First Lineup from New York's What's The Fest!? Includes BOILED ANGELS, LOWLIFE, REVENGE and More

New York City has a brand new film festival with a rather unique angle.

 

According to its first announcement, What the Fest!? "promises to upend what people think of when they hear 'genre films,' highlighting films in a new way throughout a can’t miss weekend for cinema lovers who are looking for the next cool thing." Maria Reinup (Happsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, Black Nights Film Festival) is the fest's creative director. The event will take place at the IFC Center from March 29th to April 1st, 2018. 

 

The first edition of What the Fest!? -- not to be confused with Toronto's What The Film Festival -- boasts a few world and US premieres, numerous New York premieres and many strange surprises. Titles of note include the documentary Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana (world premiere), a new restoration of the ultra-rare Eastern Bloc adventure epic Curse of Snake's Valley (US premiere), Valley of Shadows (world premiere), Lowlife (NY premiere), Satan's Slaves (NY premiere),  Revenge (NY premiere), and The Ranger (NY premiere). A full list of titles with synopses and more information is provided below.

 

Revenge (NY Premiere)

Thursday, March 29th, 7:00PM

Synopsis: Three wealthy, married men learn the hard way that you should never bring your mistress along on a guys' getaway, especially when there’s hunting involved. A Neon release.

Written & Directed by: Coralie Fargeat

Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, & Guillaume Bouchède

TRT: 108 min.

Country: France

Language: English; French (with English subtitles)

 

Valley of Shadows (U.S. Premiere)

Friday, March 30th, 7:00PM

Synopsis: In this mesmerizing Scandinavian Gothic fable shot on 35mm, a small boy sets out into the deep, dark woods in search of a mysterious creature. Filmmaker Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen

Written by: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen & Clement Tuffreau

Starring: Adam Ekeli, Kathrine Fagerland, Jørgen Langhelle, Jone Hope Larsen, & Lennard Salamon

TRT: 91 min.

Country: Norway

Language: Norwegian (with English subtitles)

 

The Endless

Friday, March 30th, 9:30PM

Synopsis: Two brothers (played by co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, of SPRING and RESOLUTION) return to the cult they fled years ago, only to discover that the group's beliefs may make much more sense than they once thought. A Well Go USA release. Benson and Moorhead will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

Written by: Justin Benson

Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Tate Ellington, Callie Hernandez, & Lew Temple

TRT: 112 min.

Country: U.S.

Language: English

 

Blue My Mind (NY Premiere)

Saturday, March 31st, 1:15PM

Synopsis: As if adapting to a new town and a new life weren’t enough, 15-year-old Mia faces an overwhelming transformation when her body starts to change radically.

Written & Directed by: Lisa Brühlmann

Starring: Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen, & Regula Grauwiller

TRT: 97 min.

Country: Switzerland

Language: Swiss German (with English subtitles)

 

Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana (World Premiere)

Saturday, March 31st, 4:00PM

Synopsis: Jailed for comics?! The true story of Mike Diana, the only American artist ever convicted of obscenity, directed by cult filmmaker Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE, BRAIN DAMAGE, FRANKENHOOKER). Henenlotter and Diana will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A, along with producers Anthony Sneed and Mike Hunchback.

Directed by: Frank Henenlotter

Featuring: Mike Diana, George A. Romero, Neil Gaiman, Peter Bagge, Jay Lynch, Stephen Bissette, Peter Kuper, & more

TRT: 105 min.

Country: U.S.

Language: English

 

Ghost Stories (NY Premiere)

Saturday, March 31st, 7:00PM

Synopsis: Arch-skeptic professor Phillip Goodman embarks upon a terror-filled quest when he stumbles across three long-lost cases of unexplainable “hauntings.” Filmmakers to appear in-person for post-screening Q&A.

Written & Directed by: Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman

Starring: Martin Freeman, Andy Nyman, Alex Lawther, & Paul Whitehouse

TRT: 98 min.

Country: U.K.

Language: English

 

Satan's Slaves (NY Premiere)

Saturday, March 31st, 9:45PM

Synopsis: A hit at Rotterdam, acclaimed director Joko Anwar’s (MODUS ANOMALI, A COPY OF MY MIND) remake of a beloved 1982 Indonesian horror classic (reputedly itself inspired by PHANTASM) is a delightfully terrifying haunted house movie -- and the country’s biggest box office smash of 2017.

Written & Directed by: Joko Anwar

Starring: Bront Palarae, Tara Basro, Endy Arfian, & Dimas Aditya

TRT: 106 min.

Country: Indonesia

Language: Indonesian (with English subtitles)

 

Curse of Snake Valley, a.k.a. “The Soviet Indiana Jones” (World Premiere Restoration)

Sunday, April 1st , 12:30PM

Synopsis: This unseen 1980s Eastern Bloc-buster presents the Soviet answer to Indiana Jones in a tale that combines snakes and jungle traps and the “classic weirdness” of Polish sci-fi! Never released in the U.S., CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY screens in a beautiful new digital restoration by the Estonian Film Institute. 

Directed by: Marek Piestrak

Written by: Wojciech Nizynski, Marek Piestrak, & Vladimir Valutskiy

Starring: Krzysztof Kolberger, Roman Wilhelmi, & Ewa Salacka

TRT: 94 min.

Country: Estonia, Poland

Language: Russian (with English subtitles)

 

Lowlife (NY Premiere)

Sunday, April 1st, 3:00PM

Synopsis: The sordid lives of an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong. An IFC Midnight release. Director Ryan Prows and co-star Mark Burnham will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Ryan Prows

Written by: Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson, Shaye Ogbonna, Ryan Prows, & Maxwell Michael Towson

Starring: Jon Oswald, Nicki Micheaux, Mark Burnham, & Ricardo Adam Zarate

TRT: 96 min.

Country: U.S.

Language: English, Spanish (with English subtitles)

 

“The Terror” (Episode Sneak Preview)

Sunday, April 1st, 5:30PM

Synopsis: Join star Jared Harris for a sneak preview of AMC’s new series based on Dan Simmons’s 2007 bestseller, the true-life tale of a group of sailors confronting certain death at the frozen ends of the earth. Jared Harris and Executive Producers Soo Hugh and David Kajganich will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Starring: Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, & Tobias Menzies

TRT: 144 min (Episodes 1-3 of the first season)

Country: U.S.

Language: English

 

The Ranger (NY Premiere)

Sunday, April 1st, 9:00PM

Synopsis: Teen punks on the run from the cops hide out in a remote cabin, only to find out that the forest has its own law. Writer/director Jenn Wexler and producer/co-star Larry Fessenden will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Jenn Wexler

Written by: Giaco Furino & Jenn Wexler 

Starring: Chloe Levine, Jeremy Holm, & Larry Fessenden

TRT: 80 min.

Country: U.S.

Language: English