Festivids 2025-26
Sep. 27th, 2025 10:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aguntoaknifefightThank you for considering making me a vid! I'm aguntoaknifefight (swirlingvoid) on ao3. In this letter, I’ve included general preferences for style and then optional specifics for each fandom (listed alphabetically). Everything except the Finrod Rock Opera umbrella is a safety fandom. While I do include some notes about what I like about them in case that is helpful for you, these are all sources that I would like literally any vid about. Go whatever direction you’re pulled towards!
Vids: I enjoy a variety of vid styles, including character studies, ensemble vids, critiques, dance vids, and vids that show the development of a relationship (whether romantic or not). Themes I particularly like are foils/doubles/doppelgangers, crises of faith (not specifically religious), and connection, but don’t feel tied to any of these.
Music: Whatever kind of music you think will work with the source is good for me! I prefer lyric-guided vids, but don’t have a genre preference otherwise. If the song is not in English, I would appreciate a translation in the subtitles so I can understand it. I prefer added audio not to overlap with lyrics, and would prefer it to not be present in the majority of the vid (unless the entire song is instrumental, in which case it is completely fine). I do like dialogue as a “button” at the end/beginning of vids which sums up the theme(s). I would appreciate a heads-up in the author’s notes if pronouns or gendered words within the song do not match the gender of a nonbinary and/or trans character within the vid, but I have no issue with it otherwise.
Visuals: I would prefer a minimum of flashing lights (I find them overwhelming), but quick cuts are fine. I do not like text on screen outside of credits, but highly request subtitles (default Youtube style is preferred, but if they need to be hardcoded, that’s fine as long as they don’t move and are easy to read).
Рок-опера «Финрод» | Finrod The Rock Opera [UMBRELLA]
What is it: This is a Russian rock opera adapting part of Tolkien’s Lay of Lethian (partially recounted in both the Lord of the Rings and more fully in the Silmarillion). Beren and Luthien are star-crossed lovers who can only marry if Beren completes an impossible and suicidal task; he recruits the titular Elf king Finrod to help him do so.
Where can I find it: Many full productions are on youtube! In terms of visuals, my favorite is this 2022 one but a bunch can be found in this playlist. (Only the 2014 version and this one have an English subtitle track, but asterisq on ao3 has created an excellent line-by-line English translation of the lyrics for both the 2014 production and 2021-2023 ones which can be found here.)
Major content warnings: Death of a major character, mind control, orcs
What do I like about it?: The Silmarillion has fully eaten my brain recently, but on top of that, a rock opera is a really excellent medium to adapt the legendarium into. I love Luthien’s complete refusal to let the world become a place she doesn’t recognize, I love Finrod’s frankly kind of suicidal honor, and I love the messy family dynamics (between both the House of Finwe and Thingol, Melian, and Luthien) and Galadriel as narrator. And I love the way the battles of music can be both seen and heard! (I also wrote a promo post for this for Innumerable Stars, which I’m linking here in case it’s helpful, though it’s more aimed at a fic-writing audience.)
Jamie Marks is Dead (2014)
What is it: A supernatural horror drama film about a high schooler haunted by the ghost of his recently deceased classmate.
Where can I find it: Hoopla (free), Plex (free), Fandango at Home (free with ads), Apple TV
Major content warnings: Suicide (not shown)
What do I like about it?: I like horror movies that are sad, and this is one of them. I particularly like this movie’s take on what it means to be a ghost, as well as Jamie and Adam’s relationship. (Canonically, Jamie has a crush on Adam, while Adam is straight; I like relationships that occupy ambiguous spaces [such as requiring some thought as to whether it should be “&” or “/”] but I wouldn’t mind a more explicitly romantic vid.)
Next to Normal (Donmar Warehouse 2025)
What is it: Next to Normal is a musical about a woman with bipolar disorder and her family. The Donmar Warehouse production is a proshot from the recent West End performance.
Where can I find it: if you have PBS Passport, it’s here. Otherwise, it’s likely that it’ll pop up unofficially on Youtube.
Major content warnings: Grief, mental illness, suicide attempt, death of a child
What do I like about it?: This is one of my favorite musicals; I would love a vid about any of the family members. I love how real and messy it feels, and how every character is sympathetic even as they’re flawed.
The Prince - Abigail Thorn (Southwark Playhouse)
What is it: Background characters in Henry IV, Part I realize they are trapped in a Shakespeare play and attempt to escape into the real world, while also helping Hotspur realize that she is a woman.
Where can I find it: Nebula.
Major content warnings: One use of the f-slur by a gay character towards himself.
