Unnamed Footage Festival 666

Unnamed Footage Festival is America’s only found footage horror, faux documentary, and POV film festival. This festival celebrated its 6th year in the beautiful city of San Francisco, California, with a multitude of full-length and short films. I had the honor of attending in person screenings at both the Balboa Theater and the 4 Star Theater as well as checking out a few of the films virtually. UFF 666 was an absolute blast - read on to check out my recommendations from what I saw!

#chadgetstheaxe
Directed by Travis Bible

Starting off with my favorite from the festival, #chadgetstheaxe is another entry in the influencer horror we’ve seen come up the last few years. Four social media influencers travel to Devil’s Manor, the former dwelling of a Satanic Cult. What could go wrong? Turns out…a lot. If you’re a fan of Unfriended, Host, and Deadstream, you don’t wanna miss out on #chadgetstheaxe.

Tinsman Road
Directed by Robbie Banfitch

Last year I watched The Outwaters are UFF and stated I was looking forward to seeing what Robbie Banfitch was going to do with his next film. This year I was able to find out. We saw a never-before-seen cut of Tinsman Road, a big change from his prior film. Whether you loved or hated The Outwaters, I recommend giving this a chance. Banfitch is a talented filmmaker and the acting in this film feels increadibly real. Banfitch did request we do not review the version of the film we saw, as it’s not the final edit, so I am respecting those wishes, but add Tinsman Road to your watch list. And once again, I’ll be keeping an eye out for Robbie Banfitch’s next film (UFF 7 maybe?)

What is Buried Must Remain
Directed by Elias Matar

What is Buried Must Remain seems like your typical found footage horror following a group of ghost hunters breaking into a haunted house. Except the ghost hunters are refugees in Lebanon and the house is haunted by not just ghosts, but the impacts of war and violence. This film and the true stories behind it are incredibly harrowing. After the film, the filmmakers did a Q&A that went into the history behind the filming location, the actors, and Lighthouse Peace Initiative is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for at-risk Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian youth. It was very humbling to learn the roots of the film and I found myself enjoying the film more after learning everything from the Q&A.

Catalog
Directed by S. Craig Renfroe Jr.

Catalog is a short that follows a son who is tasked with cataloging his missing father’s book collection. In doing so, he stumbles upon occult books which could give more insight into his father’s disappearance. You can see the director’s love and appreciation for rare books, something I am fascinated by. I loved this short and highly recommend tracking it down and giving it a watch.

Digital Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro: The Real-World Guide to Set Up and Workflow
Directed by Hong Seong-yoon

Screenlife found footage horror is fun and this short is the only I’ve seen attempt it in Adobe Premiere Pro. A video editor and director are working on the final cut of a stereotypical romance film. However, there’s a pesky ghost who keeps ruining the best shots. Can the editor and director save the vision for the film? Hilarious writing and a unique spin on the screenlife genre, this was a refreshing new found footage gem.

CONTENT: The Lo-Fi Man
Directed by Blake Myers and Brian Lonano

Described as a documentary turned YouTube video turned dystopian sci-fi adventure turned body horror film, I can confirm this was a lot. The ideas are there, but cramming all of them into a 15-minute short, the execution fell flat for me. Making fun of influencers is a low-hanging fruit in 2023 and to make it work, you need to get unique. I believe this short thinks it did that, but as you peel away the crazy layers, it plays as a cringy YouTube video, exactly what it’s poking fun at.

Annihilator
Directed by Kyle Mangione-Smith

How to describe Annihilator? I’ll be lazy and just give you the official synopsis. “A young man at the end of his rope seeks to experience transcendence through the ultimate act of submission.” I love the concept, but I didn’t like the execution. Flashing bright colors aren’t going to cover what is a bare bones framework.

Invoking Yell
Directed by Patricio Valladares

I had such high hopes for Invoking Yell. Set in the 90’s, three young women document their journey into the woods to film a demo for their black metal band. You spend a lot of time with these women, learning about the power dynamics, how they record electronic voice phenomena, and what makes their black metal band the blackest of all black metal bands. Unfortunately, this film suffers from too many stock VHS filters that happen so often it becomes distracting. But for any metal fans out there, I think this is a must watch.