If you think the only place to find films at San Diego Comic-Con is in Hall H, then think again. The annual Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival schedule has been announced for 2016, and as we announced just this morning, it’s on the move! You’ll now find this year’s line-up of documentaries, short films, and features over in the Marriott Marquis & Marina’s Pacific Ballroom 23.
This year’s selections range from action and adventure, sci-fi and fantasy, animation, horror and suspense, and much more. In short, there’s something for everyone.
Attendees can stop by Thursday – Sunday of Comic-Con to hear industry professionals speak about location scouts, film school, directing, casting directors, and more. On Sunday, the final day of the convention and festival, the winners of the Independent Film Festival will be determined by a panelist of three judges – which this year includes the writer/director of last year’s CCI:IFF Judge’s Choice Award winner, Eric Jacobus, as well as Rotten Tomatoes editor Matt Atchity and director Nick Murphy.
The film schedule is helpfully broken out into genres, starting with Action/Adventure on Thursday, including No Touching at 11:35PM, about a shady haunted house attraction where the performers are assaulting female patrons – but the tables are turned when two ‘victims’ do some ass kicking of their own. The short stars Zoë Bell, Heidi Moneymaker, Tracie Thoms, Doug Jones, and Jack Busey – so you’re liable to get some really great actors in a very small room.
Then to finish off Thursday, it’s all Science Fiction/Fantasy, with screenings for everything from Heroes of the Realm at 3:50PM about a pizza delivery woman who must save the world from Emmy-award-winning Kyle Roberts, to Monty and the Runaway Furnace at 9:20PM, about a man who falls in love with a hot furnace. No, really.
Heroes of the Realm: Official Teaser from Kyle Roberts on Vimeo.
Monty and the Runaway Furnace – Movie Trailer from tarantojoe on Vimeo.
Friday’s morning and early afternoon focus is on Documentary, which tackles everything from the world of pin-up modeling in Pin Up! The Movie at 7:15PM, to Floyd Norman: An Animated Life at 3:10PM, which follows the legendary Disney animator as he was forced out of the company.
Then kick back and get ready to get your scream on with some late night horror programming (which starts at 10:25PM), featuring Turned, Knock Knock, and White Collar.
Saturday morning is our favorite category, Animation, and there’s a lot of offerings this year. There’s Denver Jackson’s sweeping fantasy short, The Cloudrise at 11:50AM, about a pivotal moment in the lives of two lovers as they face a great challenge; Loopi GuGo at 12:25PM, the story of two monsters and the only thing they have in common: their love for ice cream; and Accidents, Blunders, and Calamities at 12:30PM- about a father possum who reads his kids a story that’s an alphabet of the most dangerous animal of all – humans.
Finally, Saturday closes out with more Horror/Suspense films. Then it’s on to Sunday, where awards will be given out for all the top honors.
You can find the complete preliminary schedule on CCI’s site.
Which film will you be checking out? Are you as sad as we are that we can’t have ThunderClick: Chicken of Thor two years in a year at the CCI:IFF? Let us know in the comments.
