Tag:

Festival

Halloween 2025: When is Halloween? Why is it celebrated? Know history and significance of spooky festival in US, Canada

by jummy84 October 29, 2025

written by jummy84

Halloween 2025: The spooky season is upon us once again – a time when cobwebs become decor, pumpkins turn into lanterns, and the line between eerie and exciting begins to blur. As October draws to a close, Halloween takes centre stage, bringing with it a mix of ancient folklore, playful fright, and modern-day revelry. From ghostly costumes to glowing jack-o’-lanterns, it’s that one night of the year when the world comes together to celebrate all things mysterious and magical.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 every year, on All Hallows’ Eve.(Unsplash)

Also Read | Scary Halloween makeup tips to make you look drop ‘dead’ gorgeous

Halloween 2025: When is Halloween?

Halloween, the much-anticipated festival of fright and fun, is celebrated every year on October 31. In 2025, it falls on a Friday, promising a weekend filled with costumes, candy, and creative chaos. The date marks the eve of All Saints’ Day, a time once linked to ancient Celtic harvest rituals and beliefs about spirits crossing into the world of the living.

Today, the event is synonymous with carved pumpkins, spooky decor, and late-night revelry – a day when eerie folklore meets modern-day festivities, and everyone gets to embrace their playful, spooky side.

Halloween 2025: Why is it celebrated?

Halloween traces back to ancient Celtic origins and Christian roots, and is noted for its secular traditions. The tradition originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter in what is now Ireland, the UK and northern France. The Celts believed that on the eve of Samhain the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth freely. People lit bonfires and wore disguises to ward off or evade these wandering souls. With the spread of Christianity, the feast of All Saints’ Day (also called All Hallows) was set on November 1, and the evening before became known as All Hallows’ Eve, later shortened to Halloween.

Over the centuries, Halloween evolved into a largely secular celebration involving costumes, parties, jack-o′-lanterns and trick-or-treating – blending folklore, community rituals and fun rather than strictly religious observance. While the original emphasis was on remembrance of the dead and the supernatural, in modern times Halloween is significant as both a cultural event and a celebration of imagination, creativity and social fun.

People put up spooky decor in honour of Halloween.(Unsplash)

Halloween 2025: How is Halloween celebrated now?

In today’s world, Halloween has transformed into a global costume party, celebrating creativity and community spirit. People of all ages dress up in imaginative costumes – from spine-chilling ghosts to pop culture icons – and decorate their homes with carved pumpkins, cobwebs and flickering lanterns. The highlight remains trick-or-treating, where children go door to door collecting sweets and chocolates.

Halloween parties, haunted house tours, and themed events keep the festive energy alive, while social media amplifies the spectacle with costume trends and decor ideas. The festival is gaining traction in countries like India and being embraced by the younger crowds, blending Western influences with local flair.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only.

October 29, 2025 0 comments

Music

Family Talks Foundation And Festival

by jummy84 October 28, 2025

written by jummy84

VIBE Lineage is an interview series with the heirs of Black excellence. Now that their legendary predecessors have gained high regards in their own right, these younger kin are blazing their own trails.

Otis Redding is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential R&B singers to ever exist. Known as the “King Of Soul” for timeless hits including “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” “Stand By Me,” and “Try A Little Tenderness” —which was famously covered by Chris Brown in the 2007 classic, This Christmas— Redding made a powerful, indelible, global impact during his 26 years on Earth.

Not only does his legacy live on through his discography, it’s tangibly felt because of his widow, Zelma and their children: Dexter, Karla, and Otis III. Ask Karla and she’ll joke that her brothers got their father’s musical talents, but she didn’t. Instead, she’s using her talents to help run the Otis Redding Foundation along with the Center For The Arts and King of Soul Music Festival.

Formally launched in 2007— 40 years after Redding’s tragic death— the foundation serves as the umbrella to mentor the next generation of musicians as well as celebrate those who align with Redding’s commitment to education, philanthropy, and the community.

