A Southern Tragedy

The Timely Demise of Mr. Apocalypse

May 2023 •English

Mr. Apocalypse has plans to make money off the memory-related virus presently sweeping the Earth, but tensions with his cremates begin to get in his way.

Smash Cuts! Super Sci-Fi Shorts Fest

March 2001 •English

Host Scott Forrest presents a curated compilation of eight independent short films in this rapid-fire science-fiction feature. Genres collide, narratives twist, aesthetics clash, and even humor, both campy and dystopian, showcase the vast creative possibilities of each story's individual world, offering the viewer a brief glimpse into the lives of every character's attempt to survive the otherworldly chaos around them. Released in 2001, the selected shorts span original creation dates of 1997 to 2001; most of the featured filmmakers also appear as themselves in short video interviews to talk about their inspirations, creative process and motivations while working on their individual shorts.

The Third Rule

April 2010 •Polish

Swing

Invalid date •English

Abuse is all around us, where do you fit in? Swing is an abstract , stylized dark comedy about abuse. In this short film, escalating abuse is depicted in familiar situations, highlighting how accustomed we have become as both the victims and perpetrators.

Schizzopatia

May 1995 •Italian

A spiritual operator, don Tek, gives out advice and judgments to his followers, who dream of a dark, cruel man who attacks them with the socio-moral meanings of life. The dream interpreter materializes and is killed by don Tek who, after the murder, falls asleep to forget. But the victim appears in his dreams, leaping from the sky only to die instantly: don Tek has killed dreams.

Desert Vows

August 2012 •English

Hunter, a bride-to-be, feels overworked and unappreciated. Her artistic spirit is squelched by the shallow corporate world she’s in and she has had enough. Unfortunately, she feels as if she can’t turn to Ian, her commercial executive fiancé, for solace. As her wedding day approaches, Hunter and her three bridesmaids embark on a road trip to Las Vegas for one last hoorah together. As the girls venture from the city, they decompress and let their personal barriers fall. An impromptu sightseeing excursion into the desert leads to a clash of anxieties and attitudes between Hunter, the bridesmaids, and her fiancé as Hunter searches for the road that’s right for her.

House

August 1977 •Japanese

Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip with her friends to visit her aunt's ancestral house in the countryside. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.

Tempo Rubato

Invalid date •English

The night before her eighteenth birthday recital, an overworked and undertalented pianist is abducted by three ghouls.

A Paw Over Dark

May 2023 •English

A washed up actor performs night after night in a grimy theater to a nearly empty audience. However, everything changes when a clueless dog jumps on stage.

Flaming Creatures

April 1963 •English

Filmmaker and artist Jack Smith described his own film as a “comedy set in a haunted movie studio.” Flaming Creatures begins humorously enough with several men and women, mostly of indeterminate gender, vamping it up in front of the camera and participating in a mock advertisement for an indelible, heart-shaped brand of lipstick. However, things take a dark, nightmarish turn when a transvestite chases, catches and begins molesting a woman. Soon, all of the titular “creatures” participate in a (mostly clothed) orgy that causes a massive earthquake. After the creatures are killed in the resulting chaos, a vampire dressed like an old Hollywood starlet rises from her coffin to resurrect the dead. All ends happily enough when the now undead creatures dance with each other, even though another orgy and earthquake loom over the end title card.

The Sunset Special 2

July 2024 •English

This exclusive luxury cruise presents itself as the perfect holiday and family utopia. However, all artificial facades of this attractive consumer product dissolve, as a psychedelic dream world unfolds, illusions break and the crude reality beyond superficial comfort is unveiled.

Happy End

September 1967 •Czech

A dark comedy about a murder and its consequences presented in a backwards manner, where death is actually a rebirth. The film starts with an "execution" of the main protagonist and goes back to explore his previous actions and motivations.

1,2,3... Barcelona!

April 2025 •

Tourists eating and taking photos. Tourists strolling and taking photos. Tourists bathing on the beach and taking more photos. Barcelona has become an overexploited photocall to the point of paroxysm, and this is what this film shows by turning the camera and pointing towards the visitors. A small gesture that, added to a powerful sound contrast and a caustic sense of humour, exposes without subterfuge a grotesque normality.

It’s Only a Film

September 2023 •English

Bobby breadcrumb lives a terrible life of hitting his head on doorways, running out of milk, and slipping on banana peels. In an effort to find meaning and change the script of his life, he journeys beyond the fourth wall to fight against the powers that be.

Raptus

June 1995 •Italian

Confrontation between a conformist and a nonconformist smoker in the grip of a homicidal frenzy

Blackbear

July 2022 •English

A short film by Bryce Hodgson.

Friend of the World

August 2020 •English

After a catastrophic global war, a young filmmaker awakens in the carnage and seeks refuge in the only other survivor: an eccentric, ideologically opposed figure of the United States military. Together, they brave the toxic landscape in search of safety... and answers.

LUNULAR

April 2025 •Portuguese

Declan Sennott’s A Fair Trade

December 2025 •English

In this black comedy crime epic, eighth grader Tommy Uris is pushed into a teenage drug dealing business run by his two classmates Frank Newton and Patrick Reynolds after walking in on a drug deal between them. As their business falls apart, so does their trust for each other, and they need to either resolve, or kill each other in the process.

Vacuumin’ Around

March 2025 •Hungarian

A documentary about a person who cleans his room with a vacuum cleaner, filled with disasters and mishaps.