Meat Friend
2022 | 8 min | English
An ex-con, sentient pile of hamburger meat teaches after-school lessons to a child.
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CAST
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Marnie McKendry
Megan Duffy
Steve Johanson (puppeteer, voice)​
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CREW
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Director, Co-Writer, Producer
Izzy Lee
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Co-Writer, Producer
Steve Johanson​
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Cinematographer, Poster Artist
Sophia Cacciola
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Editor, Sound Mixer, VFX Artist
Michael J. Epstein
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Puppet Designer, Additional VFX Artist, Poster Artist
Eli Dorsey
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Score Composer
Shayne Gryn
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Assistant Camera Operator, Still Photographer
Ryan Oksenberg
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Executive Producers
Paul Furio, Mary McDonagh, Bruce Labbate, Kevin Sluder, Carter Johnson
Special Thanks
The McKendrys, Gary Sherman, Adam Egypt Mortimer, Jeffrey Stackhouse, Shane Brady, Ryan Lambert, GD Dearborn, Chris Walas
"Izzy Lee's new short film, Meat Friend features a sentient pile of hamburger meat taken over by an ex-con, as it teaches after-school lessons to a child. You know, the important stuff... like 'how to make it look like an accident.'
In a strange time, Lee felt 'When life gets weird, get weirder. The global pandemic only made us want to escape to a more heightened place, an alternate reality where the unreal can happen, where absurdity meets the vaguely sinister.
What will happen next? No one knows. Welcome to the world of Meat Friend!"
— Angel Melanson, Fangoria.com
Screenings & Awards
World Premiere
Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival
Somerville, MA
2/18/22
Played with CRABS!
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Renegade Film Festival
Marietta, GA
3/5/22
Finalist, Side-Splitting Horror Comedy
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Boston Underground Film Festival
Cambridge, MA
3/26/22
Teenage Waterpolo (Comedy Block)
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International Premiere
Fantaspoa
Porto Alegre, Brazil
4/15/22
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Bonebat Comedy of Horrors Film Festival
Seattle, WA
5/7/22
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StokerCon's Final Frame Competition
Denver, CO
5/13/22
Audience Award
Etheria Film Night
Los Angeles, CA
6/18/22
Finalist
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Chattanooga Film Festival
VIRTUAL
6/23 - 6/28/22
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Oak Cliff Film Festival
Dallas, TX
6/25/22
Late Night Shorts
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Portland Horror Film Festival
Portland, OR
7/3/22
Abby Normal Award (exceptionally weird & disturbing)
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Canadian Premiere
Fantasia
Montreal, QC, Canada
7/15/22
Played with Blue Sunshine​
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Snake Alley Festival of Film
Burlington, IA
7/23/22
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European Premiere ​
FrightFest
London, United Kingdom
8/26/22
International Shorts Block​
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GenreBlast
Winchester, VA
9/3/22
Plays with Gouge Away
Nominated for Best Midnight/WTF, Best Screenplay, Best Poster
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Sydney Underground Film Festival
Sydney, Australia
9/9/22
WTF Block
WTF Audience Award
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Shawna Shea Film Festival
Worcester, MA
9/21/22
Opening Night shorts block
Shawna Spirit Award
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Charlotte Film Festival
10/1/22
Narrative Shorts #8
Charlotte, NC
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Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival
Winston-Salem, NC
10/31 - 11/1/22
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Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
Brooklyn, NY
10/14/22
Laugh Now, Die Later block
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Nightmares Film Festival
Columbus, OH
10/22/22
Never Play With Your Food block
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Vancouver Badass Film Festival
Vancouver, BC, Canada
10/23/22
Nominated for Best Writing
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Provoke Film Festival
Portland, Oregon
10/30/22
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Asian Premiere ​
Wench Film Festival
Mumbai, India
10/30/22
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FilmQuest
Provo, UT
11/4/22
“Laugh It Up, Fuzzball” – Comedy Shorts Block #17
Nominated for Minerva Award​
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Anomaly Film Festival
Rochester, NY
11/4/22
Played with HeGBG4
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Cucalorus
Wilmington, NC
11/16th & 19th
Hellbender Shorts
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Soho Horror Film Festival
London, United Kingdom
11/18 - 11/20/22 online
Played with HeGBG4
Gold Audience Award
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Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
11/19/22
Played with Glorious
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Monster Fest
Melbourne, Australia
11/27/22
Trasharama Shorts
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Be Afraid Fest
Gorizia, Italy
11/27/22
Horror Short Block II
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BizarroLand Film Festival
Orlando, FL
12/2-11/22 online
Welcome to BizarroLand 2: Casual Swim block
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South Texas Underground Film Festival
Corpus Christi, TX
12/4/22
Saturday Afternoon Shorts
Runner Up, Best of Fest Short
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Stranger Days Independent Film Festival
12/10/22
Charlotte, NC
Best Horror Comedy
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Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
San Francisco, CA
12/11/22
Strictly Local 3
Audience Award, Best Comedy Short
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FilmMaudit 2.0
Santa Monica, CA
1/14/23
Izzy Lee Retrospective
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Courts Mais Trash International Film Festival
Brussels, Belgium
1/26/23
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Final Girls Berlin Film Festival
Berlin, Germany
2/4/23
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Panic Fest
Kansas City, MO
4/14/23
Shorts Block #1
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Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival
Jim Thorpe, PA
4/22/23
Grindhouse Shorts
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Kalakari Film Festival
Dewas, India
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Gig Harbor Film Festival
Gig Harbor, WA
9/22/23
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The Dead of Night Film Festival
Liverpool, United Kingdom
10/7/23
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Morbido
Mexico City, Mexico
11/1/23
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South African Independent Film Festival
Cape Town, South Africa
11/22/23
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Camp Horror
Missoula, MT
8/30/24