Monday, 22 August 2022

Sci-Fi London Film Festival's 48-Hour Film Competition returns 10th-12th September

What do David Hasselhoff (Baywatch), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars) and Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) have in common? They have all taken part in the SCI-FI LONDON 48-HOUR Film Challenge... 
 

This August, SCI-FI-LONDON FILM FESTIVAL are once again launching their stellar, 14th annual, film competition. The 48-HOUR Film Challenge takes place on the weekend of 10th September 2022 for filmmakers across the globe. 

The event started in 2008 after SCI-FI-LONDON festival’s director, Louis Savy, visited lots of different festivals and spoke to filmmakers - he kept asking "have you made a sci-fi movie?". Mostly the answer was “we don’t have that kind of budget“.

Shane Carruth reportedly made Primer for $7000 – the main special effect was the innards of a washing machine. Surely, like any good film, you just need the right script, great actors and a good sound mix. If you want to make Avatar, sure you need 200 million dollars, but you can make sci-fi with very little budget and VFX - for example, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

The challenge’s first winner in 2008 was none other than filmmaker Gareth Edwards - with short film Factory Farmed. His debut feature, the multi-award-winning Monsters, was green-lit by Vertigo Films - after they saw his winning 48-hour short film and subsequently developed a feature with him. 

Gareth’s subsequent films include Godzilla (2014) and Star Wars: Rogue One. Other previous winners have included Vince Knight, who directed Blue Season (2010), featuring a fresh-faced Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Sharp - director of It's No Game (2017), starring David Hasselhoff. 

So, how does it work?

The Format 

On the day of the challenge, we give the teams the TITLE of the film they will make, some DIALOGUE that one of the characters must say to screen, and a list of PROPS that must be seen in the film. We also give an optional scientific/sci-fi theme or idea… this could include things like nano-tech, cloning, crypto or crispr… or something a little more “fringe”.

They then have until Monday morning to return the completed movie to us - written, shot and edited all within a weekend!

We don't mind if you shoot the film on a mobile or a professional film kit. It can be animated, live-action, feature a cast of 1000s, or just your pets - it just needs to be a sci-fi story and be written and produced within the time limit.

We shortlist all the completed films and the top 10 films go in front of our industry jury. This year the jury includes:

Elliot Grove - Founder and director of RAINDANCE
Christina Nowak - SMPTE board member and CINEGIRL ambassador
Simon Foster - Founder of Sydney Sci-Fi Film Festival
Sonya Pemberton – Award-winning Producer and science communicator
Two more jurors are yet to be confirmed.

In need of some inspiration?

Check out a selection of previous winners below: https://youtu.be/E2OdUVxHpjA

Gareth Edwards' - Factory Farmed: https://youtu.be/ABt2jlYPG6U
Vince Knight - Blue Season: https://youtu.be/E6QRAL6Sf4Y
Oscar Sharp - It's No Game: https://youtu.be/5qPgG98_CQ8

To sign up, go to: https://48hour.sci-fi-london.com
 
Entry is free and you can take part anywhere in the world! 

 

BBC3 comedy-horror series WRECK - Premiering at FrightFest

BBC Three have released a selection of first look images from WRECK, the upcoming thrilling comedy horror series created and written by Ryan J. Brown.

WRECK is a tense thriller, mixing comedy with a slice of slasher, set aboard The Sacramentum cruise ship. The series follows 20-year-old new recruit, Jamie, as he infiltrates the 3000 strong crew in a desperate race to find his missing sister. She was working aboard the same vessel on a previous tour and vanished mid charter. 


Jamie is initiated into cruise life and gets a crash course on the tribes within the staff: the theatre kids, the mafias and the low-paid workers. For this overworked and underpaid crew, life below deck can be an odyssey of partying and excess… and they remain oblivious to the bloodthirsty murders taking place on board. Jamie is forced to turn detective and uncover the sinister truth.

 
The series stars Oscar Kennedy (Ladhood) as Jamie, Thaddea Graham (The Irregulars) as Vivian, Jack Rowan (Noughts + Crosses) as Danny, Harriet Webb (I May Destroy You) as Karen, Jodie Tyack (The Window) as Pippa with new faces Louis Boyer as Sam, Anthony Rickman as Olly, Amber Grappy as Lauren, Diego Andres as Jerome, Peter Claffey as Cormac, Miya Ocego as Rosie, Warren James Dunning as Beaker, Ramanique Ahluwalia as Lily and Alice Nokes as Sophia.
   
