Terry Porter	Director Ti West

V/H/S is the winner of SFF 2012's Terry Porter Memorial Award. Terry was a great friend to the festival all year round. From behind the counter at Video Renaissance on Bee Ridge Road (go there, it's like SFF 12 months a year) Terry dispensed a wealth of knowledge on movies in every conceivable genre and for every possible taste. Terry had a great love of fringe cinema and the macabre, so it is with great pride that this year, in Terry's name, and in loving memory, we bring you V/H/S!

For many filmgoers, V/H/S may prove to be the final word in "found footage" horror and suspense. The film follows thieves sent to burglarize a house in the middle of nowhere to find a single prized V/H/S tape. When they find dozens they decide to watch them all until they find the right one. That framing sequence stars Calvin Lee Reeder, winner of last year's SFF Independent Visions Award last year for his gonzo horror film The Oregonian. The framing sequence and all the stories that follow were directed by a collection of horror's greatest directorial voices today, including Ti West, director of House of the Devil and The Innkeepers, who joins us today!

V/H/S screens Friday, April 20 @ 10:00 PM and Saturday, April 21 @ 9:45 PM!

INSIDER: Please tell us how you became involved with V/H/S:  

TI WEST: I got a call from the producer, Roxanne Benjamin, asking if I would be interested in being a part of a found footage anthology. Initially I

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Time to once again update you on all things wild, crazy and genre-related in indie cinema. How about some vampires? The end of the world by zombies, asteroid and robot domination? Ghosts? Time-travelers? And all with amazing casts? We’ve got it all!

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

Jim Jarmusch fans, guess what? He’s making a vampire movie! (Now, now, don’t worry, he’s no stranger to genre, he did Ghost Dog after all.) The really cool thing here is that one of the stars is Tilda Swinton from last year’s acclaimed I Am Love at SFF (her film Julia also played here at SFF). Also starring is Mia Wasikowska from SFF’s That Evening Sun and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, plus the legendary John Hurt and up-and-coming superstar Tom Hiddleston (also known as Loki from Thor and The Avengers). You might also want to look for Hiddleston in the acclaimed Wallender series starring Kenneth Branagh and in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris playing F. Scott Fitzgerald. (The guy has range!)

The Jarmusch film is titled Only Lovers Left Alive. It’s early days and this one isn’t even slated to shoot until later this year in Germany. And as we in the business know, “Nothin’s nothin’ until…” Meaning, a movie isn’t a movie until you’re out there shooting it for reals. But it sounds so darn cool I couldn’t help mentioning it. And I really, really doubt that anyone’s going to be all sparkly in this one.

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

Safety Not Guaranteed features SFF alum

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SFF is dedicated to shining a light on the accomplishments of women in film. Over the coming months I'll be telling you about our many programs focusing on the achievements of women in the industry. Today we catch up with Patti Smith, Sarah Green, Greta Gerwig and more SFF alums!

SARAH GREEN

Oscar-nominated producer Sarah Green, winner of SFF 2011's Producer Award, is known for her many collaborations with filmmaking legend Terence Malick including the current Oscar nominee Tree of Life (nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography). Sarah has another film out that is well worth your attention. Take Shelter was just released on Valentine's Day on DVD and Blu-ray. The film features a stunning performance by Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, The Man of Steel) whom many critics believed would net him a best actor nod. It is a challenging and suspenseful story of a man who might be going mad-or might be seeing visions of an imminent and very real disaster from which he must protect his family. Check it out!

Sarah will re-team with Michael Shannon for the upcoming Mud also starring Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey and Ray McKinnon (That Evening Sun) and for further collaborations with Malick featuring Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara.

PATTI SMITH

No one has rocked our house in recent years like Patti Smith. Often called rock's poet laureate, Patti performed an astonishing set at our After Party, took

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