PollyGrind Film Festival


The PollyGrind Film Festival, also known as simply Pollygrind and the PollyGrind Underground Film Festival, was an annual event held in Las Vegas, Nevada that specialized "in all things alternative, with a wide variety of films not shown elsewhere." Spotlighting short films, feature-length films, music videos and trailers of all genres, PollyGrind was founded by filmmaker and promoter Chad Clinton Freeman. The event prided itself on focusing on individuality, diversity, creativity and empowerment. Vegas Seven has said PollyGrind is a "celebration of all things, dark, bloody, underground and arthouse."
WWW pollygrind.com

History

The event gave a slew of awards that are quite different than most festivals. Those include The Biggest Baddest Mother of the PollyGrind, Best Use of Nudity/Sexuality, Best Use of Violence/Gore, Most Outrageous, and Most Creative. There is also a Bad Girl Award and an Ultimate Badass Award.
Started in 2010, PollyGrind's first year was a five-night event "with over a dozen features, plus tons of short films, trailers and music videos; the quality ranged from borderline incompetent to undiscovered genius, virtually all within the confines of horror and sci-fi." Arrowinthehead.com declared the event a "B-movie jamboree of awesomeness" that "only Vegas has the balls to host."
The second installment of the festival included more than 100 films over a span of 10 days. Programming ranged from campy horror B-movies to extreme, underground and avant-garde films and according to Robin Leach featured "every night creature from hookers to zombies."
DreadCentral.com noted that "PollyGrind has quickly made a name for itself as one of the up-and-coming premiere genre fests out there due to the success of each year of programming." Filmmaker Adam Rehmeier, whose film The Bunny Game was banned by the British Board of Film Classification right after playing the event, called the festival a display of cinema's "bastards and red-headed step children."
MovieMaker magazine named PollyGrind to its 2014 list of "50 festivals worth the entry fee" and its 2012 list of "25 festivals worth the entry fee." The festival was also named to MovieMaker's 2013 "Top 5 Coolest Experimental/Underground Film Festivals."
As of 2013, PollyGrind is a member of Film Exchange, a multi-market screening network composed of regional U.S. and International film festivals. Select winners at PollyGrind advance to screen at the RxSM Self-Medicated Film Expo, which takes place in Austin, Texas each year alongside South by Southwest.
Starting in 2014, feature film official selections at the festival will also be looked at for distribution through its new label PollyGrind Presents, while short films will be considered for special features and compilation releases through a number of outlets.
In regards to successes of the festival, filmmaker Eric Stanze noted in his 2014 Fearnet column that Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska of American Mary fame and Calvin Reeder of The Rambler and V/H/S received "major boosts in their careers when their early works won key awards at the fest." He also noted "Randy Moore's 2013 Sundance Official Selection Escape from Tomorrow was first an Official Selection of PollyGrind in 2012."
2014 marked the final year of the festival. While it may be resurrected in the future, as of summer 2015, it was no longer in operation.

Award winners

THE BIG THREE
  • Biggest Baddest Mother of the PollyGrind – The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper, directed by Albert Pyun
Best Dark Comedy
Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla dir. by Stuart Simpson
Best Documentary
Rebel Scum dir. by Video Rahim
AUDIENCE CHOICE
  • Favorite Film – Heidi dir. by Daniel Ray

Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla dir. by Stuart Simpson
Rebel Scum dir. by Video Rahim
BEST OF THE REST
  • Best Action Film – Teddy Bomb dir. by Justin Decloux
  • Best Arthouse Film – Memory Lane dir. by Shawn Holmes
  • Best Crime Film – The Black Tape dir. by Ramone Menon
  • Best Thriller – The Badger Game dir. by Joshua Wagner and Thomas Zambeck
  • Best Horror Film – Charlie's Farm dir. by Christopher Sun
  • Best Fantasy Film – Army of Frankensteins dir. by Ryan Bellgardt
  • Best Foreign Language Film – Tombville dir. by Nikolas ListBest of Zombiepalooza
FPS - First Person Shooter dir. by Andreas Luetzelschwab
DIRECTING
  • Best Director – Albert Pyun, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Woman Director – Erin Davies, Fagbug Nation
  • Director on the Rise – Stuart Simpson, Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
ACTING
  • Best Overall Individual Performance – Glenn Maynard, Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
  • Best Overall Cast – Charlie's Farm: Tara Reid, Nathan Jones, Bill Moseley, Kane Hodder, Allira Jaques, Genna Chanelle Hayes, Dean Kirkright, Madeleine Kennedy, David Beamish, Cameron Caulfield, Darrell Plumridge, Sam Coward, Lindsay Edgecomb, Brad Bromfield, Robert J. Mussett, Justin Gerardin, Trudi Ross, Colin Dixon, Mark E Darin, and Brad Avcin
  • Best Actor – Shane Ryan, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Actress – Tommie Vegas, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Supporting Actor – Tomer Shechori, Scrambled
  • Best Supporting Actress – Jillian Leigh, The Badger Game
  • Supporting Actress - Newcomer Award – Brittany Bochart, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Actress on the Rise – Joei Fulco, Heidi
  • Best Cameo Appearance – Kane Hodder, Charlie's Farm
BEST OF CATEGORIES
  • Best Screenplay – Cynthia Curnan, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Cinematography –Michael Su, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Visual Effects – Charlie's Farm
  • Best Song – Rebel Scum
  • Best Film Score – Tony Riparetti, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Editing – Daniel Ray, Heidi
  • Best Sound Design – Tony Riparetti, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Production Design – Michael Tushaus and Kelly Schwarze, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Makeup – Amanda Martinez, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Best Poster – Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
  • Best Key Art – Glenn Cochrane, The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
BEST USE OF
  • Best Use of Nudity/Sexuality – Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
  • Best Use of Violence/Gore – Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
  • Best Use of Music – The Beauty Strip
  • Most Outrageous – Rebel Scum
  • Most Creative – Memory Lane
  • Most Heart – Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
  • Most Thought-Provoking Film – Love Child
  • Most Cool – The Badger Game
SPECIAL POLLYGRIND AWARDS
  • Bad Girl Award – Tara Reid, Charlie's Farm
  • Ultimate Badass Award – Nathan Jones, Charlie's Farm
  • It Came From the 90s Award – Hi-8: Horror Independent 8
  • Best Title Award – Lust of the Vampire Girls
  • Best Use of Inanimate Objects – Teddy Bomb
Heidi
  • The Willy B – Heidi
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
  • Filmmaker of a Different Breed – Ted V. Mikels
Glen Coburn
  • Distributor of a Different Breed – Wild Eye Releasing
  • Advocate of a Different Breed – theatre7
Weng's Chop
  • Hype Man of a Different Breed – Flavor Flav
2014 POLLYGRIND ROYALTY
  • Queen – Tommie Vegas
  • King – Doug Farra
  • Prince – David Rosen
  • Princess – Joei Fulco
MEDIUM FILMS, SHORTS, TRAILERS AND PROMOS
  • Best Medium Film – The Beauty Strip dir. by G. Correli
  • Best Transgression Medium Film – The Sex Doll She-Bitch dir. by Jaison H. Costley
  • Best Short – Cassandra dir. by Guy-Roger Duvert
  • Best Shortest Short – The Small Stuff dir. by Andrea Capere
  • Best Foreign Language Short – O Corpo dir. by Rodrigo Lopes de Barros
  • Best Horror Short – The Last Halloween dir. by Marc Roussel
  • Best Drama Short – Forgive Me dir by. Nicholas Lamoreux
Go North dir. by Vanita Shastry
  • Best Experimental Short – The Return dir. by Ada Athorp and Adrian Frost
  • Best Dark Comedy Short – Cask of Amontillado dir. by Jeff Freeman
  • Best Fantasy Short – Freak dir. by Joshua Cockfield
  • Best Crime Short – Penance dir. Joe Lujan
  • Best Animated Short – Theres an Octopus in Your Head dir. by Ari Grabb
  • Best of Zombiepalooza – Naked Zombie Girl dir. Rickey Bird Jr.
  • Best Science Fiction Short – Quintipus dir. by Victoria Angell
  • Best Arthouse Short – Nayan and the Evil Eye dir. by Shaleen Sangha
  • Best Exploitation Short – 32 dir. by Daren McCoy
  • Best Transgression Short – No Pets Allowed dir. Nadine L'Esperance
  • Best Thriller Short – Black Mask dir. by Alex Colonna
  • Best Action Short – Aakra-Man dir. by Mihir Desai