What do I like about it?: This play gave me a lot of trans feelings, particularly about how scary it can be to leave the closet. I would prefer a vid focused on Hotspur and her journey, but would be happy with any other character/duo/ensemble as well.
Tiger Stripes (2023)
What is it: A body horror film about puberty. The outgoing Zaffan is one of the first girls in her class to get her period and it comes with a host of terrifying physical changes and social isolation.
Where can I find it: Shudder, Apple TV, Amazon
Major content warnings: Bullying, body horror (transformation into tiger)
What do I like about it?: I like how realistic the writing is for the characters; they really feel like they’re kids. I like how Zaffan is forced to reckon with the new expectations placed on her, and how she finds space outside of them.
Den Stygge Stesøsteren | The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
What is it: A satirical body horror black comedy retelling of Cinderella, focused on one of the Ugly Stepsisters.
Where can I find it: Shudder, Apple TV, Philo, Fandango at Home
Major content warnings: Surgery, tapeworm, vomiting
What do I like about it?: One of my favorite things about this is how the basic Cinderella story is not altered at all — Agnes is going through all of the recognizable parts and is genuinely sympathetic, even as we’ve broadened the canvas to include the stepsisters within that sympathy. I liked the sense of wealthy womanhood being a losing game that the film sets up, even as the sisters attempt to escape it at the end.
Le Vourdalak | The Vourdalak (2023)
What is it: A French drama-horror vampire movie. An 18th-century French diplomat seeks shelter with a man named Gorcha somewhere in Eastern Europe and is met by his odd family. Several hours later, Gorcha returns from — but all but one of his children claim he is now a vourdalak (a vampire that targets family members).
Where can I find it: Hoopla (free), Kanopy (free), Shudder, Philo, Amazon Video, Fandango at Home
Major content warnings: Death (including of a child and a transfem(?) character), abusive family dynamics, orientalism, beheaded Turkish characters
What do I like about it?: Marionette vampire! (I was not prepared for this going in, and I love how effectively just seeing it drives home the point that this is undoubtedly 100% no longer your living father.) I particularly like Sdenka and Piotr’s relationship as the outsiders of the family. Also, this movie is saying something about queerness, but hell if I know what. The visual style of the film is also very dream-like.
Where the Devil Roams (2023)
What is it: A horror movie focused on a family of sideshow performers in the 1930s. Also, the devil is there.
Where can I find it: Tubi (free), Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Amazon Video
Major content warnings: A character repeatedly cuts his fingertips off, murder
What do I like about it?: This is a weird low-budget movie where the in-universe family is played by an actual family. I like the grim desolation of the 1930s, I like how weird the family is, and I like the folklore elements
Vids: I enjoy a variety of vid styles, including character studies, ensemble vids, critiques, dance vids, and vids that show the development of a relationship (whether romantic or not). Themes I particularly like are foils/doubles/doppelgangers, crises of faith (not specifically religious), and connection, but don’t feel tied to any of these.
Music: Whatever kind of music you think will work with the source is good for me! I prefer lyric-guided vids, but don’t have a genre preference otherwise. If the song is not in English, I would appreciate a translation in the subtitles so I can understand it. I prefer added audio not to overlap with lyrics, and would prefer it to not be present in the majority of the vid (unless the entire song is instrumental, in which case it is completely fine). I do like dialogue as a “button” at the end/beginning of vids which sums up the theme(s). I would appreciate a heads-up in the author’s notes if pronouns or gendered words within the song do not match the gender of a nonbinary and/or trans character within the vid, but I have no issue with it otherwise.
Visuals: I would prefer a minimum of flashing lights (I find them overwhelming), but quick cuts are fine. I do not like text on screen outside of credits, but highly request subtitles (default Youtube style is preferred, but if they need to be hardcoded, that’s fine as long as they don’t move and are easy to read).
Рок-опера «Финрод» | Finrod The Rock Opera [UMBRELLA]
What is it: This is a Russian rock opera adapting part of Tolkien’s Lay of Lethian (partially recounted in both the Lord of the Rings and more fully in the Silmarillion). Beren and Luthien are star-crossed lovers who can only marry if Beren completes an impossible and suicidal task; he recruits the titular Elf king Finrod to help him do so.
Where can I find it: Many full productions are on youtube! In terms of visuals, my favorite is this 2022 one but a bunch can be found in this playlist. (Only the 2014 version and this one have an English subtitle track, but asterisq on ao3 has created an excellent line-by-line English translation of the lyrics for both the 2014 production and 2021-2023 ones which can be found here.)
