The blood-soaked Korean film Project Wolf Hunting is screening in selected cinemas as well as being available to stream on Icon Channel, and we have an exclusive, gore-filled clip to share. Be warned: blood and bad language flow freely.
During an extradition from the Philippines to South Korea, a group of dangerous criminals unite to stage a coordinated escape attempt from their floating prison. As the jailbreak escalates into a bloody, all-out riot, the fugitives and their allies from the outside exact a brutal terror campaign against the special agents on board the 58,000-ton cargo ship. But the prisoners aren’t the only ones waiting to rise from the darkness – the freighter may harbour an even more sinister enemy…
You can read our review of Project Wolf Huntinghere and catch the film out in selected cinemas. Check out the trailer below…
The 76th Edinburgh International Film Festival will happen this August. The future of the festival was in doubt last year when the charity responsible for the festival went into administration.
A compact programme designed to complement local and international creators will run alongside the Edinburgh International Festival from 18th of August to the 23rd, and will be part of the International Festival. It will be ran in partnership with Screen Scotland.
Kate Taylor, Programme Director, Edinburgh International Film Festival, said: “Attending first as audience member, then as film worker, my experience of Edinburgh International Film Festival has always been of a place that sparks inspiring conversations about film, and over the past few months it has been nourishing to hear the stories of many people – filmmakers, audience and industry who hold this festival dear. I’m excited to deliver the ideas that the team and I have been working on over the past few months and be a custodian for this year’s programme, ensuring the flame of EIFF burns bright, and I can’t wait to welcome audiences to enjoy the curated selection of films we’ll be presenting in August.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director, Screen Scotland says: “From the Opening Night screening of Aftersun, the 2022 edition of EIFF had a great energy and was welcomed by audiences and industry. We are glad to be working again with Kate, the programme team and our colleagues in the International Festival to build on that success. Huge thanks to the Edinburgh International Festival Board and the amazing International Festival team for their proactive and positive work in delivering the EIFF as part of their world-renowned Festival with Kate in post as Programme Director.”
Francesca Hegyi, Chief Executive, Edinburgh International Festival, said: “The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an important cultural touchstone in our festival city, and we are pleased to be able to support its return. Over the last few months the EIFF programming team have been developing a plan for an ambitious film programme to add to the International Festival’s world-class dance, theatre, music and opera programme, ensuring that the Film Festival has a bright future. We look forward to working further with Kate and her team as we prepare for a compelling EIFF programme to be revealed in June this year.”
Culture Minister of Scottish Government Neil Gray said: “The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and I’m delighted that there will be a 76th edition this summer. Film Festivals play an important part in Scotland’s screen industry success story by promoting domestic productions, supporting talent development, showcasing high-quality international films and encouraging more people to go to the cinema. We have vibrant creative and screen industries in Scotland and our film festivals provide a fantastic opportunity to highlight this abundance of talent to audiences at home and abroad.”
Producer Butch Lukic has been an integral part of the DC Animated Universe for decades. Known for his many collaborations with industry legends Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, Lukic has helped bring some of DC’s most memorable animated adventures to life. As one of the chief architects of this burgeoning phase of DC’s animated continuity, Lukic has quite a lot of say in what we as an audience end up seeing onscreen. We recently caught up with Butch about his latest project, Legion of Super-Heroes, diving deep into DC’s animated continuity and exploring what makes these stories so popular among fans...
STARBURST:Let’s start with a brief, spoiler-free synopsis about what Legion of Super-Heroes is about…
Butch Lukic: Well, it starts off with Kara and her mother escaping the explosion of Krypton and then she ends up on Earth. She becomes Supergirl at first, but it’s her first few weeks, or few months, there, and obviously she’s not getting along with the League. So Superman decides to present her to Legion of Super-heroes in the 31st century to learn the trade of being a superhero.
Aside from the 31st-century setting and the fact that these characters are still finding their footing as heroes, what makes the Legion different from other super-teams?
I think because they’re from the 31st century, they build their ideology after the original Superman. I always looked at them more like a teen group, which they are. In that respect, I thought of them more as a Teen Titan type of comic book story. Also, the ideology and the utopian society (compared to what we in the present day would have to deal with). It’s a training ground for new kids to become heroes. Because they’re so far in the future, they’re pretty removed from the original Justice League. Sure, they were inspired by them but there’s some distance at this point.
You’ve been involved with DC for a long time – what excites you most about this new phase of DC’s animated continuity?
The fact that we can do these characters at this point. Obviously, there’ve been stories where we have had to introduce characters most people don’t know about and haven’t seen. It’s a good introductory piece for general DC followers and fans who aren’t as deeply familiar with DC’s characters. Plus, it serves our needs for continuing this storyline, where we’re headed with this, I don’t know, “Tomorrowverse”? The running joke in-house was that it was called the “Butchverse.”
