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Laugh or Die Comedy Fest

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2017 Award Nominees

 

BEST FEATURE
SORTA LAKE
MOUNT HOPELESS
***WINNER***SUMMER CABIN***WINNER***
 
BEST SHORT
***WINNER***SHY GUYS***WINNER***
GROCERY STORE ACTION MOVIE
KILL THE ENGINE
 
BEST DIRECTOR
SHANE WALLACE - MOUNT HOPELESS
***WINNER***SEAN MCCARTHY - DOUCHEAHOLICS***WINNER***
SEAN FEUER - SUMMER CABIN
 
BEST WRITER
ISAAC PLATIZKY - SUMMER CABIN
***WINNER***FREDRIC LEHNE - SHY GUYS***WINNER***
BRENDAN CLEAVES & STUART FOREMAN - ROGER
 
BEST ACTOR
***WINNER***CHRIS WILSON - GROCERY STORE ACTION MOVIE***WINNER***
EDWIN LI - THE PURPLE ONION
REED BIRNEY - SHY GUYS
 
BEST ACTRESS
MAKAYLA SMITH - SORTA LATE
***WINNER***ALEXA MERCADO - VIGILANTES***WINNER***
ELISE ZELL - WAIT, I’M A RACIST!?
 
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
KILL THE ENGINE
DOUCHEAHOLICS
***WINNER***GROCERY STORE ACTION MOVIE***WINNER***
 
BEST EDITING
***WINNER***JUST A LITTLE CHEESE***WINNER***
BESIDE MYSELF
ADVENTURES WITH SETH
 
BEST MUSIC
GROCERY STORE ACTION MOVIE
THE PROFIT
***WINNER***POTATO FICTION***WINNER***
 
BEST SOUND
UNREAL ESTATE
***WINNER***KILL THE ENGINE***WINNER***
SHY GUYS
 
BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY
ROAD TO NGAF BY PABLO LUIS PEREZ
***WINNER***CINDERELLA'S SYNDROME BY GIOVANNA VOLPI***WINNER***
GOD'S PSYCHIATRIST BY STEPHEN M. HUNT
GAS STATION CONDOMS BY WYNN REICHERT
THE JAMS BY BENJAMIN OWENS

 

2017 EVENT SCHEDULE

FRIDAY JUNE 9TH (5PM to 12AM)

05:00PM DOORS OPEN
05:30PM BLOCK A 180M

  • NUTS 4M
  • AA 13M
  • WHAT IN THE SAM HILL (FILL IN FILM / NOT AWARD ELIGIBLE) 37M
  • LOOKOUT... IT'S FLABBY HOFFMAN 133M

08:30PM INTERMISSION 15M
08:45PM BLOCK B 60M

  • BUSINESS TRIP 3M
  • BESIDE MYSELF 12M
  • VIGILANTIES 12M
  • BATTLE OF THE BRIDES 14M
  • LUCKY (FILL IN FILM / NOT AWARD ELIGIBLE) 16M

09:45PM INTERMISSION 15M
10:00PM BLOCK C 120M

  • BROVENTURE 4M
  • UNREAL ESTATE 4M
  • CALL FOR A GOOD TIME 4M
  • STRANGER DANGER 5M
  • THE SHORT SHORT 5M
  • COVERED 7M
  • DATE-O-PHOBE 7M
  • WHEN DAMON MET ANGIE 7M
  • ROGER 7M
  • GUNTHER 8M
  • UBER X-CITING DAY 8M
  • HUMAN RESOURCES 8M
  • HADDOCK NEWS 8M
  • POTATO FICTION 9M
  • THE POKER TABLE OBSERVATIONS 10M
  • GROCERY STORE ACTION MOVIE 10M
  • KILL THE ENGINE 10M

12:00AM CLOSE OF DAY 1

SATURDAY JUNE 10TH (1PM - 12AM)

01:00PM DOORS OPEN
01:30PM BLOCK D 180M

  • SAVE THE MOSQUITOES 9M
  • MIKE HOLT 4EVER 12M
  • GET THE HELL OUT 26M
  • THE PURPLE ONION 75M
  • ADVENTURES WITH SETH 58M

