Move over October, February is off to a frightening start. A brand-new horror film festival is coming to Bournemouth, courtesy of one of AUB’s alumni.
With Screams by the Sea, Radi Nikolov, who graduated from AUB in 2015 from MA Film Practice, is bringing a programme of award-winning feature-length and short films, as well as talks and workshops from industry professionals to the town.
Bournemouth has close ties to the horror genre, not least because it’s the final resting place of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. But more than that, there’s an abundance of passion and talent fuelling the independent cinema scene in the southwest, as Radi explains.
“Our mission is to carve out a space to celebrate exciting new voices. We want to make this event successful and to attract filmmakers and students alike, so that everybody can get a chance to expand their networks and build careers.”
Screams by the Sea’s line-up includes Murder Ballads or How to Make it in Rock ‘n’ Roll, starring acting legend Simon Callow, as well as slasher feature PUNCH, and I Am Monsters! – an autobiographical documentary directed by Nicholas Vince.
The talks and workshops will be delivered by the likes of hair, make-up and prosthetics designer Theodore R. Salisbury (Dune) and film producer Lyndon Baldock (Templeheart Films).
The one-day festival, taking place on Saturday 10 February at Pavilion Dance South West (PDSW), is also running a screenwriting competition. Shortlisted writers will have the opportunity to pitch their films at the festival, with the winners being announced later that day.
The winner of the competition will have their script produced by UK production company Silent D Pictures.
