Sunset Film Festival 2025

ASHEBORO — After a successful debut of a two-day film festival put on last January by Asheboro’s Ty Brueilly that featured the first 50th anniversary screening of the horror classic “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” the local organizer is doubling down this year.

This go-round, the Mightier Than The Sword Awards at Sunset Film Festival will be expanded to four days in an event that begins on Thursday and runs through Saturday night, signing off with three horror movies in its late-night Saturday finale.

“Forbidden Zone” and “Bloody Bridget” are two of the star attractions as are the movies’ director Richard Elfman and the “Bridget” star Anastasia Elfman, both of whom will be on hand for the showings.

“The Elfman name is magical, it’s unique, it’s quirky and it’s just what our festival needs,” Brueilly said. “Being submerged in the entertainment industry, I am able to cross paths with some of the same people I looked up to growing up, those who inspired me, and Richard is certainly one of those. 

“You have to be fully aware, that if it wasn’t for his efforts in the ’70s with creating The Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo there would have been no Oingo Boingo, no ‘Weird Science,’ therefore we might have never gotten a Tim Burton & Danny Elfman (Richard’s younger brother) teamup that totally reshaped the landscape and relationship that music and film have. Richard was that foundation.

“The history of this man’s work is fascinating, from kind of starting his journey with Le Grand Magic Circus in Paris to his passionate love and the inclusion of his wife, Anastasia, in so many aspects of his craft. I feel like we are in for a rare treat and the continuation of this new wave of culture for Asheboro.”

While the Elfmans’ work will be an event focus, in no way is it the only one. Animated shows, a day dedicated to just North Carolina movies and works, music and music videos, some comedy sprinkled in, Q&A panels, meet-and-greet sessions and some local awards, to boot — this event offers a little bit of something for film lovers of all ages.

The first attempt by Brueilly, a local multi-media entertainer and entrepreneur, led to nearly 1,000 attendees at the two-day event last January.

This event will feature some 75 films (mostly short films, but many feature length movies, too), with Thursday blocked off for films just made in North Carolina.

The screening blocks are dedicated to include documentaries, music videos, shorts and late night horror content and urban comedy from all over the world. 

“In my opinion, the word festival has lost its meaning when it comes to most events.” Brueilly said. “I want to make sure our event lives up to the festival name by exceeding our audience’s expectations and giving them such a unique and eclectic experience.”

Also featured during the event will be sculpture works from longtime Brueilly friend and collaborator Casey Mull of Hickory. Some of Mull’s work will adorn the theatre throughout the event, pieces of his “Faded Zodiac” series on each side of Sunset Theatre.

Among other guests during the event will be Rob Underhill, an award-winning film and media director, producer, director of photography, editor and writer with experience and credit in more than 100 films. The festival will screen five of Underhill’s films, including Underhill’s personal current favorite, “BOX BROWN: A Box Marked Freedom,” a work that was more than 10 years in the making.

Showing five of one director’s films is one of Brueilly’s aims after he attended numerous film festivals on his own.

“For almost seven years, I got very familiar and experienced with the film festival circuit, mostly outside of N.C., and a lot of times, I would watch a film and want more from that director, and very rarely is there an opportunity to see more than one or two of any given director’s films in a festival. 

“So I wanted to change that and offer that to our audiences and filmmakers for MTTS Awards at Sunset Film Festival and give a spotlight on a particular director that could help define that year’s fest for us.”

The event begins at 10 a.m. each morning and runs through 11:59 p.m. each evening, with segments of the day broken into various blocks of entertainment, both live and on-screen. 

A four-day pass to the event, which allows the user to come and go at will all four days, is $50. Single-day passes are $15 and let the user come and go throughout the selected day. 

Tickets can be purchased at the door at the Sunset Theatre, 234 Sunset Ave., in downtown Asheboro. 

Sunset Film Festival Schedule

(Updated through Jan. 4; see final schedule at www.filmandfashionbybrueilly.com/mttsawards)

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

HOMETOWN HONORS

- Marigold’s Bloom

followed by Q&A panel

- The Crew 

followed by Q&A panel

4-5 p.m.

INTERNATIONAL BLOCK

- Visitation 

- Won Soen-Road To Completeness

- Verflechtung

- I Want To Leave Brussels 

5-7 p.m.

DINNER & SOCIAL HOUR

location and details TBA

7-9 p.m.

RECEPTION CONCERT & FESTIVAL WELCOMING / INTRODUCTION

performers and details TBA

9-11 p.m.

- Big Top Evil

followed by Q&A panel

11-11:59 p.m.

- You Don’t Know Jack (Pilot)

- The Pinto Variety Hour

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

10-11 a.m.

ANIMATION & MORE BLOCK

- Agrinoui

- Echoes

- Buried

- Down Home

11 a.m.-1 p.m.

