Film at Eleven

Now in its fifth year, the Backseat Film Festival is a rock ‘n roll film fest devoted to the best in edgy, unpretentious movies from all over the cinematic globe. An electrifying mix of zany short films, sleazy music videos, unrelenting documentaries and some of the most exciting feature film premieres around, the Backseat Film Festival is a showcase for movies that embody the youthful, exhilarating spirit of rock ‘n roll. No postmodern love-stories or heavy-handed political statements here, just a lot of zombies, hot chicks, bad jokes and great music. And also, a hell of a lot of booze.

The festival opens on March 29th with LovecraCked! The Movie (review) and closes on April 1st with a double feature of Chainsaw Sally and Stupid Teenagers Must Die!

All after parties are free with ticket stub or all access pass, and as always, all tickets include a free shot and a beer!

To celebrate the launch of Nightmare USA, their massive overview of the Horror genre’s development through the 1970s and 1980s, FAB Press are organising a special one-day film festival.

Six ultra-rare American exploitation films will be screened, with the line-up currently slated to be: DON’T GO IN THE HOUSE (Fully uncut!), PIGS (UK theatrical premiere!), SQUISH (World Premiere!), BLOODY BROTHERS (World Premiere!), VICTIMS (UK theatrical premiere! - subject to confirmation), and BOARDINGHOUSE (UK theatrical premiere!)

The opening ceremony will be hosted by three of our special guests, the director, cinematographer and producer/co-writer of Don’t Go in the House! This festival is a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to see these truly exceptional American exploitation horror movies on the big screen. Most of these films have never been seen in a cinema in the UK before, and will almost certainly never be screened here again.

The ticket price is just £25 for a full day pass, which at only £5 per film represents incredible value for money for horror movie fans.

Click here for more information and to buy tickets for the one-day Nightmare USA Film Festival

Classic Media are releasing both Godzilla Raids Again and Mothra vs. Godzilla - two films in which the gargantuan prehistoric beast battles two new monsters and, once again, threatens the future of Japan - on DVD in April.

Godzilla Raids Again was the sequel to the original and hugely successful Godzilla and was rushed into cinemas six months after the release of the first film in 1955. The heavily re-edited US version was released a few years later in 1959 and features the voice of Star Trek’s George Takei. Two new monsters emerged: the first similar to the original Godzilla that was killed by the oxygen destroyer in the first film, and also named Godzilla, the second a spiny dinosaur called Anguirus. The massive battle begins on Iwato Island, tumbles into the ocean, and resurfaces on Osaka, threatening to level the city under the monsters’ rage. Special bonus features include the “Art of Suit Acting” featurette.

Mothra vs. Godzilla was originally released in the US as Godzilla vs. The Thing and is the fourth instalment in the Godzilla series. It is considered by many fans as one of the best of the series. The movie was released in Japan and the US in 1964. When a giant egg washes up on the shores of Tokyo after a typhoon, greedy businessmen seize the opportunity to exhibit the item at an amusement park for profit. The shobijin, fairies from Infant Island, come to plea for the egg’s return to its rightful owner, Mothra, but the men refuse the request. Soon Godzilla awakens and begins a trek across Tokyo, heading straight for Mothra’s egg. Can Mothra save her offspring from the destruction of Godzilla? Can Tokyo survive this epic monster battle? Special bonus features include an Akira Ifukube biography with a tribute by Shogo Tomiyama and the original Japanese trailer. Additional bonus features available on both DVDs include audio commentaries and English subtitles for the Japanese version.

For more information head over to www.godzillaondvd.com or click here to see the trailers.

If you’re in the US, the Addiction project - an unprecedented multi-platform campaign aimed at helping Americans understand addiction as a chronic but treatable brain disease - kicks off tomorrow (Thursday) on HBO.

The centrepiece of this is the feature length documentary, Addiction, which brings together the nation’s leading experts with award-winning filmmakers in nine separate segments. There is also a supplementary series of 13 short films that delve deeper into the various dimensions of addiction.

The Carschool Film-O-Rama film Planetfall - an independently produced sci-fi/western - has been honoured this year with a Telly Award in the category of “Low Budget” which is under $700 a minute (about $150 a minute in this case).

The Telly Awards honour the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. Since 1978, their mission has been to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity. The 27th Annual Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. All judges are top advertising and production professionals, and past Telly Winners. Judges evaluate entries to recognize distinction in creative work — entries do not compete against each other. Instead, entries are judged against a high standard of merit. Judges score entries on a performance scale and entries are recognized and awarded as Silver or Bronze Winners based on the combined scoring of the judges who evaluate each entry. Empowered to uphold the historical standards of the Telly competition, judges may award top honours to more than one entry or no entries in a particular category. Silver Winners are awarded a Silver Telly statuette, the highest honour. Bronze Winners are awarded a Bronze Telly statuette. Designed by the same firm that makes the Oscar and Emmy, the Telly statuette weighs more than 4 1/2 pounds.

Planetfall walks away with a bronze which puts it in the top 18-25% of entries!

Beyond the Gates (review) sees its US opening today at the NY IFC Center and expands to cities nationwide on March 16th. This is a very important movie about the horrific genocides that happened in Rwanda in 1994. Not only is it informative, but the story is told from a different point of view than previous movies touching on the same subject matter.

When the school where schoolteacher Joe Connor works becomes a haven for thousands of Rwandans fleeing the genocide, Joe promises his brightest pupil, Marie, that the UN soldiers will protect her from the hordes of extremist militia baying for blood outside the school. Based on real events and filmed at the actual location where this story took place, Beyond the Gates is directed by Michael Caton-Jones and stars John Hurt and Hugh Dancy. It is an emotionally gripping, authentic and powerful recreation of a tragic real life story.

Go see it.