VIBE spoke with Karla Redding-Andrews (Vice President/Executive Director of the Foundation), and her son, Justin Andrews (Director of Special Projects and Outreach), to discuss why their favorite songs of his are deep cuts, how being part of the foundation helped them become the singer’s biggest fans, and how the three aforementioned entities intertwine and play a part in keeping the legacy of Otis Redding alive.

Otis Redding honored with a posthumous star on Hollywood Walk Of Fame in October 2024

Monica Schipper/Getty Images

“The Otis Redding Foundation was the first of the dream that my mom and dad shared, even before his untimely passing in December of 1967,” Karla reflected over Zoom. “They were already being very philanthropic and [promoting] the importance of staying in school paired with an education with music in the arts […] In 2007, we officially formed in a public capacity the Otis Redding Foundation, because Mom, even after Dad died, continued to provide scholarships and continuing education opportunities for young people to make sure that they got their best foot forward to do what they wanted to do in life.”

Karla confessed that the crooner “always knew” what he wanted his legacy to be and so did Zelma. “Mom would say Dad would always say he’s not the best entertainer or the best singer, but what he can do is inspire people to be their best authentic selves. They remained just really positive people all the time— never arrogant, always humble. I think that is what the legacy of Zelma and Otis Redding is all about,” she expressed.

Ironically, she and her siblings admittedly didn’t fully grasp what it meant to be their legacy while growing up. “Learning dad’s catalog, and even growing up, my brothers and I didn’t quite understand the magnitude of the Otis Redding. He was just dad to us,” Karla explained.

It didn’t click until after she graduated college and really had to “learn his legacy” and it was then that she accepted this innate pursuit.

“Once I really accepted the fact that my dad was a big deal, I was in college. I think with any celebrity kid, you don’t want to be known as ‘Otis Redding’s daughter,’ so you got to go out and try to prove to yourself that you can make it in a world outside of having this great legacy to live under,” she confessed. Now, being Redding’s daughter is worn like a badge of honor.

Karla explained, “I said, ‘Listen, that’s who you are, and you should be so proud. There can only be one Otis Redding’s daughter, and that’s you, and you better get your behind in gear and accept it, and do it.’ I was like it would be crazy for you to allow someone else to pick up the legacy like this and promote it, other than family, and what your mom has been working all of her life to uphold and to make right. I found my place, and I think I’m the best at promoting all things Otis Redding and the Otis Redding Foundation. I am fortunate to be able to do this.”

In doing so, Karla quipped that “it’s almost like being Otis Redding’s biggest fan all over again,” as she found herself “learning the music, the clothes he wore, what he loved to eat, how was he with the other musicians, and listening to the stories that people tell about what a great human he was.”

Upon acquiring such knowledge, she instilled it all in her own children. For Justin, he noted, “I always preface this by saying this is someone that I never had the opportunity to meet [but I love] putting the pieces together of actually who my granddaddy is as a person.”

Whether it’s him listening to how other artists talk about Redding’s impact or hearing it from his fans, Justin loves that Redding is “still a pillar in the music industry” especially in areas like Nashville where R&B isn’t the dominant genre, and noted, “Otis Redding still has that impact on every single genre in the music industry.”

For them, they prefer Redding’s deep cuts. Justin often rotates between “Ole Man Trouble” and “Cigarettes and Coffee” whereas Karla’s pressing play on “Love Man” and “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember”— with the latter being a poem Zelma wrote for Redding that he turned into a surprise song.

She praised her father for “always [being] totally authentic to himself.”

Explaining, “He never wanted to change who he was, or how he sang, or what he looked like for anyone. He was true to himself, and I think to be an artist and to stay in that moment like that and not say, ‘I’ve got to be like the Motown [standard].’ He was like, ‘No, this is who I am and this is who I’m authentically always going to be, whether it’s accepted or not.’ Dad started exactly as he finished. He never faltered.”

Karla feels if Redding were here today, he’d be very hands-on when it comes to the foundation, Center For The Arts, and music festival. “He’d be right here in this place every moment of the day, any time we needed him to engage and be involved with these kids […] He would just be so humble and so proud,” she shared.

