"The Summoners" on The Monster Channel

In association with the Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival (PUFF), my short horror film "The Summoners" will be streaming online on The Monster Channel, an online television network whose goal is to "recreate the vibe of the great era of independent television, the local TV station, the UHF channel, the progressive public access channel of the 70s/80s/90s." The film will appear in a block of PUFF-curated films on October 17th at 8:00PM and 11:00PM, October 22nd at 12:00AM, and October 23rd at 12:00AM.

Credits for "The Summoners":
Featuring (in order of appearance) Hermes, Jillaine Gill, Katie Lee Hill, Travis Artz, Robyn Nielsen, and The Man-Beast.
Directed, written and edited by Sean Gill. Produced by Sean Gill and Rachel Klein.  Cinematography by Ryan Garretson. Music by Jesse Carlson. Costume Design and Choreography by Rachel Klein. Ms. Nielsen's Gown by Elena Kanagy-Loux. Mask of The Man-Beast by Juanita Cardenas.  Special Thanks to Dario Argento, Happy Faces, Cornelius Loy, Christopher Pike, and Jake Thomas. 

"Fanny the Frugal Foodie" at Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival

"Fanny the Frugal Foodie," a short film I wrote and directed (starring Jillaine Gill, and with original music by Jesse Carlson), is set to screen at the Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival on October 7, 2016 alongside Bobbin Ramsey's feature, Dead Body. More details are available here!

"420 Fest: Higher Channels" Screening Tonight

420 Fest Trailer from Carl Conway Maguire on Vimeo.

Described as "an evening of late night cable television programming with a particularly dazed demographic in mind," Video Mass' 420 Fest will be screening tonight at at Videology (308 Bedford Avenue) in Brooklyn.  

Among the more than 25 short films will be two by yours truly, including FANNY THE FRUGAL FOODIE and VISIT GRAND CANYON.   Tickets are five dollars and available here, and the entire program will be screening four times: at 7:00 PM, 8:30 PM, 10:15 PM, and 12:00 AM.

VISIT GRAND CANYON and FANNY THE FRUGAL FOODIE at 420 Fest

Two new short films of mine, VISIT GRAND CANYON (a paranoid travelogue)
 
and FANNY THE FRUGAL FOODIE (a low-rent cooking show starring Jillaine Gill),
 
will be debuting on Monday, April 20th, as a part of Video Mass' 420 Fest: Higher Channels, described as "an evening of late night cable television programming with a particularly dazed demographic in mind."  (Previous fests have included Spooky Fest I, Spooky Fest II, Love Fest, and Flux Fest.)

The screenings will be held at Videology (308 Bedford Avenue) in Brooklyn, tickets are five dollars and are available here, and the entire program will be screening four times: at 7:00 PM, 8:30 PM, 10:15 PM, and 12:00 AM.  Hope to see some of you there!

THE SUMMONERS screening tonight at SpookyFest II!

It's my party and I'll die if I want to...  In THE SUMMONERS, four teens get more than they bargained for when they dabble in the occult.

THE SUMMONERS, my new collaboration with Rachel Klein, will premiere tonight, Monday, October 27th, as a part of Video Mass' Spooky Fest II.  It's a free event at Videology (308 Bedford Avenue) in Brooklyn, and the sixteen film program will be screening twice: once at 8:30 P.M., and again at 9:45. Come check it out and start yer Halloween week off right!

Credits:  Directed and Produced by Sean Gill and Rachel Klein.
Featuring (in order of appearance) Hermes, Jillaine Gill, Katie Lee Hill, Travis Artz, Robyn Nielsen, and The Man-Beast.

Written and edited by Sean Gill.  Cinematography by Ryan Garretson. Music by Jesse Carlson. Costume Design by Rachel Klein. Ms. Nielsen's Gown by Elena Kanagy-Loux. Mask of The Man-Beast by Juanita Cardenas.  Special Thanks to Dario Argento, Happy Faces, Cornelius Loy, Christopher Pike, and Jake Thomas.

Sean Gill and Rachel Klein's THE SUMMONERS at Spooky Fest 2014

Seven more days till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween....  THE SUMMONERS, a new horror short I co-directed with Rachel Klein, will be premiering on Monday, October 27th as a part of Video Mass' Spooky Fest II.  It's a free event at Videology (308 Bedford Avenue) in Brooklyn, and the sixteen film program will be screening twice: once at 8:30 P.M., and again at 9:45. Come check it out and start yer Halloween week off right!

Video Mass Presents Spooky Fest II: Video Massacre from Carl Conway Maguire on Vimeo.