Major content warnings: Death of a major character, mind control, orcs
What do I like about it?: The Silmarillion has fully eaten my brain recently, but on top of that, a rock opera is a really excellent medium to adapt the legendarium into. I love Luthien’s complete refusal to let the world become a place she doesn’t recognize, I love Finrod’s frankly kind of suicidal honor, and I love the messy family dynamics (between both the House of Finwe and Thingol, Melian, and Luthien) and Galadriel as narrator. And I love the way the battles of music can be both seen and heard! (I also wrote a promo post for this for Innumerable Stars, which I’m linking here in case it’s helpful, though it’s more aimed at a fic-writing audience.)
Jamie Marks is Dead (2014)
What is it: A supernatural horror drama film about a high schooler haunted by the ghost of his recently deceased classmate.
Where can I find it: Hoopla (free), Plex (free), Fandango at Home (free with ads), Apple TV
Major content warnings: Suicide (not shown)
What do I like about it?: I like horror movies that are sad, and this is one of them. I particularly like this movie’s take on what it means to be a ghost, as well as Jamie and Adam’s relationship. (Canonically, Jamie has a crush on Adam, while Adam is straight; I like relationships that occupy ambiguous spaces [such as requiring some thought as to whether it should be “&” or “/”] but I wouldn’t mind a more explicitly romantic vid.)
Next to Normal (Donmar Warehouse 2025)
What is it: Next to Normal is a musical about a woman with bipolar disorder and her family. The Donmar Warehouse production is a proshot from the recent West End performance.
Where can I find it: if you have PBS Passport, it’s here. Otherwise, it’s likely that it’ll pop up unofficially on Youtube.
Major content warnings: Grief, mental illness, suicide attempt, death of a child
What do I like about it?: This is one of my favorite musicals; I would love a vid about any of the family members. I love how real and messy it feels, and how every character is sympathetic even as they’re flawed.
The Prince - Abigail Thorn (Southwark Playhouse)
What is it: Background characters in Henry IV, Part I realize they are trapped in a Shakespeare play and attempt to escape into the real world, while also helping Hotspur realize that she is a woman.
Where can I find it: Nebula.
Major content warnings: One use of the f-slur by a gay character towards himself.
What do I like about it?: This play gave me a lot of trans feelings, particularly about how scary it can be to leave the closet. I would prefer a vid focused on Hotspur and her journey, but would be happy with any other character/duo/ensemble as well.
Tiger Stripes (2023)
What is it: A body horror film about puberty. The outgoing Zaffan is one of the first girls in her class to get her period and it comes with a host of terrifying physical changes and social isolation.
Where can I find it: Shudder, Apple TV, Amazon
Major content warnings: Bullying, body horror (transformation into tiger)
What do I like about it?: I like how realistic the writing is for the characters; they really feel like they’re kids. I like how Zaffan is forced to reckon with the new expectations placed on her, and how she finds space outside of them.
Den Stygge Stesøsteren | The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
What is it: A satirical body horror black comedy retelling of Cinderella, focused on one of the Ugly Stepsisters.
Where can I find it: Shudder, Apple TV, Philo, Fandango at Home
Major content warnings: Surgery, tapeworm, vomiting
What do I like about it?: One of my favorite things about this is how the basic Cinderella story is not altered at all — Agnes is going through all of the recognizable parts and is genuinely sympathetic, even as we’ve broadened the canvas to include the stepsisters within that sympathy. I liked the sense of wealthy womanhood being a losing game that the film sets up, even as the sisters attempt to escape it at the end.
Le Vourdalak | The Vourdalak (2023)
What is it: A French drama-horror vampire movie. An 18th-century French diplomat seeks shelter with a man named Gorcha somewhere in Eastern Europe and is met by his odd family. Several hours later, Gorcha returns from — but all but one of his children claim he is now a vourdalak (a vampire that targets family members).
Where can I find it: Hoopla (free), Kanopy (free), Shudder, Philo, Amazon Video, Fandango at Home
Major content warnings: Death (including of a child and a transfem(?) character), abusive family dynamics, orientalism, beheaded Turkish characters
What do I like about it?: Marionette vampire! (I was not prepared for this going in, and I love how effectively just seeing it drives home the point that this is undoubtedly 100% no longer your living father.) I particularly like Sdenka and Piotr’s relationship as the outsiders of the family. Also, this movie is saying something about queerness, but hell if I know what. The visual style of the film is also very dream-like.
Where the Devil Roams (2023)
What is it: A horror movie focused on a family of sideshow performers in the 1930s. Also, the devil is there.
Where can I find it: Tubi (free), Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Amazon Video
Major content warnings: A character repeatedly cuts his fingertips off, murder
What do I like about it?: This is a weird low-budget movie where the in-universe family is played by an actual family. I like the grim desolation of the 1930s, I like how weird the family is, and I like the folklore elements