With both her and Justin handling the foundation and its subsidiaries, Karla said, “The world is ours right now. This was a dream of his, and here we are now still living in that moment. As long as we continue to get kids in here, if we get the next Otis Redding, so be it. But if we don’t, we’re still going to make sure that we are providing confidence, and self empowerment, and creativity in this space.”

Justin added, “We can do whatever we want to. If all else besides the music, the instruments, and everything we do here, we are instilling confidence in kids. Watching those kids come in from day one and be kind of shy, and be on the outskirts, to literally walking on stage with 3,500 people on a sold-out crowd on one of the most historic stages in the world— that to me is why we do it. Just keep pushing that envelope of Otis Redding.”

October 28, 2025 0 comments

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain Review: A Small Animated Wonder

TV & Streaming

Animation Is Film Festival Winners Include Little Amelie, Arco

by jummy84 October 26, 2025

written by jummy84

Animation Is Film, the Los Angeles-based film festival dedicated to spotlighting animation as an art form, announced the winners of their 8th annual festival this week.

“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” a French animated film directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, took the Grand Jury Prize from the festival. Another French film that played at Cannes, “Arco” by Ugo Bienvenu, received the Audience Award. The Fumi Kitahara Special Jury Prize, renamed this year to honor late publicist Fumi Kitahara, went to Spanish Animated film “Decorado” from director Alberto Vázquez. Short films “Gigi” by Cynthia Calvi and “Éiru” by Giovanna Ferrari won the Shorts Jury Grand Prize and the Special Jury Prize for Shorts, respectively.

In an interview with IndieWire, Festival director Matt Kaszanek spoke about how the festival was created in 2017 to challenge narratives about animation as a lesser form of art, as well as showcase the best of international animated cinema.

“I think it’s unique to other festivals in that it’s its name is also its mission, which is to celebrate animation, to push back on a narrative that some people have, even subconsciously, that animation is kind of some lesser form of cinema. That you can like animation, but those are not titles that should be considered among the best films of the year,” Kaszanek told IndieWire. “I hear the word animated used as a qualifier a lot. When people are talking about films, they’ll say ‘Oh, I really, really loved ‘Flow.’ That was the best animated film of the year.’ And I would counter that, I think ‘Flow’ was one of the best films of last year. Animation Is Film is very much about that, and that’s its mission.”

Reflecting on how the festival has grown, Kaszanek told IndieWire that the festival has grown in attendance every year since its inception. He also said that, as the festival has established a foothold in the industry, it has become a bellwether for the Animated Feature and Animated Shorts race, with it becoming common for the majority of the movies that make the categories to play at the festival.

“Most of the films that you’re seeing at the festival, these are the films that are getting nominated for Academy Awards,” Kaszanek said. “Four of the best animated shorts had played at Animation Is Film [last year]. And then on the feature side, if you look back over the last four years, it’s pretty common we’ll have typically four, sometimes five of the Best Animated Feature nominees.”

The 2025 festival opened with “Scarlet,” an anime film from director Mamoru Hosoda. “Arco” served as the centerpiece film for the festival, while “Little Amélie” was the official closing selection. Other movies that played at the festival included “Lesbian Space Princes,” “All You Need Is Kill,” “A Story About Fire,” and a remastering of “Paranorman.” Panels from the festival included talks with the directors behind “KPOP Demon Hunters” and a sneak preview of the upcoming “Zootopia 2.”

“We really try to position ourselves as, this is your opportunity to really see everything that’s played at the bigger festivals over the course of the year. So you’re looking at what was at Berlin? And so we got ‘A Story About Fire’ from there, and then what was playing in Cannes, and that’s ‘Arco’ and ‘Little Amélie,’” Kaszanek said. “Geographical diversity is great because we really do sell this festival as an international event, and you’re seeing films from all over the world.”

Reflecting on how the festival has made an impact and the state of animation has evolved, Kaszanek told IndieWire that he feels critical respect for animation has only grown in the years since the festival started. He brought up an increase in animated movies playing at other festivals as a sign of the medium’s evolution and a sign of a promising future for the industry.