This mix of loose adaptations and wholly original stories has been excellent. What has been most rewarding for you as a producer of this blend of stories?
For me, it came about because of Long Halloween, which is the one I wanted to do. They got me to do that but then they wanted for me to continue into that batch of films that would become continuity. That was the fun part: build the story, build the characters, eventually get to high points in the story, so all that was kinda my “best-of” in terms of what I wanted to see in these movies. Plus the different types of genres I got to do, like the WWII stuff.
Is there anything you can tell us about what DC is cooking up for us next?
The next upcoming film is Justice League: Warworld, and it’s pretty heavywith action and locales and things like that!
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES is out now to rent/buy digitally, and is also available on DVD/Blu-ray!
Giallo-inspired slasher The Blade Cuts Deeper is set to be a no-nonsense horror treat – and to make it more unique, it’s set in Liverpool. With the film almost complete, the filmmakers have taken to Kickstarter to fund the film’s final shoot. The story follows a widower out for revenge, against the maker a lurid true-crime webs series who has made a mockery of his wife’s death.
The Blade Cuts Deeper is directed Gene Dolders, who penned the script with comic writer A J Ballard (Slaughterhouse Farm, Slaughterhouse-Z). Having previously collaborated together on the Fulci-inspired short film Death Is Not a Whisper, the pair – irritated by the turgid, murder-by-numbers format of contemporary slashers – are striking back with their own unique, atmospheric and unforgivingly brutal horror movie.
With two thirds of the filming completed, they now need your help to get the final part in the can. Head over to the Kickstarter page to have a look at the project and choose one of the superb perks on offer – including a chance to visit the set in the north-west of England, or even nab a bloodied prop from the film.
The campaign runs until the end of March – so do your bit to support homegrown UK horror.
For more information, visit the film’s Facebook page or website.
From Writer/Director Janine Pipe comes the short horror film FOOTSTEPS, adapted from Pipe’s own short story published in 2020 and brought to the screen by Pipe Screams Productions in collaboration with Alt View Productions.
Executive Produced by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), the film will follow the story of a group of young women that head into Marshall Woods, intending to blow off steam and find inspiration for their book about local ‘missing person’ lore and legends. There, they soon discover they are not alone and unwittingly begin a bloody fight for survival against a terrifying and unnatural antagonist.
Currently heading into its second week of the crowdfunding campaign and already earning just shy of 50% of its target (at the time of writing), this is a project that you are going to want to get involved in.
And we here at STARBURST have received the right to an exclusive announcement of the casting of the two lead characters.
Firstly, Annabella Rich (Eating Miss Campbell, Video Shop Tales of Terror) will be bringing the character of Felicity Wells to life. Bella previously worked with Pipe on her debut short film, HER.
Annabella Rich will play Felicity Wells in FOOTSTEPS
Joining Bella in the film is Nicole Riddell (Mask of the Devil, White Sky). Janine hand-picked both Bella and Nicole for the film stating that both actresses are perfect for the way she envisioned them when writing the original story.
Nicole Riddell will play Becky Cooper in FOOTSTEPS
The following paragraphs are taken from the official press release:
Footsteps boasts a women only cast and will showcase practical effects and a creature design worthy of a low budget homage EP Marshall. Other crew members so far include:
James L Perkins – Producer Rebecca Wilcox – First AD Sam Mason Bell – DoP Georgie Kerrsenbrock – SFX Christian Francis – Graphic Design
Filming will take place in Pipe’s hometown of Swindon in September 2023 with the dream goal to premiere at London’s FrightFest in August 2024.
Pipe and her team are hoping to fund the majority of the short via Indiegogo. Perks include a Special Thanks IMDb credit, an exclusive poster signed by Pipe and Marshall and various producer status levels along with one very special edition perk – an original Dog Soldiers quad poster signed by Marshall along with Sean Pertwee, Darren Morfitt and Craig Conway.
Pipe adds, ‘Times are hard right now for many people and you may find that although you’d like to support a British women-driven indie genre production oozing with blood, you just can’t financially. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t be hugely beneficial in helping us by spreading the word and sharing the campaign wherever you can. And for that we will be massively grateful.’
You can support the crowdfunding campaign for FOOTSTEPS here
What’s it really like Living with Chucky? Fresh from a successful festival run, the acclaimed documentary, directed by Kyra Elise Gardner, lifts the lid on the hit horror series and gets us closer than ever to the inside scoop.
Krya is the daughter of special effects artist Tony Gardner, who helped create the original Chucky animatronic, and the film features insights from creator Don Mancini, actors Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly, and fans of the franchise such as cult filmmaker John Waters. Check out the UK trailer below.
Living with Chucky is released to own or rent on digital from April 24th, as well as on Blu-ray.