04:30PM INTERMISSION 15M
04:45PM BLOCK E 120M

  • COLD AS ICE 3M
  • HAPPY F-ING VALENTINE'S DAY 14M
  • ATOMIC COUPLE! 14M
  • RACHEL'S MADCAP THEATER 12M
  • PROCRASTINATOR 4M
  • MURDER VIRGIN 32M
  • MIGHT E. CLOWN 41M

06:45PM INTERMISSION 15M
07:00PM BLOCK F 105M

  • MAX MAN 1M
  • VALLEY SENSATION 26M
  • SORTA LATE 78M

08:45PM INTERMISSION 15M
09:00PM BLOCK G 165M

  • PEPPER SPRAY 6M
  • DOUCHEAHOLICS 8M
  • SUMMER CABIN 76M
  • HAPPY LUCKY GOLDEN TOFU PANDA DRAGON GOOD TIME FUN FUN SHOW

11:45PM CLOSE OF DAY 2

SUNDAY JUNE 11TH (1PM - 8PM)

01:00PM DOORS OPEN
01:30PM BLOCK H 90M

  • SATURDAY NIGHT 2M
  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN 1M
  • BLASPHEMY 8M
  • THE OLE SWITCHAROO 9M
  • SHELF ELF 9M
  • JUST A LITTLE CHEESE 12M
  • WAIT, I'M A RACIST!? 12M
  • HUERTAS 23M
  • KURTIS 7M
  • SHY GUYS 8M

03:00PM INTERMISSION 15M
03:15PM BLOCK I 90M

  • MOUNT HOPELESS 90M

04:45PM INTERMISSION 15M
05:00PM BLOCK J 90M

  • MY LIFE IS A DREAM 8M
  • THE PICNIC 10M
  • PEACE OF MIND GUARANTEED 10M
  • BULLSHIT 11M
  • MR. RICHARD FRANCIS 11M
  • THE PROFIT 12M
  • CHURCH 13M
  • EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OK 17M

06:30PM INTERMISSION 15M
06:45PM AWARDS CEREMONY
08:00PM CLOSE OF DAY 3

2017 FILM SELECTIONS!

Check out the awesome 2017 Film Selections below!

Unreal Estate

Real estate agent Angie tries to sell an upmarket house to a young couple, the Pinktons. The house has a dark past: its previous owners were murdered in it. Angie has to disclose the facts but to her surprise the Pinktons are more than happy to purchase the property.

 

Potato Fiction

In this short comedy set in suburban Australia, aspiring young rapper Gemma must find a way to save her parents' popular potato stall, Apeelin' Potatoes, after it is placed under attack by spiteful neighbours.

 

Lookout...It's Flabby Hoffman

A comedic and musical allegory about how a visionary and his band of profoundly eccentric cohorts push to change the world using organically driven creativity, an exhaustive attention to detail and riff oriented acid rock and how the world pushes back.

 

KILL THE ENGINE

Three broken men decide to kill themselves by carbon monoxide poisoning, but the group suicide is foiled when the vehicle of their demise fails to start.

Broventure

Two brothers time travel to kill baby Hitler but are side tracked when the time-travel police hunt them for attempting to change history.

The Short Short

A parody of "The Big Short" - Mark Baum discovers the true story behind default IMDB credit swaps that leads to the collapse of the movie industry.

Might E. Clown

Years after a former mobster (who moonlit as a clown) is killed, his cursed object finds its way into the hands of an unlucky comic convention employee. The curse slowly consumes the life of the employee....and everything changes forever.

Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show

Directed by Emmy winning comedic TV star Carrie Preston (True Blood/Good Wife/Crowded). East Meets West in this live stand-up comedy, sketch, and rock n' roll/spoken word concert film fearlessly focused on Asian American themes: immigration, bowl cuts, math nerds, the model minority myth, orientalism, racial language, the inner life of American Asians. And Hello Kitty everything. Some Strong Language.

Comedy is by stand up and sketch comic Kate Rigg(Fox's Family Guy, The Dr.Phil Show, NBC Late Friday, clubs etc). Music is by the duo Slanty Eyed Mama --electric violin fueled rock n roll spoken word. Their previous live show "Birth of a nASIAN" was invited to the Smithsonian Institute, Taped for Comedy Central's Online portal, excerpted for PBS and toured Internationally.