“We’re not the only people that are kind of beating that drum that animation is film, and it should be taken seriously, and that these are films that should be celebrated alongside live action films. The progress that I’m seeing is that that’s more people are saying it. The call for that is getting louder,” Kaszanek told IndieWire. “The more film festivals that are showing animation in their lineup, in their competition, is a good thing for the entire industry, and we’re seeing that.”

The 2025 Animation is Film Festival ran from October 17 to 19th at the TCL Chinese Theaters. Read the complete list of winners below.

Grand Jury Prize: “Little Amélie Or the Character of Rain” (dir. Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han)

Audience Award: “Arco” (dir. Ugo Bienvenu)

Fumi Kitahara Special Jury Prize: “Decorado” (dir. Alberto Vázquez)

Grand Jury Prize — Shorts: “Gigi” (dir. Cynthia Calvi)

Special Jury Prize — Shorts: “Éiru (dir. Giovanni Ferrari)

October 26, 2025 0 comments

Bollywood

“The Man in Them Hasn’t Changed Much”- Shah Rukh Khan Reacts to His Film Festival

by jummy84 October 25, 2025

written by jummy84

Shah Rukh Khan fans are in for a treat as a lot of his iconic films will be released in the theatres starting October 31. And now, the actor has reacted to the same. Ahead of his 60th birthday on November 2, PVR INOX will be celebrating with a special film festival that will showcase the actors’ blockbuster films till date starting from October 31, 2025. This will be a two-week-long film festival that will run across more than 30 cities and approximately 75 cinemas.

SRK took to social media to share a montage of clips taken from his films such as Jawan, Main Hoon Na, Dil Se, Devdas, Chennai Express, Om Shanti Om, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and wrote, “Some of my previous films are coming back to the theatres. The man in them hasn’t changed much – just the hair… and a little more handsome

The Shah Rukh Khan Film Festival begins on 31st October!

In select theatres across India, in association with PVR INOX.

A YRF International release across the Middle East, North America, the UK, Europe, and Australia.

T&C Apply.”

Take a look at his post:

Talking about the film festival curated by PVR INOX, Shah Rukh Khan said, “Cinema has always been my home, and seeing these films find their way back to the big screen feels like a beautiful reunion. These movies are not just my stories, they belong to the audience that have lovingly embraced them over the last 33 years. I am grateful to PVR INOX for celebrating this journey with such love, and to Red Chillies Entertainment, my creative home, for always believing in stories that connect us all. I hope everyone who comes to watch relives the joy, the music, the emotions, and the magic of cinema that we’ve shared together.”

October 25, 2025 0 comments

Celebrity News

bitchy | “Rose Byrne wore Prada with a peplum at the Rome Film Festival” links

by jummy84 October 25, 2025

written by jummy84

Rose Byrne wore Prada to the Rome Film Festival premiere of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The “peplum pockets” are interesting, but it’s still a peplum and the dress, overall, isn’t great. There was some awards-buzz for this film a few months ago but then critics started reviewing the film and it doesn’t seem so buzzy anymore. [RCFA]
Did Emma Stone purposefully channel Gwyneth Paltrow’s famous green outfit in Great Expectations? Perhaps. [Go Fug Yourself]
More analysis of Kristen Bell’s horrible Instagram. [LaineyGossip]
I’ve always thought that Jason Clarke is an underrated actor, so I enjoy that he’s suddenly inescapable in films & TV projects. [Pajiba]
Jeremy Allen White covers Interview. [OMG Blog]
Meet a French Instahottie. [Socialite Life]
Megan Thee Stallion wrote a song about Klay Thompson! [Just Jared]
Jason Momoa in a bald cap = noooo. [Seriously OMG]
Which piece of stolen Louvre jewelry are you? [Jezebel]
Misty Copeland photos! [Hollywood Life]
Kim Kardashian has a brain aneurysm? [Buzzfeed]

October 25, 2025 0 comments

TV & Streaming

‘Hamnet’ Wins Big at San Diego International Film Festival

by jummy84 October 24, 2025

written by jummy84

Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” was the big winner at the San Diego International Film Festival, winning both the best Gala Film (jury award) and the Audience Choice Gala Award. Eddie Vedder-starring documentary “Matter of Time,” which blends concert performances with an intimate look at the fight to cure a rare childhood disease, earned the Artistic Director’s Award.

