Shriekfest 2015: Exclusive Interview with Denise Gossett and Image Gallery

Staci Layne Wilson |

Oct 7, 2015

Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Film Festival & Screenplay Competition, was a huge success… for its whopping 15-year anniversary! Denise Gossett, festival director, hosted Shriekfest October 1st-4th at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, where 45 films were screened and 30 screenplay finalists were honored.

Interior directed by Zachary Beckler took the Grand Jury prize for Best Horror Feature Film, Clinger directed by Michael Steves took the Best Horror Comedy Feature Film Award, The Answer directed by Iqbal Ahmed took the Best Sci-Fi Feature Film Award, and Landmine Goes Click directed by Levan Bakhia took the Best Thriller Feature Film Award.

The Peripheral directed by JT Seaton took the Best Horror Short Film Award, The Stowaway directed by Rpin Suwannath won the Best Sci-Fi Short Film Award, and The Smiling Man directed by A.J Briones took the best Super Short Film Award.

The winner of the Best Horror/Thriller Feature Screenplay went to Jakob’s Wife written by Mark Steensland, and the winner of the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Feature Screenplay was Knights of the Valiant Heart written by Edward Santiago.

We caught up with Denise the day after the Festival wrapped, and amazingly she was alert enough to not only answer all our questions, but she did it with her usual wit and grace.

Dread Central: Congrats on living through the 15th year of the festival! Absolutely amazing, and to see how it’s grown has been a joy for us as horror fans and supporters of indie horror – but do tell: What’s the evolution felt like, for you, as the creator of Shriekfest?

Denise Gossett:I like how you said “living through”…. sometimes it has felt like I “survived.” LOL The evolution has been amazing. I love the talent out there, I love the people I have met because of this festival, and I love the people I have helped because of Shriekfest. Indie horror needs love, and I love that Shriekfest can give it.

DC: You had one of the most successful, star-studded kickoff parties ever this year – and you had it at Bar Sinister in the heart of Hollywood. We can only imagine how much work goes into the planning and execution of such an event… so tell us what it’s really like!

DG: I always say it’s like planning a party for hundreds of people you don’t know yet. A little stressful and a lot of work! But once it’s happening, it’s a ton of fun too!

DC: You always do such a great job of balancing shorts with features; What’s the selection process, and how many submissions did you receive for the big 15th Anniversary? You even had a some shorts specifically themed around the anniversary… what were some of the fan faves, and can we see those posted online anywhere?

DG: Thank you. I haven’t even counted the submissions yet. LOL Got really slammed in July and kept putting it off… just too much work… hopefully I’ll get to that in November when all of this is wrapped up. The shorts around the anniversary were in the commercial contest, and they are all great! We will have those posted on our website soon.

DC: Looking back over the past Shriekfests, what are some of the biggest highlights for you personally?

DG: The festival expanding and growing has been delightful. The fan followers who are not filmmakers! Having large or sold-out houses is wonderful. Seeing talent keep coming back with new and better projects. That is so exciting for me to see. We just got new trophies too… they are amazing!

DC: We see you just announced the big winners for 2015. We’ll post the list, but please tell our readers, some of whom were unable to attend, a bit about the award ceremony.

DG: Well, to my surprise a fan (a dear, sweet man named Lance) stood up and said a very moving speech from the audience thanking me for 15 years of amazing support and films, and I got an entire house standing ovation that felt like five minutes long… it was so unbelievable sweet, and yes, I cried.

DC: It’s probably too early to ask, but are you already thinking about the “Sweet 16,” and also… where do you hope to see yourself five years from now?

DG: Oh man… I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the 15th. Hee, hee… five years? Well, I didn’t think I’d be doing it this long…. my acting work is starting to take up more of my time… so, five years… that will be a very good juggling act because I plan to be busy with acting as well.