This year, I am absolutely over the (full) moon to announce that I am a finalist for the 2020 Golden Stake Literary Award, an annual award for the very best in vampire fiction. It is part of the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival (IVFAF), an event which takes place in Transylvania every Halloween, bringing together vampire media-makers from across the world.
Also known as #vampfest, the IVFAF was established in 2016 with the aim of bringing together vampire creatives from the genres of film, literature, academia and performing arts, hosting a fusion of these art forms in the magnificent setting of Sighisoara’s medieval citadel in the heart of Transylvania (pictured above). The festival has been listed as one of the top 100 festivals in the world for four years running and been the catalyst for a number of creative collaborations.
This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event will be run as a virtual event, broadcasting live and (un)dead from midday (Transylvanian time) on Friday 30th October, to the breaking of the dawn at Hallowe’en.
The online festival will include streaming of feature and short films nominated for the 2020 Golden Stake Awards, along with winners from the previous four years. Authors with nominated books (yours truly included), along with previous award winners, will conduct on-line readings. There will also be pre-recorded interviews and live Q&As with leading creatives in the vampire genre as part of the Vampire Creative Congress. The Vampire Academic Conference will hear and discuss the latest and best in-depth academic research on everything vampire via video conferencing. Finally, the 2020 Golden Stake Award Ceremony will be broadcast live – and you can be there too!
As the organisers say, “As darkness falls and Hallowe’en approaches and the veil between life and undeath grows thin, we’ll host a debauched sanguinary soirée with a playlist of the best vampire-themed tunes and videos. Carriages are required an hour before dawn to get you back to your coffins on time…”
If you were worried that Halloween was cancelled, here’s your chance to celebrate from the comfort of your home. You can get tickets completely free from Eventbrite here.
To find out more about the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival, visit their official website or check out their Facebook profile.
‘Til next time,
