By Richard Morchoe
Three days of short films and features of the best horror and science fiction in New England and elsewhere at the Shawna Shea Film Festival.
The Shawna Shea Film Festival spent a few years at the Somerville Theater. The venue is known for interesting screenings. It is also the home of the Museum of Bad Art. In spite of that, or because of it, the Shawna Shea has moved on.
Skip Shea, impresario of the festival has taken it to Southbridge, Massachusetts. There is no dearth of towns in the Bay State with “South” as part of the name and most who hear the town name immediately think, “nowheresville.”
Though the flagship industry, lens making, has disappeared, Southbridge has not, and it does not lack for interesting spots. The Starlite Gallery is one of them. On one side is a bar, and on the other, a room more than sufficient for any number of events.
The second weekend of November saw Skip and crew resident at the Starlite, screening three days of movies as the afternoon gave way to the dark of night. No matter how black the skies became outside, the real darkness was on screen. There was a lot of noir in the old mill town.
Horror was a large component, but there was also comedy and experimental shorts. Evenings eventually gave over to features.
After each block, the directors were called up front by Skip to speak about their films and participate in a Q & A. From the audience questions on diverse subjects such as equipment and plot, it was clear, there were a fair number of aspiring filmmakers present.
A highlight of the festival was the appearance of renowned Italian sci-fi and horror filmmaker, Luigi Cozzi and his latest production, Blood on Méliès’ Moon. Blood on Méliès’ Moon is about the disappearance in 1890 of moving picture camera inventor, Louis Le Prince. Through a number of plot turns, the world is saved from an apocalyptic encounter with another world. What is clear from the movie, as well as his responses at the Q & A, is that the charismatic Cozzi was having fun.
Best Feature was won by Permanent with John Mosetich garnering Best Director. It is a crime drama with detective Derrick Forrest battered by forces beyond his control.
Christopher Di Nunzio’s Delusion won the Audience Award for Best Feature and Best Horror Film Feature. David Graziano won for Best Actor in the same movie as life changes for him when his wife dies and he meets the wrong woman and refuses warnings from his dead spouse and a psychic.
Though there was no award for best music, if there had been, Sean O’Bryan Smith’s sounds in Serpent’s Lullaby would have been the best choice.
The full list of winners can be seen at the Shawna Shea’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ShawnaSheaFilmFest/.
The Shawna Shea Film Festival is part of the Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc. The foundation puts on the festival and raises money to support young people in film, especially young women. Each year it presents scholarships to a couple of aspiring filmmakers.
Fellowship award winner, Erica Chick debuted her short …but you look so good, and won the audience award for best short. It is about nine women who shared their stories of perseverance and courage with the filmmaker.
Scholarship winner, Thomas Travaline, made the audience laugh with his short, Ferris Wheel. The protagonist, a young stoner, has had a series of inexplicable adventures that are his encounter with another dimension or someone has “laced his weed.” Not surprisingly, he explained in the Q & A that he is attracted to the absurdist ideas of Albert Camus.
Each set of films was preceded by an introductory bio of the young lady the festival is named after. It is a moving tribute by Skip to his young daughter, full of life and then suddenly gone in a car accident. The image of the young girl looking off a bridge and in the next frame, no longer there is haunting, but beautiful. Learn more about the foundation at www.shawnafoundation.org.
Richard Morchoe is a columnist, article writer, book and restaurant reviewer whose work is featured in the Sturbridge Times Magazine.
