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Anyone who has ever taken it upon themselves to brave Montreal`s Fantasia film festival leaves with some scars. These scars can be subconscious, from the reptilian awakening that comes with sitting in a dark room occupied by porous, spongy, filmy humanoids. These scars can also be cerebral ones, the result of being subjected to a mind-numbing onslaught of light and sound. They can be existential as well, left from a shattered mind, fractured by having to chose between two films screening at the same time, like a parent having to chose between two drowning children. Or maybe the scars are literal ones, from sores left open by slow, methodical shifting on theatre seat cushions.

In the fifteen years and counting since I`ve been covering this festival, my scars have included any combination of the above. This year however, I found a new source of injury. While I had...

If Karen Skloss’ feature narrative debut The Honor Farm possesses anything it’s an abundance of style. This is a gorgeously shot prom night turned mushroom trip romp of millennial excess caught in the throes of dream. We meet Lucy (Olivia Grace Applegate) walking through the woods in her dress — trees covered in toilet paper and forests of white light and ribbons manifesting a border between danger and safety. The evil (assumedly) arrives in the form of a person adorned by a stag’s head (the eyes blink); her salvation a boy with what we hope is love in his heart. It’s fantasy seeping into reality or perhaps just a series of quick visions devoid of truth beyond emotion rendered as experience. And as soon as it arrives it’s gone.

From disorienting, flickering beauty comes a dentist’s chair in stark contrast. Prom hasn’t happened yet as...

Stars: Olivia Applegate, Katie Folger, Dora Madison, Will Brittain, Louis Hunter, Jonny Mars, Liam Aiken, Mackenzie Astin, Josephine McAdam, Christina Parrish, Michael Eric Reid | Written by Karen Skloss, Jasmine Skloss Harrison, Jay Tonne, Jr. | Directed by Karen Skloss

The gown, the hairstyling, the limousine, the prom date – all the familiar details that make up graduation night, that inevitable ritual of passage into adulthood. Lucy (Olivia Grace Applegate) still does not have peace of mind – “Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions?” she asks her best friend, while they retouch their makeup. When her date turns out to be a total disappointment, abruptly ending the fairy tale, the fantasy seems to have evaporated. But then some classmates, who’ve arrived in a hearse, extend her a most intriguing invitation: a magic-mushroom trip out in the wilderness, in an abandoned prison farm (haunted, according to urban legend...

Director Karen Skloss knows how to explicitly chronicle the most important transitions in a person’s life, no matter what emotional and physical obstacles they’re forced to contend with as they strive to achieve their goals. The award-winning filmmaker, who’s made a name for herself writing, helming, editing and producing short and documentary movies, has powerfully […]

The post SXSW 2017 Interview: Karen Skloss Talks The Honor Farm (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Karen Skloss‘ The Honor Farm, which takes place on prom night, sending a girl on a psychedelic trip that could be a dangerous trap, just had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Here’s the film’s official festival one-sheet that reflects on itself. You can also check out a previously released clip from the opening scene right […]...

It was a busy year for me at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, as I had the opportunity to watch 16 films (17, including the 10th anniversary screening of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon). Here are my thoughts on the final three films that I had a chance to see while in Austin: Like Me, Game of Death, and The Honor Farm.

Like Me: I had absolutely no idea what to expect from first-time director Robert Mockler’s Like Me, but after seeing what he could do with his cautionary tale about the dangers of social media obsession, and how it can affect those unable to cope with the isolation it often leads to, I’m an instant fan of Mockler. Like Me ended up being the most unpredictably wonderful movie-going experience I had during all of SXSW 2017.

Like Me opens at a drive-thru window of a small-town convenience store,...

Karen Skloss’ high school trip-out movie The Honor Farm isn’t a straight-up horror film, and the Austin-based director is quick to bring that to attention. Although it is a part of the Midnighters section at SXSW this year, Skloss doesn’t… Continue Reading →

The post SXSW 2017: Karen Skloss Talks Her Inspiration for and Influences on The Honor Farm appeared first on Dread Central.

