Bleedfest A Monthly Film Festival Circa 2010-2011
This was the official website for Bleedfest, a monthly film festival featuring “edgy genre work” by women filmmakers.Based on recommendations by industry experts, the Fies have not held a BleedFest event since November 2011.
Content is from the site's 2010-2011 archived pages providing just a glimpse of what this site offered its followers.
The current site for Bleedfest can be found at: https://bleedfest.wordpress.com/
We are…
Festival founders and directors Elisabeth Fies and Brenda Fies are a filmmaking duo whose critically acclaimed feature thriller THE COMMUNE was embraced by multiple genre communities (as well as The Huffington Post). They feel thrilled to fill a hole in the industry by providing access to fantastic genre-blenders by indie female filmmakers systematically excluded from the sausagefest that is top tier genre festivals.
BleedFest disproves the prevailing myth that there are no female filmmakers making indie genre movies. Explains Elisabeth Fies about the discrepancy between reality and Hollywood attention for genre female filmmakers, “It’s not even about being taken seriously. It’s about being discounted to the point that you’re invisible and told you don’t exist. BleedFest aims to prove to the world that hundreds of us ovary-challenged filmmakers are here, and we’re making bold, exciting movies film lovers need and don’t want to miss. We’re positive, we’re fun, we’re in partnership with men, and we’re unstoppable.”
The Fies Sisters thank everyone for the outpouring of support and excitement about BleedFest that helped them reach their IndieGoGo fundraising campaign in under two weeks (CLICK HERE for our newest campaign), and the many friendly programmers from other film festivals who generously provided selection suggestions.
Tickets
All Day Tickets may be purchased for $10 cash at the door or in advance through our Indie GoGo fundraising campaign.
Participate in our monthly charity event sometime between 11:00am-4pm and get in for half price: only 5 dollars!!
The event includes:
- open bar
- red carpet event
- networking
- awards ceremony
- four hours of films by badass women
DATE:
First Sunday of the month
TIME:
11am-4:00pm
EVENT VENUE:
CAP Theatre
13752 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Alumni
From our happy alumni:
“Thanks to Bleedfest, MORBID CURIOSITY has been invited to screen at All Things Horror in Massachusetts this coming February! Woo Hoo!! Thanks to Brenda Fies Elisabeth Fies and all of you amazing people!!! ♥ ♥” – Cindy Baer, MORBID CURIOSITY, Audience Award Winner December 2010
“This was a most awesome event. Brought my entire Batman fan club and we had a blast. We're all fans of horror and this was a perfect social event for the Batladies. We appear in our colorful Batman shirts or other Batman gear. We know we make an impression because we're always asked where we get our shirts - MoonAtMidnight.com is our main source. The t shirts page has a huge amount of Batman info including his early days, trivia, capabilities, college courses, post in Scientific American, villains, films, etc. Lots of cool stuff about Batman that I never really knew about but is hugely entertaining to learn, including a new post on our hero confronting social ills. Turns out that Bleedfest people tend to be Batman fans because the Dark Knight scares the sh** out of evildoers. Bleedfest forever! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥” Diane Livak, DEADLY DORA
“It was fucking incredible. Seeing these wonderful films with such a great horror crowd was awesome — let me tell you, boys and girls, film making powerhouse sisters Elisabeth and Brenda Fies know how to throw a party. It was with great sadness that we packed our bags and headed back up to Canada after the fest. What an incredible opportunity to see and screen fantastic indie movies that often go unnoticed against the big studio blockbusters. From experience let me tell you, the ladies really know their horror shit. They are smart and they welcome you to the festival with a level of kindness and sincerity that makes you feel like family. It is a great event to showcase your work. This fast approaching December 5th marks the first of many upcoming Bleedfest, a bloody good time.”- Sylvia Soska, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK.