An Evening of Uncanny Cinema, September 17th

On September 17th at 8:00 p.m. at the Wild Project (195 E. 3rd Street, Manhattan), I and downtown luminary Eric Schmalenberger have curated "An Evening of Uncanny Cinema," featuring "surreal short films and macabre video art, from cutting-edge New York filmmakers… dark humor, radio hour recreations, bizarre medical misshapes, time travel, champagne, and loads of surprises await."

The evening will feature a few of my films (The Everlasting Vintage, Makin' a Martini, Escape from Staten Island), and those of other brilliant filmmakers, including Rob Roth (Junkie Doctors), Todd Downing & Joe Frank ("Eleanor" from Estranged); Cale Hughes, Robyn Nielsen, Shaun Seneviratne, & Ryan Garretson (Seek Harbor); and Brett Glass & Grier Dill (Brood X).  Tickets are $10 and are available online, or at the door the day of the show.

THE EVERLASTING VINTAGE and GIRLS BEFORE SWINE at the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts

My time-travel horror short The Everlasting Vintage as well as my collaboration with Rachel Klein, Girls Before Swine, will be screening this year as official selections at the 19th Annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts at the Theater for the New City in Manhattan.  The screening begins at 7:45 P.M. on Saturday, May 24, and the theater is located at 155 First Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets.  This is a free event!

10 Years of Junta Juleil– Tomorrow!

One last plug for an event ten years in the making: hosted by myself and co-founder Jillaine Gill, the night will pay tribute to ten years of Junta Juleil Productions and feature the RKP ensemble's dancers (Elizabeth Stewart, Michael Porsche, Danielle Marie Fusco, Robyn Nielsen, Brian Rubiano, & Eric Schmalenberger), a short play with Jillaine Gill and Amanda Peck, a celebrity roast of Junta Juleil with Kerryn Feehan, a prose reading by Joe Stipek, a poetry reading by yours truly, and a series of short and feature-film excerpts (dating back to the very beginning, with clips from never-screened fare like Mather Point, In Search of Wenders, and Schizophrenic Love Cinema).
This only happens once every ten years, so don't miss it!

Junta Juleil's 10 Year Anniversary from Sean Gill on Vimeo.

The details:
When: 8:00 p.m., Friday, January 17th, 2014

Where: The Wild Project in Manhattan (195 E. 3rd Street between Avenues A&B)
Run-Time: Approximately 90 minutes
How much: $15, and available here.

10 Years of Junta Juleil This Friday!

This Friday, Junta Juleil Productions celebrates its Ten Year Anniverary!  In honor of the occasion, I'll be hosting a celebration at the Wild Project (195 E. 3rd St between Avenues A & B) in Manhattan on Friday, January 17th at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets will be $15 and are available here for pre-sale.  The evening will include screenings of short films, excerpts from features, live theatrical performances, crazed readings, a roast, and rare, never-before-seen material from the musty, dusty archives of Junta Juleil!


Junta Juleil's 10 Year Anniversary from Sean Gill on Vimeo.

Coming in January 2014: 10 Years of Junta Juleil Productions

Most of my longtime readers will know that Junta Juleil's Culture Shock is not my only creative outlet. Though this blog celebrated its five-year anniversary this fall, my film and theater production company– Junta Juleil Productions– has been around for quite a bit longer, and this January it will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary.  In honor of the occasion, I'll be hosting a celebration at the Wild Project (195 E. 3rd St between Avenues A & B) in Manhattan on Friday, January 17th at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets will be $15 and are available here for pre-sale.  The evening will include screenings of short films, excerpts from features, live theatrical performances, crazed readings, and rare, never-before-seen material from the musty, dusty archives of Junta Juleil!

So if you're interested in seeing what I'm up to when I'm not writing about Charles Bronson, break-dancing, Van Dammage, or Carpy-mania (as a side note, the Poor Man's Carpy series ain't over yet!), then you should come out and see the show– or at least watch this 10 Year Anniversary video I've put together:

Junta Juleil's 10 Year Anniversary from Sean Gill on Vimeo.

Thanks to you all for your support through the years!

Sean Gill acts in MAXIMUM STACHE: QUANTUM REDEEMER

I made a rare acting appearance in Ryan Garretson and Robyn Nielsen's latest film, MAXIMUM STACHE: QUANTUM REDEEMER, which appeared alongside my film THE EVERLASTING VINTAGE this past Sunday in Brooklyn at Flux Fest 2013, a festival dedicated to short films about time travel. For a limited time (through August 6th) you can watch MAXIMUM STACHE: QUANTUM REDEEMER here.

Sean Gill (pictured right) appears (alongside his sister, actress Jillaine Gill) as Chronopoulos, the inventor of time travel.

