Abertoir’s biggest ever event has come to an end! We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended and thanks in particular for all the kind words you’ve already shared with us.
From looking at the audience scores we had a popular programme this year, and so without further delay, read on for this year’s winning films.
Short Film Competition
Two awards are up for grabs with us, our own Abertoir Best Short Film award, and the prestigious Méliès d’argent. This year, one film won both awards…COLLECTION ONLY (Alun Rhys Morgan, UK 2023).
Nye has dragged his estranged best mate Daf, to collect a free armchair from a fearsome old house. A chain of sinister events follow, as Daf and Nye grapple with their fractured friendship, while trying to make it out alive…with the chair.
We’re thrilled to see a Welsh film come out on top again this year – Collection Only will now go on to compete alongside other winning Méliès d’argent films later in 2025.
Making up the top five were VHX (Alisa Stern and Scott Ampleford, USA 2024), Bath Bomb (Colin G. Cooper, Canada 2024), Black Hole Barry (Alejandro Alberola, UK 2024), and Paspocalypse (Jasper ten Hoor & Ivan Hidayat, Netherlands 2024).
Congratulations to all the filmmakers – it was especially wonderful to welcome so many to the festival this year!
Feature Films (New)
The audience’s favourite new feature film at Abertoir 2024 was our phenomenal closing film DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY (John Hsu, Taiwan 2024)!
Being human is challenging, but being dead is just as difficult. When you die, you have 30 days to prove you can make it as a ghost, or you fade away into oblivion. Recently dead, Newbie is invited to team up with a washed-up celebrity ghost to help revive an out-of-date hotel haunting. But when the team finds themselves locked in a bitter battle against a media-savvy upstart, they have no choice but to beat the odds and become the most terrifying legends they can.
Following Dead Talents Society and making up the top 5 were Seeds (Kaniehtiio Horn, Canada 2024), Grafted (Sasha Rainbow, New Zealand 2024), Children of the Wicker Man (Chris Nunn, Justin Hardy & Dominic Hardy, UK 2024) and Exorcismo (Alberto Sedano, Spain 2024).
Feature Films (Classics)
It was a very close call at the top but as a programming team we were thrilled to see GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (Yoshimitsu Banno, Japan 1971) top the classic films as audience favourite!
The King of the Monsters, Godzilla, must face-off with an alien life-form that arrives on Earth and steadily grows by feeding on industrial waste.
Slugs came a close second, followed by Return of the Fly, Phase IV and Grizzly.
This weekend sees our Choice Cuts event take place online, so be sure to share with your friends so they can enjoy the incredible selection of shorts from this year, as well as three features, Q&As and another Bad Film Club!