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ABOUT
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Sacramento Midnight Film Festival

Sacramento Midnight Film Festival is a genre film festival specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, underground, and all around wild films from around the globe. We champion original voices, unique perspectives, and inventive filmmaking. We are committed to supporting ground-breaking, provocative films that give Sacramento audiences a chance to see work that challenges, inspires, and amazes.

FEATURES

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Director: Albert Birney

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Starring: Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Paisley Isaacs

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Runtime: 91 min., USA

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Language: English

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OBEX  2025

In pre-internet 1987, Conor and his dog Sandy live a life of seclusion, lost in the slow-rendering graphics of early Macs and televisions aglow with late night horror movie marathons. But when he begins playing OBEX, a new and mysterious, state-of-the-art computer game, he finds himself trapped in a low-tech, but high-stakes analog hellscape as the line between reality and game blurs.

Audacious and uncanny, writer-director Albert Birney’s OBEX is a delightfully skewed lo-fi fantasy. Shot in striking black and white, this surreally nostalgic nightmare revisits the dawn of personal computing to reflect on the loneliness of our always-online present day.

Wednesday, April 23

Saturday, April 26

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Director: Alexis Langlois

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Starring: Louiza Aura, Gio Ventura, Asia Argento, Alma Jodorowsky 

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Runtime: 114 min., France

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Language: French w/ English subtitles

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QUEENS OF DRAMA  2025

An outrageous lesbian pop musical satire inspired by the pop frenzy of the early 2000s, QUEENS OF DRAMA charts the rise and fall of new star Mimi Madamour and her passionate, rage-fueled love affair with punk icon Billie Kohler. Over the course of half a century we follow these drama queens as they top the charts and set sail on the course of mad queer love. Featuring an iconic cast, including Asia Argento and Alma Jodorowsky, and containing hit songs like 'Don’t Touch' by Yelle and 'Fisted to the Heart', this film vividly dissects the turbulence of toxic relationships—whether between fans and their idols or within passionate queer love affairs. Director Alexis Langlois brings his trademark glittercore pop-punk aesthetic to create a vibrant, unforgettable spectacle of music and passion.

Saturday, April 26

Sunday, April 27

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Director: Yannis Veslemes

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Starring: Dominique Pinon, Panos Papadopoulos, Julio Giorgos Katsis, Aris Balis

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Runtime: 88 min., Greece

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Language: Greek w/ English subtitles

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SHE LOVED BLOSSOMS MORE  2024

Traveling through wardrobes into wild worlds of the imagination isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—just ask C.S. Lewis. For three brothers racked with grief over the loss of their mother, a wardrobe in their parent’s bedroom is a chance to bring her back into the world of the living.

 

Unfortunately for them, anything that enters comes back… changed. Their tenuous grip on reality loosens even further with the possibility of romance and the re-introduction of their wily magician father (played by Jean-Pierre Jeunet favorite, Dominique Pinon), giving way to Lovecraftian terror.

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Sublimely crafted with gorgeous cinematography, with a stuck-out-of-time quality that evokes Peter Strickland and Cattet/Forzani, SHE LOVES BLOSSOMS MORE will knock you sideways. (JAKE ISGAR, Fantastic Fest)

Wednesday, April 23

Friday, April 25

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THE SEVERED SUN  2024

In the heart of an isolated religious community, The Pastor delivers his fervent sermons to a devoted congregation. But dark secrets fester. In the depths of the forest, The Pastor’s daughter, Magpie, takes desperate action, ending the life of her abusive husband. Little does she know; his murder will unleash a malevolent force—a mysterious beast with shimmering white eyes.

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As weeks pass, suspicion and paranoia grip the community, with accusatory fingers pointed at Magpie. The Pastor struggles to restore Magpie’s dwindling faith, and he is unable to bring her back into ‘The Truth.’ Faith is fragile, and Magpie is hell bent on rebelling against the hypocrisy of her father. 

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When the Beast leaves a trail of gruesome carnage, a brutal witch hunt ignites. In this gripping tale of faith, fear, and the darkness within; friendships crumble, loyalties are tested, and the community hurtles toward self-destruction.  

Friday, April 25

Director: Dean Puckett

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Starring: Emma Appleton, Toby Stephens, Jodhi May 

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Runtime: 84 min., USA

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Language: English

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Saturday, April 26

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40 ACRES  2024

After a series of plagues and wars leaves society in ruins, the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on a farm in the middle of nowhere... so long as they repel the occasional raiding party. Former soldier Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) fled the collapse along with their children, training them to fight (and, yes, kill). But now Hailey’s eldest Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor) is a young man, and when he meets a young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) in the forest beyond the fence, his need for human contact could place the whole family in jeopardy.

Thursday, April 24

Sunday, April 27

Director: RT Thorne

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Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes, Kateem O'Connor

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Runtime: 113 min., Canada

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Language: English & Cree w/ English subs

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CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING  2024

Maria is having one of the worst days of her life. Her parents died. Her dog, too. She was fired from her job. She was beaten by thugs in the street. But all of her troubles melt away when she locks eyes with Tom in the midst of his suicide attempt. Soon, the gobsmacked young lovers are hand-in-hand, bounding across sun-dappled meadows and expressing their undying love through song. Their courtship is cut short when a spree killer with a chainsaw and his own musical backstory takes Maria captive to feed his grotesque family of cannibals, consisting of his overbearing mother, artistically inclined little brother, and incestuous cousins Pepe and Kevin.