Some of you will Love The Honor Farm. Let me start by saying that. A prom-night virgin plans her perfect deflowering, only to have carefully-laid plans ruined by drunkenness and the night’s “haunted” escape. It’s a tale of choices, and not being forced into an idealistic “normality.” One illuminated by director Karen Skloss’ ability to capture a full moon’s glow upon backwoods forestation. Very art-house heavy, getting caught up in poetic discussions about “now” being the only moment that will ever matter. “The past is forgotten and the future is unknown.” True about futures, but good luck “forgetting” the lack of completion that devalues The Honor Farm beyond lusty teenage daydreams (beautiful hallucinations, admittedly).

Olivia Grace Applegate stars as Lucy, a cheery teenager with romanticized hopes for prom. Take pictures, dance happily and go all the way with your high school sweetheart. The right of passage so many endure.

Maybe it's just me. Several of this decade's most acclaimed independent horror films have left me relatively cold. While I am not immune to the charms of films like The Babadook, and You're Next; there is another separate wave of new low-budget horror that I just cannot seem to get behind. Films like Sarah Adina Smith's The Midnight Swim and Osgood Perkins' The Blackcoat's Daughter (Fka February) have squandered what is clearly an immense amount of talent in telling stories with no real purpose or central conflict. Director Karen Skloss first narrative feature, pseudo-horror headscratcher The Honor Farm, falls firmly into the latter category and it makes me all the more curious if I'm the one being left behind. Best friends Lucy and Annie plan...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

This weekend, co-writer/director Karen Skloss celebrates the world premiere of her latest project, The Honor Farm, which will play during the 2017 SXSW Film Festival as part of the Midnighters slate. Daily Dead caught up with the Austin native, who has worked extensively in the world of documentary projects and has a lot of editing experience under her belt, to discss making the leap in the realm of narrative filmmaking, how rewarding it felt to have The Honor Farm chosen to be a part of the prestigious fest, finding her core cast members, and more.

Keep an eye out for more on The Honor Farm and our live coverage from SXSW 2017 right here on Daily Dead.

First of all, congratulations on being a part of SXSW this year. How excited were you when you got the news that you were going to be a part of the Midnighters section of the fest?...

A trip to the dentist turns into a surreal stroll through a dreamworld in the new clip for Karen Skloss' The Honor Farm, making its premiere later this month at the SXSW Film Festival.

Check out the new clip below, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for our live, on-site coverage of the SXSW Film Festival.

"Acclaimed filmmaker Karen Skloss (SXSW premiere Sunshine) world premieres her new psychedelic teen horror film The Honor Farm at this year's SXSW.

When Lucy's prom night falls apart, she finds herself jumping into a hearse headed for a psychedelic party in the woods. Looking for a thrill, the party wanders deeper into the forest, to a haunted and abandonded prison work farm. A secret wish and a summoning of the dead sends the group on a mind-bending trip into a dangerous trap.

The Honor Farm takes the most beloved youth genres - rebellious coming of age,...

“The Honor Farm” will bring a blend of horror and comedy to South by Southwest. The film marks the narrative feature directorial debut of Karen Skloss, who has helmed various shorts and documentaries, and stars NBC’s “Revolution” alum Olivia Applegate in the lead role of Lucy.

Read More: ‘Assholes’ Exclusive Trailer and Poster: Two Recovering Drug Addicts Behave Badly in SXSW Comedy

Here is the film’s synopsis: “When Lucy’s prom night falls apart, she finds herself jumping into a hearse headed for a psychedelic party in the woods. Looking for a thrill, the party wanders deeper into the forest, to a haunted and abandoned prison work farm. A secret wish and a summoning of the dead sends the group on a mind-bending trip into a dangerous trap.”

The story was written by Skloss alongside Jay Tonne Jr. and Jasmine Skloss Harrison. The cast includes Louis Hunter, Dora Madison,...

A fresh batch of stills has been released for Karen Skloss’ new film, The Honor Farm, and we have them for you ahead of the flick’s SXSW premiere! Dig it! The Honor Farm (World Premiere) Director/Screenwriter: Karen Skloss Cast: Olivia… Continue Reading →

The post SXSW 2017: Take Another Look at The Honor Farm appeared first on Dread Central.

