JOHN YOST
John’s career began under the jurisprudence of the US Treasury Department. During that process he attained his U.S. Customs Broker’s License and was a consultant to the FBI in international trade matters. After ten successful years, he left his position and sought another opportunity that would equally challenge him…FILM.
Within four years, John had successfully earned invitation into almost every national, arts organization: SAG, AFTRA, AEA, and AGMA. He joined the team of RYNO Production and began the foundation work that would eventually become RYNO PICTURES.
ALIEN ABDUCTION: ANSWERS is his watershed project, allowing him to tell the true story of what happened to him as child.
S. G. WARKEL
Steven G. Warkel is a 2018 graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead's film production program. Since graduating, he's had several years of experience writing and directing short films for narrative as well as commercial purposes throughout the midwest.
HAIR-TRIGGER is his feature film directorial debut. The film was shot alongside a crew of fellow MSUM alumni in the summer of 2019, with post-production then wrapping up in summer of 2021. Steven can't wait to finally share the film with all those who are able to attend the world premiere at this year's MidWest WeirdFest.
JAMES MURTAGH
Is an award winning director, cinematographer, visual artist, and composer. He has been performing as a comic and musician up and down the East Coast for the last decade or so.
He weighs 150 pounds and takes 20 mgs of fluoxetine daily.
He is trying his best.
DALE FABRIGAR
REED’S POINT and THE CURSE OF STONE HILL
Dale has produced and directed numerous award-winning films and projects over his ever evolving creative career. Notably known for his complex and heartfelt, award-winning drama, LONELY BOY (2013), 100 YARDS (2018), AREA 407 (2012) as well as a variety of music videos, industrial films, infomercials and live theater productions.
D-RAILED (2018), which he directed, co-wrote, and edited won over 50+ awards on the film festival circuit, including two wins for Best Director. He Directed MIDDLETON CHRISTMAS that was released in 2021. He has 2 features being released this year, thriller IT CRAWLS BENEATH and REED’S POINT. He just wrapped a season of VERY FRIGHTENING TALES, SUZANNE'S SATURDAY NIGHT SCARES, THE SAVE and ON ALL FOURS for television.
Regardless of genre - Dale strives to entertain by telling uncompromising stories about the power, strength and often flawed character of the human spirit.
NOAH MUCCI
Director/Cinematographer Noah Mucci's narrative work displays a natural yet stylistic quality developed from working on documentaries such as 2018 Academy Award-winning Documentary Feature ICARUS (Camera Operator), and 2021's THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER (Cinematographer).
Noah likes to make films that take place on the edges of reality and juxtapose the relatable with the supernormal in order to create an intimate, dreamlike environment for his characters to explore.
MATT PATTERSON
Producer Matt Patterson worked for Warner Bros. over 12 years producing and co-hosting 400 episodes of the Warner Archive Podcast. In addition to being gainfully employed by Corporate America, Mr. Patterson co-wrote an award-winning book about flipping the bird (The Finger: A Comprehensive Guide to Flipping Off), a Netflix documentary about the impact of the MPAA's ratings system on indie filmmakers (This Film is Not Yet Rated), a turn-of-the-century webzine that convinced millions of Star Wars fans they were under assault by religious fanatics (toolofsatan.org), and can currently be heard blabbing away on The Archive Guys Podcast (archiveguys.com).
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 is presenting his second directorial feature gIVE.
PIERCE M. BEROLZHEIMER
Pierce Berolzheimer is a director and producer, known for CRABS! (2021), DIVERGE (2016) and SUN BELT EXPRESS (2014).
COLIN VAN HOEK
Colin “Coliflowa” Van Hoek is an editor, cinematographer, graphic designer, writer, director, actor, and rapper from Yonkers, New York.
Born August 19th 2005 and now almost 6’2, Colin drinks more Sprite than he does water.
JOE GREENING
Joe is a professional cinematographer and editor based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He grew up in Shakopee, Minnesota, and would spend his summers making movies with his friends on his family's Handycam. He graduated with a BA in Film Production from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2017 and has since had the pleasure of working on countless short films, commercials, documentaries, and music videos.
Joe truly loves the art of filmmaking and tries to live everyday by the phrase, "always be creating." Hair-Trigger is Joe's debut feature film in the role of cinematographer and editor.
EMILY CARLSON
Emily is a Twin Cities-based film and commercial actress. If you are not seeing her in random Best Buy advertisements, you can soon catch her in the upcoming feature HAIR-TRIGGER. In the meantime, Emily is in graduate school, getting her doctorate in clinical psychology and making the attempt to balance her academics and her creative outlets.
MADISON EKSTRAND
REED’S POINT and THE CURSE OF STONE HILL
18-year-old Madison Ekstrand grew up in Niagara, Wisconsin. She spent her early years as a competitive dancer and won many awards for her performances. In her early teens she studied acting and started pursuing a career in Los Angeles. Recently turning eighteen, she has starred in several episodes of THE VERY FRIGHTENING TALES series with Oscar nominated actor Eric Roberts, as well as the award-winning short THE CURSE OF STONE HILL with Michael Pare. Her most recent film REED’S POINT will be released this April where she co-stars with debut actress Sasha Anne. She just returned from LA where she did a cameo in new tv series ON ALL FOURS. She caught the attention of producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis and has continued to work with her company in front of the camera, as well as behind the scenes. When Madison isn’t pursuing her career, she enjoys returning to her hometown and spending time with her family.