  • Best Film Noir Short – Pity dir. John Pata
  • Best Timed Competition Film Project – Never Have I Ever dir. by Jonathan Robbins
  • Best Nevada Short – The Gradations of Purgatory dir. by Douglas Farra
  • Best Super Hero Short – Supergirl: Strange in A Strange Land dir. by Walter Jones
  • Best of World of Death – Manscapping dir. by Mike Lenzini
Milk dir. James Chappell & Patrick Irving
  • Best Documentary Short – Alternative Model dir. by Brian Lally
  • Best Actor – Stephen Manley, Black Mask / The Gradations of Purgatory
  • Best Actress – Sheetal Sheth, Go North
  • Best Supporting Actor – William Grefe, Cask of Amontillado
  • Best Supporting Actress – Hannah Waterbury, 32
  • Best Director – Marc Roussel, The Last Halloween
  • Best Woman Director – Vanita Shastry, Go North
  • Best Director Under 21 – Nicholas Lamoreux, Forgive Me
  • Best Screenplay – Daren McCoy, 32
  • Best Music Video – If Only Tonight I Could Sleep by David Rosen dir. by Douglas Farra
  • Best International Music Video – Violence Done Well dir. by Maida Hals
  • Best Music Video Song – Shoot 4 The Sky by Doms Gauge
  • Best Experimental Music Video – Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown dir. by Vira Ishchuk and Olga Ishchuk
  • Music Video Honorable Mentions – Pretty In The Dark dir. by Herman Wang
Artful Dodger dir. by Felipe P. Soares
  • Best Fake Trailer – Poultrygeist dir. by Lisa Jay
  • Best Real Trailer – Atelophobia dir. by Joe Lujan
  • Best Promo – Art Free World dir. by Sarah Lew
  • Best Television Episode or Webisode – Bad Guys, Episode 2: 9:47AM dir. by Vincent McLean
  • Best Television or Web Series – The Haunted World of Claire Wilmenson dir. by Dustin Austen, Emmy Johnson, Nicole Duff, and Savannah Salmons
SCREENPLAY COMPETITION
  • Best Screenplay – Cop's Wife by Deirdre Patterson
  • Best Screenplay Short – The Terrorist by Charlotte Lyons
  • Best Television or Webseries Screenplay – Super Brains by Joseph Hedley Wilson and Ted Janet
! 2012
  • The Biggest Baddest Mother of the PollyGrind — Daddy's Little Girl
  • Best Found Footage Film — The Video Diary of Madi O, Final Entries
  • Best Arthouse Film — My Name is A by anonymous
  • Best Exploitation Film — Day Job
  • Best Horror Film —
  • Best Crime Film – Bulletface
  • Best Thriller — Zero in the System
  • Best Action Film — Burlesque Assassins
  • Best Fantasy Film — Road to Hell
  • Best Dark Comedy — Race War: The Remake
  • Best Foreign Language Film — Fat Cat
  • Best of Zombiepalooza — After the Dawn
  • Best Experimental Film — Blood for Irina
  • Best Animated Film — Blood Trail
  • Best Science Fiction Film — Trash and Progress
  • Best Transgression Film — Hate Crime
  • Best Documentary — Nightmare Factory
  • Best Horror Short — Sunday's Child
  • Best Director — Chris Sun
  • Best Woman Director — Lindsay Denniberg
  • Best Female Short Film Director — Jennifer Campbell
  • Director on the Rise — Henry Weintraub
  • Director Showcase Award — Richard Griffin
  • Best Overall Individual Performance — Michael Thomson as Derek in Daddy's Little Girl
  • Best Overall Cast — Debbie Rochon as Governess, Michael Reed as Chris, Evalena Marie as Rocki, Sarah Nicklin as Laura, Jocelyn Padilla as Cute College Girl, Nathaniel Sylva as Matthew. Jonathan Thomson as Nate, Rich Tretheway as Lance, & Michael Thurber as Butler in Exhumed
  • Best Actor — Michael Paré as Cody in Road to Hell
  • Best Actress — Clare Kramer as Caitlin in Road to Hell
  • Best Actress in a short film— Erin Brown as Starlight in This Girl's Gun
  • Best Supporting Actor — Scott Paulin as Brendon Wexler in Bulletface
  • Best Supporting Actress — Angela Favella as Gloria in Fat Cat
  • Best Cameo Appearance — Jessica Cameron as Marilyn Monroe in The Black Dahlia Haunting
  • Best Screenplay — Daddy's Little Girl
  • Best Writer — Cynthia Curnan
  • Best Cinematography — When Time Becomes a Woman
  • Best Visual Effects — Road to Hell
  • Best Song — Streets of Fire
  • Best Film Score — H.P. Lovecraft's Cool Air
  • Best Editing — President Wolfman
  • Best Sound Design — Bulletface
  • Best Poster — Play Hooky
  • Best Use of Nudity/Sexuality — The Black Dahlia Haunting
  • Best Use of Violence/Gore — Day Job
  • Best Use of Music — Road to Hell
  • Most Innovative — Play Hooky
  • Most Outrageous — Adam Chaplin: Violent Avenger
  • Most Creative — President Wolfman
  • Most Heart — Johnny Ghost
  • Most Cool — Beyond the Grave
  • Most Horrifying — Hate Crime
  • Breakthrough Role — Nicole Kruex
  • Newcomer Award — Roxy Gunn
  • Scream Queen Award — Devanny Pinn
  • Super Thug Award — Howard Calvert
  • Actress in a Horror Film — Debbie Rochon
  • Actress in a Fantasy Film — Priscilla McEver
  • Supporting Actress in a Fantasy Film — Deborah Van Valkenburgh
  • Supporting Actress in a Horror Film —Wendy Phillips
  • Actor in Multiple Roles — Morgan Weisser
  • Bad Girl Award — Victoria Maurette
  • Ultimate Badass Award — Tony Todd
  • Filmmaker of a Different Breed — Albert Pyun
! 2010

