A decade ago, two friends with $500 and a love of scary movies decided to start a film festival.
About 400 people showed up at Miami’s O Cinema Wynwood and, for Igor Shteyrenberg and Marc Ferman, that was a success.
A decade later, the founders expect about 10,000 people to take part in this year’s Popcorn Frights, which runs Thursday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 18, at two Fort Lauderdale movie houses and online via the festival’s website.
The 10th anniversary festival offers a lineup that ranges from new foreign and indie horror films to 1980s Hollywood slasher classics. And in a decidedly non-frightening twist, admission for most films is free.
“It’s our 10th anniversary, we wanted to give back to the community,” Ferman says.
Technically, the all-volunteer festival is using a pay-what-you-want pricing model: When booking tickets online, you’re given the option to pay as much or as little as you’d like. Donations are happily received but, the organizers stress, you don’t have to pay anything. That is, except for admission to a handful of special screenings.
Those who don’t want to miss anything can buy a ticket that guarantees seating for every screening — it costs $66.60. (Drop the zero to get the joke.)
For Shteyrenberg and Ferman, the open-door policy keeps with the philosophy of an event in which every dollar made has always been reinvested in the festival or given to the community.
“By opening these doors so widely, we hope to inspire the next generation of storytellers and creatives in South Florida,” Shteyrenberg says.
Screenings will take place at Savor Cinema and Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Fort Lauderdale. The communal experience is the best way to see a film, but they also want to put on a festival that can include everybody, Shteyrenberg says. Hence the online programming.
“Popcorn Frights is deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity, and our hybrid festival model is also an important testament to this core mission,” he says. “By offering multiple ways to engage with the festival, we’re able to bring together a diverse community of fans from different backgrounds and circumstances.
“Just as importantly, this inclusivity helps enrich the festival experience and creates a space where all voices can be heard and celebrated.”
Back when Shteyrenberg and Ferman began Popcorn Frights, they were frustrated by what they saw as other festivals’ lack of interest in genre films. To find good genre film festivals, according to Shteyrenberg, South Florida film fans had to travel to places like New York, Los Angeles or Austin.
The pair wanted to create a festival that was unabashedly about horror and rooted in community. As the festival has grown, Ferman and Shteyrenberg have worked to make it about more than 11 days of programming.
In addition to serving as one of the event venues, the Gateway theater now serves as the home of the festival’s year-round programming. In July, it hosted a Popcorn Frights screening of a remastered version of “The Shining.”
Over the years, the festival has also raised money for people affected by Hurricane Irma and the Surfside building collapse, as well as for Wynwood businesses during the 2016 Zika virus outbreak. The festival also “stood against (Florida’s) ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that affected many of our friends and fans,” says Shteyrenberg.
Through all that, they’ve kept it defiantly indie.
“Popcorn Frights stands as one of the few truly independent festivals in the state, beholden to not a single foundation, organization, sponsor or financial entity,” Shteyrenberg says. “This freedom and autonomy have allowed us to push the boundaries and elevate the creativity of our programming each year, resulting in unique, truly one-of-a-kind events and experiences that have attracted thousands of fans.
“In an era where festival programming is often driven by corporate and business interests, what you find at Popcorn Frights is a purity and natural excitement that are rare in today’s festival landscape.”
The festival receives thousands of submissions from all over the world, according to the producers.
“What we aspire to find is the most twisted, hilarious, intelligent, horrifying and no-holds-barred badass cinema on this planet,” says Shteyrenberg.
For “Nightmare on Elm Street” fans, there will be an “Up All Night With Freddy Marathon.” Additionally, Tony Todd, who played the title role in 1992’s “Candyman,” will be on hand to receive the Popcorn Frights Golden Skull Award and give a special introduction to the film screening.
All in all, there should be no shortage of jump scares. Shteyrenberg says that during a frightening, polarizing time, “a good, healthy scream inside the safety and comfort of a theater” might be something people need. “After all, horror films don’t create fear. They release it.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Popcorn Frights
WHEN: Aug. 8-18
WHERE:
- Savor Cinema, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale
- Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Fort Lauderdale, 1820 E. Sunrise Blvd.
- Online at watch.eventive.org/popcornfrights
COST: RSVP with pay-what-you-want pricing model. Some films have a fee, including “Candyman: Special Presentation” for $12. A $66.60 full-festival pass guarantees admission and reserved seating to all screenings, plus access to additional events.
INFORMATION: 305-573-7304; popcornfrights.com
This story was produced by Broward Arts Journalism Alliance (BAJA), an independent journalism program of the Broward County Cultural Division. Visit artscalendar.com for more stories about the arts in South Florida.
