Preview: Festival brings female filmmakers to Varsity Theatre

 Christine Parker, founder and co-director of the Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival, said that many film festivals are "a guy's market," and are more biased toward male filmmakers.

In 2016, Sick Chick Flicks Productions, which was created by Parker in 2012 to collaborate with other female filmmakers to make horror films, decided to start their own.

The Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival, curated with co-director Angela Giddings, is an annual festival that screens female-driven independent short and feature-length films in the genres of horror, science fiction and fantasy, according to its website. 

“Back when we started [in 2016], it was mostly to give female filmmakers a voice and get their films shown because they make some absolutely amazing films,” Parker said. 

JP Bradham, writer and director of "Consumed," said that when writing scripts the smallest things can really spark inspiration. Bradham said that she writes about things that feel troubling or have an emotional impact on her. 

In the case of "Consumed," it was consumerism. She said she explored the idea of control through marketing and advertising through a satirical horror lens. 

Gina DeAngelis, writer and director of "Ask for Help," said that the film was inspired by an antiques barn that she visited with her friend while they were looking for a project to collaborate on together.

DeAngelis was struck by the number of "ask for help" signs, as the owner didn’t want customers touching things that might fall or hurt them. 

An added inspiration was the location of the antiques barn because she said it can be unsettling to be in the countryside.

Building off of that chilling atmosphere, she said "Ask for Help" shows how women and girls are subjected to conflicting rules for behavior. 

DeAngelis said that there is nothing like showing a film to a live audience for them to experience and react to.

“It’s still nerve-wracking," DeAngelis said. "But it's also very gratifying.”

Tiffany Albright, writer and producer of "Live From the Graveyard," said without an indie film world, there wouldn’t be a Hollywood, as it’s where most people learn how to make movies. 

She said there are fascinating films being made every year that will never end up in a commercial theater because the content is considered too strange to be supported by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign. 

Albright, who also runs the Queer Fear Film Festival in Winston-Salem, said she wishes more people would attend film festivals because it’s a different experience than sitting in a comfy recliner seat watching the newest movie release. 

She said that independent films tend to be sought out by specific audiences with specific interests.

"If we all just indulge a little more, not only would we be able to economically support the filmmakers who make independent work because it is such a challenge," Albright said, "but also, we'll be able to open those doors to more people because film festivals are really how I got into filmmaking.” 

"Cold Call," a film being shown on Saturday, was the first independent film by writer and director Jaelyn Ellis since she worked on student films in school.

She said that it was challenging to not have the support of her university for this film, but that it taught her a lot that she has utilized going forward. 

“I think that’s really what indie films is, that it allows a lot of people that wouldn’t have a voice otherwise, to still, put their stories on and express their voices,” Ellis said. 

Parker said that misconceptions about women's ability to sell film held down the industry, and while the industry has shifted since then, she still wants to see more female cinematographers. 

Each of these films will be shown at the Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival. Tickets can be purchased online for the festival, which will be held on Oct. 7 from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Varsity Theatre. To find out more about the schedule and films, visit their website.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed the years that Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival and Sick Chick Flicks Productions were founded. The dates have since been corrected. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for this error.

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