It may seem a ways off, but when October 24 rolls around, we won’t be the only people seeing what’s going on at the fourth annual Nightmares Film Festival. The genre fest that calls Gateway Film Center home has just inked a deal to make sure film distributors check it out, too.
Gunpowder & Sky, the global studio responsible for genre hits Tragedy Girls and Summer of 84, as well as Netflix’s Cam and HBO’s Totem, will send representatives to NFF for an exclusive first-look deal.
According to Jason Tostevin, NFF’s co-founder and programmer, representatives from Gunpowder & Sky, working in their Alter horror brand, will attend Nightmares, watching films “with an eye to making deals for distribution or acquisition. We’ve always known one of the essential steps in making Nightmares the festival we envisioned was attracting studios and distributors. We’re thrilled to have the first of what we believe will be many signed up to attend.”
They’ll also take part in a panel discussion Tostevin considers a highlight of the festival’s programming.
“The G&S/Alter reps will participate in our annual distribution panel,” Tostevin says. “It’s become a must-attend at the fest, along with our social progress through horror discussion. In our distribution panel, filmmakers and real distributors talk about the reality of the landscape: how it really works, what distributors are looking for, how to break in, what not to do. It’s an honest insider’s look at the thing many filmmakers consider their Holy Grail.”
Tostevin sees the first-look deal with Gunpowder & Sky a major accomplishment for the fest and its filmmakers.
“It means distribution opportunities for our selected filmmakers, more eyes on their work and more excitement around the festival weekend,” he says. “It also means we’re continuing to get better every year. The program is being more closely watched, and becoming more influential. The gap between our independent creators and the actual capitalized system that distributes films is closing, because that’s something we’re actively working on. This is happening in a real way because filmmakers shared attention-getting work with us, and we created a platform and an experience around it.”
“And, shit,” he continues. “It’s right here in Columbus, you know?”
Nightmares Film Festival kicks off its fourth year at Gateway Film Center October 24. For more information, visit nightmaresfest.com.
Read more from Hope at MADDWOLF and listen to her horror movie podcast, FRIGHT CLUB.