Hendrix were in for a treat with this live event, but I can’t say much as Hendrix was workshopping a piece for his future appearances. All I CAN say is that it was quick-witted, entertaining, and filled with the author’s typical dark humor. I can’t wait to catch a completed version of this down the line, and felt special that Hendrix wanted to give the CFF audience a sneak peek.
First Time Feature Filmmakers Panel – If you attended the Chattanooga Film Festival, and have any aspirations of filmmaking, I really, really hope you caught this panel. Jill Gervargizian, Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Zach Lamplugh, and two of my personal favorite filmmakers, Gigi Saul Guerrero and Jen Wexler all came together to discuss their experiences creating their first feature films. The panel touched on everything between funding, leading a film crew, and the choices you make when you get into the editing room. A few of these filmmakers have had features presented at previous Chattanooga Film Festivals, so it was cool to see how some of these folks were doing now. I hope more events like this continue to be on future schedules.
If you want to contribute to the Chattanooga Film Festival’s 2022 event, they are taking donations through their Venmo: @chattfilmfest2021. You can also follow them on Twitter for special announcements. I cannot wait until next year!
Brittany Fernandez is a Lifestyle Writer for SoBros Network. She’s a Nashville native covering events on the local scene, B-movie horror reviews, and everything in between. Her go to karaoke song is “No Diggity.” Follow on Twitter: @brittbutspooky
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