“Hamnet,” adapted by Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare in a drama that captures the grief and enduring love that inspired one of literature’s greatest works.

Other winners at the fest, which ran from Oct. 15-19, includes:

Best Feature: “Aontas,” Ireland

Artistic Director’s Award: “Matter of Time”

Best Documentary: “Standout: The Ben Kjar Story”

Best International Feature: “Hello Mother,” Mongolia

Best Ensemble: “Fantasy Life”

Best Comedy: “For Worse”

Best Women Film Series: “The Fisherman,” Ghana

Best Shorts Track: “Charmingly Short”

Best Short Documentary: “The Opening Address”

Best Short Narrative: “Sally, Get the Potatoes”

Best International Short Film: “Kong Kong”

Best Animation: “Forevergreen”

Best Student Film: “Echoes of the Wild”

Audience Choice Feature: “Obraz,” Montenegro. Film is also repping Montenegro in the international feature film Oscar race.

Audience Choice Documentary: “Standout: Ben Kjar” and “A Quiet Love”

Audience Choice Short: “Rise”

“We’re so proud to honor such a diverse and exciting group of filmmakers,” said Tonya Mantooth, CEO & artistic director, San Diego International Film Festival, in a statement. “From powerhouse performances to emerging new voices, this year’s lineup reminded us of the power of cinema to move and unite us.”

October 24, 2025 0 comments

Kerala appeals to both luxury, budget travellers: Experts at Yaanam 2025

Lifestyle

Autumn Festival, a prelude to Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, to begin in Delhi on Friday

by jummy84 October 23, 2025

written by jummy84

New Delhi, The fourth edition of the Autumn Festival 2025, a prelude to Nagaland’s iconic Hornbill Festival, will commence here on Friday, showcasing the Northeastern state’s rich tribal culture, traditional music, and cuisine, among others.

Autumn Festival, a prelude to Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, to begin in Delhi on Friday

The two-day event, to be held at the Nagaland House here, will offer visitors a glimpse of the state’s vibrant culture through dance performances and handicrafts, an official statement said.

Nagaland’s Minister for Tourism and Higher Education, Temjen Imna Along, said the festival celebrates the Naga tribes each with its own history, culture and unique traditions.

“Through this event, we aim to bring the beauty and essence of Nagaland’s heritage to the people of Delhi. On behalf of the chief minister of Nagaland, I warmly invite everyone to experience this festival and join us in celebrating unity in diversity,” he said.

The event will be graced by Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra, along with ambassadors and representatives from various countries, including Ireland and Thailand.

Along said the world-renowned Hornbill Festival known as the ‘Festival of Festivals’ will be held at Kisama heritage village in Nagaland from December 1 to 10, featuring participation from all 17 major tribes of the state, partner countries and partner states.

“Nagaland’s tourism policy is being made more visitor-friendly. We welcome all those who wish to experience the natural beauty, culture, and warmth of our people. The participation of international delegates and ambassadors this year adds a special dimension to our celebration,” he said.

To make travel easier for visitors, the Inner Line Permit process is being simplified, and a dedicated helpline will be launched at Nagaland House in New Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati to assist travellers, the statement said.

Tourists can also apply online for the ILP through the designated portal indianfrro.gov.in/eservices, it said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

October 23, 2025 0 comments

Events

The New Festival & Outdoor Event Guide

by jummy84 October 23, 2025

written by jummy84

Event industry news the new festival & outdoor event guide 1

Welcome to the Festival & Outdoor Guide As Event Industry News celebrates its 15th anniversary, we’re thrilled to unveil the newly re-launched Festival & Outdoor Guide – refreshed, redesigned, and ready for a new era of live experiences.

This year’s edition carries a bold new look but stays true to what organisers have always relied on: a comprehensive resource packed with the insight, suppliers, and inspiration you need to plan unforgettable outdoor events. Whether you’re producing a boutique music festival, a large-scale public celebration, or a one-off brand activation, this guide is your trusted companion for the 2026 season and beyond.

