JETHRO WATERS
GUNFIGHTER PARADISE (World Premiere)
Jethro Waters is an Emmy Award Winning Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, and Editor. His 2020 documentary feature F11 AND BE THERE was reviewed as a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Waters' music video work with artists like John Cale, Angel Olsen, among many others, has been featured in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, The New York Times, and reached millions of viewers across the globe. He makes his narrative feature debut with GUNFIGHTER PARADISE in 2024. Waters wrote, produced, and directed this noir comedy / horror featuring Jessica Hecht and Executive Produced by Nancy Buirski. Legendary Renato Casaro painted the GUNFIGHTER PARADISE movie poster.
ALEC BONK
BLIND COP 2 (Opening Night Film)
Alec is a writer and director from central New York. He spent his formative years watching John Carpenter films with his mom.
After attending the Savannah College of Art and Design to study directing, Alec found a community of like-minded artists who became his close friends and collaborators.
Following his studies, Alec returned to his hometown to film his debut feature, Blind Cop 2, which brought his creative journey full circle.
ZESHAAN YOUNUS
Zeshaan Younus is an award-winning writer, producer, and director based in Orange County, CA. His life-long obsessions (the occult, black metal, and the work of Terrence Malick) drive his artistic choices and serve as a unique personal lens.
His short film exploring the alien abduction phenomenon, PREFIGURED, was acquired by DUST, the sci-fi division of independent studio Gunpowder & Sky.
In November 2022, after a successful crowdfunding campaign, Zeshaan completed principal photography on his debut feature, THE BUILDOUT. He is also a musician, photographer, and motorcycle enthusiast.
CURTIS ANTHONY WILLIAMS
Curtis Anthony Williams is a passionate filmmaker known for his versatility as a storyteller across multiple roles in live and post production. Hailing from a small town in Vermont, he’s worked in film and television for more than 10 years across the globe. He makes his directorial debut with the neo noir thriller LAST WEEKEND which premiered at the heralded CINEQUEST 2023 Film Festival. Virginia Rand (Candy Land) and Charlie Barnett (The Acolyte, Russian Doll), star as two strangers who share an electric one-night-stand, that is quickly derailed by a psychotic and possessive ex-lover.
He recently served as a First AD for the coming of age romance AUTUMN SUMMER and erotic thriller LOVE BOMB, with both films scheduled for late 2023 release. An accomplished film editor, his projects have been featured worldwide and includes the mesmerizing PUBLIC TOILET AFRICA, which premiered at SXSW and was nominated for the prestigious “Filmmakers of the Present” award at the Locarno International Film Festival.
CRAIG TUOHY
Half Irish/English, Craig was born during the IRA troubles in poverty stricken East London. To escape an abusive home life Craig soon turned to the local Video Shop for solace and escapism, working there (unofficially) from aged 10 until 23, when one of the loyal customers gave him a job as a Technical Assistant at Buena Vista UK, the Theatrical distribution arm of Disney.
Craig embraced the opportunity and spent the next decade at Disney and Fox, rising through the ranks to head of UK Technical Operations, supervising the Distribution transition from 35mm to Digital projection and re-writing security protocols to protect from piracy.
In 2009 Craig left Distribution to set up his own production company, where he produced and EP'd a dozen films, including Sundance winners Like Crazy (2011) and Burden (2018) In 2020 Craig wrote a Melie D'Argent winning short titled The Dead Collectors. This is his first Feature as Writer and Director.
SAMUEL T WESTON
FEATURE SCREENPLAY: THE BROKEN FELLOWSHIP
Sam is an award-winning autistic fantasy writer turned filmmaker. Raised in the woods and prairies of rural Minnesota, weaned on stories like "The Lord of the Rings," "Eragon," and "Avatar: The Last Airbender," and cutting his teeth in Duluth’s arthouse film community, Sam gained a unique perspective on what makes a good fantasy story.
He learned early on that his writing style was too visual for books, so he founded Battlemage Films to tell his stories the way they were meant to be told. He has one completed feature film, "Gleahan and the Knaves of Industry," which made waves in the Duluth film community and was the 6th-most-watched feature film on The Fantasy Network.
Sam has earned a reputation across Minnesota for his honesty, integrity, generosity, and fierce dedication to the craft. His feature screenplay, "Wizards of the Underworld," gained recognition at genre festivals across the country and won multiple awards.
SARA AYELE
Sara Ayele is a Producer and Actress. Sara starred in the short film Yene Fikir, which premiered at MASS MoCA and was in the official selection of SideWalk Film Festival in 2021. She is a longtime collaborator of Jethro Waters, having produced several of his films, including the EMMY Award Winning feature documentary F11 AND BE THERE.
KYLE LEWIS
Kyle Lewis has 20 years of experience in the film industry as a Producer, Art Director, and Prop Master. He has worked in the Art Department and Set Dec on many studio feature films and TV shows including Iron Man 3, Sleepy Hollow, Under the Dome, Tammy, and Cabin Fever 2. He is an alumni of the Film Studies department at The University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2006.
