The Online Box Office Film Festival (OBO) hosts quarterly contests to give filmmakers another outlet to submit their work and win a number of awards and prizes, including cash. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, most film festivals were postponed or cancelled, and a number of industry professionals found themselves out of work. During the downtime, The Online Box Office Film Festival was developed as a solution to get industry professionals moving again. The first edition of the festival competition launched on September 27, 2020 and hit the ground running with hundreds of submissions just weeks after its announcement on FilmFreeway and social media. The first edition was themed for horror short films. The festival theme and film genre acceptance will be different for each quarterly edition.

For this first edition, The Online Box Office Film Festival partnered with the 3rd Fathom Films (www.3rdfathom.com) motion picture production and distribution company to bring the project to life by relying on their horror genre expertise.

The Online Box Office Film Festival First Edition Short Horror Film Accolades:

After accepting submissions through FilmFreeway from September 27, 2020 until October 25, 2020, The Online Box Office Film Festival has reviewed hundreds of films and announced the winners. The finalists were announced via social media on October 27, 2020 and the winners were announced on October 31, 2020 during an online live event. The films were judged based on originality, story, characterization, presentation, and overall impression. In addition to announcing three placements (first, second, and third place prizes), honorable mention recognition was awarded for Best Screenplay, and Scariest Moment. 3rd Fathom Films and The Online Box Office Film Festival hosted the live event on social media platforms. To make the night special, 3rd Fathom Films used the stars Alyssa Hale, Bryen Lenis, and Collin Shephard from the 2020 hit horror film, Hallowed Be Thy Name to announce the winners.

Finalists

Camping Fun – Directed by Thomas Burke

Freight – Directed by Rob Misleh

Mute – Don’t Stop The Music – Directed by Rocco Shapiro

The Second Signal – Directed by Tim McClelland

All For Love – Directed Joseph R. Porter

Night Shift – Directed Trevor Hagen & Jarod Hagen

Grisly Girls – Directed by Adam Van Dyke

VAGABOND – Directed by Bryan Metzger

Inhalation – Directed by Tarik Begic

The Knock – Directed by Zach Lorkiewicz

Dream State – Directed by John aldridge

The Nocnitsa – Directed by Andrew Taylor

Thirst Date – Directed by Brendan Nagle

Bed Rog – Directed by David Kerr

Perfect – Directed by Jeremiah Kipp

Creature – Directed by Chase McNaughton

Winners

1st Place – Camping Fun – Directed by Thomas Burke

2nd Place – Freight – Directed by Rob Misleh

3rd Place – Mute – Don’t Stop The Music – Directed by Rocco Shapiro

Best Director – Mute – Don’t Stop The Music – Directed by Rocco Shapiro

Best Ensemble – Camping Fun – Directed by Thomas Burke

Best Screenplay – The Second Signal – Directed by Tim McClelland

Scariest Moment – Night Shift – Directed Trevor Hagen & Jarod Hagen

Best Gore – All For Love – Directed Joseph R. Porter

Most Disturbing Scene – Grisly Girls – Directed by Adam Van Dyke

Best Kill – VAGABOND – Directed by Bryan Metzger

The Online Box Office Film Festival: Horror Short Film Edition:

Each entry received comprehensive feedback from an Industry Professional Judge who explained how the submissions measured against the criteria. The quality feedback is intended to aid filmmakers with pointers that lead to learning and improving their craft. The winning prizes included cash, a questioning and answering interview with an award-winning Feature Film Director, movie distribution or development offer, horror merchandise, laurels, and much more.

About 3rd Fathom Films

3rd Fathom Films is headquartered in Atlanta, GA with a history of producing, releasing, and distributing horror films. With major titles like ‘The Final Project’ (2016) and ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ (2020) on their résumé, involvement of the 3rd Fathom Films crew was deemed essential for the launch of the horror short film contest.

For updates and news about upcoming festivals by The Online Box Office Film Festival, follow their social media accounts @obofilmfestival

For more information and updates about 3rd Fathom Films, follow their social media accounts @3rdfathomfilms

For more information about the film Hallowed Be Thy Name follow @hallowedbemovie on social media.