Fifteen years on, Event Industry News remains at the heart of the industry – celebrating innovation, connection, and creativity across every corner of the events world. Here’s to another season of making moments happen under open skies.

Download now

October 23, 2025 0 comments

TV & Streaming

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025 — Winners List

by jummy84 October 21, 2025

written by jummy84

Are rats cute, creepy, or a matter of genre? That’s the sort of debate you have at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival — a warm-and-whacky annual event in New York City that expanded rapidly for its 10^th edition.

Co-founded by creative director Justin Timms, this gonzo celebration started a decade ago as a quaint movie club in the backroom of a bar. Now, it’s a ten-day affair held at several different venues with an estimated 5,000 guests in attendance for 2025. That’s a 20 percent increase since last year and proof that buzz for Brooklyn Horror is building scary well.

“Rats, much like horror, are deeply misunderstood,” said Timms, who champions plenty of weird art you could describe that way. This year, Brooklyn Horror gave top accolades to Mickey Reece’s “Every Heavy Thing,” Emilio Portes’ “Don’t Leave the Kids Alone,” and “Last Call,” a short film directed by Winnie Cheung. Read the exclusive Brooklyn Horror Film Festival winners announcement below.

David Zaslav and Steven Spielberg at the premiere of 'The Color Purple' held at The Academy Museum on December 6, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

“There really wasn’t a festival like this in New York,” said Timms. “There’s the New York City Horror Film Festival, but they show more strictly defined horror movies — and Scary Movies at Lincoln Center is back, but that’s a much smaller program. So, there are other horror festivals, but they’re just not programming all of the kinds of films that we’re interested in.”

Creative director Justin Timms at the 10th Brooklyn Horror Film FestivalSean Chee, Brooklyn Horror Film Fest

Brooklyn Horror recruited IndieWire to its panel of expert judges this year. That group — which also included voices from prominent genre brands like Vinegar Syndrome, Fangoria, MPI Media, Alter, and more — toasted not just the scariest cinema but the most out-there media of all kinds. That’s important to Joseph Hernandez, the senior programmer and director of community development who has been working alongside Timms since the festival’s inception.

“The mainstream perception of horror goes back to the ‘80s to that explosion of slasher sequels, and that’s what really helped form the image of what a horror movie is today,” Hernandez said. “Ever since then, true horror fans have been trying to explain that the genre world is so much more than that.”

The three categories in competition at Brooklyn Horror 2025 included the annual shorts contest; the Dark Matter lineup, for features grounded in serious subject matter; and the Head Trip section, for features that expand your mind. The winners from the 10th-anniversary year demonstrate just how far you can stretch the definition of an award-worthy film — in the best way.

“What worries me most is that people will stop taking big swings,” said publicist Justin Cook, when asked about his hopes and fears for the genre landscape going forward. Cook just joined Brooklyn Horror Film Festival a few years ago, but he knows what’s cutting-edge. “There should always be movies out there that take big swings. Some work for me personally. Some do not. But I will always respect a big swing.”

Asked about the best movie debate he’s had at Brooklyn Horror so far, Cook hauled off and asserted a hot take he heard earlier this week: Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” is… more entertaining than John Carpenter’s original?! Programmer Tori Potenza is a recent addition to the team too, and it’s those kinds of moments that transformed them from a visiting film critic to a yearly organizer hungry for more.

“The community is the thing that made me love this festival so much,” said Potenza, noting that many of the most important conversations in genre veer toward Dark Matter. “When you look at the history of horror, there’s so much that’s either in the subtext or the actual text that’s about marginalized communities. We are representing that history by honoring people who didn’t always have the chance to be behind the camera and tell their own stories.”

The 2025 Leviathan Award winner Ernest Dickerson at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Sean Chee/Brooklyn Horror

“Horror is a very wide prism that can be so many things and we’re just constantly trying to reflect that in our program every year,” agreed Hernandez. “We are a genre film festival and we’re very proud of our ongoing mission to continue to stretch that definition.”

