Public apology

Earlier this year, I released a short film titled HOLLYWOOD SKIN that has been quite successful critically and on the festival circuit.

However, it has just been brought to my attention that I omitted to include in the end credit that it was developed and made as part of the I HATE L.A. anthology project. This project was started by my friend Elisabeth Fies in order to showcase the work of female genre filmmakers by challenging us to come up with a short film depicting a negative aspect of life in L.A.  You can learn more about the project on the official website. 

I apologize for this omission and for any inconvenience it might have caused. The correction will be made on future screener copies, so please, if you plan to talk about or review the film, I would appreciate your collaboration in appropriately contextualizing the short.

Thank you for your attention!

Sneak Peek of my latest project!

Dear readers,

It's been so (too) long since my last update. I apologize for this and all I can say is get ready because the next few weeks will make up for it update-wise!

In the meantime, here is a little sneak peak at what kept me so busy:

RED - trailer from Maude Michaud on Vimeo.

RED is a sexually charged supernatural thriller about scopophilia, voyeurism and snuff films.

Slated for a February 2011 release (just in time for the Women in Horror Recognition Month), the film stars Cameron Hartl, newcomer Olga G., scream queen Isabelle Stephen and includes a special appearance by Shannon Lark.

Let me know what you think and stay tuned for behind the scene pictures and more info about the film!

Quirk Films invades Fantasia!

I’m probably breaking a few bloging rules and etiquette by promoting events that are already past, so mea culpa and I promise many in-dept posts about what kept me so busy in a very near future!

But, in the meantime, let me just say that it is with great pleasure that I’m announcing that not one, not two, but THREE of my short films are playing as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival, here in Montreal! This is one of the biggest genre festival in North America (and my favorite!) so I’m psyched that my work is screening there!

First, there is REFLECTION (FRANKENSTEIN UNLIMITED) which screened last Sunday, July 18th at  in the De Sève theatre. Sadly, I had to miss the screening because I was in L.A. promoting HOLLYWOOD SKIN at the Viscera festival (more on this very soon!), but from what I’m been told, there was a good turnout and the film was well received.

Then, SNUFF and HOLLYWOOD SKIN will both be featured as part of the Fantastic Weekend of Québec Shorts which will take place at the Impérial Cinema this coming weekend! The Fantastic Weekend is a special Fantasia event which consists in three days of short film programming that aims to showcase the work of local filmmakers.

SNUFF will screen on Friday, July 23rd at 11:30 PM.

HOLLYWOOD SKIN will screen on Sunday, July 25th at 3:30 PM.

I hope to see you there!

Screening of SNUFF in San Francisco tomorrow night!

A Nightmare To Remember is a short film festival run by the amazing Reyna Young, aka Miss Misery from the Last Doorway Show. This year, festival goers will have a nightmare to remember because SNUFF is part of the official line-up of shorts!  ;)

Saddly, I can't go, but if you're in the area, please do check it out and cheer extra loud for me! 

Check out their nifty flyers for all the info:

P.S.: I've also seen two of the other shorts, DEATH IN CHARGE (which I love, love, love!) and HORROR OF OUR LOVE (which is one of the most refreshing take on the slasher subgenre I've seen in a while) and let me tell you that they're both worth checking out if you have the chance!

It's review week!

Over the weekend I've had the (nerve-wracking) pleasure of receiving three links to reviews of my work. As you may guess, this is both exciting AND terrifying (because let’s face it, no one likes getting negative reviews)! I was relieved to find that I worried for nothing. :)

First off, we got another great review for FRANKENSTEIN UNLIMITED from Cinema Crazed which includes an overall positive response to my segment, REFLECTION:

“Maude Michaud's "Reflection" is Frankenstein tale about the ugliness of the human soul and how vanity can ultimately be our own undoing. Anna is a young disfigured girl who is granted the gift of plastic surgery to correct a scar on her face. But when she achieves true perfection in her own eyes--like that old adage goes--a monster is created. Anna is then forced to sit and watch what havoc she's wrought on the people in her life who stuck by her when she was deformed and face her own self-destruction pondering how her beauty was within, and her ugliness was unleashed once she became a superficial beauty. Michaud's direction is detailed and his is a think piece that works as a dissection of our own views of what is most valuable in our lives even if we lack aesthetic value.”