With little over a month to go until Austin plays host to SXSW 2017 for another year, organizers of the annual showcase have announced that James Franco’s drama The Disaster Artist has been added to the stacked lineup.

Based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell’s non-fiction book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, Franco’s passion project is set to recount the infamous story behind The Room, Tommy Wiseau’s widely-derided pic that has since gone on to become something of a cult classic. No release date has been set, but we know that the feature will be written and directed by Franco, who stars as the eccentric Wiseau, and features a cast comprised of Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, and former Community star Alison Brie. Bryan Cranston and Zach Braff are among those set to cameo.

In related news, the midnight...

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

The Austin Film Society has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy to present a screening of Hanna Ranch, a documentary about a fourth-generation cattle ranch in Colorado, tonight at 7:30 pm at the Marchesa Hall. In more Afs news, the nonprofit recently announced the participants of this year's Artist Intensive, a workshop for emerging narrative feature writer-directors in Austin with projects in various stages of development or pre-production. Filmmaking husband/wife team Julia Halperin's and Jason Cortlund's La Barracuda (Jordan's interview), Stephen Belyeu's and Gregory Day's The Father, filmmaker-musicians Karen Skloss's and Jay Tonne Jr.'s The Honor Farm and local filmmaker Clay Liford's Slash (an expansion of his short of the same name; Debbie's interview) were selected by the programming committee of Afs's board of directors. Each writer-director team will be matched with mentors who will...

Here's the latest Austin film news.

Austin Film Festival announced director Frank Darabont as this year's Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award recipient. Darabont, a three-time Academy Award nominee for such films as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, will accept the award at the festival's annual award luncheon Oct. 20 at the Austin Club. More recently, Darabont created the television series The Walking Dead. Aff conference-goers are invited to attend a conversation with the director on Oct. 21.In addition, Aff has announced its closing-night film: Jayne Mansfield's Car, co-written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton will attend the October 25 screening. Several other additions to the schedule and special guests have also been announced. The festival kicks off this Thursday -- or Wednesday night if you're attending the annual Film and Food Gala.Austin Film Society fiscally-sponsored projects Anne Lewis' Anne Braden: Southern Patriot, Karen Kocher's Living Springs and...

Directors: Bob Ray, Spencer Parsons, Rusty Kelley, Berndt Mader, Amy Grappell, Karen Skloss, Duane Graves, Justin Meeks, Paul Gordon, Johnny Stranger, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jay Duplass, John Bryant, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Ben Steinbauer, Elisabeth Sikes, Mike Dolan, Geoff Marslett, Bradley Beesley, Bob Byington, Clay Liford, Carlyn Hudson, Miguel Alvarez, Scott Meyers, Pj Raval, Chris Eska Writers: Bob Ray, Spencer Parsons, Rusty Kelley, Berndt Mader, Amy Grappell, Karen Skloss, Duane Graves, Justin Meeks, Paul Gordon, Johnny Stranger, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jay Duplass, John Bryant, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Ben Steinbauer, Elisabeth Sikes, Mike Dolan, Geoff Marslett, Bradley Beesley, Bob Byington, Clay Liford, Carlyn Hudson, Miguel Alvarez, Scott Meyers, Pj Raval, Chris Eska Starring: Bob Ray, Chris Doubek, Maggie Lea, Hilah Johnson, Robert Lambert, Leslie Naugle, John Wesley Coleman, Kelli Bland, Justin Meeks, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, Jen Tracy Duplass, Jay Duplass, Chris Trew, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Luke Savisky,...

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Karen Skloss, whose first film, Sunshine, premiered on Independent Lens last year. Skloss also edits feature documentaries, and worked on Taken by Storm and 2004's Be Here to Love Me (streaming on Hulu).

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you re-shoot?

Karen Skloss: I re-shot the Madonna's pap smear scene and a few short scenes that followed it: the "t-shirt terrorist" and "wants to leave the country." It's about 9 minutes of the original film.

read more...

