11TH ANNUAL
DEFY FILM FESTIVAL
AUGUST 21 & 22
EAST SIDE BOWL
Our Weekend Pass gets you access to all screenings all weekend long (August 21-22), plus access to our after-parties! IMPORTANT: Please read Festival FAQs for how to get in to each screening with your Weekend Pass.
Our Friday Pass gets you access to all screenings on Friday August 21st, plus access to our after-party that night! IMPORTANT: Please read Festival FAQs for how to get in to each screening with your Friday Pass.
Our Saturday Pass gets you access to all our screenings on Saturday August 22nd, plus access to our after-party that night! IMPORTANT: Please read Festival FAQs for how to get in to each screening with your Saturday Pass.
The WEEKEND PASS allows you to fully immerse yourself in the spirit of Defy — from the films to the afterparties!
You'll have the chance to meet the filmmakers and artists, as there's no VIP space separating anyone. Everyone is here to celebrate art, meet new people, and engage in great discussions.
The FRIDAY PASS and SATURDAY PASS get you unlimited screenings all day each day. If you can’t make it for the entire weekend but want to see as many films as you can at a discounted rate, the day passes are for you! These also get you access to the afterparties!
FRIDAY
Friday, August 21, 2026
6:30 PM - 7:45* PM
An edge-of-your-seat collection of short films that will keep you guessing until the final frame. This program delivers tension, dread, and dark thrills. From creeping unease to full-blown terror. Buckle up.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Friday August 21, 2026
8:30 PM - 9:45* PM
A descent into the darkest corners of cinema. This program delivers the uncanny, the grotesque, and the deeply unsettling. Sleep with the lights on.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Friday, August 21, 2026
10:30 PM - 11:45 PM
Feature Film
In a 17th-century Livonian village plagued by rain and drunkenness, a stolen sacred relic triggers witchcraft accusations against a local barmaid. At her trial, an elderly man proclaims himself a werewolf - a self-described ""Dog of God"" - and arrives bearing a mysterious gift: the Devil's Balls. What follows is a hallucinatory spiral of religious hysteria, folk horror, and dark absurdism, rendered in rotoscope animation.
SATURDAY
Saturday, August 22, 2026
12:30 PM - 1:45* PM
Some of the most thought-provoking and emotionally devastating short films we’ve ever programmed. So grab a coffee and get ready to dig deep. And just a quick heads-up… not a big deal, but you’ll probably come out a different person than when you came in.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Saturday, August 22, 2026
2:30 PM - 3:45* PM
An experiential collection of boundary-pushing short films. This program is packed with recorded memories, explosive visuals, and disorienting beauty. A sensory dive into inner worlds and far-reaching realities.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Saturday, August 22, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:45* PM
Short films about the threshold between who you were and who you're becoming. Tender, raw, and impossibly real.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Saturday August 22, 2026
7:00 PM - 8:15* PM
Comedy… plus what? We’re not exactly sure, but these very funny, very odd short films carry a strange energy that lingers. Maybe something reflective? Human? Existential? Whatever it is, it’s not your typical comedy fare. Best to come see for yourself.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Saturday August 22, 2026
9:00 PM - 10:15* PM
Too scary to laugh, too funny to look away. This program blurs the line between dread and delight in the most gloriously unhinged way possible.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
STREAMING ALL WEEKEND
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STREAMING ALL WEEKEND *
Here, we have specially curated films streaming in the lobby on a loop all day, waiting for you to drop in and let them wash over you. It's a bit like stumbling into a video installation at a museum. Fine art cinema, unfolding in its own time. These works are singular, challenging, and absolutely worth the detour from the main programs. Stay for five minutes or an hour… then come back anytime for more.
2026 FILMS
