Feminist Fright Fest
We’re excited to announce Feminist Fright Fest 2020 featuring director Gigi Saul Guerrero (October 19th - October 30th)!
This year, due to the pandemic, we are changing up our format and inviting our community to submit work for us to feature on Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity's YouTube channel.
We are seeking:
(1) Video essays, podcast episodes, live discussions, etc. analyzing horror from an intersectional feminist perspective
(2) Horror shorts created by women and gender minorities
(3) Other creative ideas or formats that fit our annual Fest's theme and are shareable on our YouTube channel
Please email submissions by Monday, October 19th and any questions to FeministFrightFest@gmail.com.
Featured submissions will include The Nightmare Hour on "The Final Girl," Everyday Aficionados on the "Halloween" film series, and Feminist Fright Fest host Isaac Thomas on "Ginger Snaps"!
We are also thrilled to share that director Gigi Saul Guerrero will join your Feminist Fright Fest hosts Eric Havens, Miguel Roel, and Megan Williams for a discussion of her new film Culture Shock and her experiences as a Latina in the film industry.
Culture Shock is available for streaming now on Hulu.
OUR SPECIAL GUEST
Gigi Saul Guerrero (she/her) is a writer, director, producer, actress, and co-founder of Luchagore Productions. Her directing credits include such viral titles as “A Luchagore Christmas,” “Evil Dead in 60 seconds,” and the short film “El Gigante,” available on SHUDDER, which was the recipient of over 40+ Awards worldwide. In 2014, Gigi participated in the Mexican horror anthology Mexico Bárbaro with its Day of the Dead segment while still in film school. As an actress she has had roles in the Netflix animated series, “Super Monsters,” “Marvel Super Hero Adventures,” “Nina´s World,” “Sirens,” “Fun House,” “Inconceivable,” and more. She is the recipient of the 2016 Vancouver Women in Film and Television “Artistic Innovation Award” and her series with Warner Brothers/Stage 13, “La Quinceañera,” won the Audience Award at the 2017 Morbido Film Festival. Gigi's most recent works include “Hail Mary” (2019) an episode of “The Purge” and “Culture Shock” (2019), the tenth installment of Hulu and Blumhouse’s “Into the Dark” series.
YOUR HOSTS
Eric Havens (they/them) is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist whose work includes, “Call Girl,” “The Stylist,” “A Message of Hope From the Terminally Depressed,” and “The Devil and Me.” They have won several ‘Best Screenplay’ awards from an array of film festivals as well as placing in the quarterfinals of the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. Their novels have been praised as “the right blend of brains, heart and pulp,” “captivating from the first page,” and “apocalyptic and hard-boiled.” An internet commenter even once claimed that, “Havens is truly, truly terrible.” Eric is also a longtime critic and journalist for several film sites such as Downright Creepy and Boom Howdy. We’re excitedly awaiting the feature-length release of the multi award-winning short horror film “The Stylist” (2020), co-written by Eric and directed by Jill Gevargizian.
Miguel Roel (he/him) is a local educator, activist, and community organizer, who works to promote revolutionary change in the Lawrence community. He is also an amateur film critic and co-creator of the Everyday Aficionados Movie Reviews YouTube Channel.
Megan Williams (she/her) is the Assistant Director of Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity at The University of Kansas. She earned her PhD in American Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) from KU. A feminist scholar and former professor, Megan has published academic work and taught college courses exploring representations of gender, race, class, sexuality, and dis/ability in Hollywood films.
Isaac Thomas (he/him) has been fascinated by the horror genre and representations of LGBTQ+ people in film since high school. Isaac is a Class of 2020 KU alum with a degree in linguistics. Aside from film, one of Isaac’s other passions is advocating for transgender justice within the healthcare system. He is the former President of KU's Students United for Reproductive and Gender Equity, a campus-based chapter of URGE, a national organization that advocates for reproductive justice and equity for people of all genders, races, and backgrounds.
For more on our 2019 festival, check out Nick Spacek's coverage in The Pitch ― "Feminist Fright Fest looks at horror from another perspective."
