About Scott
Scott Schirmer is an independent filmmaker based in Bloomington, Indiana. He is a commercial video producer and editor, as well as the writer and director of several films. His first feature-length film, Found, premiered at Elvira’s Horror Hunt in September 2012, where it won Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Actor. Found went on to win 39 awards at 49 festivals worldwide, including Best Picture at The Phoenix Film Festival, The New York City Horror Film Festival, and A Night of Horror Film Festival in Sydney, Australia. It was also an official selection of the 31st Annual Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and Toronto After Dark.
In 2015, Scott followed up Found by producing and editing two films with his partners at Forbidden Films LLC — the gore-filled Found spin-off Headless and the clown terror film The Legend of Wasco for Viva Pictures. Scott then formed Bandit Motion Pictures LLC with Brian K. Williams and in 2016 directed the erotic and atmospheric Harvest Lake and the primally charged Plank Face. In 2017, Scott co-produced Williams’ out-of-this-world sex comedy, Space Babes from Outer Space. His latest film, 2018's The Bad Man, received Best Horror Feature at the Nightmares Film Festival.
Scott (far right) with ‘Found’ cast & crew, and Elvira’s Horror Hunt judges. September 2012.
Scott started his pursuit of writing and filmmaking before the age of ten, first receiving recognition in the fifth grade when he received first prize in the Louisville Courier-Journal Young Authors Awards. During the same year, he also began his eight-year participation in the Association of Indiana Media Educators’ annual media fairs, winning five consecutive “best in state” awards for audio-visual presentations. As a high school senior, Scott wrote and directed his first short video, which later went on to win 3rd place in the International Student Media Festival, sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
At Indiana University in Bloomington, Scott focused on film theory and aesthetics while taking advantage of production courses in radio, film and television. During this time he produced several short films and videos, received excellent marks in screenwriting from playwright Dennis Reardon, and won a scholarship for his achievments in video art, under the tutelage of Georgia Strange. In 1995, he received a university grant to produce his first long-form video, Variations. While always a student of film, Scott earned his B.A. in sociology with a concentration on gender studies, an area of interest that colors his filmmaking.
Between 1996 and 2000, Scott managed Bloomington’s historic Von Lee Theatre and hosted the film music appreciation program “Sounds of Cinema” on the city’s community radio station, WFHB.
In the years leading up to Found, Scott wrote and directed several long-form shorts on video. The first was Boy in the Making (2000), a story about schoolyard bullying and the tragic consequences of young male peer pressure. The following year he explored a one night stand gone awry in the short subject Three Animals, One Stuffed (2001). In the nine years that followed, Scott made four more movies, including two horror films — Full Moon Sonny (2005) and House of Hope (2010), a gay-themed road comedy entitled Off the Beaten Path, and the supernatural drama The Day Joe Left, which became a top ten finalist in the Triggerstreet.com on-line film festival.
Scott is an avid film fan and regularly reviews movies from all periods and genres at scottsmoviereviews.com. When he’s not watching or making films, he likes to play board games with friends and enjoy the company of his green-cheeked conure, Cushing.
Scott Schirmer on IMDb (The Internet Movie Database)
Awards
The Groundbreaker Award -- 2019 BUT Film Festival, Breda Nederlands
Best Horror Feature (The Bad Man) – 2018 Nightmares Film Festival
Best Director (Plank Face) – 2016 A Night of Horror International Film Festival
Best Director (Harvest Lake) – 2016 Fright Night Theatre Film Festival
Best Picture (Headless) – 2015 Housecore Horror Film Festival
Best Screenplay (Found) – 2014 Fright Meter Awards
Best Director (Found) – 2014 Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival
Best Horror Feature (Found) – 2013 Phoenix Film Festival
Best Picture (Found) – 2013 A Night of Horror International Film Festival
Best Picture (Found) – 2013 New York City Horror Film Festival
Best Picture (Found) – 2013 Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival
Best Picture (Found) – 2013 Nevermore Film Festival
Best Picture (Found) – 2013 Eerie Horror Fest
Best Picture (Found) – 2013 New Orleans Horror Film Festival
Best Director (Found) – 2013 Innovative Film Festival
Best Editing (Found) – 2013 Innovative Film Festival
Best Picture (Found) – 2012 Elvira’s Horror Hunt
Best Director (Found) – 2012 Elvira’s Horror Hunt