Without Richard Linklater's slice of life film [1] Slacker, the independent film boom of the 1990s might not have happened. Unlike almost anything American audiences had seen before, it inspired a generation of filmmakers to go out and make their own movies. Kevin Smith often credits seeing the film at the Angelika Film Center in New York as his inspiration to make Clerks, the film's success gave Linklater the ability to make Dazed and Confused and so much more. First released in 1991, Slacker celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and the Austin Film Society and the Alamo Drafthouse are teaming up for a remake. In typical Austin and Drafthouse style, though, isn't a by the book remake. There aren't any big special effects or A-list actors. Instead, 23 Austin filmmakers will reshoot scenes using the same dialogue and locations from the original film and string them together as a meta-homage. Read...

Richard Linklater made a splash back in 1991 with his independent low budget film Slacker. The film was unique in its structure and seemingly plotless film, following a single day in the life of an ensemble of mostly twenty-something youths in Austin, Texas. The film followed various characters and scenes, never staying with one character or conversation for more than a few minutes before picking up someone else in the scene and following them. A similar idea was also explored at around the same time in a film called Twenty Bucks, that well followed a 20 dollar bill around for a day.

Now two decades later, the Austin Film Society and The Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas are teaming up with 23 Austin filmmakers to remake Richard Linklater’s critically acclaimed movie to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary. According to the Austin Film Society [via The Playlist] “Each scene will be recreated, using the original dialogue and...

The Austin Film Society and The Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas are excited to announce that 23 of the most celebrated Austin filmmakers will remake vignettes from Afs Founder & Artistic Director Richard Linklater’s seminal film Slacker. This homage project was conceived by The Alamo Drafthouse team to celebrate Slacker’s 20th anniversary year by bringing the film community together to honor one of Texas’ best homegrown films. Afs came aboard with a stellar group of filmmakers and a Kickstarter-like campaign to raise an additional $60,000 toward the 2011 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (accepting applications until June 1).

Each scene will be recreated, using the original dialogue and locations (whenever possible), and individual scenes will then be compiled to create the remake, presenting the city’s changing face while showcasing some of its most exciting talent.

Participating Filmmakers & Teams: Miguel Alvarez, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Afs Film Club, Bradley Beesley, John Bryant, Bob Byington, Mike Dolan, Sam Wainwright Douglas,...

Tonight at 10 p.m. Et, Independent Lens has the broadcast debut of a documentary, Sunshine, that explores "the changing definitions of family" "just in time for Mother's Day," according to PBS. In the autobiographical documentary, filmmaker Karen Skloss reunites with her biological mother as she "explores the meaning of family through a personal journey to understand both the legacy of her own birth and the non-traditional family she created by co-parenting with her ex-boyfriend" after...

A perfect documentary for Mothers' Day, as PBS will air "Sunshine," a film which explores the transition from 'unwed mother' to 'single mom' through one woman's personal story. Does history repeat itself? Filmmaker Karen Skloss found herself asking that question when she unexpectedly became pregnant.her own birth the result of her mother.s unplanned pregnancy 23 years earlier. How has .unwed motherhood. changed . from 1975, when Karen's mother went away in secret to give birth and then gave her up for adoption . to today, when single moms are more prevalent but the rules are still being written? In her film, Skloss explores the meaning of family through the legacy of her birth and the non-traditional family...

Texas Independence Day is March 2, and local PBS station Klru will commemorate the day with "Texas Independents' Day," an event involving several local filmmakers whose work has reached a national audience. For the first time, three Austin-based projects have been selected for this season of the PBS Emmy-award winning series Independent Lens: The Eyes of Me (my review), Sunshine (pictured above) and The Horse Boy (my review). All three films premiered in the Lone Star States category at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. PBS estimates that 2 million viewers will tune in to Independent Lens this year.

On Tuesday, March 2, Ut professor/local documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler (Last Man Standing) will moderate a panel discussion at the Austin City Limits studio with directors Michel O. Scott (The Horse Boy), Karen Skloss (Sunshine) and Keith Maitland (The Eyes of Me). Following the discussion, Klru will host a live screening of...

SXSW is one of my favorite festivals of the year as it showcases some of the best and most innovative real independent films, and with this host of world premiers, it's also playing alot of Sundance material as well as genre fare from all over the world, many of which we've covered heavily in these pages.

From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.

For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.

I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..

Lineup after the break.

Narrative Features Competition

Artois the Goat

Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart

Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...