The Overlook Film Festival has named the best of the fest.
The feature film audience award went to Emilie Blichfeldt’s “The Ugly Stepsister,” while the grand jury prize for best feature film was awarded to Addison Heimann’s “Touch Me.”
“The Ugly Stepsister” is a gory reimagining of Cinderella, where the titular sibling is focused on trying out the latest 1800s beauty treatments to catch the eye of a royal suitor. “Touch Me” is a horror-comedy that follows two best friends who fall into a complex relationship with an alien whose touch is like a drug to them.
“It was an honor to be at the Overlook Film Festival,” Blichfeldt said in a statement. “This fest has such great audiences and I loved eavesdropping on their reactions. Thank you to those audiences for appreciating my film.”
“I was over the moon to be invited back to the Overlook Film Festival this year and to receive this award is just the bee’s knees,” Heimann said in the press release. “Thanks to Landon, Mike and the whole team for having me and thanks to the jury for recognizing this weird little tentacle movie. Make movies with friends! It’s just the best.”
Also receiving recognition was Yûta Shimotsu’s “Best Wishes to All,” which was awarded scariest feature. The Japanese film follows a young woman who learns dark secrets about her family while visiting her grandparents.
“I am honored to have been selected for the ‘scariest feature’ amongst all the wonderful entries,” Shimotsu said in a statement. “The word ‘fear’ can be defined in many ways as there are many different kinds of fear. With this award, I will continue to work hard so that you can feel a new sense of fear that you have never felt before.”
The feature jury included film journalist Haleigh Foutch, Fangoria editor-in-chief Phil Nobile Jr. and “Paradise Hills” director Alice Waddington.
“Touch Me” is one of the films from the festival that is still searching for distribution.
See the full winners list below.
Audience Awards
Winner — Feature Film
“The Ugly Stepsister”
Director: Emilie Blichfeldt
Honorable Mention — Feature Film
“It Ends”
Director: Alexander Ullom
Winner — Short Film
“The Traveler & The Troll,” Dir. Adam Murray
Honorable Mention — Short Film
“Last to Leave,” Dir. Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Juried Awards
Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film
“Touch Me”
Directors: Addison Heimann
Honorable Mention for Best Feature Film
“Redux Redux”
Director: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus
Scariest Feature Film Award
“Best Wishes to All”
Director: Yûta Shimotsu
Honorable Mention for Scariest Feature Film
“Good Boy”
Director: Ben Leonberg
Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film
“Los Muchachos,” Dir. Alejandro Artiles
Honorable Mention for Creature Design
“The Traveler & The Troll,” Dir. Adam Murray
Scariest Short Film Award
“Cruelty,” Dir. Sam Das
Honorable Mention for Production Design
“Easybake,” Dir. Sasha Duncan
Short Film Jury: filmmaker Brooke M. Cellars, film journalist Deirdre Crimmins and filmmaker Addison Heimann
This year’s Overlook Film Festival took place from April 3-6 in New Orleans.
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