Sundance Institute has revealed over 70 short films to premiere at Sundance 2016 Film Festival, which begins on January 21st. Also: details on Double Take's free Ultimate Night of the Living Dead comic, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 livestream, Fright Rags' holiday horror sweaters, and Voices from the Grave release details.

Sundance 2016's Midnight Shorts: Press Release: "Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today its full lineup of 72 short films that will leave a lasting impact on audiences long after the lights go up at their screenings at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah. Among the short films the Festival has shown in recent years are World of TomorrowWhiplashThe Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom and Fishing Without Nets. This year’s short film lineup will include both a Midnight and a New Frontier section, tying into the Festival’s other programmatic strands.

In addition to screening short films at the Festival, the Institute packages the award-winning short films to tour arthouse theaters throughout the year as well as hosts regional short film Labs in cities across the United States to help filmmakers hone their craft.

Mike Plante, Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “Our longstanding showcase of short films has become a home for audiences who love watching these rowdy, sweet, scary and surprising stories. In recent years shorts have taken on a bigger presence within the film and media industries, helping more and more people feel the power and potential of these short-on-time, big-on-ideas films.”
 
MIDNIGHT SHORT FILMS
Boniato / U.S.A. (Directors: Andres Meza-Valdes, Diego Meza-Valdes, Eric Mainade, Screenwriters: Andres Meza-Valdes, Eric Mainade) — An illegal migrant worker decides it’s time to move on from picking crops and find a better job. Little does she know, insidious supernatural forces have a different plan for her. Some borders aren't meant to be crossed.
 
The Chickening / U.S.A., Canada (Directors and screenwriters: Nick DenBoer, Davy Force) — All pork and no chicken makes Jack a dull boy. Luckily, Jack gets a new job as senior chief night manager at Charbay’s Chicken World and Restaurant Resort, the world’s largest fast-food entertainment complex; however, things quickly get very clucked.

Dinner with Family with Brett Gelman and Brett Gelman's Family / U.S.A. (Director: Jason Woliner, Screenwriters: Brett Gelman, Jason Woliner) — Brett Gelman throws his parents a dinner and tribute for their 40th anniversary with the help of legendary actors Tony Roberts and Patti LuPone. The evening soon unravels into a mind-melting comedic orgy of psychological torture and family dysfunction.

Fuckkkyouuu / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Eddie Alcazar) — With the ability to travel in time, a girl finds love and comfort by connecting with her past self. Eventually faced with rejection, she struggles with her identity, and as time folds onto itself only one of them can remain.

Manoman / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Simon Cartwright) — When Glen attends primal scream class, he releases something from deep within that knows no limits.

The Pound Hole / U.S.A. (Directors: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan, Screenwriters: Daniel Weidenfeld, Doug Lussenhop) — During a night at the strangest club on earth, DJ Douggpound learns the very real dangers of texting while DJing.

The Procedure / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder) — A man is captured and forced to endure a strange experiment.

The Puppet Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jacqueline Castel) — A supernatural killer stalks a young woman and her friends in a seedy, neon-lit dive bar in this short film featuring horror legend John Carpenter.
 
The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including BoyhoodBeasts of the Southern WildFruitvale StationWhiplashBrooklynTwenty Feet from StardomLife ItselfThe CoveThe End of the TourBlackfishMe and Earl and the Dying Girl, Super Size MeDope, Little Miss Sunshinesex, lies, and videotapeReservoir DogsHedwig and the Angry InchAn Inconvenient TruthPrecious and Napoleon Dynamite. The New Frontier initiative, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2016, has showcased groundbreaking media works by artists and creative technologists including Chris Milk, Doug Aitken, Palmer Luckey, Klip Collective and Nonny de la Peña. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2016 Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors – Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Acura, SundanceTV, Chase Sapphire Preferred®, and Canada Goose; Leadership Sponsors – Adobe, Airbnb, DIRECTV, Tequila Don Julio™, Samsung, and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – BROOKSIDE Chocolate, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Dropbox, GEICO, The Hollywood Reporter, Kickstarter, LUNA Bar/Clif Bar & Company, Omnicom, and Stella Artois®. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. sundance.org/festival

Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theater, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern WildFruitvale StationSin NombreThe Invisible WarThe SquareDirty WarsSpring AwakeningA Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on FacebookInstagramTwitter and YouTube."
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Ultimate Night of the Living Dead: From Double Take: "As a holiday gift to fans and future fans alike, Double Take will be allowing free access to all 10 of their 2nd issues. The titles will rotate over the next several  days. Starting at 4 p.m. EST each business day, a new title will be available for 24 hours! Fans who are interested need only to head over to doubletakeuniverse.com

Today’s free issue is Slab #2: Fresh Flesh.

As always, all 10 1st Issues are always free at doubletakeuniverse.com and through Comixology."

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 Livestream: Press Release: "With four days left in the campaign to #BringBackMST3K and the Kickstarter at 73% of its final goal, Joel Hodgson is pulling out all the stops to ensure the campaign reaches the $5.5 million needed to fund a full season of 12 brand new, feature length episodes of the beloved cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, before the 10 p.m. PT deadline on Friday, December 11th, 2015.

This week, MST-ies old and new are invited to join Joel for several days of festivities, including big announcements about the revival, nightly streaming MST3K double feature events hosted by Joel, and the live streaming event “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Final Countdown! A Live streaming Telethon with Joel Hodgson & Friends to Help #BringBackMST3K.”

Nightly Livestream Mystery Science Theater 3000 Double Features.

Each night this week, tune into the Nightly Livestream Mystery Science Theater 3000 Double Feature for a double dose of classic MST3K episodes.

The streaming broadcast will run through Thursday, December 10th, with screenings at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT and 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT. Each lineup will feature new introductions by Joel, and include one Joel episode and one Mike episode. To watch, tune in to MST3K.com/FinalCountdown. Join the conversation with fellow MST-ies by using the hashtag #BringBackMST3K.

On Friday, December 11th, the double feature will start at 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT, as a special lead-in to the final night’s event, “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Final Countdown! A Live streaming Telethon with Joel Hodgson and Friends to Help #BringBackMST3K.”

Starting at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT on Friday, December 11th, join Hodgson, special guest hosts Paul and Storm, and a cavalcade of celebrity friends and supporters for an evening of laughs, music, magic and MST3K memories with Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Final Countdown! A Live streaming Telethon with Joel Hodgson & Friends to Help #BringBackMST3K. Featuring in-person and video appearances from celebrity guests including Felicia Day, Jonah Ray, Hampton Yount, Patton Oswalt, Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Robert Lopez, Pendleton Ward, Dana Gould, Steve Zaragoza, Freezepop, Starbomb, Master Pancake, John Carney, Game Grumps and many more, the event is powered by XSN, the Internet’s home to discover, buy and sell collectables and hosted at the legendary epicenter of cool, Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles.

Fans will be able to participate in the festivities by tuning into the live stream of the event at MST3K.com/FinalCountdown and join in the conversation on social media using the hashtag #BringBackMST3K.

To contribute to the campaign and for updates, visit www.bringbackmst3k.com, and follow MST3K on Facebook (facebook.com/MST3K), Twitter (@MST3K) and Instagram (@MST3K)."

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Fright Rags' Holiday Horror Sweaters: From Fright Rags: "When this shirt sells out, it will go into our graveyard section and only be reprinted if it receives enough votes. Grab yours today before it's gone!

Printed on soft 6.5 oz pre-laundered 80% cotton 20% pre-shrunk polyester blend fleece.

This item usually ships in 1-2 days.*
US customers: Please allow 3-5 days for delivery.
International customers: Please allow 10-14 days for delivery.

*If you order this item with a PRE-ORDER item, your order will ship when it is complete. If you would like this shirt to ship sooner, please place a separate order."

To learn more about Fright Rags' holiday horror sweaters, visit:

  • Tamika Jones
    About the Author - Tamika Jones

    Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.

    The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).