{"id":1065,"date":"2023-06-04T19:18:06","date_gmt":"2023-06-04T19:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hellifax.com\/?page_id=1065"},"modified":"2026-10-08T18:37:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T18:37:55","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hellifax.com\/?page_id=1065","title":{"rendered":"Our History"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Our History<\/h1>\n

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Hellifax Horror Fest takes place in the seaside city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Therein lives a contingent of die-hard horror fans with a taste for blood (in film, that is). This festival is for the fans, and for the filmmakers who deliver innovative and compelling stories.<\/h5>\n

We\u2019re filmmakers ourselves, and we\u2019re doing this for the love of genre films. We aim to showcase the next generation of filmmakers and celebrate the established stars.<\/p>\n

In 2020 we screened 52 short films in five programs online, selected from submissions received from over 30 countries. The festival was free and we had audience attendance from around the world.<\/p>\n

In 2021, we made the festival bigger and better by including horror features and adding small cash prizes for Best Feature, Best Short and Best Script and overall 24 awards were given out. We screened four features and 48 shorts in front of live audiences during an October weekend. We also presented a collection of short films online for Christmas.<\/p>\n

In 2022 we screened seven features and thirty-five short films over three days along with a live table read of the winning script.<\/p>\n

Hellifax is a non-profit society in its 4th year. Our main focus is horror films while we also screen sci-fi, action and thriller. We are proud of our great reviews, our awesome advisory board and our strong programming.<\/p>\n

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“They\u2019re not just screening films \u2014 they\u2019re building a real community for horror creators. I left feeling inspired, supported, and proud to be part of it.<\/span>“<\/h2>\n
Craig Layton<\/span><\/h5>\n

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Hellifax Founders<\/h3>\n

Angus Swantee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Angus Swantee is a filmmaker, film fan, project manager, and co-founder and driving force for the first three years of the Hellifax Horror Film Festival. His films have screened at over 100 festivals around the world and won a number of awards, including the Canadian Comedy Award for best short film. He was a producer for the series\u00a0Everyone\u2019s Famous<\/a>\u00a0which was broadcast on CBC television. Angus recently co-wrote\/co-directed a short film called\u00a0Grave Sight<\/a> that screened at Toronto After Dark Film Festival and had a successful festival run with more than 30 screenings.<\/p>\n

Walter Forsyth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Walter Forsyth is a filmmaker, programmer, film fan and co-founder of Hellifax. He currently works for the Lunenburg Doc Fest, has programmed for the Atlantic International Film Festival, co-founded the Canadian Surf Film Festival, volunteered for the Sundance Film Fest and initiated the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival, now in its 14th year.<\/p>\n

Details about his film work can be found on the website for his production company Gorgeous Mistake<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Our HistoryHellifax Horror Fest takes place in the seaside city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Therein lives a contingent of die-hard horror fans with a taste for blood (in film, that is). This festival is for the fans, and for the filmmakers who deliver innovative and compelling stories. We\u2019re filmmakers ourselves, and we\u2019re doing this for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

Our History<\/h2>

Hellifax Horror Fest takes place in the seaside city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Therein lives a contingent of die-hard horror fans with a taste for blood (in film, that is). This festival is for the fans, and for the filmmakers who deliver innovative and compelling stories.<\/p>

We\u2019re filmmakers ourselves, and we\u2019re doing this for the love of genre films. We aim to showcase the next generation of filmmakers and celebrate the established stars.<\/p>

In 2020 we screened 52 short films in five programs online, selected from submissions received from over 30 countries. The festival was free and we had audience attendance from around the world.<\/p>

In 2021, we made the festival bigger and better by including horror features and adding small cash prizes for Best Feature, Best Short and Best Script and overall 24 awards were given out. We screened four features and 48 shorts in front of live audiences during an October weekend. We also presented a collection of short films online for Christmas.<\/p>

In 2022 we screened seven features and thirty-five short films over three days along with a live table read of the winning script.<\/p>

Hellifax is a non-profit society in its 4th year. Our main focus is horror films while we also screen sci-fi, action and thriller. We are proud of our great reviews, our awesome advisory board and our strong programming.<\/p>

Hellifax Founders<\/h3>

\u00a0<\/h4>

Angus Swantee<\/h4>

Angus Swantee is a filmmaker, film fan, project manager, and co-founder and driving force for the first three years of the Hellifax Horror Film Festival. His films have screened at over 100 festivals around the world and won a number of awards, including the Canadian Comedy Award for best short film. He was a producer for the series\u00a0Everyone\u2019s Famous<\/a>\u00a0which was broadcast on CBC television. Angus recently co-wrote\/co-directed a short film called\u00a0Grave Sight<\/a> that screened at Toronto After Dark Film Festival and had a successful festival run with more than 30 screenings.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h4>

\u00a0<\/h4>

Walter Forsyth<\/h4>

Walter Forsyth is a filmmaker, programmer, film fan and co-founder of Hellifax. He currently works for the Lunenburg Doc Fest, has programmed for the Atlantic International Film Festival, co-founded the Canadian Surf Film Festival, volunteered for the Sundance Film Fest and initiated the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival, now in its 14th year.<\/p>

Details about his film work can be found on the website for his production company Gorgeous Mistake<\/a>.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

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