You can check out the full review by Felix Vasquez Jr. HERE.

Then, Nick Perron over at Micro-Shock reviewed the A.Normale Horror Movie Night from last week (May 22nd), and includes a mention of SNUFF:

“The first was called Snuff, which was by Montreal filmmaker Maude Michaud. Powerful powerful short film. It starts off from the point of view of a Snuff filmmaker stalking his next victim, and in a twist of fate -- has the tables turned on him by his would be victim. Filmed in glorious 8 mm.”

Check out the full text HERE.

And of course, fresh off the press and acting as the cherry on top, Mike Snoonian from All Things Horror features yours truly and reviews my two latest, SNUFF and HOLLYWOOD SKIN, which will both play this week as part of their monthly horror night in Somerville, Massachusetts! And I will be there for a Q&A. :)

This piece is worth checking out in its entirety!

Thanks Mike and everyone else who reviewed my work!

Very special screening of SNUFF and HOLLYWOOD SKIN coming up next week!

Thanks to Mike Snoonian who saw SNUFF and sought me out, my two latest shorts will play at the next monthly All Things Horror screening, in Somerville, near Boston, MA!

It's gonna be a special edition of their monthly event that will spotlight women horror filmmakers and will feature, in addition to the aforementionned shorts, THE COMMUNE (an awesome feature by the totally kick-ass Lis Fies), FANTASY (an amazing short film by fellow Montrealer Izabel Grondin) and GIMME (which I haven't seen yet) by Monica Puller.

And I am delighted to announce that I will be going to the screening, which means, potential Q&A! :D 

In the meantime, check out their kind words on my films:

"Finally, we’re extremely luck to show a pair of short films from Montreal director Maude Michaud (Quirk Films). Her new b/w short Snuff reverses the power dynamics of a standard horror film when a pervy stalker meets his match. Her latest work Hollywood Skin, tells the tragic story of how far a person will go to fit the perception of how a starlet should look."

All Things Horror presents the Women in Horror program

June 2nd, 2010, 7PM - Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA

 Stay tuned for other exciting news and an real blog post coming very soon!

Upcoming Montreal screening of SNUFF!

Montrealers will be happy to know that my short film SNUFF, which has been relatively successful in the U.S. festival circuit so far, will have it's first Montreal screening since its premiere in November 2009.

Here is more information:

Soirée d'horreur A.normale

May 22nd, 2010 (8PM) - Bar Katacombes, Montréal, Québec

See you there!

Another upcoming screening for SNUFF!

Those of you in the Chicago area will be able to check out my short film SNUFF which will play as part of the Women of Horror 2 film festival organized by Horror Society! 

Women of Horror 2 Film Festival – presented by Horror Society

May 1^st, 2010 – Chicago, Illinois

Needless to say, I’m ecstatic to have my film listed as part of such a great lineup (including two of my favorite female filmmakers, Devi Snively and Katherine Bigelow)! 

That’s it for now, I’ll be back soon with more exciting news!

Quirk update

I’m taking a very short break from filmmaking. Do not panic, I’m not stopping altogether, but rather taking a temporary break from writing/directing/shooting to finish editing projects that should have been done a long time ago (which will result in brand new shorts – YAY!) I’ll also take advantage of this hiatus to submit SNUFF and HOLLYWOOD SKIN to more film festivals, design the official Quirk Films website and create the posters/DVD sleeves for the films – activities that are quite time-consuming, but need to be done (oh if only I could afford a personal assistant!)


