East End Film Festival 2015 Preview

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EEFF 2015

East End Film Festival

1 – 12 July 2015

Various venues, London, UK

EEFF website

Running from 1 to 12 July, this year’s edition of the East End Film Festival presents an eclectic mix of new films from global and local independent filmmakers as well as industry masterclasses, free pop-up cinema screenings and music-focused events. With a special focus on showcasing home-grown talent , it’s also a great place for late and new discoveries of all kinds and one of the most exciting events this year is the screening of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s neo-giallo The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, now presented with a brand new original score by Edinburgh-based musician Ben Power (Blanck Mass, Fuck Buttons). The result is a fascinating score that enthralls, seduces and terrifies in equal measure and that is also available on double vinyl, released by Death Waltz Originals, presented in a 425gsm reverse board gatefold sleeve pressed on an exclusive screening event colour ltd to 500 units.

We are also delighted to be taking part again in a special day of screenings in the opulent and ornate surroundings of the Masonic Lodge Temple on Saturday 4 July, the perfect venue for a krimi classic such as The Dead Eyes of London, which screens at 1pm, followed by a special talk on krimi cinema hosted by Electric Sheep’s Alex Fitch, who will be joined by author and critic Kim Newman, and author Jim Harper. The afternoon screenings are then followed by a masquerade ball, in homage to George Franju’s 1963 production of Judex.

Among other highlights we are looking forward to an afternoon of radical film from contemporary Greece at the Whitechapel Galley, Marielle Heller’s celebrated Sundance hit Diary of a Teenage Girl and a special gala screening of Volker Schaner’s enlightening docu-portrait Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Vision of Paradise, with the reggae and dub legend himself in attendance.

For more information about the programme and how to book tickets please visit the EEFF website.

Electric Sheep at the East End Film Festival 2015

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Masonic Temple

The Dead Eyes of London

Screening date: Saturday 4 July 2015

Time: 1pm

Venue: Masonic Temple, Andaz Hotel Liverpool Street, London

Tickets: £10

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Part of the East End Film Festival, 1-12 July 2015
Director: Alfred Vohrer

Writers: Egon Eis, Wolfgang Lukschy

Original title: Die toten Augen von London

Based on the novel by: Edgar Wallace

Cast: Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Baal, Dieter Borsche

Germany 1961

104 mins

East End Film Festival website

Electric Sheep is very pleased to be partnering again with the East End Film Festival this year for a screening of The Dead Eyes of London at the amazing Masonic Temple, Andaz Hotel Liverpool Street, London, on Saturday 4 July, as part of the ‘From Murder to Mind Control’ weekend at the East End Film Festival. The film will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Electric Sheep assistant editor Alex Fitch with celebrated film critic and author Kim Newman, author of Nightmare Movies, and Jim Harper, author of Flowers from Hell, who is currently working on a book on krimis.

The Dead Eyes of London, directed by Alfred Vohrer in 1961, is one of the best examples of the krimi (Kriminalfilm) genre, which flourished in West Germany from the mid-50s to the late 70s. Based on the work of English mystery writer Edgar Wallace like many of these crime thrillers, The Dead Eyes of London revolves around a series of murders committed by blind criminals who lure their victims into London’s dark back streets. And in the shadowy city engulfed in permanent fog hides a monster. Strange and atmospheric, it is a great introduction to a fascinating genre that remains relatively little known and unexplored, and the Masonic Temple the perfect venue to enjoy it!

Listen to Kim Newman talk to Alex Fitch about The Edgar Wallace Mysteries.

Following the screening there will be a short graduation ceremony in which Kim Newman will hand out their diplomas to the alumni of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies – London.

Next up at the Masonic Temple will be Cigarette Burns’ screening of Sergio Martino’s seductive giallo The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail on 16mm. More details of the ‘From Murder to Mind Control’ weekend on the East End Film Festival website.

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015 Preview

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EIFF 2015

Edinburgh International Film Festival

17 – 28 June 2015

Edinburgh, UK

EIFF website

With a new Artistic Director bringing a breath of fresh air into the festival, the line-up of 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival promises a diverse selection of what’s new in British and American indie cinema, mixed with some classic treats and a vast number of smaller gems from around the world that are unlikely to be coming to a cinema near you any time soon.

Running from 17 to 28 June 2015, the festival opens with homegrown feature film The Legend of Barney Thomson, about a Glasgow barber who accidentally turns into a serial killer, and closes with Scott Graham mild family drama Iona, with plenty of thrills on offer in between.

The Night Moves strand has been notoriously hit-and-miss in recent years, but hopes are high for this year’s selection, which includes Takashi Yamazaki’s adaptation of Japanese body-snatcher manga Parasyte: Part 1, Corin Hardy’s terrifying feature debut The Hallow, Bobby Roe ‘s mockumentary-mixed-horror-fiction The Houses October Built, Hungarian fantasy flick Liza, the Fox-Fairy, Australian futuristic action-adventure Infini, and Turbo Kid, a retro homage to sci-fi/horror films.

We also look forward to the final film by gothic horror master Carlos Enrique Taboada, Poison for the Fairies, which screens as part of a special focus on Mexican cinema alongside Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s <Santa Sangre and 60s supernatural drama Macario.

Standing out from the pack in the New Perspectives strand are low-budget Japanese sex comedy MakeupRoom, Austrian comedy Therapy for a Vampire and two German entries: Kafka’s The Burrow, adapted from the author’s 1923 short story, and Baran bo Odar’s Who Am I – No System Is Safe, starring Tom Schilling (Oh Boy).

Other highlights in the programme include US productions Dope, directed by Rick Famuyiwa, and Jon Watts’ B-movie Cop Car, while Simon Pummell’s sci-fi feature debut Brand New-U and David Blair’s supernatural thriller The Messanger both seem worth checking out from the selection of British films on offer.

In addition to all things new, this year’s main retrospective focuses on Walter Hill’s early career, including his car chase classic The Driver, the suspensful and sweaty Southern Comfort and The Long Riders, Hill’s take on the exploits of the Jesse James and Cole Younger gang. Running parallel to this, the Little Big Screen showcase features an eclectic mix of 1960s and ‘70s American TV movies and offers a rare chance to see Sam Peckinpa’s Noon Wine on the big screen, and a couple of vampire cult classics: Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot and John Llewellyn Moxey’s The Night Stalker. Other classic treats include Mark Christopher’s belated director’s cut of his cult disco film, 54, and a beautifully remastered version of Carol Reed’s classic The Third Man, ahead of its limited theatrical run across the UK at the end of this month.

For more information about the programme and how to book tickets visit the EIFF website.

Pamela Jahn