Derwin Dalida

They say awards don’t matter until you win, ain’t that the truth! Thanks to our amazing cast who all have top notch comedic timing: Patrick McGrath (who will be getting married this November!), Desiree Manly, Alex Kravitz, Phillip Bahnam, Paul Todd, Ray Buffer, and Grant Crater. Comedy is very tough to nail, maybe the most difficult to do well of all genres. On opening night at @simifilmfest it was extremely humbling to hear the audience respond to the film with such boisterous reactions. We thought “how could it be better than that”? But Simi Film Fest and their 26 judges saw fit to award ‘Church Of Phil’ with the ‘Best Comedy’ award this year. Can’t say it enough, special thanks to @katiegaribaldi and @composerjoe and their team for choosing our movie to open their prestigious festival with our contemporaries watching along! Thanks for your event panels, which might actually help us with our next project in more ways than one! - Derwin Dalida writer/director of ‘Church Of Phil’ #simifilmfest #filmsimi #venturacounty #churchofphil

‘Church Of Phil’(a dark comedy horror feature film about a man who accidentally creates a cult) is an Official Selection of Happy Fright Film Festival 2025 (Oct. 17th-19th) in Fillmore, Ca! We are thrilled and honored to represent Ventura County at our first horror themed film festival 💪 3 days of horror movies, Q&As, stand-up, live performances, celebrities, and horror vendors (including the ‘Church Of Phil’ Team’)! More info and tickets: bit.ly/happyfright Special thanks to Sean Haitz and Paul Garcia for entrusting us to be one of the feature films shown at their prestigious event:D Starring @ptm4000 @desireejean1212 @alexkravitz1 @phillip1122 @paultodd_pt @grantcrater @raybufferproductions Written and Directed By @derwindalida Assistant Camera @caleb__colon Associate Producer @binspired2inspire Special Effects Artists @stansarts @maddiewebbmua Sound @andrewjohnson2187 Production Assistant @4meeps #hfff2025 #happyfrightfilmfest #happyfrightfilmfestival #mutantcityhorror #fillmoretowntheatre #churchofphil #venturacounty #fillmore #indiefilm #comedy #horror

A heartfelt thank you to @simifilmfest for a truly unforgettable night! What a phenomenal reaction for ‘Church Of Phil’, in which we are nominated for 5 awards. Working 2 jobs during a self funded film production which started in mid-2023 seemed like a near impossibility. One of those jobs was working as an assistant manager at @regencytheatres and by the generosity of ownership we were able to film at the now closed Paseo Camarillo Cinemas and Buenaventura Theater. A year and a half later with a determined core group of @ptm4000 @desireejean1212 @binspired2inspire @caleb__colon @paultodd_pt @andrewjohnson2187 we were able to complete our pseudo epic showcasing our home of Ventura County. I’m so elated for our team and the rest of the cast and crew to stick together through thick and thin, and we delivered a truly unique piece of art. Special thanks to @katiegaribaldi and @composerjoe for a festival experience that is unrivaled. You two truly care about the filmmakers, by not only showcasing their hard work, but also by fostering careers with event panels and mixers. Looking forward to attending the remaining films and especially excited to see Joe with @simivalleyorchestras to perform their craft:D #churchofphil #venturacounty

Thanks so much to @filmthreat for their awesome film review of our dark comedy indie film, ‘Church Of Phil’, a love letter to cinema and Ventura County💯 “You wanna get nuts, let’s get nuts!” Special thanks to @thatchrisgore Check it out, link in bio! (Warning: DEFINITELY some spoilers!) #churchofphil #moviereview #venturacounty #horrormovies #spoiler

Derwin Dalida is a Best 1st Time Director, Cinematography, Editing, and Sound Design Winner for ‘Church Of Phil’ at Hollywood Blood Horror Festival! This is the cherry on top for the best indie cast and crew :D #churchofphil #indiefilm #independentfilm #indiemovie #horror

Thanks so much to Hollywood Blood Horror Film Festival for awarding ‘Church Of Phil’ for 8 Total Wins at their horror themed film festival! Including Best Feature, Best First Time Director, Best Cinematography and Best Acting Awards given to Patrick McGrath, Desiree Manly, and Alex Kravitz! Congrats to the hardest working cast and crew, this is for you. More news to come:) #churchofphil #indiefilm #independentfilm #indiemovie #horror

