20th Digital Studio Launches Halloween Short Film Series to be Featured on Hulu, Freeform and FX

20th Digital Studio will premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. “Bite Size Halloween” ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.

  • Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community.
  • This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, idenes, and backgrounds.
  • The long term goal of 20th Digital Studio’s short film programs is to continue to guide and finance the growth of these arsts’ careers.
  • Featured writers and directors include:
    • Naledi Jackson (Anne with an E)
    • Aislinn Clarke (The Devil’s Doorway)
    • John McPhail (Anna and the Apocalypse)
    • Mahew Irving Epstein (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)
    • Sofia Alaoui (Sundance Grand Jury winner So What if the Goats Die?)
  • On screen, featured actors include:
    • Charlie Barne (Russian Doll)
    • Hari Nef (You, Transparent)
    • Dalmar Abuzeid (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
    • Acclaimed Off-Broadway thespian Kara Young
    • Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks)
  • Formerly Fox Digital Studio, 20th Digital Studios’ short film series previously-titled Bite Size Horror, was released during the 2017 Halloween season and aired on broadcast and online, winning the “Best of the Best” in Short-Form Ficon by the 2018 Brand Film Festival.
  • This cinemac collaboration of adrenaline-raising shorts developed a platform for brands and advertisers to work with creative filmmakers.

  • Additionally, 20th Digital Studio will premiere Bite Size Halloween Jr., a series of three original animated short films to help families celebrate Halloween 2020 at home.
  • Bite Size Halloween Jr. features the following:
    • “Back to Cave One”: Created by Passion Pictures’ directing duo Maryka & Quenn, “Back to Cave One” follows a caveman and his daughter in the far future re-discovering the lost tradition of trick-or-treating in beautiful CG animation.
    • “Cow Aliens”: Creator David Nessl’s unique hybrid animation style depicts the intrepid Cocoa Fia and her crew of Cow Aliens on the search for "Moo" across the universe; landing on a planet made entirely of candy, where they discover sugary treats and sarcastic vampires.
    • “Plane Jane”: A young girl and her pet duck tell the story of the me they were stuck on an airplane over Christmas, haunted by an omni-present Santa Claus, in stunning stop-moon by director Max Winston.
  • Formerly Fox Digital Studio, 20th Digital Studios’ short film series previously-tiled Bite Size Horror, was released during the 2017 Halloween season and aired on broadcast and online.
  • This is the first year that family-friendly animated shorts are included.

What they’re saying:

  • David Worthen Brooks, EVP of 20th Digital Studio: “20th Digital Studio and the Bite Size series provide a platform for emerging storytellers and give them the resources needed to realize their vision. Each short episode can also act as a low risk proof-of-concept for a feature version of the short, providing the filmmaker concrete steps toward their larger ambion. This energy and excitement in short form horror provides a global arena for a community of diverse filmmakers.”