Also at the top of my to-do list: my documentary! According to my original plans, it was supposed to be completed by now… which is not at all the reality of things. When I started, little did I know that I would meet amazing and influential people who would help give a boost to my own short films career and that there would be a ‘Women in Horror Month’ along the way! I got sidetracked from the doc, but took an important step toward the future which is and has always been my #1 priority. All this to say that I pondered a lot about the constant evolution of the doc and I’m in the process of reshaping it altogether to make sure it gets maximum visibility and has the possibility to expand. I’m not saying more right now, just stay tuned for updates!

I should announce my next short film project at some point in June. Last fall I fell in love with an idea and I’m currently in the process of making it as good as it can be, if not perfect, and assembling the dream team to work on it. But in order to do it correctly, I need to complete the pending works which are sucking my energy and focus. Hence the hiatus.

2nd review for HOLLYWOOD SKIN!!!

It seems like this is the week when the reviews are coming in! :)

Here is the lastest one from Peter Hall/Horror Squad:

"Hollywood Skin, directed by Maude Michaud
Hollywood Skin is, to say the least, bold. Maude Michaud's short holds an unflinching mirror up to Hollywood, reflecting back at it the extreme measures some aspiring actress will go to in order to be thin and pretty enough to make it in the movies. It's exaggerated for maximum impact in all the right places and I have a feeling it could make a solid reputation for itself as a viral success on the web were it a bit shorter. On the flip side, were it any longer (and this the early '90s), Hollywood Skin would have made for one hell of a memorable Tales From the Crypt episode."

You can also check it out in context HERE.

Interestingly enough, the 20-minutes version is coming soon, I think it will make it all the more interesting to see how people respond differently to it!

First review of HOLLYWOOD SKIN!!!

Check out the first review of my latest short HOLLYWOOD SKIN by John Gholson from Cinematical.

"Hollywood Skin
Directed by Maude Michaud/Canada/Short

I really liked Michaud's Hollywood Skin, a film that has something to say, while also being completely horrific. In it, an aspiring actress moves to Los Angeles and struggles with her body image while trying to land a decent role. She's overweight, yet completely desirable, completely sexy in fact, and the pressure to be a certain type leads her to some very dark places. Michaud handles the material with an intimacy that never makes you feel like she's beating you over the head with her pointed message."

You can also check it out HERE, in context and surrounded by the reviews of the other great shorts that screened during the Pretty/Scary Bloodbath Film Festival.

I'm now tweeting!!!

I'm giving Twitter a try.  Dunno if I'll get the hang of it or just get tired of the useless repetition... 

Add me (quirkfilms)!!! :D

Also, you can get quick, easy access to it by using this nifty little box, right here ==========> 

Why Lis Fies is awesome...

Check out her nice mention of yours truly on her blog:
Kid Sis in Hollywood

:D

Also,

Here are two blurbs about SNUFF from the Ghouls on Film event that went down last weekend in the U.K.:

"...and then a film that couldn't be more different in tone, Snuff. Snuff, directed by Maude Michaud, uses a super 8 camera to show the making of a snuff movie - but who will kill whom?"

Mention of the film from Flowers of Flesh and Blood

and

"Snuff (directed by Maude Michaud)
The first offering of the day to provoke some real chills, this film gives us a look through the lens of a snuff filmmaker, stalking his next would-be victim – until the tables are turned. A silent film in stark black and white with an oppressive electronic score, aesthetically it brings to mind Darren Aronofsky’s Pi, and in content it clearly embodies the female empowerment theme at the heart of Ghouls On Film."

Review by Ben Bussey from Brutal as Hell: Horror without Mercy

Interview with yours truly!

I was interviewed by Sarah Jahier from Fatally Yours as part of the Women in Horror recognition month!

You can read/check out the interview HERE.

Also, a quick reminder that SNUFF will play this coming Saturday as part of the Women in Horror Film Festival in Athens, Georgia and that HOLLYWOOD SKIN will play the same night as part of the Pretty/Scary Bloodbath Film Festival in Addison, Texas.

:D

Wow, a real update!