WE ARE RANDOLPH BLOCK

- You! Go! Truth Be Told

followed by open community conversation

1-2 p.m.

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

- From Pen To Paper

followed by open community conversation

2-4 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINA BLOCK ONE

- An Evening With The Tailor

- Premonition

- Falling Out

followed by a Q&A panel

4-5 p.m. 

NORTH CAROLINA DOCUMENTARIES

- Heart Cracked Open

- Refabricated

5-5:30 p.m. 

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

- PhotoSophia with Chuck Egerton, Ph.D.

5:30-8 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINA BLOCK TWO

- A Therapist

- Gift 

- Carassius Auratus

- Sour Notes

- Birthday Boy

- Dear Daughter

- A Swan’s Song

- The Essence Of Dissociation

- Bixwad Begins

Q&A panel after each film if representation is in attendance

8-10 p.m.

CORNERSTONE COMEDY

- Doubting Tom

followed by a Q&A panel

10-11:59 p.m.

LATE NIGHT SHORTS

- Violence Of Action

- The Greater Good

- The Red Market

- The BBQ

- The Patricia Party

- Glaistig

- Foot The Bill

- The Encounter

- A Real Life

- Bound By Bushwick

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

[Supplemental Activity 4-10 p.m.— LEO’S WHISKEY BAR WILL HOST CIGAR NIGHT ONE BLOCK FROM THEATRE]

10-a.m.-noon

STRENGTH IN SHORTS BLOCK ONE

- For Love Or Rock

- Left For Dead

- Sinners

- My Shadow

- Late Sleeper

- Down Home

- Eleanor Sandy Torrey West

- The One That Got Away

12-2 p.m.

A CONVERSATION WITH THE ELFMANS

former Music Editor of Rolling Stone Mark Kemp sits down on stage with Richard and Anastasia Elfman

2-5 p.m.

STRENGTH IN SHORTS BLOCK TWO

- Alien Abduction

- Slasher Sessions

- ... And Then The Darkness

- Cold Blood

- With Tits

- Tutu Grande

- Enter The Room

- Little Bird Song

- It Had To Be You

- Antisocial

- Sister

- You Don’t Know Jack (Woman)

- A Second Chance To Die

Q&A panel after each film if representation is in attendance

5-6 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY FILMMAKER DISCUSSION

6-7 p.m.

MUSIC VIDEO BLOCK

- Million And One - Shame Gang ft. Erick Lottary & Devn

- Allah’s Interlude - OC From NC ft. DJ Flash

- 2nd Placer - Illpo

- How, Wow - Project 51

- Bleeding Garden - Mama Doom

- Hash - Crackle Kapone

- Evergreen - Creatio

- Me, Myself & My Microphone - D-Skills

- Face Down - FAT

- Heavy - FAT

- Raptoons - B-Villainous

MORE TBA

7-7:50 p.m.

BURLEY BLOCK

- Rock And Roll Jesus (Take Me Home) - Creatio

- Expert - Marshall Alexander, Ty Bru & Stitchy C

- You’re Loved Somewhere Else 

with special introduction by Sonni Von T & followed by a Q&A panel

7:50-8 p.m.

BELLEVUE BLOCK

- Bellevue Bob 

North Carolina Premiere

8-10 p.m. 

HORROR HEADLINER THE ELFMAN EXPERIENCE PART ONE 

- Aliens, Clowns & Geeks

Special Q&A with director, Richard Elfman

10-11:59 p.m. 

BUCK BLOCK

- How To Save A Milestone 

followed by a Q&A panel

SATURDAY, JAN. 11

10 a.m.-noon

- Rubber Bullets

- Real As The Moon Landing

- You Don’t Know Jack (Tres Chicas)

- You Don’t Know Jack (Paid In Full)

MORE TBA

Q&A panel after each film if representation is in attendance

12-1 p.m.

DISCUSSIONS & SPEAKERS

1-3 p.m. 

PENS AND POWER BLOCK

- Doublewide

- Who Would You Love Now

- Left For Dead

- From Pen To Paper

with special introduction by Paul Sutton & followed by a Q&A panel

- Just Plowboys

followed by a Q&A panel

3-5:30 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINA BLOCK THREE DISTINCTIVE DIRECTOR FEATURE

- In The Matchbox

- Box Brown: A Box Marked Freedom

followed by a conversation with Busta Brown’s The Bridge and Rob Underhill

5:30-7 p.m.

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD AWARDS CEREMONY & SHOW

Hosted By Busta Brown

Randolph Jazz Band Combo

7-10 p.m. 

THE ELFMAN EXPERIENCE PART TWO (DOUBLE FEATURE)

- Forbidden Zone

Special 45th anniversary screening with introduction performance by director Richard Elfman, and more

- Bloody Bridget

With special introduction performance by lead actress Anastasia Elfman and more

10-11:59 p.m. 

FINALE

- Cannibal Comedian