The (6x45’) series was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama and Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three and is produced by Euston Films, part of Fremantle with support from Northern Ireland Screen. It is executive produced by Noemi Spanos for Euston Films and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC. Chris Baugh (Boys from County Hell) has directed and executive produced all six episodes. 
 

The series will premiere at London’s Fright Fest on August 26th. Tickets can be purchased from the FrightFest Website. The series will launch on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer later this autumn.
 
 


 


Monday, 15 August 2022

Independent horror movie THE SHIMIAN - Set for world premiere, September

THE SHIMIAN, an upcoming independent horror film, produced by Bader Media Entertainment CIC has been confirmed for its world premiere in September. Viewers were recently given a taste of the new production with the launch of a chilling Trailer (YouTube).


The feature-length movie, written and directed by industry veteran James Peakman, will be launched at a special event at Millennium Point Cinema, Birmingham. Peakman, who has previously worked with ITV and Channel 4 has also directed 4th Floor of Singapore (2016) and miniseries Thrash the Trash (2021).

Starring Sophie Simmons, Blake Hutchings, Margot Lin, and Ashlea Winfield, THE SHIMIAN tells the sinister story of a family camping trip in a remote forest to celebrate a birthday and fix their strained relationships, but their celebrations are cut short when they learn that something unearthly is hunting them.

Attendees will be able to walk the red carpet before taking their seats in front of a giant 24 x 12m cinema screen to view the film. Afterwards there will a Q&A session with cast and crew, followed by after-party drinks with the wider team.

James Peakman, writer and director, The Shimian, said:

“With Halloween just around the corner, we’re very excited to announce the world premiere of The Shimian. The cast and crew have worked tirelessly to produce a film which will deliver scares, thrills, and first-class entertainment to audiences in equal measure, and we hope everyone has a fantastic evening.”

Steve George-Hilley, an executive producer, The Shimian said:

“The Shimian is the latest exciting new movie to emerge from Britain’s thriving independent film industry. These films simply cannot be made without a dedicated director, cast and crew, all of whom put a great deal of time and effort into bringing these projects to life.”   

Early bird tickets to the world premiere, which takes place at 18.30 on Thursday 29th September 2022 at Millennium Point Cinema, Birmingham cost £10 and can be purchased via Eventbrite.

http://www.theshimian.com
https://www.badermediaentertainment.com
 

 

SHUDDER announces biggest ever Halloween slate - 1 Sep - 31 Oct

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller, and the supernatural, will kick off its annual 61-day Halloween event beginning Thursday 1st September. Shudder is the leading streamer for thrills and frights year-round. 
 
But the service goes above and beyond every September and October, this year presenting an unprecedented line-up of eight acclaimed, must-see new films and new original series, along with other special treats to be announced, to truly be “The Home for Halloween.”

Below is an overview of the key programming for “The Home for Halloween” including all September library title additions.
 
NEW SHUDDER ORIGINAL SERIES
 
101 SCARIEST FILM MOMENTS OF ALL TIME - Premieres WedS 7th Sept; new episodes weekly
In this eight-episode new series from the producers of Eli Roth’s History of Horror, master filmmakers and genre experts celebrate and dissect the most terrifying moments of the greatest horror films ever made, exploring how these scenes were created and why they burned themselves into the brains of audiences around the world.
 
QUEER FOR FEAR : A HISTORY OF QUEER HORROR - Premieres Fri 30th Sept; new episodes weekly
From executive producer Bryan Fuller (Hannibal), Queer for Fear is a four-part documentary series about the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the horror and thriller genres. From its literary origins with queer authors Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde to the pansy craze of the 1920s that influenced Universal Monsters and Hitchcock; from the “lavender scare” alien invasion films of the mid-20th century to the AIDS obsessed bloodletting of 80s vampire films; through genre-bending horrors from a new generation of queer creators; Queer for Fear re-examines genre stories through a queer lens, seeing them not as violent, murderous narratives, but as tales of survival that resonate thematically with queer audiences everywhere.
 
UNTITLED BOULET BROTHERS SERIES – (Date to be announced soon)
For the third straight Halloween season following The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection (2020) and The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula season 4 (2021), the groundbreaking duo return to Shudder to horrify and delight with their boldest and most ambitious show ever.
 