Not that the previous posts weren’t, but the original purpose of this blog was not only to serve as a publicity tool, but also as a way for me to keep everyone updated on projects, how things are doing , etc…

 SO, here is the current state of things:  I got caught in a wonderful (and unexpected!) whirlwind thanks to the Women in Horror Month, with its many screenings, requests for my short films, an interview and overall excitement!  Amidst all that, I finished the sound mix for the 10-minutes version of HOLLYWOOD SKIN and I am currently working on the full 20-minutes director’s cut!  Yep, you read right, there will be not one, but two versions of HOLLYWOOD SKIN and let me assure you that they are VERY different from one another!  Of course, both will be included on the same DVD when the short will be officially released later in the spring.

Speaking of which, I am planning to screen during the same event all the short films I completed since last year and that haven’t had a public screening yet.  I will keep you all updated as to when and where that will happen! 

Stay tuned and keep celebrating women in horror!

Upcoming U.S. screening of HOLLYWOOD SKIN!

It is with great pleasure that I announce the upcoming U.S. screening of my latest short (which is also part of the official Viscera selection of this year) HOLLYWOOD SKIN as part of the following event celebrating the Women in Horror Month:

Pretty/Scary Blood Bath Film Fest

February 27th, 2010 - Addison, Texas

Online reviews for REFLECTION

As some of you already know, my short film REFLECTION was released on 09/09/09 as part of the FRANKENSTEIN UNLIMITED anthology. Since its release the project gathered a bunch of online reviews, so I made a de.li.cious page with all the links.

Here it is!

I also added it to the link list right there ---->

Sadly, I'm not yet allowed to exploit the film apart from the anthology, but here's the preview for those who are intrigued. :)

Reflection - trailer 1 from Maude Michaud on Vimeo.

HOLLYWOOD SKIN selected as part of the Viscera Film Festival!

The Viscera Film Festival, a horror Film Festival that presents women created horror films from all over the world has announced the 2009-2010 officially selected Viscera films. Viscera judges Heidi Martinuzzi, Devi Snively, Elisabeth Fies, Stacie Ponder, and Shannon Lark are proud to present the following...


Barbee Butcher by Sophie Lagues

Beautiful As You Are by Doug Mallette and Mary Katherine Sisco

Hollywood Skin by Maude Michaud

I Spit on Eli Roth by Devi Snively

Mary Jane Go Round by Ginnetta Correli  (Viscera Award Winner)

Mockingbird by Marichelle Daywalt

Salome's Picnic by Victoria Waghorn

Switch by Melanie Light


The selected films are placed on a compilation DVD which is viewed by Viscera's Sponsors, who are journalists, websites, artists, and affiliated Film Festivals for potential reviews/screenings around the world. The Viscera Film Festival will have its first screening in the Spring of 2010 (date TBA) in Los Angeles, celebrating Viscera's 2009, 2008, and 2007's selections, accompanied with an award ceremony.

Each selected filmmaker will receive a Viscera Statue and filmmaker Ginnetta Correli will receive the 2009-2010 Viscera Award for her film "Mary Jane Go Round." The Viscera Award is a monetary award suited specifically for women coming together exclusively or creating films on their own instead of participating in cat fights and talking about hairspray. 

Upcoming U.K. and U.S. screenings for SNUFF!

My short film SNUFF will screen as part of the two following events:

Ghouls on Film 

February 20th, 2010 - Birmingham, UK

  Women in Horror Film Festival 

February 27th, 2010 - Athens, GA 

Stay tuned for more upcoming screenings! 

P.S.: Hurray for the Women in Horror month events! 

The blog finally looks like... a blog!

Thanks to the inputs and suggestions of my friend Anne-Marie Beaulne, I finally have a kick-ass banner for the blog!
I'm up and running for good!
If you have any suggestions for the look, content, etc., let me know!

Until next time, HAPPY Women in Horror Recognition Month!

Hello 2010!

I'm ready to take over the world! Are you ready for me?