And if you enjoy it, be sure to check out Ryan Garretson's original film, MAXIMUM STACHE and his production company, The Ghostwood Development Project.

LOVE FEST Update!

I wrote previously about my new film GIRLS BEFORE SWINE, which debuted this year at Love Fest, but now there is an official Love Fest site whereupon you can view some of the other films in their entirety as well as a new trailer for GIRLS BEFORE SWINE.  Indiewood/Hollywouldn't also gave us some coverage here.  Stay tuned!

GIRLS BEFORE SWINE

I've finished a new film– a collaboration between myself and theater director Rachel Klein.  It's called GIRLS BEFORE SWINE and it stars Aimee DeLong, Jillaine Gill, Meghan Holland, Joe Stipek, Michael Porsche, David F. Slone, Esq.,  Brian Ferree, Scooter Pie, Megan O'Connor, and Robyn Nielsen.

GROWING BOY at the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival

My film, GROWING BOY, is going to be screened on February 1st as a part of the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival.    The plot is described thusly:  "Haunted by recurring nightmares of his childhood home, a man begins to undergo unsettling changes." 

 It stars Joe Stipek and David F. Slone, Esq.  I wrote and directed and edited, etc.  Music by Jesse Carlson.  It was made with the helpful participation of Jillaine Gill, Rachel Klein, and Daisy Tainton.

It will be screened on the evening of February 1st at 8:00 p.m. at the DMAC (Duo Multicultural Arts Center) on 62 East 4th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) in Manhattan.  Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the door, and are available here.  After the screening, the audience will vote on the films and the highest ranked will proceed to the next stage of the festival.

I hope to see some of you there!

Post-Hurricane Theater Round-up

For our New York City-based brethren:  there are a number of Halloween and seasonal-related performances from friends and colleagues that were delayed or extended because of the hurricane: 

Through November 18th:

•CONEY

From Blue Coyote Theater Group comes a vibrant, humanist, Altman-style tapestry of characters interwoven with their eponymous locale, Coney Island.  It is a place which has changed substantially even in the six short years since my first visit, a place which has endured an unfortunate thrashing from the corporate elements and more recently, Mother Nature.  It's a strong piece, carefully crafted, meticulously staged, and fervently acted. For cult film fans, there are shades of the carny subculture from FREAKS to NIGHTMARE ALLEY, and there's plenty of WARRIORS references in there, too. 

Directed by Gary Shrader, written by David Johnston, and starring Frank Anderson, Eboni Booth, Alex Carmine, John DiBenedetto, Andrea Gallo, Tracey Gilbert, (Junta Juleil's own!) Jillaine Gill, George C. Hosmer, Boo Killebrew, David Lapkin, PJ Sosko, Stephen Speights, and Amy Staats.

Final performances are Thursday, November 15th at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, November 16th at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 17th at 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday November 18th at 2:00 p.m.  Tickets are $25.00 and are available HERE.

On November 18th:

•BEDTIME STORIES OF BAKERY, BUTCHERY, AND BASTARDS

From the makers of MR. LONG SPINDLY FINGERS: STORIES OF MURDER AND MADNESS, comes an evening of spine-tingling tales from author Kristen Lee, whose work combines a genuine, spooky charm with an escapist's sense of nostalgia– your own morbid childhood, revisited!  It is described as "Dr. Seuss meets Edward Gorey meets a blender" and will be featuring readings by Peter Aguero, Brad Lawrence, Julia Young, and Rory Scholl.   It shall be presented at the Red Room, upstairs from the Kraine Theater (85 E 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue) at 9:30 p.m. on November 18th.  Tickets are $10 at the door.  There will be treats also!

On November 29th & 30th:

•DANCE MAYHEM: A GRINDHOUSE BALLET

From David F. Sloan, Esq. and the Love Show comes an action-packed homage to the gritty films that Hollywood didn't want you to see. Combining the ballet and jazz infused choreography of underground favorite Angela Harriell with the pop and lock b-boy style of street dancer Nobuya Nagahama, Dance Mayhem tells the tale of a louche nightclub, owned by a beautiful yet ruthless drug dealer who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and the man she pushes one step too far. Intrigue lurking at every turn. Sex! Murder! Horror! Not a ballet for quiet contemplation, this show will have you on the edge of your seat from the opening number to the curtain call.

Directed and choreographed by Angela Harriell.  Additional choreography by Nobuya Nagahama.  Featuring Dorian Cervantes, Duane Gosa, Angela Harriell, Atsunori Hayamizu, Miku Kawa, Rachael Ma, Takushi Minami, Nobuya Nagahama, Toshihiko Nakazawa, Tsubasa Ogawa, Julie Megan Smith.