SHUDDER ORIGINAL & EXCLUSIVE FILMS
 
WHO INVITED - Premieres Thurs 1st Sept
Adam and Margo’s housewarming party goes well enough except for this mysterious couple, Tom and Sasha, lingering after the other guests have left. The couple reveals themselves to be their wealthy and successful neighbours, but as one nightcap leads to another, Adam and Margo start to suspect their new friends are duplicitous strangers with a dark secret. Written and directed by Duncan Birmingham, and starring Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars), Melissa Tang (The Kominsky Method), Timothy Granaderos (13 Reasons Why), and Perry Mattfeld (In the Dark).
 
SALOUM - Premieres Thurs 8th Sept
Shot down after fleeing a coup and extracting a drug lord from Guinea-Bissau, the legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas – Chaka, Rafa and Midnight - must stash their stolen gold bounty, lay low long enough to repair and refuel their plane and escape back to Dakar, Senegal. When they take refuge at a holiday camp in the coastal region of Sine-Saloum, they do their best to blend in with their fellow guests; including a mute named Awa, with secrets of her own, and a policeman who may be on their tail, but it’s Chaka who happens to be hiding the darkest secret of them all. Unbeknownst to the other Hyenas, he's brought them there for a reason and once his past catches up to him, his decisions have devastating consequences, threatening to unleash hell on them all.
 
Saloum stars Yann Gael, Evelyne Ily Juhen, Roger Sallah, Bruno Henry, Marielle Salmier and Mentor Ba, and is written and directed by Jean-Luc Herbulot, from a story by Herbulot and Pamala Diop. Official Selection TIFF 2021, Fantastic Fest 2021 Best Director/New Wave winner.
 
SPEAK NO EVIL - Premieres, Thurs 15th Sept
On a vacation in Tuscany, a Danish family instantly becomes friends with a Dutch family. Months later the Danish couple receive an unexpected invitation to visit the Dutch in their wooden house and decide to go for the weekend. However, it doesn't take long before the joy of reunion is replaced with misunderstandings. Things gradually get out of hand, as the Dutch turn out to be something very else than what they have pretended to be. The small Danish family now find themselves trapped in a house, that they wish they had never entered. Speak No Evil is directed by Christian Tafdrup (A Horrible Woman) and written by Christian and Mads Tafdrup, and stars Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja Van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg, Marius Damslev. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2022.
 
RAVEN'S HOLLOW - Premieres Thurs 22nd Sept
West Point cadet Edgar Allan Poe and four other cadets on a training exercise in upstate New York are drawn by a gruesome discovery into a forgotten community. Starring William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Melanie Zanetti (Bluey), Callum Woodhouse (All Creatures Great and Small), Kate Dickie (The Green Knight), and David Hayman (Sid & Nancy). Written and directed by Christopher Hatton. Official Selection, FrightFest 2022.
 
SISSY - Premieres Thurs 29th Sept
Sissy stars Aisha Dee and Hannah Barlow as Cecilia and Emma, who had been tween-age BFFs who were never going to let anything come between them - until Alex (Emily De Margheriti) arrived on the scene. Twelve years later, Cecilia is a successful social media influencer living the dream of an independent, modern millennial woman, until she runs into Emma for the first time in over a decade. After reconnecting, Emmy invites Cecilia on her bachelorette weekend at a remote cabin in the mountains, where Alex proceeds to make Cecilia’s weekend a living hell. Sissy is written and directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes. Official Selection, SXSW 2022
 
DEADSTREAM - Premieres Thurs 6th Oct
A disgraced and demonetised Internet personality tries to win back his fans by live streaming himself, spending a night alone in an abandoned haunted house. However, when he accidentally unleashes a vengeful spirit, his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life (and social relevance) as he faces off with the sinister spirit of the house and her powerful following. Deadstream stars Joseph Winter, who wrote and directed the film with Vanessa Winter.
 
Dario Argento’s DARK GLASSESS - Premieres Thurs 13th Oct
Rome. An eclipse blocks out the sun, blackening the skies on a hot summer day - harbinger of the darkness that will envelop Diana when a serial killer chooses her as prey. Fleeing her predator, the young escort crashes her car and loses her sight. She emerges from the initial shock determined to fight for her life, but she is no longer alone. Defending her and acting as her eyes is a little boy, Chin, who survived the car accident. But the killer won’t give up his victim. Who will be saved? A triumphant return from Italian master of horror, director Dario Argento. Starring Ilenia Pastorelli and Asia Argento.
 
