Popcorn Frights Film Festival 2021 Awards Announced
Popcorn Frights Film Festival’s seventh annual edition wraps today, after hosting a record-high 10,000 attendees from across the U.S. This year, the Florida-based fest featured eight nights of in-person and virtual programming, with a lineup of 68 films—31 of them features, 37 of them shorts—from a combined 13 countries.
Brandon Christensen’s Superhost was awarded the Jury Prize for Best Feature Film. The jury extended high praise to the social media horror feature, commenting, “We found Superhost to be a highly entertaining film, headlined by one of the best performances of the festival by Gracie Gillam. After terrifying us in years past at Popcorn Frights with Still/Born and Z, Brandon Christensen made the most enjoyable film of this year’s festival.”
In his acceptance speech, Christensen said, “In a time where our normal has been stripped away from us, Popcorn Frights gave us a glimpse of the old normal by hosting their festival last week. The screening was fantastic and felt just like old times. With the release of the film coming up, I’m thrilled that I was able to show off Superhost to Popcorn’s awesome crowd early.”
Ju-On director Takashi Shimizu, who helmed Epic Pictures’ Howling Village, received this year’s Scariest Feature Film Prize. Erik Bloomquist’s Night at the Eagle Inn, which was completed during the height of the pandemic, won the Special Jury Prize.
Ayaka Miyoshi in Howling Village
Popcorn Frights gave robust support to first-time feature filmmakers with its inaugural New Nightmare Prize. Gia Elliot won that award for her thriller Take Back the Night, which also had its world premiere at the fest and was made with an all-women cast.
Accepting the honor, Gia said, “Premiering my film in front of such a thoughtful audience and having it recognized with this award is an honor. To every survivor out there: I believe you.”
Audience members who voted online in hybrid screenings throughout the fest embraced Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, director Kier-La Janisse’s deep-dive documentary on folk horror, with the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. Janisse became the first woman in the festival’s history to receive the honor.
Also Read: Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched–A Sweeping Doc Investigates the History of Folk Horror
Janisse shared in a statement: “I’m thrilled beyond belief to hear that Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched has won the Audience Award at Popcorn Frights, where the last film I produced, David Gregory’s Tales of the Uncanny, was also so enthusiastically received. I’m so grateful to the Popcorn Frights audience for coming along on that three-hour journey with me, and I’m excited at the possibility of them now seeking out all the fascinating films that formed the basis of the doc.”
Here are all of this year’s award winners:
Jury Prize for Best Feature Film: Superhost, dir. Brandon Christensen
Jury Prize for Best Short Film: Le Cri, dirs.Charlotte Chouisnard, Ninon Dodemant, Baptiste Leclerc, Solène Michel, Justine Parasote, Anouk Segura-Diaz
Scariest Feature Film Prize: Howling Village, dir. Takashi Shimizu
Scariest Short Film Prize: The Wheel, dir.Nikhil Bhagat
Special Jury Prize: Night at the Eagle Inn, dir. Erik Bloomquist
New Nightmare Prize for Best Debut Film: Take Back the Night, dir. Gia Elliot
Best Florida Feature Film: Offseason, dir. Mickey Keating
Best Florida Short Film: Tech Savvy, dir.Scott Vasey
Audience Award for Best Feature Film: Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, dir.Kier-La Janisse
Audience Award for Best Short Film: Every Time We Meet for Ice Cream Your Whole F*cking Face Explodes, dir. Anthony Cousins
Popcorn Frights Film Festival ran August 12-19, 2021. For more information, visit its website here. All images courtesy of Popcorn Frights Film Festival.
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