The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre
a film by Danny Ashkenasi
from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe
A desperate composer imagines himself both the victim and the Inquisition in Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum”. Reality and fantasy converge with frightening consequences.
Official Selection
Afraid. Online Film Awards – Alibag Short Film Festival – American Filmatic Arts Awards – Art Film Awards – Art is Alive Film Festival – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image – Asia Film Festival – Asia South East Short Film Festival (Special Mention) – Autumn’s Dawn Film Festival – 180′ Berlin Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Berlin New Wave Film Festival – Best Short Fest (semi-finalist) – Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition (Quarter Finalist) – Bloody Hats Festival – Brooklyn International short Festival – Chain NYC Film Festival – CK Film Festival – Couch Film Festival – Cuckoo International Film Awards – Cult Critic Movie Awards – The Cutting Room International Short Film Festival NYC – The Cyprus Horror Society – Diabolical Horror Film Festival – DreadRock: A Horror Film Festival – Druk International Film Festival – Festival Angaelica – FFTG Awards Film Fest – FILMESQUE Cinefest NYC – Fotofilm International Short Film Festival – Germany International Film Festival – Goa Short Film Festival – Gold Star Movie Awards – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Golden Short Film Awards – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards – H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival – Himachal Short Film Festival – Hollywood Gold Awards – Horror Bowl Movie Awards – Horror Island – Horror Movie Freaks Film Fest – Horrors4You – iFilms International Short Film Festival – Indapuram International Short Film Festival – Independent Horror Movie Awards – Indie Gathering International Film Festival – International Film festival Manhattan – International New York Film Festival – International Short Film Festival – King’s Cross Film Awards – L’HIFF Love and Hope Barcelona International Film Festival – Liberty Film Awards – Lift Off Global Network New York – London International Film Festival – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival London – Luis Bunuel Memorial Award – Maverick Movie Awards – Mexico Film Festival Awards – Naked Mountain International Independent (short) Film Festival – New York City IO Film Festival – New York Movie Awards – The New York Science Fiction and Horror Film Festival – New York State International Film Festival – Nyack International Film Festival – Oakland Awards – Offshore Film Festival – Pigeon D’Or Awards – Piermont Film Festival (Honorable Mention) – Pune Short Film Festival – Rising International Short Film Festival – Rangkarmi International Short Film Festival – Romford Film Festival – Royal Society of Television and Motion Picture – Sacramento World Film Festival – Shanghai Short Film Festival – short-filmz – Silver Mask Live Festival – Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival – So You Think You Can Direct/Act Competition – SOFIE Short Film Awards – South Film and Arts Academy Festival – Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival – Spotlight Film Awards – Stanley Film Awards – Stardust Films and Screenplay Festival – Sunfest International Short Film Festival – Swiss International Film Festival – 13Horror.com – Thrills and Chills Film Awards – Transparent Film Festival – Tuesday of Horror – Uruvatti International Film Festival – Virgin Spring Cinefest – Winter Film Awards International Film Festival – World Cine Fest – World Premiere Film Awards
Awards
(Short) Film
Afraid. Online film award – Alibag Short Film Festival (Nominee) – American Filmatic Arts Awards (Best Experimental Short) – Art is Alive Film Festival (nominee) – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image (Juror’s Awards & Best Dark Themed Short) – Berlin New Wave Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Brooklyn International short Festival (semi-finalist) – Couch Film Festival (nominee) – Cuckoo International Film Awards – The Cutting Room International Short Film Festival NYC (Honorable Mention) – The Cyprus Horror Society – Diabolical Horror Film Festival (nominee) – Druk International Film Festival – Fotofilm International Short Film Festival (nominee) – God Star Movie Awards – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards – Hollywood Gold Awards – Horrors4You (nominated) – Indapuram International Short Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Indie Gathering International Film Festival – King’s Cross Film Awards – LA Indie Horror Fest (Honorable Mention) – London International Film Festival (Honorable Mention) – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival London (Nominee Medium-Length Film / Dance or Poetic Film / Comedy or Musical) – Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards – New York City IO Film Festival (2nd Place) – New York Movie Award – The New York Science Fiction and Horror Film Festival – New York State International Film Festival – Nyack International Film Festival (Best Musical) – Oakland Awards (nominee) – Robinson Film Awards (Best International Short – December and Annual & Best Experimental Short – December) – Royal Society of Television and Motion Picture – Sacramento World Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Silver Mask Live Festival – South African Horrorfest – 13Horror.com (Honorable Mention) – South Film and Arts Academy Festival – Spotlight Film Awards (Gold Award) – Triborough Film Festival (nominee Short Film / nominee People’s Choice) – Uruvatti International Film Festival – Virgin Spring Cinefest – World Premiere Film Awards