When Brooklyn Horror first got started, the infamous pizza rat video from 2015 had just gone viral. The rodent has served as the fest’s unofficial mascot ever since, but it took a decade for Timms to finally stop by a Spirit Halloween and pick up the animatronic that’s stealing the spotlight in all of this year’s photos. The rat is called Pepperoni and his agent “demands he be credited by name,” said Cook.

But to quote the truest internet meme I’ve read in recent memory, “The worst person you know is somewhere saying, ‘I’m passionate about uplifting community.’” Not so at Brooklyn Horror, where Timms avoids taking credit and instead heaps praise on his organizers and volunteers… while waxing poetic on the redemptive quality of rats. Popping sponsored Gushers in red wine (an off-the-menu secret you found here first!), the creative director shared his favorite conversation from this year’s Brooklyn Horror as well.

Recalling a chat he had with Leviathan Award winner Ernest Dickerson, who got distracted on his way to the bathroom during a screening, Timms said, “He forgot he was waiting, and completely out of the blue, he wanted to tell me about this Japanese horror movie he saw on YouTube. He said it’s so good I need to watch it. So, you know I will.”

Read on for all the winners (and some of their reactions!) at the 10th Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.

Dark Matter Jury Awards

Best Feature: “Don’t Leave the Kids Alone”

“On behalf of everyone at ‘Don’t Leave the Kids Alone,’ we would like to thank the jury of the Dark Matter section, Matt Barone and everyone who make the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival possible and everyone who took the time to attend the screenings. Thanks for inviting the film, fighting for the theatrical experience, nurturing horror audiences, bringing together international films and colleagues of the forbidden genres. And last but not least… ¡Viva Brooklyn Horror Fest y el Cine de Terror!”
—Emilio Portes, director

A scene from director Emilio Portes’ “Don’t Leave the Kids Alone”

Best Director: Paolo Strippoli, “The Holy Boy”

Best Performance: Olivia Taylor Dudley, “Abigail Before Beatrice”

Best Screenplay: Aleksandar Radivojevic, “Karmadonna”

Best Cinematography: Cristiano Di Nicola, “The Holy Boy”

Best Practical FX: Mio Chiba and Tokhiko Endo, “Incomplete Chairs”

Head Trip Jury Awards

Best Feature: “Every Heavy Thing”

“What an honor. It’s been my lifelong goal to buck the formula of every kind of movie so it’s galvanizing to receive this award which celebrates just that.”
—Mickey Reece, director

(Left to right): Tipper Newton and Mickey Reece for “Every Heavy Thing”Sean Chee/Brooklyn Horror Film Fest

Best Director: Yûta Shimotsu, “New Group”

Best Screenplay: Avalon Fast, “CAMP”

Best Performance: Tipper Newton, “Every Heavy Thing”

Best Editing: Simon Glassman, “Buffet Infinity”

Best Cinematography: Eily Sprungman, “CAMP”

Best Sound Design: Johnny Blerot, “Buffet Infinity”

Shorts Competition Jury Awards

Best Short: “Last Call”

“I’m grateful to the festival, the jurors, and everyone who embraced the shadows of this film. This honor belongs to the cast and crew, whose artistry and devotion brought to life the strange, the unsettling, and the hauntingly beautiful metamorphosis of ‘becoming.”
—Winnie Cheung, director

A scene from director Winnie Cheung’s “Last Call”

Best Director: Kylie Aoibheann, “The Dysphoria”

Best Performance: Nicole Elliot, “Jeff”

Best Special FX: Sharp FX, The Dysphoria

Best Screenplay: Louise Flaherty & Neil Christopher, “The Gnawer of Rocks”

Best Sound Design: Jack Goodman, “Eonian”

Best Art Direction: Danny Christopher & Sarah Ball, “The Gnawer of Rocks”

Best Editing: Marcus Fahey, “Daddy is a Hunter”

Home Invasion Award: “Rebrand” (dir. Edoardo Ranaboldo)

Special Jury Mention for Filmmaker to Watch: Nathan Ginter, “Overgrown”

The Leviathan Award

Brooklyn Horror’s first and only tribute award, was created in 2023 to honor the luminaries of horror and acknowledge their monstrous contributions to the genre.