V/H/S/99 - Premieres Thurs 20th Oct
V/H/S/99 marks the return of the acclaimed found footage anthology franchise and the sequel to Shudder’s most-watched premiere of 2021. A thirsty teenager's home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations. Featuring five new stories from filmmakers Maggie Levin (Into The Dark: My Valentine), Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City), Flying Lotus (Kuso), Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) and Joseph & Vanessa Winter (Deadstream), V/H/S/99 harkens back to the final punk rock analogue days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium.
 
“THE GHOUL LOG” – 2022 EDITION
 
The “Ghoul Log” is Halloween’s answer to the Christmas Yule Log: a 24/7 streaming jack-o’-lantern providing the perfect ambience for all your Halloween festivities. Fan favourites The Ghoul Log, Return of the Ghoul Log and Night of the Ghoul Log are back, along with a surprise new instalment for 2022.
 
SHUDDER’S HALLOWEEN HOTLINE
 
Every Friday in October from 3.00 – 4.00pm ET, members are invited to call Samuel Zimmerman, Shudder’s head of programming, to discuss all things horror: from their favourite genre films of all time to the most highly anticipated horror releases of the year.  From those conversations, Sam will then use his horror expertise to offer customized viewing recommendations from Shudder’s expansive film collection.
 
Fans can call Sam at +1 914 481 2239 during Hotline Hours. (No calls will go through outside those hours.) 
 
*** While recommendations are provided for free, please note that normal phone and long-distance charges may apply. Call volume is expected to be high, so please keep trying if a busy signal is received. There are no guarantees that every call will be answered, but Sam will get through as many as he can within the hour. ***
 
NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER’S MOVIE LIBRARY FOR SEPTEMBER
 
5th September
 
DISAPPEARANCE AT LAKE ELROD 
A year after her daughter's disappearance, another girl from Elrod, Georgia, goes missing. Convinced there is a connection, Charlie won't stop searching until she discovers the truth.
 
THE LODGER
An elderly woman takes in a lodger, offering her accommodation in return for help around the house. The eccentric woman behaves as if her long-deceased husband is still alive. But soon the lodger begins to feel his presence.
 
6th September

LIFECHANGER
Drew has an identity problem. Every few days, he has to shape-shift, or face a painful death. He has to find someone and make a copy. He takes everything: their looks, memories, hopes and dreams. Their entire life. He becomes them, and they die horribly. Lately, the changes are becoming more frequent. Facing his imminent death, Drew sets out on one final blood-soaked mission.

12th September

ST AGATHA
1950s Georgia, a pregnant con woman on the run seeks refuge in a desolate convent only to be met with an unsettling and horrendous evil waiting on the other side. From Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of Saw II, III and IV.

ANTRUM
In 1988 a screening of Antrum at a cinema in Budapest resulted in the tragic death of fifty-six people when the building caught fire and burned to the ground. Other deaths linked to the film resulted in Antrum being condemned as a 'cursed' film and its master negative destroyed.

RABIES
In this clever Israeli slasher, a group of people get caught in a serial killer's web. There are two siblings who've committed a major sin, 4 teen athletes, a forest ranger and two pervy cops. As each of them enters the woods where the psycho lurks, their decisions lead to terror and torment.

19th September

CEMETERY OF TERROR
On Halloween, a group of medical students steal the corpse a serial killer from a morgue and raise him from the dead, inadvertently putting themselves and a group of young neighbourhood children in danger.


GRAVE ROBBERS
Teenagers accidentally resurrect a satanic killer who targets the local police captain's daughter to birth the antichrist.

VIDEOMAN     
Ennio, a giallo-obsessed VHS collector with a drinking problem, finds a highly collectable video tape that could solve his money problems and save him from eviction. He makes a deal with a shady, anonymous collector before realising the video has been stolen. So begins Ennio’s desperate hunt for the black-gloved perpetrator while, along the way, he meets Simone, an alcoholic woman obsessed with the 80s. As Ennio searches for the tape and begins to lose a grip on reality, his and Simone’s mutual love of nostalgia draws them together. Can they find redemption in each other?

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME
A wrongfully convicted murderess must solve a metaphysical mystery to find the real killer. 30 years ago, Dulce was convicted of killing her husband and kids, despite her pleas that an evil entity in the house committed the slayings. Now, as part of her sentence, Dulce’s sent back to the home where the murders happened. As memories come flooding back, Dulce teams up with a priest to uncover the secrets of the house and find peace.

I AM TOXIC
A man wakes in a world destroyed by biological warfare with no memory of his previous life. Taken prisoner by a group of scavengers he meets a young woman who tries to helps him escape as the scavengers pursue them through the barren wastelands.

