SAVE THE DATE 09.28 – 10.01, 2023 | 12th Annual Festival
An Eerie Outdoor Double-Feature
Join us under the stars at the Cochecton Pump House to see two films that will raise your hackles.
A CATSKILLS PREMIERE
When a grieving couple go to a “rental family” agency to hire an actor to role-play their dead son, they discover that their evening of remembrance is more than they bargained for.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
A Summa Cum Laude graduate of UCLA and award-winning filmmaker featured at festivals like Cannes, Derek Nguyen emphasizes storytelling no matter the medium.
Traveling through Europe, Central America, and Asia, Derek has collected stories from all over the world. These include surviving emergency motorcycle crash treatment from a countryside doctor, talking his way out of Mexican jail, and sacrificing a water buffalo on the top of a mountain. Finding beauty in any story, Derek Nguyen strives to captivate his audience.
SHORT | 15 min | US | 2022
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Derek Nguyen
PRODUCED BY
Ernesto Foronda, Giulia Caruso
EDITED BY
Zack Boger
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Shaheen Seth
SPONSORED BY
Netflix
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Nonetheless Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Paula Weinstein, Nina Chaudry, Mynette Louie
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Tribeca Studios, The Population
COORDINATING PRODUCERS
Michelle Hamada, Alex Ingber
CO-PRODUCER
Carolyn Mao
MUSIC BY
Jerome Leroy
CASTING BY
Sig De Miguel, Stephen Vincent
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Brittany Ingram
COSTUME DESIGNER
Kim Ngo
Hellbender
NEW YORK IN-PERSON PREMIERE
Directed by, written by, and starring John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser. The story follows a mother-daughter metal band living in an isolated woodland home, whose relationship is challenged when the daughter encounters other teenagers. Hellbender keeps its mossy roots anchored in the supernatural while reaching gnarled fingers into the devilish and dark. A tale about identity, power, and freedom is slashed with the band’s hot sonics, H6LLB6ND6R.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
Hellbender, directed by Toby Poser, John Adams, and Zelda Adams, is a Wonder Wheel Production— the artistic collaboration between Toby Poser, John Adams, and daughters Lulu and Zelda Adams.
John Adams is an accomplished artist and musician. Hailing from New York state, John enjoyed an illustrious modeling career in the ’90s. In 2008, the Fuse Channel cast John as Rock and Roll Acid Test’s stuntman/maniac-with-a-hammer.
Toby Poser graduated from Tulane University with a BFA in Acting. She has appeared on stage and television in Mike Leigh’s Ecstasy with the New Group, Guiding Light, Law and Order, and in the independent films, The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love, and Steal Me.
Zelda Adams won acting awards on the indie film festival circuit and has been operating the camera since she was 9. She is now writing, directing, shooting, and editing her own short films and music videos. Zelda’s first short film, Noble, premiered at the Walla Walla Movie Crush and played at NY Young Film Makers.
FEATURE | 86 min | US | 2021
DIRECTOR
John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
PRODUCER
Toby Poser
WRITER
John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
COMPOSER
John Adams
EDITOR
John Adams
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
John Adams, Zelda Adams
CAMERA OPERATOR
John Adams, Zelda Adams, Trey Lindsay, Toby Poser
SCREENING SPONSOR
