The second annual Fortean Film Festival, which took place over the first weekend of September at the Sherborne Cinema in Gloucester, played host to some of the strangest and scariest independent films currently on the circuit.
With a remit to focus on films about the weird, the supernatural, the paranormal and the unexplained, we launched the festival in 2021 (see FT412:12-13) and have been pleased that the project has met with interest from filmmakers around the world, with over 400 submissions in two years.
This year’s festival kicked off with a hilarious comedy-horror written and directed by Ryan Simons is a rip-roaring mockumentary about the trials and tribulations of a pair of hapless paranormal researchers. Bursting with well-timed gags and a talented cast bringing a gallery of quintessentially quirky British characters to life, this short film wowed both the jury and the audience, and the filmmakers were presented with the trophy for the ‘Judge’s Award for Best of Show’. Jury member and renowned Kiwi actor Brian Sergent, who starred in , and Peter Jackson’s , was full of praise for the film: “A real gem, perfectly cast with a slate of actors all giving of their best. The camerawork was spot on and the beautiful location added to the story perfectly. I was shown yet again that the UK gives us probably the best comedy in the world. Just delightful.”