Meet Slanty Eyed Mama: two good Asian girls gone bad-assed. Virtuostic electric violinist Lyris Hung (who has also played with Jay-Z, The Indigo Girls and Bono) and Comedian/Actor Kate Rigg started their collaboration while still students at the Juilliard school where they began experimenting with funky urban asian spoken word, comedy and rock and roll. Upon graduation they began touring the world-- performing multimedia concerts celebrating the Asian American experience. Invited twice to the Smithsonian with previous shows, featured on PBS, LOGO, Pacific TV, and headlining major music and comedy festivals they are a force to be reckoned with! For this film, they bring their 'Nuyorasian' flow (New York streets meets Asian American style) to the stage as a live concert mashed up with edgy stand up comedy and wild sketches all shot on location around New York City. They take on some of the biggest issues and cultural tropes forming the Asian immigrant experience with a crazy sense of humor and and musical medit-asians on contemporary culture. TV Comedy star and award winning director Carrie Preston (a fellow Juilliard alum) directs with an eye for the absurd, the heartfelt themes under the music, and the immediacy of live performance for a truly unique film experience 

Shy Guys

Two strangers (2016 Tony winner Reed Birney and newcomer Blake DeLong) bring the laughs as they confront and resolve one of the most insidious scourges afflicting mankind - while standing at public urinals with their willies out. The first film by ubiquitous character actor Fredric Lehne.

Vigilantes

A dark comedy about a group of female Eco-Assassins whose mission is to rid the world of those who would abuse their beloved planet.

Blasphemy

Blasphemy

Beside Myself

When Gene Manifold, a brilliant young scientist, falls for the girl of his dreams, he’ll use his super smarts to win her over with the help of his hunchbacked lab assistant. It’s a one of a kind story about a not so one of a kind guy.

Grocery Store Action Movie

Alex is in the express checkout lane at the grocery store when he realizes with horror that he has forgotten the all-important crackers. With his dinner guests already on their way over, Alex must risk life and limb to achieve the impossible: locate the salty snacks before losing his place next in line. A hilarious send-up of action movie clichés created by and starring three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winning sketch duo Peter n’ Chris. 

Adventures with Seth

Adventures with Seth is the comic book style tale of James, a corporate assassin who keeps his life in order via a complex series of rules. Until he loses his job, and takes on a new assignment protecting a corporate executive, who is being followed by a crazy clown with a taste for guns. As James uncovers the truth about his new job and the nefarious personalities controlling the city, his past starts to collide with his current mission, and chaos ensues.

My Life Is A Dream

Perky Cousin Wonderlette never imagined she’d meet the man of her dreams so when her dreams turn into nightmares she’s not so surprised. In this dark comedy, we follow sweet Wonderlette on a disturbing journey to creepy places where she encounters demented housewives, greedy swine, sexual deviants, and worse, her drunk mother.

Battle Of The Brides

After a Bridezilla steals his wedding venue, a meek groom must win a one-of-a-kind wedding gown to appease his overbearing fiancée.

Get the Hell Out

A dark comedy following a group of cunning men who travel around the country performing exorcisms for money on behalf of any religion.

Roger

Stephen (Seann Walsh) arrives home after six months in Mongolia to discover his best friend Roy (John Bradley) has replaced him with a ventriloquist's dummy called Roger.

Church

Pretending to be a Catholic, Alan, a Jewish germaphobe, attends mass to appease his girlfriend's parents.

Wait, I'm a Racist!?

A young woman's spunky spirit is crushed when she is accused of being a racist. Things go from bad to worse when she tries to make things right.

Doucheaholics

Doucheaholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who exhibit poor behavior and want to better themselves in a supportive, healing, and nurturing environment. Free of judgment and hostility, DA provides a safe haven for those with proclivities for social misconduct and general immorality. With understanding and full hearts, the group moves forward, one day at a time, to present their best selves to the world and live in harmony with all mankind. 
Not really. 
It's just a bunch of douchebags. In a meeting. Being douchey.