Join us on IBF Interfleet Broadcasting podcast on Thurs. Jan 15th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST to talk about ‘Church Of Phil’! facebook.com/InterFleetBroadcasting Or search for IBF Interfleet Broadcasting on Facebook #churchofphil #indiefilm #horror #comedy

2025 has been unbelievable for our feature film ‘Church Of Phil’! Some of our highlights include: Best Feature Award wins at @shockfestadventure and @marinadelreyff Best Comedy Award win at @simifilmfest Best Ensemble Award wins at @centralcoastiff and @happy_fright_films An Official Selection at one of the best horror conventions in the US at @scarefestweekend We could not have dreamt for a better result for our micro-budget dark comedy horror film. We made so many connections and friends along the way, which made this journey truly worth it. In 2026, we will traverse some waters we have never tread before. We may have some cool things to announce very soon! To the best ensemble cast and hardest working crew, this is for you:D #churchofphil #venturacounty #camarillo #indiefilm #horror

All good things… will always be remembered. Thank you to @shockfestadventure for not only selecting ‘Church Of Phil’ to open their prestigious multi-interactive film festival, but also awarding us with ‘Best Feature Film’! So honored and humbled to be a part of a 18 year lineage that includes Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, Clive Barker, and James Gunn. So cool to meet up with the other passionate filmmakers so devoted to their craft. Special thanks to @multimediamatt and @traveler_trader_poker_daddy for making us feel so at home at their final event! #churchofphil #indiefilm #independentfilm #indiemovie #horror #horrormovies #horrorjunkie #shockfest #indiefilmmaker #filmmaking #indiefilm #shockfestadventure #shockfestfilmfestival #indiefilmmaking #filmmakerslife #bestfilmfestival #lasvegas #filmisdead #filmisalive

“Church Of Phil” (an award winning feature film about a theater maintenance man who accidentally creates a cult) is a one of the Lucky 13 films playing at the very LAST Shockfest Film Festival event in Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov 13th. Celebrate with us! Grab tickets here: shockfestadventure.com #churchofphil #indiefilm #independentfilm #indiemovie #horror #horrormovies #horrorjunkie #shockfest #indiefilmmaker #filmmaking #indiefilm #shockfestadventure #shockfestfilmfestival #indiefilmmaking #filmmakerslife #bestfilmfestival #lasvegas #filmisdead #filmisalive

Honored, thrilled, and humbled doesn’t begin to describe the feeling of being an Official Selection at Shockfest 2025 in Las Vegas, their FINAL live event! Congrats to our amazing hard working cast and crew, this is for you. Special thanks to Guil and Matt, what you’ve done for indie filmmakers and local businesses for nearly 2 decades is unparalleled. Thanks for entrusting us with opening duties at your prestigious event on Nov. 13th. Can’t wait to see y’all there, let’s bring down the house! #churchofphil #indiefilm #independentfilm #indiemovie #horror #horrormovies #horrorjunkie #shockfest #indiefilmmaker #filmmaking #indiefilm #shockfestadventure #shockfestfilmfestival #indiefilmmaking #filmmakerslife #bestfilmfestival #lasvegas #filmisdead #filmisalive

Join ‘Church Of Phil’ to watch the first round of nominees announced this Halloween October 31st at 4:30 pm PST (7:30 pm EST) on the Shockfest Adventure Radio Hour live on Instagram and Facebook! @shockfestadventure Help us send some good vibes 🤞 TICKETS to watch ‘Church Of Phil’ are available for $10 until November 1st, help us win the coveted audience award! Grab them now before the price for the VIP Ticket goes up to $50! This will be the LAST Shockfest event and you don’t want to miss this momentous climactic occasion! Shockfest Adventure comes to Las Vegas November 13th–14th #churchofphil #indiefilm #independentfilm #indiemovie #horror #horrormovies #horrorjunkie #shockfest #indiefilmmaker #filmmaking #indiefilm #shockfestadventure #shockfestfilmfestival #indiefilmmaking #filmmakerslife #bestfilmfestival #lasvegas #filmisdead #filmisalive