2024 AFF AWARDS

Film is art, not a competition, but part of Amazing Fantasy Fest’s mission is to recognize the work of talented genre filmmakers ignored or shunned by the mainstream. Below are the nominations for the 2024 AFF Awards. 

Please note that for nomination purposes only, some categories have been combined - we award several different genre categories within the Features category, for example. And we do present some awards for special achievements not grouped in categories. We'll create our official laurels this weekend: in the meantime, you're welcome to create your own using FilmFreeway's easy-to-use (but frankly insufficient) generator.

Winners will be announced Sunday, September 15th at our 5:45 pm EST AFF Awards presentation at our venue, the Amherst Theatre.

AMAZING UNPRODUCED FEATURE SCREENPLAY

“A Day to Relive” by Chris Donald Griffin

“Eve of Destruction” by James Holmes & Jeffrey Stackhouse

“Legend of Spring Heeled Jack” by Anthony A. Labriola

“Murder at the Red tower” by Writer at EXO Books*

“Scapegoat” by Richard Geiwitz

“Spoiled Meat” by Tim Tanner

AMAZING UNPRODUCED SHORT SCREENPLAY

“Career Day” by Devin Shane Hylton
“Fluffy” by Shirley Ann Sheldon & Angela Hendrick

“Solipsism” by Duncan B. Putney

“The Shadow Over Christmas” by Marc Roussel

“Wet Rot” by Stuart Creque

AMAZING FEATURE

Black Eyed Susan

Bronx Lore

First Person Savior

Flesh of the Unforgiven

Florence

Fragment

Inbetweening

Rich Inherited Lives

They Call Her Death

AMAZING WNY FEATURE

7 Kills, 3 Songs & A Banana

Ragdoll Assassin

Reset

Slasher Days of Summer

Special Needs Revolt

AMAZING CANADIAN FEATURE

The Damnation

Massacre at Femur Creek

Voices Carry

AMAZING DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Life of Pain

Nickel City Tinseltown: The History of Buffalo, NY Filmmaking

The Pocket Film of Superstitions

AMAZING FEATURE DIRECTOR      

Mel House – Inbetweening

Scooter McCrae - Black Eyed Susan

Austin Snell - They Call Her Death

Robert Vornkahl -Fragment

Ken Whiting - Rich Inherited Lives

AMAZING WNY FEATURE DIRECTOR

Adrian Esposito - Special Needs Revolt

Richard Fysh - 7 Kills, 3 Songs & A Banana

Curt Markham - Ragdoll Assassin

Kristen Skeet - Slasher Days of Summer

Michael Yammine - Reset

AMAZING FEATURE SCREENWRITER

Katy Baldwin, Kristi Shimek, Robert Vornkahl - Fragment

Andrew Bonazelli - Rich Interior Lives

Mel House - Inbetweening

Scooter McCrae - Black Eyed Susan

Austin Snell – They Call Her Death

AMAZING WNY FEATURE SCREENWRITER

Ty Cheman & Kristen Skeet - Slasher Days of Summer

Adrain Esposito, Bill Weeden & Curt Markham – Special Needs Revolt

Richard Fysh - 7 Kills, 3 Songs & A Banana

Curt Markham – Ragdoll Assassin

Michael Yammine - Reset

AMAZING FEMALE PERFORMANCE, FEATURE

Teresa Gero – Rich Interior Lives

Hailee Lipscomb - Fragment

Sheri Rippel - They Call Her Death

Debbie Rochon - Flesh of the Unforgiven

Kei’la Ryan - Rich Interior Lives

Yvonne Emilie Thälker - Black Eyed Susan

AMAZING MALE PERFORMANCE, FEATURE

Brandon Cole – Inbetweening

Joe Hollow – Flesh of the Unforgiven

John Karyus – First Person Savior

Damian Maffei – Black Eyed Susan

Parker Shook, Rich Interior Lives

AMAZING FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A WNY FEATURE

Alyssa Grace Adams, Slasher Days of Summer

Amelia Favata – Ragdoll Assassin

Shanda Gardner – Slasher Days of Summer

Danielle Smith – Ragdoll Assassin

Caitlin Westfall - Reset

Alexandria Romanov – 7 Kills, 3 Songs & A Banana

AMAZING MALE PERFORMANCE IN A WNY FEATURE

Mark Bogumil – Ragdoll Assassin

Adam Holley - Reset

Curt Markham – Ragdoll Assassin

Paul McGinnis – Slasher Days of Summer

Brandon Machajewski – 7 Kills, 3 Songs & A Banana

Nolan Tierce – Special Needs Revolt

Bill Weeden – Special Needs Revolt

AMAZING MICRO SHORT

BeeHarmony (US)

The Lure (UK)

Three Baths (US)

Night Feeding (US)

The Vulture (US)

AMAZING WNY MICRO SHORT

Just Another Day in Paradise

Missed. Carriage

Slash Squatch

Slasher

AMAZING SHORT FILM (US & CAN)

Banjo (US)

Bat Country (US)

Duck and Cover (CAN)

Interitus Adfectus (US)

Moonlight Sonata, with Scissors (US)

Others (US)

Sentinels (US)

Split Second (US)

Tales from the End! (US)

The Thaw (US)

AMAZING INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM

Mystery of the Keeper (Ukraine)

Dancing with My Mother (Australia)

The Detachment (Korea)

The Faun of Healwood, the Edge (France)

The Gory Hole (UK)

AMAZING WNY SHORT FILM

Eccentrip

Jane & the Brain

Forward

NOKK

The Surgeon

Twice

What Silence Looks Like

AMAZING WNY SHORT SCREENPLAY

Allison Courtney – Agency

Donovan W. Gale – NOKK

Hope Muehlbauer - Jane & the Brain

Matthew Martin, Chad Ridgely, Taylor Martin – Eccentrip

Paul McGinnis - Forward

Rick Masi – What Silence Looks Like

AMAZING FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A WNY SHORT

Alyssa Grace Adams – Agency

Ana Logan – Junk Food

Airy Nikohl - Twice

Gabrielle Nunzio – Jane & the Brain

Taylor Martin – Eccentrip

Jessica Zwolak - Forward

AMAZING MALE PERFORMANCE IN A WNY SHORT

Eugene Bofill – What Silence Looks Like

Chad Ridgely – Eccentrip

Paul Spitale – Eccentrip

Eric Nicotera – Lake in VR

Finn Lasch – Junk Food

Marek Heitzenrater – Junk Food

AMAZING ANIMATED SHORT

The Adjudicators’ Pawn (US)

The Bell (Philippines)

The Bitter Desert (Norway) 

Howl If You Love Me (US)

Noonday Demon (CAN)

On the Streets of Willoughby (US)

Sulayman (Pilippines)

We Are Here to Help (UK)

AMAZING STOP MOTION FILM

Ethel (Switzerland)

Les Betes (US)

AMAZING ALTERNATIVE CINEMA

Car Spider (WNY)

Fin. (WNY)

The Harvest (WNY)

An Illustrated Guide to Flowering Houseplants (WNY)

Requiem (WNY)

AMAZING WNY STUDENT FILM

Frostbyte

Junk Food

Lake in VR

Amazing Fantasy Fest reserves the right to combine, alter or eliminate award categories at the Festival Director’s discretion. International award winners will receive digital certificates unless they attend AFF in person. We will mail physical awards to filmmakers unable to attend at the filmmaker’s expense.