Vivisections: International Horror Shorts Winter 2015

VIVISECTIONS INTERNATIONAL HORROR SHORTS SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY EDITION “Love is the blackest of all plagues…if one could die of it, there would be some pleasure in love, but you don’t die of it.” Jöns, Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal On February 15th, the PhilaMOCA’s quarterly screening series is back with our first themed program in honor of St. Valentine’s Day! Bring your sweetie and cuddle up with seven twisted tales dealing with the darker side of love and devotion, starting with one of the most charming shorts we’ve come across and ending with one of the most confrontational. As usual, all of the films in this program are screening in Philadelphia for the first time, including an exclusive U.S. Sneak Preview of Meredith Hama-Brown’s devastating short, Nature. In addition, we’ll also be presenting a special screening of Todd Rohal’s previously released Rat Pack Rat in tribute to the film’s lead actor (and Philadelphia native), Eddie Rouse, who sadly passed away in December 2014. Curated by Matt Garrett Sunday February 15th 7:30PM (Doors open a half hour prior to showtime) $10 Admission DEAD HEARTS / 17 minutes/UK Dir. Stephen W. Martin An unstoppable romance is chronicled via live-action, animation, re-animation, and Kung Fu werewolf battles! With an utterly infectious style and endless amounts of heart, Stephen W. Martin has crafted a mini masterpiece that will especially please fans of Wes Anderson, Roald Dahl, and the early career of Tim Burton. CRAZY FOR YOU / 10 minutes/UK Dir. James Moran It's difficult to find love when you're a serial killer and when Charlie meets the girl of his dreams, he has to keep that slight flaw a secret from her. Will true love win the day, or will she become another of his unwitting victims? Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who) and Hannah Tointon (The Inbetweeners) star in this genuinely sweet horror/rom-com from filmmaker James Moran (screenwriter of Severance, Cockneys VS. Zombies, and episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood). RAT PACK RAT / 19 minutes/USA Dir. Todd Rohal Acclaimed filmmaker Todd Rohal (The Catechism Cataclysm, ABC’s of Death 2) reunites with the late, great Eddie Rouse (George Washington, Nature Calls) and Steve Little (Adventure Time, Eastbound & Down) for this 2014 Sundance award-winner about a terminally ill man-child and the Sammy Davis Jr. impersonator taxed with fulfilling his birthday wish. CHANCE / 5 minutes/USA Dir. Ryan Wick An attractive young woman spends her nights picking up random men at bars, leaving the outcome to be decided by the spin of a coin. DEEP RED DANDELIONS / 10 minutes/USA Dir. Brendan Butler In 1928 Albert Fish, one of America's most deranged serial killers, committed an atrocity involving a young girl that has echoed through the annals of true crime history. Deep Red Dandelions is a romanticized portrayal of the events that occurred on that day, based on excerpts by Mr. Fish. METAMORPHOSE / 8 minutes/Spain Dir. Sergio Morcillo A battered and bloodied woman races through an isolated forest, trying to outrun a man in pursuit in Sergio Morcillo’s vicious short dealing with themes of toxic love and survival. NATURE / 9 minutes/Canada Dir. Meredith Hama-Brown There are instances when a film is best gone into knowing nothing at all. Writer/director/actress Meredith Hama-Brown’s Nature is one such film, and is no doubt one of the most challenging shorts we’ve screened to date. We are thrilled to be presenting this film to American audiences for the first time and can’t wait to see what Ms. Hama-Brown has in store for us in the future. If Nature is any indication, it’s not going to be painless. Total Running Time: 79 minutes PhilaMOCA 531 N. 12th Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 Philamoca.org