SASHA ANNE
Twenty-two year old Sasha Anne is an actress, singer and certified makeup artist from NYC, now based in LA. She is an Advocate Against Bullying and encorages others to be true to themselves. Sasha is dyslexic and was bullied for it in middle school. One of the ways she overcame that time in her life was by keeping a tiara in her backpack. An avid Disney fan, She tries to invoke the bravery and confidence so many of her favorite Disney characters possess. Now Sasha never shies away from who she is and stays true to her fun, bubbly style! She started out as a YouTuber and beauty Influencer, receiving over 3 million views on her channel. She often partners with companies like Disney, Urban Decay Cosmetics and Rock Your Hair to promote their products on YouTube and Instagram (verified/33.8k followers). Early 2021, after finishing chemotherapy and beating Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer, Sasha starred in her first lead role in the horror film REED’S POINT and is releasing her debut single, “Catch Me I’m Falling” in March 2022.
ALEX GALICK
Alex Galick is a Twin Cities based stage and screen actor. On stage he’s worked in Minneapolis/St. Paul with the Guthrie Theater, Theater Mu, Park Square Theatre, History Theatre, and the Stillwater Zephyr Theatre, as well as with Illinois Shakespeare Festival and Utah Festival. On screen his work can be found on Tubi, IMDb TV, Lifetime, Roku, and SHUDDER. He’s excited for the World Premiere of Hair-Trigger, and sharing it with a live audience.
ANDREW LEINES
Andrew Leines is a filmmaker based in Fargo, ND. Raised on musicals and horror movies, his passion for filmmaking began during his childhood in Wisconsin, where he made a variety of action and comedy shorts with his brother and friends. Following two successful film screenings at his high school, he chose to pursue filmmaking further by obtaining his degree in Film Production from Minnesota State University Moorhead, guided by professors he continues to admire. To complete his writing minor, Andrew wrote an in-depth critique and analysis of gender representation in Lars Von Trier's films. Andrew recently worked as the co-editor and DIT on the feature film HAIR_TRIGGER, which debuts at the MidWest WeirdFest in 2022. HAIR-TRIGGER was produced by MSUM alumni and shot in Minnesota and North Dakota. With several films currently on the festival circuit, he continues to work with local filmmakers such as Fargo’s Chamber Six Media in a variety of roles.
AMY POWELL
BARE NAKED TRUTHS (FROM THE OBSERVED OBSERVER)
Amy E. Powell is a director, producer, and writer from Chicago, IL. Amy studied acting at Northern Illinois University and the Moscow Art Theater School, but finding the roles available for women lacking, Amy transitioned to working behind the camera with a mission to create more diverse and dynamic roles for women in film. She co-founded her production company, Sundog Studios, and has produced numerous films with theater and film makers alike, focusing on inclusion and creative collaboration. Currently, Amy is a producer and director with the award winning production company Digital Alliance where she has worked on projects featuring brands like AT&T, Red Cross, and 7th Generation. She has also worked with production companies like Rattlejack Inc, Legacy Marie Pictures, and Arts and Sciences. In her spare time Amy enjoys teaching tricks to her pet bird, Gus.
ALEX FOFONOFF
Alex Fofonoff is an L.A.-based filmmaker who’s always been captivated by the feeling of dread. Despite the risk of nightmares, as a kid he’d watch monster movies late into the night. His voice in filmmaking, inspired by the New Hollywood movement, subverts genres and twists reality. Most recently, he completed a short film set in Monterey that involves gallons of slime and a cute yet terrifying baby cosmic horror puppet.
BEN KREIBICH
Ben Kreibich is a film director originally from Eau Claire, WI. At present he lives and works in Minneapolis, MN. As a trans man with schizophrenia, it’s easier for him to embrace the weirdness in life rather than fight against it. Strange, a bit warped, a little off–classic Ben. His projects tend to be autobiographical in some way, and he’s happy at the chance to share things with you.
KARSTEN RUNQUIST
Karsten Runquist is a filmmaker and Youtuber based out of Chicago, IL. His work on Youtube, mostly consisting of film-related video essays, has amassed an audience of over 480k subscribers. His channel, podcast, and festival coverage have made him an influential figure in the online film community. The AV Club has described his work as "a fine job."
RON HUFFSTUTTER
Ron is a graduate from Southern Oregon University's Film, Television, and Convergent Media, and the head of Tunnel 13 Films. During his time in Southern Oregon he wrote, produced and directed several films including the award winning horror film CREEPER and international short film REFUGE which premiered in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and came back to the Southern Oregon Community featured in Ashland Film Festival alongside fellow filmmakers in the community.
Now living and working in Los Angeles he has continued work with the Southern Oregon Filmmakers bringing new and exciting projects to the community.
RANDY ZUNIGA
Randy Zuniga is an award winning screenwriter and filmmaker from San Diego. His accolades come from many film festivals ranging from Los Angeles to Austin to Madrid. He also wrote a script for a movie shot in Pakistan, THE WINDOW, that is now in post-production.
LUCAS ALEXANDER KURMIS
Mainly described as "weird," Lucas Kurmis is a singer songwriter from Minneapolis Minnesota. Lucas' music ranges from folk-punk, to indie rock, to spoken word, to noise-rock. Lucas' focus is often on guitar, as he's played since his teens, but he uses strings, drums, and a toy casio keyboard in his own style.
Lucas is currently releasing a visual album song by song on Youtube, Bandcamp, and Spotify. The album is called “Another Time/Life/Universe” and focuses on grays of fiction/nonfiction and missed connections.