Dan Webb started the Astrophobia Festival during the outset of the pandemic. Webb was stuck at home and it occurred to him that there was an absence of film festivals in the Valley. 

鈥淚 actually started two festivals. I also co-founded the Comox Valley International Film Festival but have moved on from that one. The [Astrophobia] festival is my passion project though,鈥� said Webb.

Webb has two favourite things about the festival, curating the films, choosing what films will be shown at the festival and the festival itself. 

鈥淭he most fun is had at the trivia night on the Saturday night of the festival though.鈥�

This year there were 92 submissions from about 21 different countries. 

鈥淚 get the film submissions through a website called FilmFreeway that as a festival organizer you establish a series of categories and submission fees with deadlines and then people just submit through the website. I also reach out through word-of-mouth if I hear about good films. 鈥�

In order to pick which films make it into the actual festival, each film goes through a five person jury for consideration. Once their comments and thoughts are received by Webb, he makes the final choices. The films are also put up for awards from the festival. 

鈥淎wards are based on my and the jury feedback after watching all the films.鈥�

Webb wants the public to know that the horror portion of the festival isn鈥檛 all that gory and people who may not think they could handle a festival with a horror focus may be surprised by what they find.

鈥淲hen it comes to the short films especially, there are not a lot of crazy jump scare type movies and they鈥檙e definitely not gory. Short films by their very nature have to be more on the conceptual and aesthetic side and I would say less scary in the traditional sense.鈥�

To round out the festival, Webb likes to show a classic film that combines both sci-fi and horror. This year he has chosen 1982鈥檚 The Thing by John Carpenter. 

The festival takes place at the Masonic hall in Cumberland on Oct. 19 and 20.