“Thank you so much for all the support.” – Amanda Gusack, IN MEMORIUM
“I received word that one of my shorts will be played during Bleedfest’s February festival! An already huge honour was made even more so by the fact that February is Women in Horror month! Thank you Elisabeth Fies!” – Lori Bowen, ESSENGER, AFTERSHOCK
Amanda Gusack’s critically acclaimed supernatural feature IN MEMORIUM is now available for streaming online through Indieflix! Watch this amazing film RIGHT NOW for only $5.99! Amanda’s follow up feature, the fantastic genre bending multimillion dollar thriller THE BETRAYED stars Melissa George and is available for rent at Blockbuster and Netflix.
Networking in the happy BleedFest lobby!
DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK has played over a dozen more festivals, signed with a sales agent, and the Soska Sisters are announcing their next feature film AMERICAN MARY with a trailer on their site December 11th, 2010! The Soska have made several shorts that will be playing upcoming BleedFest events…look for the darkly humorous suspense tale BAD GIRLS to play December 5th as we launch into our monthly bleeding pattern! What’s that? You say you can’t make it? Well then you may watch the awesome 7 minute BAD GIRLS short on their site for free…right now.
Q&A with Soska's Dead Hooker team
Thriller short SIMONE by Jenine Mayring has played in two more film festivals! Simone’s Facebook page.Her new music video for indie singer Emii’s song MY ZOMBIE BOYFRIEND just won a silver International Davey Award. MY ZOMBIE BOYFRIEND will screen February 6th, 2011 at our Women In Horror Recognition Month Event.
Jenine Mayring's Q & A for SIMONE
THE COMMUNE has played in five more film festivals. It was awarded “Best International Picture” at Bram Stoker Film Festival, and director Elisabeth Fies received “Best Emerging B-Movie Filmmaker” from The B Movie Celebration. Special Edition DVDs are on sale at TheCommuneMovie.com and there are 200 copies for you to rent at Netflix!
Producers of THE COMMUNE Brenda Fies and Heidi Hornbacher
PRESS
Rants and Raves: BleedFest
Celebrating Badass Genre Filmmaking By Women
Monday, January 3, 2011
By Beth Accomando, KPBS Arts & Culture Reporter
It's that time of the month… for BleedFest. BleedFest is a monthly LA film festival celebrating indie genre movies made by and about women. Yesterday it held its Badass Genre Film Festival.
BleedFest is the brainchild of energetic filmmaking sisters Elisabeth and Brenda Fies. It kicked off in July of last year and became a monthly event starting last December. It is held the first Sunday of the month at the Sherman Oaks' CAP Theater. As a woman and a lover of genre films, I was intrigued by the festival but missed their first two installments since the event is held in LA. But a few San Diegans have been making the trek to the festival and Tijuana filmmaker Cathy Alberich had her film "Algesia" screened at the December showcase. So I hitched a ride with Miguel Rodriguez a fellow genre enthusiast (and host of Monster Island Resort) and went up for the January installment. The lack of any similar themed event down here makes it necessary for anyone interested in such female-made genre fare to travel up north.
The Fies sisters were motivated to start this because, "We feel passionate about raising the visibility of awesome indie genre movies by female filmmakers. BleedFest fetes the women who love writing, producing, directing, and watching badass genre movies: action, thriller, sci-fi, horror, western, exploitation (of men or audience only), B-movie, and erotica."
........entire article can be found at: www.kpbs.org/news/2011/jan/03/rants-and-raves-bleedfest/
While I love to see women challenge conventions and expand their roles behind the scenes, I don't feel that every film made by a woman deserves to be championed. And I don't feel like I have to be a cheerleader for any film made by a women or with a strong female lead. In fact I tend to set the bar high because only by focusing attention on the very best women are doing can we start to make inroads into the male dominated industry and convincing Hollywood that women should be given as many opportunities as men. So I wish the feature showcased had been stronger. But kudos to the sisters for curating these events and for finding such gems like "Dead Hooker," "Ugly on the Inside," "Stop I'm Not Dead Yet," and "Lunar." BleedFest is also great for keeping attention focused on the issue of women filmmakers and the depiction of women in film.