It shall be presented Thursday, November 29 at 8:00 p.m. and Friday, November 30 at 8:00 p.m. at Theater 80 (80 St. Marks Place between 1st and 2nd Avenue).  Tickets are $20 in advance here, or $25 at the door.  

A Blast from the Past: Sean Gill's CHEWIES 4

It occurs to me that there a number of films of mine that I've never shared here on the blog– one of them is CHEWIES 4: BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, a "long-lost" creature feature from 2008, inspired by terrible GREMLINS knock-offs like GHOULIES, MUNCHIES, HOBGOBLINS, and– who could forget– GHOULIES III: GHOULIES GO TO COLLEGE.  Unlike my more avant-garde, surrealist fare like THURSDAY NIGHT, this film is about summer, fun, friends, and bargain-basement no-budget filmmaking.  So, on it's 4th birthday: please responsibly enjoy CHEWIES 4, described as "Five teens and their dog face smarmy, unspeakable horror during a manor house getaway."

Chewies 4: Bringing Down the House from Sean Gill on Vimeo.

This Sunday: BATSHIT CRAZY BLOWOUT!

This Sunday, in our continuing series as artists-in-residence at the Bowery Poetry Club, Junta Juleil and the Psycho Space Laboratory proudly present what may be the final show of the series (for a while, at least): BATSHIT CRAZY BLOWOUT!

Hosted by Jillaine Gill, featuring live performances by Kerryn Feehan, Lisa D., Jessie Richardson, Dave Marcus, Sean Gill, Katie Hayes, Don DiPaolo, Natalie Green, and a few films by Sean Gill, including a couple of surprises.

It's this Sunday, March 25th at 9:30 p.m. (doors open at 9) at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery between Houston and Bleecker, take the F train to 2nd Ave, or the 6 to Bleecker). Doors around 9 pm, event starts at 9:30, 10 dollars cash at the door.

It's a live ride!

GIANT OSCAR MESS: Best Monologue

Greeting and salutations! GIANT OSCAR MESS (best described HERE) was performed and projected last night at the Bowery Poetry Club, and it was fairly redunkulous, as I had hoped. Life imitated art, also, as Jillaine's performance as Sean Young found resolution in an actual headline from this morning. In any event, for those of you who couldn't make it, I decided to post the nominee videos that were projected last night, one at at time. This one's for BEST MONOLOGUE.

And the winner was....

...Gary Busey.

(To be continued)

GIANT OSCAR MESS: And the nominees are...

Tonight at 9:30 p.m. (doors open at 9) at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery between Houston and Bleecker, take the F train to 2nd Ave, or the 6 to Bleecker) will be GIANT OSCAR MESS!!! $10 at the door. Combining live performance, singers, dancers, comics, and hosted by Sean Young (Jillaine Gill) and Christian Slater (Sean Gill), the GIANT OSCAR MESS will deliver awards to the films that really deserve them– And the nominees are... BEST MONOLOGUE IN A MOTION PICTURE: Lorenzo Lamas in SNAKE EATER Gary Busey in SURVIVING THE GAME Lorenzo Lamas in BODY ROCK BEST FIGHT DANCE IN A MOTION PICTURE Lorenzo Lamas and Day-Glo Skeletons in BODY ROCK A Bunch of Italians and a Guy in an Owl Mask in STAGEFRIGHT Rob Stone and the Purple Falcons in ACE HITS THE BIG TIME BEST NON-DANCE DUEL IN A MOTION PICTURE Jean-Claude Van Damme vs. Truck in HARD TARGET Ninja vs. Office Worker in REVENGE OF THE NINJA Lorenzo Lamas vs. Biker Karate Gang in SNAKE EATER Man vs. Ghoulie in GHOULIES II Michael Ironside vs. Subway train in HIGHLANDER 2: THE QUICKENING Jean-Claude Van Damme vs. Snake in HARD TARGET BEST WACKIFIED SOLO DANCE IN A MOTION PICTURE James Remar in RENT-A-COP Michael Moriarty in TROLL Lorenzo Lamas in BODY ROCK Mark Patton in NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE Connie McFarland in TROLL 2 BEST DANCE OF SEDUCTION IN A MOTION PICTURE Ed Harris & Elizabeth Regan in CREEPSHOW Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins in THE PIRATE MOVIE Deborah Reed and David McConnell in TROLL 2 John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis in PERFECT Construction Worker and the Female Sex in CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC BEST PUPPET IN A MOTION PICTURE Satan and Killer Starfish in ROCK N' ROLL NIGHTMARE Mac in MAC AND ME The Kids in THE GARBAGE PAIL KIDS THE MOVIE Freddy's Kids in NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS Munchie in MUNCHIE Hope to see you there!