BleedFest Film Festival: Celebrating the Women Who Make Indie Genre Movies

Left to right: Action Flick Chick Katrina, Reel Artsy's Karen, and Bleedfest co-founder Elisabeth Fies.

Press release from my friends at BleedFest:

Monthly Genre celebration BLEEDFEST FILM FESTIVAL relaunches in Los Angeles
December 5th, 2010*

After an auspicious first event July 18th, 2010, the original plan for
BleedFest Film Festival to occur quarterly has expanded to the more daunting
and ambitious task of monthly screenings of genre films by female
filmmakers. Says co-founder Elisabeth Fies, “the happy audience demanded
BleedFest become a monthly event to fill a festival programming hole in
Hollywood, and we listened. What’s thrilling is that unlike many top tier
“women” film festivals, our attendance is split 50/50 down the gender line.
We are obliterating the ridiculous perception that every film with a female
protagonist or made by a woman is a so-called chick flick with only female
appeal. There are many women who love watching and making genre films, and
there are many men thrilled to support them.”

BleedFest Film Festival is passionate about raising the visibility of
awesome indie genre movies by female filmmakers.

BleedFest fetes the women who love writing, producing, directing, and
watching badass genre movies: horror, thriller, action, sci-fi, western,
war, exploitation, B-movie, and erotica. BleedFest also screens a few chosen
male filmmakers who have empowering, badass and edgy female protagonists;
their work screens out of competition and receives our “Partnership Award”.
Its mission is to spotlight these edgy films and their fearless makers, and
prove to the world that the derogatory term “chick flick” needs to be
retired.

The festival is the first Sunday afternoon each month. It features shorts
and features in and out of competition, works in progress, and student
films. BleedFest also programs Q & As, networking opportunities,
brainstorming sessions for career advancement, special events like Women in
Horror Recognition Month, and forums with noted Hollywood luminaries to
explore issues facing women auteurs in the industry. BleedFest has a red
carpet, an event photographer, a VIP Guest section, and even an open bar.
All day tickets are only ten dollars cash at the door. Half price tickets
are at Goldstar the week before the event. You may purchase two tickets for
$12 by donating to BleedFest’s IndieGoGo campaign or using the PayPal link
on BleedFest.com. http://www.indiegogo.com/BleedFest-Film-Festival

Each month a local artist or cause will also be highlighted at BleedFest (i.e. painter Kami Lerner, women’s self defense training IMPACT).

BleedFest provides what filmmakers need to be successful. Filmmakers screened are all official winners, and will have a new Winner Laurel to place on their press materials. Each filmmaker will receive an award and have a Q& A and photo moment in front of a red carpet Step and Repeat banner. Many of the films will be in competition to receive the Audience Award. And all filmmakers are eligible to buy a Bleedy, the official bronze statue of BleedFest designed by amazing sculptor Neal Harvey of RubberGorilla.co.uk.

Something you may not be aware of is that female filmmakers can have a difficult time getting press. BleedFest is teamed with twelve Press Partners (and is adding more weekly) to ensure that every filmmaker will receive at least a half dozen news stories or reviews. Our press partners include official sponsors Monster Island Resort Podcast, Film Radar, and B Movie Man, who have all donated time, press, and money towards helping female filmmakers succeed. Several of these Press Partners are official News Desk Providers for IMDb, meaning the stories may appear on the film/filmmakers’ IMDb page and help boost their IMDb rating.

Festival founders and directors Elisabeth Fies and Brenda Fies are a filmmaking duo whose critically acclaimed feature thriller THE COMMUNE was embraced by the genre community in 2009 and 2010. They are thrilled to be filling a hole in the community by providing access to fantastic genre content by indie female filmmakers, and to disprove the widely spread myth that there are no female filmmakers making indie genre. Explains Elisabeth Fies about the discrepancy between reality and industry attention for genre female filmmakers, “It’s not even about being taken seriously. It’s about being discounted to the point that you’re invisible and told you don’t exist. BleedFest aims to prove to the world that hundreds of us ovary-challenged filmmakers are here, and we’re making bold, exciting movies filmlovers need and don’t want to miss. We’re positive, we’re fun, we’re in partnership with men, and we’re unstoppable.” The Fies Sisters thank everyone for the outpouring of support and excitement about BleedFest that helped them reach their IndieGoGo fundraising campaign in under two weeks, and the many friendly programmers from other film festivals who have volunteered screening suggestions.

Submissions are free to filmmakers, and BleedFest is always looking for quality genre work. There is only one space left for the January and February screenings. Submit your film.

* Tell them about a film they should screen.*
*Find out how you can participate, attend as a vendor, VIP, or support with
a donation.*

*First Sunday of the month*
*TIME: 11am-3:30pm *
*Location: CAP Theatre*
*13752 Ventura Blvd.*
*Sherman Oaks, CA 91423*

*$10 cash at door for all day ticket and open bar*