The Unnamed Footage Festival, that includes a weekend of found footage horror, first-person cinema, and faux documentary is coming to the historic Balboa Theater in San Francisco March 24th – 25th, 2018. A collaboration between Philadelphia’s Unnamed Film Festival and the Bay Area-based organization, The Overlook Theatre, The Unnamed Footage Festival will include in-competition new selections from around the world and a series of revival screenings. This two-day event will feature in-person interviews and Q&As with filmmakers who contribute to this niche subgenre. There will also be limited edition art and collectibles for badge holders.

The Balboa Theater is located in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond District and has been an operating movie house since 1926, splitting its single screen in two in the late 70’s. The rumors of paranormal activity at the classic cinema, which is built over a former cemetery, have been circulated by staff and patrons for years, making it the perfect location for UFF. Get ready for a haunting good time.

UNNAMED FOOTAGE 1 - GM/EOTD17
The slate of films will consist of narratives shot in the first person, and show the exciting diversity within the medium that has gone uncelebrated until now. While The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity defined the genre, there are many others that flew under the radar. UFF will give audiences the chance to revisit older titles and discover new ones, while exploring comedy, science fiction, and drama, with an emphasis on the genre most often linked to found footage — horror movies.

“There’s nothing scarier than watching a found-footage horror film in a creepy old theater, ” says an Unnamed Representative, speaking through a phone with a voice modulator. “But the idea behind UFF isn’t just to scare the audience, we want to dissect the way these are made. We want to talk about how the forced perspective is used to manipulate the viewer, and the creativity in the use of different cameras.”

UFF is currently looking for films made by anyone, anytime! There are no limits regarding completion date or release status. Because of the nature of this genre, sometimes films take years to complete and tend to go unnoticed but UFF’s goal is to hunt down and revive these movies and give new films the chance to screen theatrically.

“Just go out and shoot something,” says the garbled voice of the Unnamed Representative. “A big part of this is to encourage filmmakers to play in this underappreciated storytelling format. There is so much room for exploration, and we want to see what strange and exciting things artists can do with it.” Submissions are being accepted through February 15th, with a flat submission rate of $5 per short and $10 per feature. You can submit your film at FilmFreeway. Show UFF what you’ve found!

About the Author

Rosalia likes to spend her nights watching Netflix or reading a good book. Her interest for horror came from a very young age. Her mother nurtured this obsession and she thanks her for it. She also thanks the film IT for her dislike for clowns. She is currently finishing her Bachelor Degree in Cinema and Television Arts and hopes to be behind the camera shooting the next big thriller.