World premieres

2014

  • Rebel Scum
  • The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper
  • Spirits
  • Heidi
  • Black Mask
  • World of Death: PollyGrind Edition
  • ''The Beauty Strip''

2013

  • Jonas
  • To Jennifer
  • 13/13/13
  • Slaughterhouse Bride
  • House of Forbidden Secrets
  • Buried In Flesh
  • Desolate
  • Darkest Days
  • American Girls
  • Faceless - Best Screenplay : Jack "Saint" Hunter
  • Sweet Leaf
  • Diet of Sex
  • The Minstrel Killer
  • The Synthetic Man
  • The Yellow Bellies
  • Sacrifice: In the Name of Goddess Gadhimai
  • Tricks
  • Eye of the Bennu
  • Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher
  • Bruised
  • The Window
  • ''Marty's House''

2012

2011

  • Mondo Sexxxx: The Terry Kobrah Story
  • The Las Vegas Abductions
  • The Gruesome Death of Tommy Pistol
  • The Girl Who Wasn't Missing
  • Finger Bang
  • The Los Angeles Ripper
  • The Atonement of Janis Drake
  • ''The Earl Sessions''

2010

  • Vaginal Holocaust
  • Caged Lesbos A-Go-Go
  • Orgy of Blood
  • The Dead Undead
  • ''Scars of Youth''