Anomaly: The Rochester Genre Film Festival

The sixth annual Anomaly - The Rochester Genre Film Festival is here! Join us for 13 programs that promise a thrilling ride through 12 feature films and 24 short films for all 5 days! Try your luck, and experience the best genre cinema from around the world

Schedule Of Events:

10:30am - The Severed Sun

An isolated, patriarchal church community in rural Britain is ruled over by a charismatic figure known as The Pastor. But when The Pastor's daughter murders her abusive husband, she in the process unleashes a malevolent force: a beast with shimmering white eyes and a taste for evil men. As the beast leaves a trail of gruesome carnage, suspicion and paranoia grip the village and a brutal witch hunt leads the community to spiral further into darkness

1:00pm - Rita

When 13-year-old Rita runs away from home in an attempt to escape her abusive father, she ends up in a state-run institution for troubled girls in Guatemala City. It's a place somehow even worse than the one she fled, filled with violence and assault. There, Rita finds herself at the center of an uprising by the seemingly-magical groups of girls who reside there, and are sick of being exploited.

Inspired by a tragic true story, Rita is a harrowing fairytale reminiscent of early Guillermo del Toro, acting as both a stark condemnation of a broken, unjust system and a powerful tribute to the resilience, strength, and humanity of this story's real-life inspirations.

4:15pm - A Samurai in Time

A dark and stormy night in Edo-period Japan: samurai Kosaka Shinzaemon prepares to face off against his enemy when a lightning strike knocks him unconscious. Kosaka awakens to find he's been transported to the present day film set of a samurai “jidaigeki” (period drama). Mistaken for an extra, his natural abilities get him work on more productions as a “kirareyaku,” a swordsman who specializes in being killed spectacularly on screen, while off-screen he navigates the strange world of the 21st century.

7:00pm - Universal Language

In a mysterious and surreal interzone — somewhere between Tehran, Iran and Winnipeg, Canada — characters try to free money from an ice block, lead tourists through local historic sites, quit theirs jobs to visit their mothers, reunite with old friends and new acquaintances at a Tim Hortons, and — yes — even visit the finest turkey butcher in town. Space, time and identities interweave in this incredibly unique and surreal comedy of misdirection from director Matthew Rankin

9:00pm - Closing Pizza Party

The Little Theatre (Theatre 1 Lobby)
Our annual tradition! Following our Closing Night Film, stick around for a free, laid-back pizza party celebrating the conclusion of this year's festival! Open to all ticket-holders of Universal Language and all Festival Passholders.

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