Virtual film festival Nightstream unveiled its selection of premieres and special events for October 8 – 11th.
Nightstream was formed to unite five genre festivals–Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights– in response to COVID-19. Just in time for Halloween, the festival opens with the world premiere of Hulu’s thriller Run, starring Sarah Paulson and directed by Aneesh Chaganty. Nightstream concludes with the North American premiere of French director Quentin Dupieux’s latest film, Mandibles, that was originally slated to debut at the Telluride Film Festival.
The four-day virtual event brings the best of all five regional festivals across the U.S. The lineup was curated by the joint festival programming teams, and also boasts a variety of panels, events, and masterclasses by celebrity guests.
Nightsteam features seven World Premieres, nine North American Premieres, and seven U.S. Premieres, alongside 164 short films and a spotlight on Indonesian horror with a panel hosted by Shudder director of programming, Sam Zimmerman. Highly-anticipated screenings range from Ryûhei Kitamura’s The Doorman starring Ruby Rose, who will appear for a post-screening Q&A; Jesse Blanchard’s Frank & Zed; Nicholas Payne Santos’ It Cuts Deep; Devereux Milburn’s Honeydew; Jake Mahaffy’s Reunion; and Terence Krey’s An Unquiet Grave.
Highlights include moderated conversations between Candyman director Nia DaCosta and Vulture writer Hunter Harris; Adventures in the Screen Trade discussion with A Quiet Place screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods alongside journalist Joshua Rothkopf; and the 20th anniversary of American Psycho, celebrated by director Mary Harron and The A.V. Club critic Katie Rife, ahead of Harron’s upcoming Quibi thriller The Expecting. Horror filmmaker Mick Garris will also be recognized as a festival honoree and is set to host a special Dinner With the Masters of Horror event with guests Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, John Landis, and Ernest Dickerson.
Director Nia DaCosta
In addition to panels, iconic drag queen performer and horror expert Peaches Christ will lead a history of campy horror, plus a “glamorously blood-drenched” festival party. Each night of the festival will also be followed by a happy hour social in Evening Rituals Presented by IFC Midnight with a slew of special guests like actor Elijah Wood sharing cocktail recipes from their respective homes.
All proceeds from the Nighstream festival are shared with the filmmakers and artists involved, as well as donated to charities and local businesses in each festival’s home city, in hopes to recoup losses incurred by the pandemic. Access to film screenings are geo-locked to the U.S. with ticket bundles offering unlimited access to events and panels. Films are also available to view on the Eventbrite platform until October 14th. Tickets are on sale now.
Let the spooky festival season begin!
