Renowned ‘DIY Festival’ Marks Largest Edition Ever
Featuring 6 Days of Events and 50+ Films
The Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival (PUFF) is back with its largest edition ever to celebrate its ninth year as South Philadelphia’s premiere ‘DIY film festival,’ this year filling up a whopping six-day schedule at the black box Theatre Exile (1340 S 13th St.) from Tue. Sep. 24th – Sun. Sep. 29th. New surprises in-store this year: guest curation on Tuesday by new local friends of the festival, SPACE MELT CINEMA, an exclusive Filmmakers Meetup and networking party on Wednesday, and music videos!
“So much amazing talent comes through our doors each year that it just seems like a no-brainer to set something like this up,” said festival director Wil Keiper of the Filmmakers Meetup, which also welcomes actors, distributors, writers, and others involved in local filmmaking.
“Especially this year when our screeners were literally overwhelmed with how many quality submissions we were getting – we want everyone to be able to meet each other and talk. Film is so alive in Philly right now.”
PUFF’s signature oddball programming will then kick off on Thursday the 26th with two experimental features – NIAS (France., dir. Baptiste Rambaud) and SINCERELY SAUL (USA, dir. Ian Francis Tripp) – plus the demonic horror LAMPIR: THE IMMORTAL WITCH (Indonesia, dir. Kenny Gulardi) and PUFF’s annual Bizarre Short Block.
On Friday the 27th, daytime features include sci-fi comedy THAT ALIEN, SOUND (USA, dir. Brando Topp) co-starring Richard Masur, and the gritty revenge-thriller BYSTANDERS (USA, dir. Mary Beth McAndrews). The evening will see PUFF host the cast and crew for the highly-anticipated Philadelphia premiere of zombie horror-comedy ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD (USA, dir. Cooper Roberts), co-starring Mena Suvari and Eddie Griffin. PUFF will also screen Sci-Fi shorts on Friday.
Saturday the 28th will be the festival’s biggest day, featuring two blocks of shorts: PUFF’s “Global Grab Bag” and Horror. Features for the day include the techno-thriller THIRST TRAP (USA, dir. Chantal Massuh-Fox), and the horror-oddity VOIDCALLER (Sweden, dir. Nils Alatalo). Hot off its run at the Fantasia Film Festival and with editing from Vera Drew (The People’s Joker), CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS (Australia, dir. Alice Maio Mackay) will also screen as a centerpiece in the evening, followed by a late night close-out from the found-footage horror JEFFREY’S HELL (USA, dir. Jeffrey Irons).
On Sunday the 29th, PUFF returns to celebratory vibes with a free brunch for badge-holders (or those who purchase a Sunday ticket), the Local Shorts block, a block of modern music videos edited together with retro commercials and ads, and the Puff Awards – where the coveted Puff Tiaras will be awarded for the best films seen all week.
Tickets and Information
Tickets and badges for PUFF9 are available for purchase online at the official PUFF eventive page and will be available at the door at Theatre Exile. Tickets for individual films and short blocks are on sale for $15. All-access badges are on sale for $125 (over $100 in savings). A Saturday-only badge is available for $75.
About PUFF
The Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival (PUFF) is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded and operated by disabled artists as an alternative festival to bring new and undiscovered films to cinema fans in the region. PUFF brings together filmmakers and film enthusiasts, offering a space for films that push boundaries and challenge conventions to shine. More information is available on our website at www.phillyunnamed.org.