Actor
Art is Alive Film Festival (nominee) – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image – Druk International Film Festival – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Independent Horror Movie Awards – Romford Film Festival Audience Award – SOFIE Short Film Awards (nominee) – South African Horrorfest – South Film and Arts Academy Festival (Honorable Mention) – Stardust Films and Screenplay Festival – Transparent Film Festival (Nominee) – Triborough Film Festival (nominee)
Music
Cult Critic Movie Awards – The Cyprus Horror Society – Druk International Film Festival – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Golden Short Film Awards (soundtrack finalist) – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards – Hollywood Gold Awards (Honorable Mention) – Independent Horror Movie Awards (Nominee) – Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards – Naked Mountain International Independent Film Festival – New York True Venture Film Festival – Pigeon D’Or Award (Honorary Mention) – Robinson Film Awards (December and Annual)- South African Horrorfest – Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival – Thrills and Chills Film Awards (Nominee) – Transparent Film Festival – Triborough Film Festival (Nominee) – Uruvatti International Film Festival – World Premiere Film Awards
Technical
Art is Alive Film Festival (Cinematography – Directing nominee) – Art Film Awards (Sound Design) – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image (Directing / Editing / Cinematography nominee / Sound Design nominee) – Autumn’s Dawn Film Festival (Cinematography / Editing / Sound) – The Cyprus Horror Society (Costumes) – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards (VFX) – Horror Movie Freaks Film Festival (Cinematography)- Independent Horror Movie Awards (Editing & Special Effects Nominee) – Indie Gathering International Film Festival (Cinematography / Editing nominee) – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival London (Nominee: Production Design) – Maverick Movie Awards (Art Direction) – The NEXT International Short Film Festival (Editing) – So You Think You Can Direct and Act (SYTYCA) – (Directing) – SOFIE Short Film Awards (Styling – nominee) – South Film and Arts Academy Festival (Awards: Art Direction, Costume Design, Editing, Lighting – Honorable Mention: Direction, Production) – Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival (VFX nominee) – Triborough Film Festival (Production Design / Sound Design / Wardrobe) World Premiere Film Awards (Costumes)
Select Articles
On Set Diary:
P&P – Today the Hair Gets Shorn
Thank You to the Crew of “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”
P&P – The Revealing of the Cake
P&P – Day 2 – Blood on the Floor
P&P – Day 2 – The Merchant’s House
P&P – Day 2 – The Destruction of the Cello
P&P – Day 3 – Adventures with a Porta-Jib
P&P – Day 5 – The Pendulum Swings
P&P – Day 6 & 7 – The Walls Close In
P&P – Day 7 – Into the Kiddie Pool
P&P – DAY 8 – Hanging On For Dear Life
Pre/Post-Production:
P&P – Intimations of the Horrors to Come
P&P Portraits in Color Grading
“An Enjoyably Disturbing Piece of Cinema”
Festivals
PIT AND PENDULUM in the EAST VILLAGE
P&P at NEW YORK LIFT-OFF FILM FESTIVAL
P&P at the OFFSHORE FILM FESTIVAL
P&P at CHAIN NYC FILM FESTIVAL
P&P WEDNESDAY in KOLKATA and NYACK
The FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE at INDIE GATHERING, CHAIN NYC & NYACK
P&P Screening in NEW YORK this Friday
Up the Hudson to Albany and NYSIFF
3X P&P in OR, AR & NC this SAT
P&P Climbs the NAKED MOUNTAIN in the SPOOKY EMPIRE
“Thank you for making me enjoy a musical, in a special way.”
P&P at TRIBOROUGH FILM FESTIVAL
P&P’s ART is ALIVE & ALIBAG WEEKEND
P&P WFA Screenings Sunday & Thursday at the CINEMA VILLAGE
Astoria Filmmaker’s Club Article
Awards:
P&P VIRGIN SPRING CINEFEST AWARD
P&P’s GOTHAMITE and ART FILM AWARDS
P&P’s STARDUST BEST ACTOR AWARD
P&P WORLD PREMIERE FILM AWARDS
P&P’s INDEPENDENT HORROR MOVIE AWARD
AFRAID. ONLINE FILM AWARD for P&P
NYTVFF awards BEST MUSIC SCORE to P&P
SHORT FILM AWARDS Nominations for P&P
P&P wins 3 AWARDS at AUTUMN’S DAWN FILM FESTIVAL
5 Awards for P&P at The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image
SYTYCA DIRECTING AWARD for P&P
P&P SOUTH AFRICAN HORRORFEST AWARDS
NEW YORK CITY IO FILM FESTIVAL AWARD
P&P’s INTERNATIONAL FILM NOMINATION
P&P at TRIBOROUGH FILM FESTIVAL
P&P’s AMERICAN FILMATIC ARTS AWARD
P&P wins BEST HORROR FEATURETTE at NYSFFF
2 ANNUAL ROBINSON FILM AWARDS for P&P
Romford Film Festival Audience Award – Best Performance
SFAAF Honorable Mentions:
AWARDED for PRODUCTION DESIGN, WARDROBE & SOUND DESIGN
also NOMINATED for the PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
ANNUAL AWARDS
DECEMBER AWARDS
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (SHORT) – BEST EDITING NOMINEE (SHORT)
THE CYPRUS HORROR SOCIETY
BEST HORROR MUSICAL
BEST COSTUME DESIGN – BEST FILM SCORE
BEST SOUNDTRACK
NAKED MOUNTAIN INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
BEST MUSICAL – NYACK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022
WINNER – BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – ACTION/ADVENTURE SHORT FILM
NOMINEE – BEST ACTOR – SHORT FILM
NOMINEE – BEST DIRECTOR – ACTION/ADVENTURE SHORT FILM
NOMINEE – BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE SHORT FILM
Best Film – Budget over $5000 (nominated)
MAVERICK MOVIE SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: BEST ART DIRECTION
Notes from a Composer 