Chattanooga Film Festival 2025 2nd Wave Includes Tina Romero’s ‘Queens of the Dead’ and More

The Chattanooga Film Festival has announced the second wave of programming and closing night film for its 12th annual event, which will take place June 20-28 both in-person in Tennessee and virtually.

Daughter of late director George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead), Tina Romero is making her own mark on the zombie genre with Queens of the Dead, and it’s closing out CFF’s 2025 edition. Also World Premiering is filmmaker Erik Bloomquist’s (Founder’s Day, She Came From the Woods) new feature Self-Help. Be sure to look for a special screening of filmmaker F.W. Murnau’s silent classic Faust with an original score by The Silent Light.

These events, along with more than 45 additional features and dozens of short films, live podcasts, and the fest’s now infamous nightly secret screening series, the Red Eye, are sure to please longtime fans and newcomers who can access the festival’s virtual offerings from anywhere in the U.S. Badges are available for sale now. Also be sure to check out the fest’s first wave for more.

Read on for the CFF 2025 second wave.

EXORCISMO (d. Alberto Sedano)

Under the Franco dictatorship, Spain’s rigid censorship laws had repressed any form of sexuality outside of Catholic marriage. But after Franco’s death and the consolidation of democracy, ‘Clasificada S’ films – restricted to those over 18 years old, with the warning that their content may offend the sensibilities of the viewer – embodied a period in Spanish history when sex went from being a sin to becoming a cinematic expression of political freedom. In the new documentary EXORCISMO, director Alberto Sedano explores the history behind Clasificada S, the battles it fought, and the distinctive dramas, thrillers and horror shockers that subverted the values of the former dictatorship. Narrated by Iggy Pop, featuring revealing interviews with actors, directors, historians, and showcasing clips from films by Jess Franco, José Ramón Larraz, Ignacio Iquino and more, EXORCISMO tells the incredible true story of a film movement that rocked Spanish culture, changed the face of genre films, and left its transgressive mark on global cinema forever.

FOUL EVIL DEEDS (d. Richard Hunter)

A series of comedically dark vignettes that give way to a fragmented anthology of humanity’s everyday pettiness, as seen through the voyeuristic lens of a distanced point of view. Tapping into society’s addiction to the judgement of others, FOUL EVIL DEEDS is stacked with black humour amid the everyday cruelty of the banal suburban life.

FAUST (1926; d. F. W. Murnau)

Special Screening with Original Live Metal Score by The Silent Light

God and Satan war over earth; to settle things, they wager on the soul of Faust, a learned and prayerful alchemist.

FUCKTOYS (d. Annapurna Sriram)

Special Screening

Fucktoys is a lush, 16mm fever dream that reimagines The Fool’s Journey of the Major Arcana Tarot through the story of AP: a peppy, sanguine young woman seeking salvation from a curse. AP is promised by not one, but multiple psychics that—for a cool $1000 and the sacrifice of a baby lamb— it can be lifted. So, she makes money the only way she knows how, scootering her way deeper into the night, into the uncouth underbelly of Trashtown. Dark, irreverent, and sexy, AP stumbles upon new characters and absurd situations, each more unhinged than the last, as she winds her way toward the inevitable. Fucktoys is a campy romp that explores the intersection of intimacy, exploitation, and class in a pre-millenium alternate universe of dilapidated urban decay and pastel cotton candy skies.

IN THE MOUTH (d. Ryan Scott)

Merl has been living his life as a recluse, in complete isolation, unable to leave his house after discovering a giant version of himself protruding from his lawn, blocking any attempt at escape. He’s run out of money, but if he doesn’t pay his rent in the next five days then his landlord is going to evict him. With no other options left, he is forced to get a roommate to pay him the debt in advance. Larry, an older man traveling shockingly light with only the clothes on his back, heeds the call and comes to live with Merl. It’s an adjustment for sure, but maybe they can learn a thing or two from each other. Or maybe Larry’s just found the perfect place to hide…

NOCLIP 2: RETURN TO LUNCHLAND (d. Gavin Charles)

World Premiere

In this sequel to the award-winning found-footage film NOCLIP, the two explorers return from the void in search of even more liminal spaces. In the process, they find backrooms that lead to multiple new surreal locations, plus some familiar ones…

POOLS (d. Sam Hayes)

Kennedy has one day to get her shit together or get kicked out of school for good. Instead of buckling down, she rallies a ragtag crew for a midnight pool-hopping adventure through the lavish estates of her college town. But under the surface, Kennedy is searching for answers to the questions tearing her up inside in the wake of her father’s death. As the secrets spill, this wild escape becomes a cathartic journey of self-discovery.

PORTAL TO HELL (d. Woody Bess)

Dunn is a debt collector. His life of routine is interrupted when a portal to hell appears in his local laundromat. A demon follows and explains in no uncertain terms he’s there to drag Dunn’s neighbor, Mr. Bobshank, to hell. Bobshank owes a debt. Helping people pay their debts is what Dunn does best. A deal is offered – three souls to save Bobshank. Dunn says no. But one of his debtors follows him to the laundromat and well… once you do one, what’s another two? Dunn makes good on his end of the bargain. But the portal stays. The demon explains. Who gets into heaven isn’t up to God or the Devil. It’s up to you. Bobshank hasn’t forgiven himself. Dunn can convince Bobshank to do just that. Or find a fourth soul. The question Dunn has to answer is if you throw away everyone that’s made mistakes, who’s left?

SELF-HELP (d. Erik Bloomquist)

World Premiere

A young woman attempts to rescue her mother from a secret online community after she becomes entangled with its enigmatic leader.

THE BELDHAM (d. Angela Gulner)

Struggling single mom Harper moves in with her mother to renovate a fading suburban farmhouse. The two are joined by her mother’s new boyfriend and a mysterious live-in home aide, both who claim to be dedicated to Harper’s postpartum care. But things are not what they seem. A sinister presence lurks within the house… one that has designs on Harper’s child. As Harper investigates, she uncovers dark truths about the nature of her reality, and questions the intentions of those entrusted with her care. A multi-generational love story disguised as a horror, The Beldham explores the fine line between care and control, and the desperate lengths mothers will go to to protect the daughters they love.

THE MOST AUSTRALIAN BAND EVER! (d. Jonathan J. Sequeira)

The Secret Origin of the Hard-Ons. Three ethnic school kids from Western Sydney discover punk music and form a band. Together they fight racism and the music industry to become Australia’s biggest indie band larrikins. Before diversity was a buzzword, there was the Hard-Ons!

THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN (d. Brett Whitcomb, Bradford Thomason)

In 1998, the Disney Channel Original Movie “Halloweentown” was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon. Since then, the town has become a de facto Halloween destination with over 50,000 visitors each October. “The Spirit of Halloweentown” is an observational portrait of St. Helens 25 years later focusing on its residents as they transform the town and navigate their inescapable identity. Just as ghouls and ghosts inhabit the Halloweentown of the movie, many St. Helens residents believe their town to be truly haunted. As visitors pour into the city and specters of all kinds fill the autumn air, life for the locals in Halloweentown becomes much more than the celebration of a movie. It’s a quest for belonging and a reckoning with demons both personal and spiritual.

UNDER THE BURNING SUN (d. Yun Xie)

In a barren, desolate land where abortion is outlawed, Mowanza struggles with her unwanted pregnancy. When she hears of a distant land with a lenient abortion policy, Mowanza, armed with only a half-empty water bottle and a battered car, embarks on a journey across the desert toward the lush land of Iropus.

QUEENS OF THE DEAD (d. Tina Romero)

Closing Night Selection

When a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a warehouse party, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.

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