ROBERT HINKLE
Robert Hinkle makes his acting debut in GUNFIGHTER PARADISE as one of the Civil War Confederate Reenactors. Rob is a scientist in his day job, but in his off time, he is either hanging out with the band members of GWAR, doing pull ups, or sifting through the cinema universe looking for the wildest B-movies that nobody has ever seen.
MICHAEL BASHA
Michael Basha is a writer/director from Detroit, Michigan who now lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Beginning his career in the arts as a published writer of short fiction and poetry, Michael studied filmmaking at USC's School of Cinematic Arts where he received his MFA. After graduation, Michael wrote and directed his short film CRUTCH-TAP which premiered at the Oscar-Qualifying Urbanworld Film Festival. One of his feature scripts, SANG FROID, made it onto the BlackList in 2022 and is currently in development. He's currently repped by Matt Rosen at Rain Management Group.
L. M. OLIVER
L.M. Oliver is a writer, director, and modelmaker based in Colorado. His interest in filmmaking grew from a childhood desire to one day build spaceships for George Lucas. He is currently part of an international group of early cinema historians who are writing the authoritative biography of Augustin Le Prince, the missing inventor of the motion picture.
Additionally, L.M. and his co-writer Jake Price are in pre-production on the sci-fi thriller Toscana.
BEN MANHANKE
Ben Manhanke is an award-winning filmmaker based in St. Louis, MO. He has been directing and shooting short films since 2018, working primarily in the horror genre.
With an emphasis on visual style, his films explore the topics of isolation, loss and the power of chance encounters.
His latest short films, Smiley (2023) and Dementia 29 (2022), are screening at festivals now.
DEREK BAUER
Directory of Photography for “I Want You.” Derek Bauer's work, often darkly comedic, explores themes of social alienation, sexual shame and the common tragedies of the "traditional" nuclear family through a DIY, expressionistic visual style.
ISAAC MCKINNON
Isaac took an interest in acting as a child and recognized it as a true passion through high school theatre. He attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and proceeded to star in a multitude of short films before making his feature film debut in blind cop 2!
JAKE VIAENE
Jake Viaene is a filmmaker from rural Wisconsin. He studied film at the Peck School of the Arts at UW-Milwaukee and is now a full-time commercial director and producer, but also creates music videos and narrative films.
NICK ROHR
STUXNET - OUR WORLD WAS ALWAYS FALEN BUT THERE WAS ALWAYS LIGHT
Nick Rohr is the creative director that runs Lemon Pulp Studios, both an independent comics and zines publishing label as well as an internationally awarded traditional animation studio. You can find the work on Instagram @lemonpulpstudios.
His animated music video STUXNET - OUR WORLD WAS ALWAYS FALEN BUT THERE WAS ALWAYS LIGHT screens as part of the BEST OF THE MIDWEST shorts block.
STEVE CHAPPELL
Steve Chappell is an animator, illustrator, composer, and filmmaker. He has published graphic novels, designed/illustrated books, CDs, and an album cover. He carved a wood sign for a coffee house, and poured concrete for a two-ton cat tomb. He has made many films and a few of them have won awards, including TRILOGY OF TEAR! (Best Animated Short at MIDWEST WEIRDFEST 2020), and ED GEIN INTERVIEW (Best Animated Film at MLC Awards 2021). This year’s film, Ed Gein’s Musical Instruments, completes a trilogy of films based on Gein.
TIM SCHWAGEL
“WHEN YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE PIZZA!”
Tim Schwagel is a self-taught filmmaker from Eau Claire, WI who loves making movies of all kinds. He has wrote and directed over 6 short films with his production company New Neighbor, and is currently on a mission to write and direct his own Horror-Comedy feature film.
STEVE DAYTON
Steve Dayton Is local film maker who lives in Eau Claire Wisconsin with his wife Stacey and their four children. Steve began making movies in high-school and over the last 20 years has continued to develop his story telling techniques to inspire audiences.
Steve's career includes work in independent movies, television, and video production advertising. At the 6th annual MidWest WeirdFest Steve ipresented his second directorial feature gIVE. This year teh festival is screening a short film he produced: LYLE AND THE DEVIL.
WILLIAM J. KAMPF
William J. Kampf is a first time writer/director. He has dabbled in writing, guitar, golf, and fantasy football. He is lucky to have children that make him laugh and a spouse who mostly tolerates his whims. At this point in his life, he thinks he almost believes it's about the journey, not the destination.
ALEXANDER VIKULOV
Alexander Vikulov entered the film world with a distinctive background in information technology, providing him with a unique perspective on storytelling. His educational journey includes studying at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) and the ARKA Film School, where Alexander deepened his understanding of the language of cinema.
His debut short film, "Overclocking," which also serves as his diploma project, showcases his ability to craft captivating narratives and express his own vision. The film was entirely self-financed and produced with the help of a dedicated team of students, demonstrating great enthusiasm and belief in the project.
"Overclocking" is not just an individual work but also an introduction to a larger TV series script that Alexander is developing.
WALT PETERSON AND B. HARRIS
Walt Peterson and B. Harris are Little Rock natives who met because of their passion for the UFO topic. Together they decided to create works of art that revolve around this subject.
Their first film, “Experiencer: The Zachary Humway Story” won best experimental documentary at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival. They hope to bring attention and understanding to an area that has historically been taboo.