According to Northwest Access Television’s press release, the  Northwest Nightmares Film Festival is a festival sponsored by Twiggs restaurant and the Vermont Surrogacy Network, where local filmmaker hobbyists are encouraged to create and submit their own horror films up to 10 minutes in length and rated up to PG-13 to be judged for prizes and awards. This event is presented by Northwest Access Television and runs annually every October.

Last year, due to Covid-19, the event was forced to be altered to fit Covid guidelines. 

According to the press release, “The pandemic in 2020 forced our hand to hold an all-digital event, which worked, but it wasn’t how we wanted to showcase the local talent,” Northwest Access Television’s Executive Director Paul Synder said. 

Northwest Nightmares has been around since 2013. Kris Hoyt, a media educator and a former employee of Northwest Access Television, created the festival to inspire the community to create film. 

Submissions for the festival will close October 15.

According to the press release, the first screening will take place on Monday, October 25 at the Welden Theatre located in St. Albans. An additional showing will be on Thursday, October 28 at the Sunset Drive-In located in Colchester. After the first showing on October 25, an awards ceremony will be held at Twiggs Restaurant where all are welcomed to join. 

“We can’t wait to return to the theaters with another batch of locally made frightening tales, and the great atmosphere that comes with it,” Technology Coordinator and Festival Organizer Alan Cunningham said in the press release. 

How are the winners of Northwest Nightmares chosen? The winners are picked by the judges on a number of aspects, like best picture and best scare.

“Our winners are chosen by a panel of judges who screen each film beforehand and give it a rating from 1-10 in different categories, such as best screenplay, best cinematography, etc.,” Cunningham said.  

While the event is closer to normal than last year, please see the Welden website for their Covid-19 guidelines.

“[Other than this], everything else has been back to normal,” Cunningham said.