About

Founded in 2010, Monster Pictures is one of Australia and New Zealand’s leading independent distributors of horror, cult and genre cinema. With a focus on bold, distinctive and boundary-pushing films, Monster Pictures has built a dedicated audience and a reputation as one of the region’s most recognisable genre brands.

In 2011, the company launched Monster Fest, which has grown to become Australia’s premier horror and genre film festival, and in 2025 expanded its commitment to Australian filmmaking with the launch of Monster Pictures Studios, a full-service genre studio encompassing development, financing, production and distribution.

From discovering and releasing international genre cinema to championing homegrown filmmakers and bringing new Australian productions to the screen, Monster Pictures is dedicated to keeping genre cinema weird, wild and firmly in front of an audience.

Monster Fest is a celebration of all that is weird and wonderful in the international cult cinema palette – horror, science fiction, fantasy, dark drama, black comedy, animation, and much more.

Founded in 2011 by genre distribution specialists Monster Pictures, Monster Fest is a mix of world premieres, international festival favourites, challenging new discoveries and curated repertory sidebars alongside panels, talks and filmmaker q&as with renowned international and local guests, and a special emphasis on supporting emerging Australian genre talent through the festival and beyond.

From its humble beginnings in Victoria back in 2011 at Cinema Nova to present day with nationwide festivals in partnership with Australia’s largest exhibition chain Event Cinemas, Monster Fest has grown to become the country’s premier genre film festival.

More than a film festival though, Monster Fest is about engagement and a shared experience, uniting its audience as community.

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MEET THE MONSTERS

Grant Hardie

CEO, Festival Director, Programmer

Grant Hardie, an RMIT film graduate, has worked within the Australian film industry for over twenty years in roles ranging from production through distribution. Grant’s passion for film harks back to late nights as a child, waiting for his parents to fall asleep before he would sneak out to the living room to catch a Hammer Horror film on television. This enthusiasm for genre cinema carried through Grant’s adult life and has proved a driving force behind co-founding Monster Pictures in 2010.

Ben Hellwig

Director of Home Entertainment, Technical Co-ordinator, Programmer

Ben has worked in all aspects of film distribution and exhibition for over half a decade, from acquisitions to product development, production, design, programming and everything in-between. Outside of Monster Pictures / Monster Fest, Ben is the co-founder of a boutique VHS distribution label, Celluloid Apocalypse, and co-produces the web-series Video Hoarders. He is also the co-host of the weekly film podcast Good Movie Monday – the home of nerdy cinematic ramblings

Kim Taylor

Monster Fest Operations Coordinator, Programmer

Kim is partner of and sidekick to Grant Hardie, together they travel the country with the Monster Fest Travelling Sideshow. Kim takes on many roles, least of which is the official photographer. Over the past decade Kim has worked as the stills photographer on several award-winning films. After a successful year studying Film and Television at Victorian College of The Arts, her graduating film INTERRUPTED played several film festivals around the world including Shepparton Shorts Film Festival, Brooklyn International Film Festival and SKANC Short Film Festival. Kim’s hunger and fervour for horror and genre films often finds her lamenting “let’s just eat and watch movies all night”.

Loretta Kindness

Executive Producer

Based in Brisbane, Loretta is one of the owners of Monster Pictures and is an Executive Producer of Monster Fest

Robert Kindness

Executive Producer

Based in Brisbane, Robert is one of the owners of Monster Pictures and is an Executive Producer of Monster Fest