Local Stars Finalists In Kids Horror Film Fest - Bondi Junction

The 2nd year of Australia's own only dedicated international kids' horror film festival is set to literally explode on the screen 29 & 30 Oct at Bondi Junction's Event Cinemas.

With 6 Kids category and six MA+ Teen finalists (plus schools and drama school entries) the talented filmmakers from all over Australia and overseas will showcase their dark creativity on the eve of Halloween!

Each night features a red carpet pre-awards party from 6pm, followed by the 7.30pm screening and awards ceremony.

Tickets ($23-35) include complimentary champagne on arrival for adults and complimentary bloodshot & bites for Kids and Teens!

2018 MA+ Teen finalists include Newtown's Lilian Harris, Glenhaven's Michael Odewahn-Oxley, Wahroonga's Tisya Sharma, Asher Harris-Cohen of Enmore (and Newtown Performing Arts High School), Austin Macfarlane of Greenslopes in Brisbane and Leonard Saul of Waiheke Island (Auckland, NZ).

In the Junior category (10-14) finalists include Adelaide Kennedy of Lane Cove, Jasmine Cohen (Bellevue Hill), Taylor Pollet (Seaforth), Orlando Bailey (Coomera,Qld), Emily Stratten (Kiama Actors' Studio), Doncaster's Jordan Blanch and Angelica Menegheloo (Verona, Italy).

Guest judges and hosts this year include Jack Ruwald (The School), Patricia Moore (STC's Harp in The South), Ezekiel Sciacca (Bloodfest Winner 2017) Kiki Masella (SBS' Fuzzy Mac and Logie nominee Best New Talent), Rachael Coopes (McLeod's Daughters, All Saints, Play School), Ali Kitinas (Australia's youngest CEO Project for Impact), Adelaide Kennedy (ABC Host), 'President Donald Trump'... plus a surprise celebrity from horror TV!

Bloodfest made its shocking (but hugely fun!) debut last year and was an immediate hit. This year even more young people from Australia and overseas - Italy, Greece, Iran, USA, NZ - entered their own hair-raising short films to win trophies, cash and great prizes. And upward of 30 major cultural institutions and businesses have backed the blood-curdling fun.

This year there are 16 award categories up for grabs in both junior and teen sections, each with $500 cash, trophies and deadly industry prizes. There's also a separate school's component to the competition that takes in the 'literacy through filmmaking' syllabus section, with special student prizes plus professional mentorship and feedback from stage and screen writer/actor Matthew Whittet.

Bloodfest has a school holiday haunted house filmmaking workshop near Central Station 8-12 Oct. The Museum of Contemporary Art Youth Committee will also screen a selection of Bloodfest Films on October 9 as part of GENEXT in its Sun Xun exhibition.

Bloodfest's producers say you should be scared... but not worried! Horror, they insist, is a vehicle for imagination and growth.

Co-festival directors and teaching artists Natalie Richards + Curly Fernandez describe Bloodfest as a safe space for young people to explore the taboo, empowering them to discover what they find frightening - and to confront those fears artfully: "Creative young people literally deconstruct - and reconstruct - horror!"

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