More Background on the BleedFest Film Festival
BleedFest Film Festival, launched in July 2010, was an innovative monthly film festival held in Los Angeles, California, with a distinctive focus on celebrating and promoting genre films by female filmmakers. Founded by sisters Elisabeth and Brenda Fies, the festival quickly garnered attention for its commitment to showcasing "badass genre movies" by women, a demographic often overlooked by the mainstream film industry.
History and Mission
The inception of BleedFest was driven by a clear mission: to raise the visibility of female filmmakers working in genres traditionally dominated by men, such as horror, sci-fi, thriller, and action. The festival's name, BleedFest, was chosen both as a nod to the horror genre and as a provocative statement on the challenges women face in the film industry. The Fies sisters, who were themselves filmmakers, wanted to fill a gap they observed in the industry—namely, the lack of platforms where women genre filmmakers could showcase their work and be taken seriously.
After its first event, BleedFest quickly evolved from a quarterly to a monthly festival due to overwhelming demand. Held at venues like the CAP Theatre in Sherman Oaks, the festival became known not just for its film screenings, but for creating an inclusive, celebratory atmosphere that included red carpet events, networking opportunities, and awards ceremonies. The festival was unique in that it attracted a balanced audience of both men and women, breaking down stereotypes that genre films by or about women were only for female audiences.
Key Features and Events
BleedFest wasn't just about screening films; it was about creating an ecosystem where female filmmakers could thrive. Each month, the festival would feature a mix of short films, feature-length movies, and works-in-progress. Films were shown both in and out of competition, with some receiving special awards. For instance, the Inanna Partnership Award was given to male filmmakers who portrayed empowered female protagonists, further emphasizing the festival's inclusive spirit.
One of the highlights of BleedFest was its commitment to awarding filmmakers in a way that would help them gain further recognition. Filmmakers who screened their work at BleedFest could use a special Winner Laurel on their promotional materials, and many were awarded the "Bleedy," a bronze statue designed by artist Neal Harvey. These awards were more than just trophies; they were symbols of the festival's dedication to elevating the careers of female filmmakers.
Press Coverage and Cultural Impact
The press played a significant role in BleedFest's success. The festival partnered with numerous media outlets, including the Monster Island Resort Podcast, Film Radar, and B Movie Man, to ensure that the films and filmmakers received ample coverage. This was crucial in an industry where female filmmakers often struggle to get press attention. The festival's strategic partnerships helped boost the IMDb ratings of the films and filmmakers involved, providing them with a tangible career advantage.
Culturally, BleedFest made a lasting impact by challenging the industry's gender norms. It disproved the notion that women don't or can't make compelling genre films. Moreover, the festival's success demonstrated that there is a significant audience for these films, regardless of the gender of the filmmaker. By showcasing a diverse array of films—from horror to sci-fi to action—BleedFest proved that genre films could be both commercially viable and artistically valuable when created by women.
Notable Screenings and Filmmakers
Over its brief but impactful run, BleedFest featured many notable films and filmmakers. The festival provided a platform for emerging talents like the Soska Sisters, whose film Dead Hooker in a Trunk became a cult hit. Other significant screenings included In Their Sleep, a thriller by French directors Caroline and Eric du Potet, and The Commune, a psychological thriller directed by Elisabeth Fies herself.
The festival also spotlighted shorts that went on to receive acclaim, such as SCORN by Lisa Coffelt, a sultry horror piece, and Silver Patriot by Kari Nissena, a noir-inspired serial. These films, along with many others, highlighted the creative range and bold storytelling of women in genre filmmaking.
Though BleedFest officially ended in November 2011, its legacy continues to influence the film industry. The festival not only provided a much-needed platform for female genre filmmakers but also fostered a community that continues to support and promote women in film. The success of BleedFest demonstrated that with the right support, female filmmakers could excel in genres typically dominated by men, and it paved the way for future festivals and initiatives dedicated to gender equality in film.
By spotlighting the work of female filmmakers in the genre space, BleedFest helped to challenge industry norms and opened the door for a more inclusive future in film. Its impact can still be felt today, as more and more festivals and organizations continue the work that BleedFest began, ensuring that the voices of women in genre filmmaking are heard loud and clear.