26th September

DARKLANDS
A journalist investigates an evil cult who may have murdered a female colleague. After Rachel dies mysteriously while investigating her brother’s death, Frazier Truick decides it’s time to get to the bottom of what the cult is all about. But he’s not prepared for pagan rituals, Satan worship, and human sacrifice. Racing against time, Frazier must solve the crime before he winds up its next victim.

WILD COUNTRY
After being forced to give her baby up for adoption, a teenage girl decides to go on a cross country hike through the Scottish Highlands with a group of friends. In an attempt to re-kindle their relationship, her ex-boyfriend appears uninvited, but his attempts at reconciliation are interrupted after they find an abandoned baby in the ruins of an old castle. As they attempt to get the baby to safety, a wolf-like creature appears from the darkness hell-bent on protecting its brood.

GOLDBERG & EISENBERG
Goldberg is a lonely computer programmer who spends his time searching the internet for a girlfriend. After a blind date in the park, he meets Eisenberg, a thug who stalks him, intruding into his everyday life until Goldberg's actions to get rid of him spin dangerously out of control.

30th September

TAILGATE
Hans is a self-confident man, driving across the country with his wife and two daughters by his side. His ego gets the better of him when he gets into an argument with another driver. The van driver turns out to be the wrong man to cross on the road and sets out to teach Hans a deadly lesson. Skillfully pushing the buttons of Hans's arrogance, a simple family road trip turns into a deadly obstacle course in this nerve-wracking, blackly comic morality tale thriller.

AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. For a 7-day, risk-free trial, visit www.shudder.com

 

 

Sunday, 14 August 2022

Mockumentary EVERYBODY DIES BY THE END - World Premiere at Arrow FrightFest 2022

Children of Cellulloid are delighted to share the new poster and images for the upcoming horror mockumentary EVERYBODY DIES BY THE END. The quirky new horror mockumentary will be having its World Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square as a part of Arrow FrightFest on Monday 29th August.

Synopsis.
A documentary crew is hired to chronicle the making of cult classic horror director Alfred Costella's final film; An all practical masterpiece with a dark twist entitled 'Everybody Dies by the End’.
 

EVERYBODY DIES BY THE END is directed by Ian Tripp & Ryan Schafer and stars Bill Oberst Jr., Vinny Curran, Caroline Amiguet, Iliyana Apostolova and Amber Grayson.  Both Tripp and Schafer also star in the film.

Co-director Ian Tripp was delighted with the announcemnet that EVERYBODY DIES BY THE END will be celebrating its World Premiere at Arrow FrightFest, "It’s a privilege and a pleasure to have our first movie’s world premiere at Frightfest in London! We are beyond grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to experience the film with an audience."

EVERYBODY DIES BY THE END will have its World Premiere at Arrow FrightFest on 29th August. 

Tickets can be purchased here: https://bit.ly/3QgFeKz





 

 

Trailer and posters released for forthcoming THE MENU starring Ralph Fiennes

Searchlight Pictures present the new posters and teaser trailer for forthcoming black comedy-horror THE MENU, starring Ralph Fiennes.

Young couple Margot and Tyler (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travel  to a remote island to eat at Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant run by celebrity chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), who has prepared a lavish menu where food is treated as conceptual art, but his approach to cuisine has some shocking surprises for the wealthy guests....

Checkout the teaser trailer below...


THE MENU is released to UK Cinemas November from Searchlight pictures.


New series DAY OF THE DEAD, inspired by George A. Romero - On Disc & Digital, September

Dazzler Media presents new series DAY OF THE DEAD, inspired by the zombie universe of George A. Romero, coming to Blu-ray, DVD & Download September, hot on the heels of its UK TV launch.

Inspired by the zombie universe of legendary filmmaker, George A. Romero, comes a brand new story and must-watch series for horror fans.

DAY OF THE DEAD takes place in a small town where an ordinary day takes a terrifying turn when the dead begin to rise. Townspeople Mayor Bowman is up for re-election, Jai is hours away from his wedding, Luke has a party to attend, Lauren is going to lead a funeral, McDermott has a mystery to solve, and Cam has a lawn to mow. 

This ode to Romero’s flesh-eaters is a reminder that sometimes all it takes to bring people together is a horde of hungry zombies trying to rip them apart.

Dazzler Media presents
DAY OF THE DEAD on Blu-ray, DVD & Download-to-Own from 5th September.

View the UK trailer on YouTube.

Pre-order the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk