By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The second year of the genre-centric event is packed with scary stuff.
The 2024 Make Believe Seattle Film Festival will take place March 21-26, with screenings exclusively in person at Erickson Theatre, Northwest Film Forum and the Grand Illusion Cinema. The fest’s 38 programs include narrative and documentary features, mid-length and short films, repertory showings, filmmaker Q&As, live podcasts and more. Among the fright features in the lineup are a pair of world premieres: THE LONELY MAN WITH THE GHOST MACHINE, the latest from actor (SUITABLE FLESH, CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS, THE MIND’S EYE) turned filmmaker Graham Skipper; and A MOST ATROCIOUS THING (pictured above), an infection shocker made during the pandemic by a group of university students (including directors Christian Hurley and Ben Oliphint) on a tiny budget but lots of ambition. The latter is one of the Centerpiece Screenings, the other being Julia Jackman’s musically oriented coming-of-age story BONUS TRACK; the Opening Night screening is Lisa D’Apolito’s documentary SHARI AND LAMB CHOP, and Closing Night is Ariane Louis-Seize’s HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON.
Also part of Make Believe 2024 are:
Narrative Features
- ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD – directed by Cooper Roberts, West Coast Premiere
- AMERICAN MELTDOWN – directed by Andrew Adams, Pacific Northwest Premiere
- ARCADE – directed by Albert Pyun
- BLOODY BRIDGET – directed by Richard Elfman, WA State Premiere
- THE CONCIERGE – directed by Yoshimi Itazu, Pacific Northwest Premiere
- DICKWEED – directed by Jonathan Ignatius Green, West Coast Premiere
- FOR NIGHT WILL COME (EN ATTENDANT LA NUIT) – directed by Celine Rouzet, U.S. Premiere
- GUNFIGHTER PARADISE – directed by Jethro Waters, West Coast Premiere
- GUSH – directed by Fox Maxy, West Coast Premiere
- HE NEVER LEFT – directed by James Morris, Pacific Northwest Premiere
- LOST SOULZ – directed by Katherine Propper, West Coast Premiere
- SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (kids’ matinee) – directed by Jack Clayton
- MONKEYS & MONKEYS 2: FIGHT THE FUTURE – directed by John McGuigan
- PROPERTY – directed by Daniel Bandeira, West Coast Premiere
- THE WHEEL OF HEAVEN – directed by Joe Badon, Washington State Premiere
Documentary Features
- ALBERT PYUN: KING OF CULT MOVIES – directed by Lisa D’Apolito, West Coast Premiere
- I’M “GEORGE LUCAS”: A CONNOR RATLIFF STORY – directed by Ryan Jacobi, West Coast Premiere
- QUEEN OF THE DEUCE – directed by Valerie Kontakos, Pacific Northwest Premiere
Short Film Programs
- DRAWN TO DEATH
- DYING IS EASY EMPATHY IS HARD
- MAKE BELIEVERS
- MASKS WE WEAR
- OUR ANCESTORS’ WILDEST
- SILENT SCREAM
- UNIVERSAL FEAR
- UNKNOWN FORCES
- WEIRD WILD AND WONDERFUL
For more info and to order festival passes and tickets, head over to the official website.