Save the Mosquitoes!

A well meaning organization tries to raise awareness of the lowly mosquito's plight with predictably disasterous results.

The Profit

Alexa, a college student, receives a vision from God commanding her to proselytize the new word to the people of the world. Finding the old methods of evangelism (street preaching, door-to-door evangelism) less than efficient, she hires a team of marketing executives to promote her new church. Of course, nothing goes according to plan.

Everything's Gonna Be OK

Mike wakes up on his birthday to find his parents have sent him a duck puppet and a pack of cigarettes. Inspired by the gifts, he dreams of becoming a ventriloquist and protégé of the legendary but elusive Puppet Master. In the process, he keeps running into the girl of his dreams, except she keeps changing into a different, and less perfect, woman...

Just A Little Cheese

A self-help obsessed husband turns to some unorthodox methods in an attempt to reconnect with his wife.

Peace of Mind Guaranteed

Mumbai. Doctor’s office - DNA Paternity testing. The husband knows he is not the father of the baby and hatches plans to kill the man who is. The wife knows that her husband is not the father of the baby but that’s hardly the worst secret she has. The doctor knows that he has to break the bad news and wishes he had become a musician. 

The Poker Table Observations

Five guys playing poker discuss pop culture, film genres, and learn a little something about each other.

Happy Birthday Kevin

At 15, Kevin risks it all for a shot at greatness.

Rachel's Madcap Theater

'Rachel's Madcap Theater' is an original story about eccentric puppeteer Rachel and her family of puppets. When Rachel's obnoxious boyfriend Cal crosses the line, the puppets plan a comical mutiny, and things get 'explosive.'

Call For a Good Time

Either an absurdist, nonsensical comedy piece or a musing on confronting one's own fears of love and rejection—or both.

Haddock News

The Haddock is a comedy news program, bringing you quality satirical anarchy since 1894.

The Picnic

When Lanie shows up late for her picnic with Davina, a seemingly simple conversation about snacks turns into a shocking revelation. Will Lanie believe Davina? Can Davina make Lanie forget? Or will they just argue like idiots until the mysterious Greg shows up?

gunther

An apathetic man who is terrible at his job longs for love. By the way, he's a hitman.

The Purple Onion

Based on the standup routines of a Chinese American comedian, we follow a young man's downward spiral into disappointment, until he finds solace in a sexual encounter with an older woman to whom he may or may not be related..

Procrastinator

A writer's distractions force his life to spiral out of control as he stammers his way back to the top.

The Ole Switcharoo

The Ole Switcharoo

Summer Cabin

When Peter and Nancy break up, their best friends try to get them back together during a weekend at a cabin... When Peter and Nancy have other plans, things start to go wrong.

Uber X-Citing Day

Ben drives his Uber as a way to pay rent, meet interesting people and shamelessly promote himself as a comedian. Circling Melbourne city in hopes to pick up likeminded people, he is shortchanged for the uncomfortably eccentric.

Shelf Elf

Hang your stockings. Say your prayers. This is Shelf Elf. A home invasion horror/comedy based on that little creep that floods your Facebook and Twitter feeds every December. This Christmas, all will be shelved!

Happy F-ing Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day provides the backdrop for this comedy short that asks the question: How can trying to do something so good turn out so f-ing wrong?

Mr. Richard Francis

Mr. Richard Francis is under house arrest. When he tries to beat the system, the system beats him.

Stranger Danger

Whistle Girl fears the world itself, and she’s not afraid to show it… through her “stranger danger” whistle. But, everyone is weirded out by her, her pathetic sounding whistles, and her odd behavior instead of her whistle-blowing powers! So, when Whistle Girl unexpectedly encounters a young man of similar qualities, will she whistle him away, or find something much more kindred?

COVERED

When Anders Anderson buys a new house, he discovers that he needs insurance and visits Assuring Insurance to make sure that he is covered.

Atomic Couple!

Maggie Adams, a once promising nurse, is forced to confront the realities of her marriage when nuclear war breaks out and sets off a series of unexpected events that offer her a glimmer of hope to returning to who she yearns to be. 

Mike Holt 4Ever

A world-weary waitress encounters her high school crush while visiting her home town.

