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The blockbuster took nine of the 14 awards for which it was nominated.

Avatar: The Way of Water emerged as the big winner at the Visual Effects Society’s Ves Awards on Wednesday (February 15) night, taking nine awards including the prize for photoreal feature.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was the most honoured animated film, winning the animated feature award and two other prizes.

The Way of Water had gone into the ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, with 14 nominations, and Pinocchio with five.

The Ves Lifetime Achievement award went to producer Gale Anne Hurd and the...

James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” swept the 21st annual Ves Awards Wednesday night in an unprecedented wave of dominance in every category, winning nine of its record-breaking 14 nominations, including the top photoreal feature, and the newest category, The Emerging Technology Award, for its innovative water toolset.

Although the prestigious visual effects honorary society has not been a reliable Oscar bellwether in recent years — picking the VFX winner only twice in the last six years — this now looks like a lock for the “Avatar” sequel.

Hosted by Patton Oswalt at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (from Netflix) — the favorite to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar — won the top animation trophy and took home three awards; Amazon’s “Thirteen Lives” snagged the supporting prize, and Amazon Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” grabbed the episodic prize and also took home three awards.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” topped the 21st Annual Ves Awards with nine wins, including for photoreal feature.

Meanwhile, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” was named best animated feature and took home three awards total. On the TV side, Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” won three awards and was named best photoreal episode.

Rian Johnson, Domee Shi, Tig Notaro, Jay Pharoah, Tyler Posey and Randall Park were among the presenters for the night. James Cameron presented the Ves Lifetime Achievement award to acclaimed producer Gale Anne Hurd.

Former Ves executive director Eric Roth received the Board of Directors Award from the current board, which includes Lisa Cooke, current Ves Chair; Jim Morris, Ves, president of Pixar Animation and founding Ves Chair; and former Chairs Jeffrey A. Okun, Ves; Mike Chambers, Ves; Carl Rosendahl, Ves; and Jeff Barnes.

“As we celebrate the 21st Annual Ves Awards,...

A Night Of Horror: Nightmare Radio, 10 horrifying tales directed by 8 of horror’s most talented filmmakers will be available on Demand and DVD September 1st.

The trailer looks terrifying!:

A Night Of Horror: Nightmare Radio, premiering on Demand and DVD September 1, is a new anthology from brothers Luciano Onetti and Nicolas Onetti. Joining the Onettis are filmmakers Sergio Morcillo, Joshua Long, Jason Bognacki, Adam O´Brien, Matt Richards, A.J. Briones, Pablo S. Pastor and Oliver Park.

Rod, radio DJ, hosts a popular horror-themed show packed with tales of terror for eager listeners. When he receives alarming calls from a horrified child things start to feel off. What ensues is a roller-coaster ride of horror stories…

Ian Costello, Clara Kovacic, and James Wright help make up the cast.

A Night Of Horror: Nightmare Radio is being distributed by Uncorkd’ Entertainment.

The post A Night Of Horror: Nightmare Radio on Demand...

As the calendar changes from October to November, Mexican horror fans will ascend for the twelfth year on Morbido Fest, a Mexico City-based festival dedicated to all things macabre, organized and executed by Morbido Group CEO and founder Pablo Guisa Koestinger.

This year’s festival will kick off Oct. 30 with a spectacle grander in its ambition than any Morbido inauguration before. Taking place within the Esperanza Iris City theater, more than 60 artists will perform six choreographed musical numbers with Guisa taking the reigns as master of ceremonies. Those familiar with Guisa and his public persona won’t be surprised to hear that his opening night wardrobe alone includes eight costumes, with more to come in the following days.

Somehow, the TV network owner, festival director, writer, publisher and radio host found time to make appearances in three high-profile films screening at this year’s fest: Paco Plaza’s “Eye for an Eye,...

A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio is a horror anthology, from directors Nicolas and Luciano Onetti. They were the creative directors behind this Black Mandala production. Involving nine short films and ten directors, A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio is set to show at this year's Nocturna Madrid, in Spain. This title has already show at Cannes and the film is expected to debut, in North America, at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. As well, a trailer was released for the film this past May. Some of the directors participating include: Jason Bognacki (March of the Witch), A.J. Briones (The Smiling Man), Joshua Long, Sergio Morcillo, Matt Richards, and a few others. More details on the film's upcoming European showing are hosted here. The film's wraparound segment involves a stormy night and a radio show. Listeners call in with their own ghost stories. Then, a strange call comes in from a child,...

The Belgian film Cub validates the fear some of us have of spending the night in the woods. Cub on Blu-ray and DVD will hit stores on August 18th. Also: theatrical and digital release details for The Diabolical, HollyShorts Film Festival 2015 lineup, and Manos: The Hands of Fate soundtrack on vinyl.

Cub: Artsploitation Films will release Cub on Blu-ray and DVD on August 18th. Directed by Jonas Govaerts from a screenplay he wrote with Roel Mondelaers, Cub stars Maurice Luijten, Titus De Voogdt, Stef Aerts, Evelien Bosmans, and Jan Hammenecker.

"This dark, bloody, imaginative fairy tale about a camping trip that turns into deadly carnage draws on such influences as Lord of the Rings, Friday the 13th, and The Devil’s Backbone. The story follows 12-year-old outcast Sam who, along with his troop of cub scouts and their teenage supervisors, camp in woods rumored to house a mysterious and deadly werewolf.

The 7th annual Arizona Underground Film Festival will screen a smorgasbord of cult flicks, horror movies, comedies and provocative documentaries on September 19-27 at The Screening Room in Tucson, Az.

Opening Night: The fest kicks off on the 19th with Killers, a dark thriller all the way from Japan and Indonesia about a psychopath and a journalist who forge an unlikely, hellish bond.

Other films to be on the look out for include documentaries like the powerful Who Took Johnny? by acclaimed filmmakers Michael Galinsky, Suki Hawley and David Belinson that examines the legacy of the disappearance of young Johnny Gosch in 1982; Penny Vozniak’s Despite the Gods, about Jennifer Lynch’s struggles to make a Bollywood musical; and Gideon C. Kennedy and Marcus Rosentrater’s wild Limo Ride.

Then, there are horror movies like the Lovecraft-inspired The Call Girl of Cthulu by Chris Lamartina; the slasher flick Crazy Bitches...

The 8th annual Sydney Underground Film Festival is a power-packed event featuring outrageous cult films, provocative documentaries and wild short films that will run September 4-7 at its usual haunt, The Factory Theater.

Opening Night: The fest opens with Housebound, a New Zealand horror comedy by Gerard Johnstone about a woman in trouble with the law who comes to believe that her family home is haunted. The film will be preceded by a performance by Renny Kodgers and a free pizza party; and followed by an after party.

Closing Night: The fest will close with the controversial German teen sex comedy Wetlands directed by David Wendt. The film will then be followed by a late-night after party.

Highlights: Usama Alshaibi‘s must see documentary American Arab — an intimate, socially relevatory and essential film — screens at 4 p.m. on Sept. 6. Read the Underground Film Journal review of American Arab.

Jorge Torres-Torres...