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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insect Fear Film Festival | 2/7 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_Fear_Film_Festival | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T03:24:47.468923+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Insect art contest === Since 1993, the lFFF also features an Insect Art Contest for K–12 students, since 1993, inviting them to explore their creativity while learning about insects. Students (K–12) are encouraged to submit artwork that depicts insects and arthropods in any medium. The contest aims to inspire young minds to appreciate the beauty and complexity of these creatures, fostering a deeper understanding of the insect world. Winning entries are often displayed at the festival, providing an opportunity for students to showcase their work to the community. In 1990s, the contest was held with the Natural History Museum, where the winning drawings were displayed for two weeks. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 and 2022 Insect Art Contests were held online with a virtual art gallery to showcase students' artwork. In 2023, the contest returned to an in-person format. The insect-themed artwork contest is usually due by mid-February annually. Please submit your artwork to the Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA), UIUC, or contact the IFFF coordinators, typically the EGSA presidents, for details.
=== Bugscope === At the Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF), attendees will have the opportunity to experience a $600,000 high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) firsthand, gaining a deeper understanding of the true nature of insects with Bugscope. This interactive experience allows participants to remotely control the SEM and explore insects and arthropods, such as bees, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, and spiders, at sizes as small as 0.5–4 nanometers. The Bugscope team provides expert guidance, answering questions and offering insights into insect biology. By examining these creatures in extraordinary detail, festival-goers can counter common misconceptions perpetuated by Hollywood's insect-themed horror films.
=== Insect collection exhibit === The exhibit showcased a diverse array of exotic insects, each thoughtfully curated to align with the festival's theme and the featured films of the year. The display typically included diverse collection of exotic insects and rare specimens from across the globe, spotlighting unique species that either tie into the festival's focus or appear in the annual feature films. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the biology, behavior, and ecological roles of these insects from graduate students and experts, providing opportunities for up-close viewing and educational interaction. In 2021 and 2022, due to the pandemic, a virtual exhibit was held that provided a virtual tour of the Illinois Natural History Survey's insect collection.
=== Insect (or Honey) Tasting === In 1993, the IFFF served food made from insects for tasting. In 2000, the bee-themed year, the IFFF featured honey tasting.
== Themes and films ==
=== 43rd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2026) === The 43rd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) was held on February 28, 2026. The 2026 theme is “Insect-Human Hybrids,” focusing on films featuring mutant human–insect characters. Such hybrids are a recurring motif in folklore and popular culture, including figures such as Anansi and Seth Brundle from The Fly (1986). An episode of Sectaurs, adapted from the 1980s toy line featuring insect–human “tele-bonded” characters, was screened prior to the feature presentation. The feature film, Infestation (2009), depicts a global outbreak in which giant insects cocoon and transform humans.
=== 42nd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2025) === The 42nd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) took place on February 22, 2025. The year’s theme was “Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders.” Tarantulas, known for their multiple legs, rapid movements, and venomous fangs, were highlighted for the ways they evoke both fascination and fear. Hollywood bug wrangler Steven Kutcher presented clips from various horror films featuring tarantulas. The festival concluded with a screening of Arachnophobia (1990), a film in which a California town attempts to contain a deadly spider infestation..
=== 41st Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2024) === The theme of the 41st Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) was "Ant-Men" providing attendees with a unique and entertaining way to explore the fascinating world of ants, a highly social insect. The event highlighted ants' complex behaviors and drew intriguing parallels to human life. The films featured included The Ant Bully (2006), in which a boy, Lucas, is shrunk to ant size by ants, makes friends with them, and helps defeat an evil exterminator; and Ant-Man (2015), which follows a superhero who uses size-changing technology to communicate with ants.
=== 40th Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (2023) === In 2023, the 40th annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) focused on "living fossil" arthropods - species that have remained largely unchanged for millions of years. Featured films included Joe's Apartment (1996), in which cockroaches help their roommate fight developers, and The Monster That Challenged the World (1957), in which giant velvet worms wreak havoc in California. The festival also screened trailers for other films about living fossils and three episodes of Pike's Lagoon (2018–19), an animated series about a horseshoe crab. May Berenbaum, the festival's founder and head of the Department of Entomology, introduced the films, presented the art awards, and explained the biology behind 'living fossils', highlighting where the films got the science right - and where they went wrong.