Pepper Spray

A drunk girl walking alone at night wrestles with the most dangerous predator of all: herself.

Human Resources

A young professional from San Francisco is desperately looking for a job and questioning the evaluation methods from Human Resources professionals. Who are these people talking to us on the phone? How do they select our resume?

Huertas

In this groundbreaking second entry in the Huerta franchise we find our lovable, martini drinking spy fighting for his life in the mission that will change him forever.

Date-o-phobe

When a germaphobe teen goes on his first date he must overcome his fear of gross situations in order to woo the girl he has a crush on.

Bullshit

James and Erica are two single thirty-somethings who met online and are looking for the same thing - an honest and real relationship. Or are they? When Erica introduces a consumer-grade polygraph called a "Bullshit Detector" to their first date, the hopeful couple finds that their intentions aren't as authentic as they themselves even thought.

Valley Sensation

A group of friends become accidental internet stars while trying to pay for a rent increase.

Sorta Late

The Sorta Late Show, a Detroit-based TV show, is on the cusp of discovery when the two hosts begin a battle for the spotlight and entangle the interns.

Dear George

After his high school sweetheart sends him an epic breakup letter and moves out of state for a job, a heartbroken gamer takes off on a cross country trip filled with a TSA shakedown, Acapella group, bad decisions and a 'borrowed' chicken costume - all for love!

Business Trip

A woman is stunned to receive a text from her husband after finding out his flight has crashed with no survivors.

Murder Virgin

The invitation to dinner was offered. The wine was poured. The tranquilizer administered. The axe sharpened. Now why the hell won’t the victim just die already? Worse yet, while won’t he at least stop talking? Beth’s dreams of being counted among the great serial killers of all time, but first she needs to get that first kill out of the way or else she is doomed to remain the Murder Virgin.

AA

An AA meeting goes awry when the members turn out not to be who they say they are.

Saturday Night

A worrisome glimpse into one woman's idea of a perfect Saturday night.

KURTIS

KURTIS has a penis problem. Impotence. Is it physical or mental? He’s in therapy with Dr. Marta. What will come up?

 

Nuts

A man wakes up and fixes a world that isn't broken 

Mount Hopeless

DAVID lives in his hallway, afloat on his neon lawn chair. Abusing disability, he fancies himself a painter. RAY lives in his car, watching the world around him. As a private detective, he kills time and imagines himself in a noir. Life is all figured out until MONICA walks in and changes everything.

 

MAX MAN

The story of a washing machine filled with dildos.

 

Written Off

The Fashion section of The Chicago Truth is shutting down, rendering Keith and Liam jobless. To reinvent themselves as writers, they accept a gig writing a Mexican drug lord’s speech for his daughter’s quinceanera. 
Meanwhile, Liam butts heads with his ex-wife and her politically savvy new girlfriend, and Keith gets bullied by his inexplicably powerful baby sister

When Damon Met Angie...

After a long night of drinking and partying, David and Jessica spend the night together, but problems arise when Damon (David's personal demon) meets Angie (Jessica's guardian angel).


2017 Screenplay Contest Finalists

Learn about our 2017 Smoky Mountain Screenplay Finalists below!

"Road to NGAF" by Pablo Luis Perez

Three misfit strangers from different walks in life embark on a road trip and discover that even a minor interest can create a lifelong bond.

"Cinderella's Syndrome" by Giovanna Volpi

What if Cinderella wasn't a good person but a mean one? And what if she, abandoned by the Prince Charming who's in love with his Italian valet, dreams just about revenge? 
And what if her twins stepsisters, completely dumb and desperately hunting for a man, one whatsoever, are her biggest worry? Fairy tales sometimes hide a more crude and unpredictable reality.

"God's Psychiatrist" by Stephen M. Hunt

God goes to his psychotherapist determined as ever to deny that Satan is his alter ego.

"Gas Station Condoms" by Wynn Reichert

After the condom breaks during sex, a couple frantically searches for the morning after pill.

"The Jams" by Benjamin Owens

Clara awakes from a terrible nightmare. Or really, it was just a song. Little does she know that nightmare is about to come true...Or the song will, at least. Wait, what?

 

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