Within the word “purgatory”, it is easy to envision condemned souls, torment and darkness. However, purgatory may also reflect the cyclic state in which we often rediscover or recreate ourselves anew from within our personal inflictions. Sometimes it is the necessary stage to exorcise ourselves from the haunting ghosts of the past. Perhaps it is the serene place of self reflection and realization.

From within this, the DAMNED Exhibition of Enlightened Darkness proudly presents its seventh year exhibition of powerful cinema called Purgatory – A Cinematic Exploration of the Soul. Held on March 12th 2017 at Detroit’s Tangent Gallery, Purgatory will present approximately 90 minutes of short films of introspective, emotive and/or enlightened subject matters from filmmakers worldwide. This is not an industry-focused film festival, but a tributary showcase of the often redemptive films from the filmmaker’s personal collections.

7th Annual Purgatory Film Exhibition & Artist Bazaar
Sun March 12 2017 – Bazaar 4p-12mid – Showtimes 5p, 7p & 9p

Tangent Gallery/Hastings Ballroom, 715 E Milwaukee, Detroit
http://www.PurgatoryFilmExhibition.com

Submission are now being accepted for inclusion within the 2017 Purgatory Film Exhibition. There are no restrictions on content, style, medium or context, but your entry should be introspective, enlightened and/or experimental in essence. We are not seeking mere horror shorts, but something much more profound.

Please note that to qualify for submission:

- You must be the writer, director or producer of the film
- The overall running length must be no longer than 13 minutes
- Review copy must be available to be viewed from FilmFreeway
- Selected films must be available in a non-compressed digital format for download, preferably from Dropbox

The final deadline for submissions is February 1st 2017.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • I was unable to attend, but I was really impressed with their communication and all the great marketing via three social media platforms. Looked like my film was in great international company, too. I'll definitely send them my new film for 2018.

    March 2017
  • Margaret Orr

    This is a truly unique event. Half film festival, half marketplace. It takes place in a not-great neighborhood of Detroit. However they provide parking with a guard so there's no danger of your car being broken into, and there are enough people around that I (an under 5 feet tall girl) never felt unsafe.

    I was the only filmmaker to show up to the event, so there wasn't much networking. And unfortunately there was no opportunity for me to speak to the audience or answer questions. I wish I'd had the opportunity to meet more people.

    Not many people showed up for the event either. They had a huge space to show the film in with a great screen (which they had recently upgraded), but hardly any of the seats were filled. However those that were there seemed enthusiastic, and I was told that the organizers run several other events that are usually better attended. So maybe this was a freak thing? Hard to know what it might be like in other years.

    May 2016