- Evening of screenings sees awards distributed for the seventh annual Indy Film Library Halloween Horror Showcase
- Zij scoops Best Film, as writer-and-star Isis Caljé also picks up Best Screenplay
- The Red Lights of Town’s Dia Taylor named Best Director, while Contac T’s Nick Vorsselman scoops Best Cinematography
On Saturday 24th October 2026, Indy Film Library (IFL) returned to showcase its annual selection of horror movies to a live audience for the second time. Taking place at the Supermercator social space, in partnership with the Cinemercator events label, viewers were treated to six short chillers from the Benelux and beyond.
Speaking at the start of the event, IFL Chief Editor Jack Benjamin commented, “For our first five years, our horror event was digital – but there was something magic about finally getting it on a physical screen. And it’s wonderful to be back here at Supermercator with a new slate of horror, fresh from the vault. The running theme of tonight’s films seems to be death. That can be sad. That can be brutal, or horrific. But I think death is also something we misunderstand, because it is also an affirmation of life. It’s the full-stop that punctuates the end of our sentence – but without it, we couldn’t appreciate what’s in front of us right now. And what is it that we’ve got right now? We don’t have Hollywood. We don’t have the glitz and the glamour, the billions of dollars. What we do have is a room full of talented people, and a space devoted to creation – of finding new ways to speak about and understand our world, through art, through storytelling, through human connection. I’m old enough now to realise, finding cool people to work with, and a venue that isn’t going to scalp you for a booking fee, is a combination rarer than rocking horse shit. And, in this brief intermission, I suspect, between far-right governments that are going to make it harder and harder for that to exist, we need to use that breathing space to work together. Let’s support Supermercator and their crowd funding campaign on Voor de Kunst running until November 27th. And then next year, let’s meet up again for another bigger, better, spookier Halloween showcase!”
The following selection played to a full house in the Amsterdam culture hub. And following a Q&A with the directors, winners were announced across eight categories.
The list of accolades distributed sees Best Film handed to supernatural family horror Zij. The film’s writer and lead actor, Isis Caljé, was awarded Best Screenplay for her patient and emotionally charged script, which also paid homage to the classic slasher franchises of the 1980s.
The award for Best Director was given to Dia Taylor, for her efforts overseeing bittersweet ghost story The Red Lights of Town. Nikolai Egel meanwhile picked up Best Actor for his performance as the loveable lead, looking to put right a family trauma against all the odds.
Best was presented to Natalie Spencer, for her script for nature-based horror HUNGER. The script turns the idea of a human-led world on its head, gradually suggesting that as powerful as people might believe they are, they are still ultimately beholden to their environments. Best Score was also picked up by the film’s composer Lucas Lescano, whose score supplies a relentless, ominous heartbeat to proceedings.
Best Editing was picked up by the stunning zombie animation Dooie Boel, with directors Junaid Chundrigar and Paco Vink picking up the certificate and badge. The film is a lovingly assembled farce, which shows how our desire for the world to go back ‘to normal’ at any cost deepening the crises we experience in our everyday lives.
Best Cinematography was picked up by Nick Vorsselman for the nightmarish visuals of Contac T. The stark skylines and claustrophobic close-ups disorientate viewers in a way which puts them in the emotional turmoil of a grieving father – as his daughter reaches out from beyond the grave.
Best Sound Design was attributed to Arno Willemstein for ghoulish practical effects nightmare Gnomes. The upsettingly squishy noises are key to making the film’s central gore believable, with squeamish viewers being advised of where the venue’s toilets were, before the film played.
Best Score meanwhile went to Leonardus Hogendoorn, for his work on the chilling Rubik’s Cube – using a soundtrack reminiscent of Pink Floyd to explore the real-world terror of a school shooting.
Speaking in praise of the winners, Benjamin added, “I love this genre, and it remains the lifeblood of independent cinema. Tonight, we have seen exactly why that is – demonstrating the kind of nightmarish world-building and self-examination that are possible in this space, even with a tiny budget. As well as congratulating the winners, I have to thank every single artist involved in the films for helping make that dream a nightmarish reality. Importantly, I need to say special thanks to the amazing teams at Cinemercator, and Supermercator. And of course, I hope everyone who attended tonight has a Happy Halloween.”
Full list of winners:
Best Sound Design
Arno Willemstein (Gnomes)
Best Score
Leonardus Hogendoorn (Rubik’s Cube)
Best Cinematography
Nick Vorsselman (Contac T)
Best Editing
Junaid Chundrigar & Paco Vink (Dooie Boel)
Best Actor
Nikolai Egel (The Red Lights of Town)
Best Screenplay
Isis Caljé (Zij)
Best Director
Dia Taylor (The Red Lights of Town)
Best Film
Zij
-ENDS-
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