 

Vowing to come to his lady's rescue, Tom teams up with Jaan, a goodhearted, goofy passerby with nothing but time on his hands and a song in his heart. The two head deep into the woods, embarking on a madcap quest full of blood, guts, and toe-tapping show tunes. Along the way, they’ll encounter some trigger-happy, pastry-loving cops, a helpful little hedgehog, a shitload of exploding cars, and a cult that worships a talking fridge full of nauseating contents. Nearly 10 years in the making, this bastard child of Stephen Sondheim and Lloyd Kaufman is an utterly indescribable Estonian odyssey. (Lori Donnelly, Fantastic Fest) 

Director: Sander Maran

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Starring: Karl-Joosep Ilves, Laura Niils, Janno Puusepp

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Runtime: 117 min., Estonia

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Language: Estonian w/ English subtitles

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Friday, April 25

Sunday, April 27

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CONJURING TAPES  2025

CONJURING TAPES is a love letter to classic found-footage cinema, celebrating the
raw, immersive nature of the genre while offering a diverse mix of horror that has something for everyone. From a classic ghost story to eerie explorations of grief, from brainwashing cults to comedic thrills, each segment taps into different shades of fear. Whilst the found-footage style immerses the audience in terror, our wraparound story
is filmed in a traditional cinematic format, creating a stark contrast that enhances the
overall experience.


Found-footage thrives on the fear of the unknown, where reality and the supernatural blur in ways that feel disturbingly authentic. Horror anthologies have always inspired us, and with CONJURING TAPES, we wanted to bring a fresh yet nostalgic take on the format that captures the thrill of discovering something you weren't meant to see.
We invite you to hit play and experience the terror for yourself. - Directors, Rob Livings & Randy Nundlall, Jr. 

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Director(s) in attendance for Q&A at each screening! Sacramento produced film! 

Directors: Robert Livings, Randy Nundlall Jr.

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Starring: Brenda Yanez, Samantha Laurenti, Norah DeMello

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Runtime: 79 min., USA

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Language: English

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Thursday, April 24

Saturday, April 26

ANIMATED SHORTS

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COMPOST  2024

After a fatal accident, a greenhouse owner uses her husband's dead body to fertilize a new plant.

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Directors: The Brothers Sinay

Runtime: 14 min., Argentina

Language: Spanish w/ English subtitles

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THE GARDEN SEES FIRE  2024

A mystical tale of cloaked identities, systemic traumas, and insatiable consumption: The ecology burns, reclaiming its environs.

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Director: Kiera Faber

Runtime: 15 min., USA

Language: No dialogue

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GEOMETRY OF SHADOWS  2024

Northern California death metal band Tentacult has been imprisoned by an evil warlock and forced to play for his enjoyment! Meanwhile, an intrepid band of adventurers journey to the warlock's sinister fortress to end his reign of darkness.

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Director: Joel Goulet

Runtime: 4 min., USA

Language: English

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MIRA  2023

'Mira' is an 11-minute stop-motion animated surrealist horror film that tells the story
of a struggling accordionist busker who gets more than she bargained for when her desire
success attracts the attention of a mysterious and enticing competitor.

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Director: Eva Louise Hall

Runtime: 11 min., USA

Language: English

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LES BETES  2024

A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.

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Director: Michael Granberry

Runtime: 11 min., USA

Language: No dialogue

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VHX  2024

​A collection of home movies languish on a shelf, longing to be watched again. Little do they know,there's a fate far worse than being forgotten.

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Directosr: Alisa Stern and Scott Ampleford

Runtime: 5 min., USA

Language: English

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THE FLYPAPER SPECTACULAR  2022

A free spirit, with time to burn.

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​​Director: Luke Liberty

Runtime: 8 min., USA

Language: English

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JESUS 2  2024

​Thousands of years in the future no one can die… and no one wants to live anymore. Two space pirate brothers named Sunday and Monday must find a way to deliver Humanity to its final resting place!

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Director: Jesse Moynihan

Runtime: 8 min., USA

Language: English

Friday, April 25

Saturday, April 26

MIDNIGHT SHORTS

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CLOSED CIRCUIT  2024

During a routine graveyard shift, a security guard spots a mysterious black dog on the monitors. When he investigates, the dog chases him through dark corridors and transforms into a towering 7-foot demon. As he struggles to escape, reality distorts into chaos.

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Director: Karl Redgen

Runtime: 14 min., Australia

Language: English

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FRANKENBABES FROM
BEYOND THE GRAVE!
  
2024

Frankenscience and religious ideology reanimate a cohort of recently deceased fetishists to create the perfectly subservient woman only to unleash hell on the patriarchy.​

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Director: Andrew Bowser

Runtime: 9 min., USA

Language: English

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THE BLUE DIAMOND  2024

After the death of her toxic mother, a cultish 80s apres ski club is the setting of a grieving daughter trying to find closure, but as usual with 80s ski clubs, nothing is as it seems (aliens).

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Director: Sam Fox

Runtime: 16 min., USA

Language: English

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AGONIST  2023

A grieving young man falls into the final act of a cult leader’s ritual. Seven friends, each representing a deadly sin, are drawn into a cult, seeking personal growth. Unaware of its true nature, they find their darkest traits magnified, spiraling into chaos.​

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Director: Annie Marie Elliot

Runtime: 15 min., USA

Language: English

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A FERMENTING WOMAN  2024

A peculiar chef and fermentation expert prepares a career-saving meal using a very special ingredient. Walk the line between mouthwatering and revolting in this controversial culinary gamble for all the yeast and kimchi lovers out there. ​

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Director: Priscilla Galvez

Runtime: 24 min., Canada

Language: English

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EN MEMORIA  2024

In a dystopian future, a mother struggles to finish making her daughter’s Quinceañera dress.​

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Director: Roberto Fatal

Runtime: 11 min., USA

Language: English

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Director in attendance for Q&A! Sacramento produced film! 

Saturday, April 26

Sunday, April 27

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