The 2025 Leviathan Award goes to the multitalented Ernest Dickerson, whose prolific career as a cinematographer and director has given horror fans a surplus of greatness on screens both big and small. With his trailblazing run of feature films and TV show episodes dating back to the 1980s and spanning to the present day, Ernest Dickerson has helped to pave the way for the likes of Jordan Peele and Nia DaCosta by showing that horror cinema knows no color lines nor cultural barriers.

Leviathan Award winner Ernest Dickerson at the Brooklyn Horror Film FestivalSean Chee/Brooklyn Horror Film Fest

The 10th Brooklyn Horror Film Festival runs through October 25 in New York City. Check showtimes.

October 21, 2025 0 comments

TV & Streaming

2025 PROOF Film Festival Returns to American Cinematheque

by jummy84 October 21, 2025

written by jummy84

In 2023, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles launched the first edition of PROOF, a short film festival dedicated to showcasing movies by emerging filmmakers hoping to use their shorts as proof-of-concepts for more ambitious features. This November, PROOF returns to the Cinematheque in an expanded form that includes special screenings, panels, development funds for award-winning shorts, and a “Pitch Deck Show & Tell.”

For the third edition of PROOF, screenings of the proof-of-concept shorts will run alongside centerpiece programming that includes “Film Financing Today,” a panel that will discuss how projects are getting made in today’s shifting entertainment landscape, and “Next Steps: From a Short to a Feature,” a returning PROOF signature panel spotlighting filmmakers who have successfully expanded short-form work into features or television.

C'MON C'MON, from left: Joaquin Phoenix, Woody Norman, 2021. ph: Tobin Yelland /© A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection

Building on that idea of exploring how filmmakers have leveraged shorts into feature film work, the festival will also host the Los Angeles premiere of “Atropia.” The winner of the Dramatic Feature Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance, “Atropia” was originally a short film before it evolved into a full-length feature, and both the short and the feature will screen at PROOF. Writer/director Hailey Gates and star Alia Shawkat will appear for an in-person Q&A between the short film and the feature film.

This year, PROOF will also present “Pitch Deck Show & Tell” selections, an event that will give filmmakers the opportunity to present their pitch decks and project ideas to a live audience of peers, industry professionals, and potential collaborators. Presenting both feature and series concepts, participants will have five minutes to pitch after which they’ll receive real-time feedback from filmmakers, producers, and executives to help refine their projects and take them to the next stage.

As in previous years, however, the festival’s primary mission is to empower the next generation of cinematic storytellers by providing a forum for their proof-of-concept shorts. These shorts will be eligible for awards given by a jury featuring Miranda Sarah Einy (producer, “Happy Place”), Rachel Goldfinger (creative executive, Playgrounds), Sarah Marie Flores (creative executive, Anarchists United), Remy Solomon (writer and content creator), Brett Robinson (development executive), Liz Sargent (writer/director), Riley Chapman (coordinator, New Line Cinema), Sara Koch (casting director), Kesila Childers (producer and development executive), Aisling Scott Lynch (creative executive, Fourth Wall), Reiko Napier Moreno (independent producer/manager), and Yuky Shen (executive assistant, Kindred Spirit).

Five juried awards will be presented at the festival’s end, along with one audience choice award. The newest juried award is the “Shot on Film” Award sponsored by Kodak. The award will be granted to a filmmaker that shot their project either partially or completely on film, and they will receive an in-kind grant of $5,000 of Kodak Motion Picture Film Stock and/or Processing.

In addition, the newly created PROOF Development Fund will provide unrestricted grants to the winners of the festival, intended to directly support key next steps in their creative journeys — whether that’s bringing on a line producer, hiring a casting director, securing legal counsel, attending markets and festivals, or funding other early development needs. The 2025 Grand Jury Prize winner will receive $2,500, with additional grant money available for other festival awardees.

The festival will run November 7 – 9 at The Culver Theater in Culver City. Individual tickets to screenings, blocks, and panels are now on sale at the American Cinematheque‘s website.

October 21, 2025 0 comments

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