HMZ Film set to cover Nottingham’s Mayhem Film Festival (Preview)
On Saturday 2nd November 2013, HMZ Film will be attending the incredibly exciting Mayhem Festival at the Broadway Cinema in Nottingham.The festival is jam packed with director Q+As, exclusive previews and special guest appearances. Spanning four days from 31st October-4th November, Mayhem organisers are presenting a staggering line up of some of the most eclectic and thought provoking genre cinema out there.
Here is a preview of the brilliance on show
Thursday 31st October
Legendary film-maker Nicholas Roeg will be presenting his classic Don’t Look Now (1973) in the wonderfully appropriate setting of St Mary’s Church in Nottingham. A sharp psychological thriller which to this day divides critics. Roeg’s startling vision is unparalleled, Don’t Look Now transcends time and is brimming with style. The film’s influence on modern cinema can’t be understated. This event is sure to be one off the undisputed highlights of Mayhem 2013. Roeg will also be presenting Puffball (2007) which kicks off proceedings.
The final film of the night is Vincenzo Natali’s ghost story, Haunter (2013). A film which received its UK premiere at Film4 Fright fest this year, Haunter offers a twist on the conventional ghost tale.
Friday 1st November
Belgian/French duo Catette and Forzani have been making waves on the festival circuit with the mesmeric The Strange Colour of your Body’s Tears (2013). 
Likenesses have been made to the operatic grandeur of the Giallo movement, fans of auteurs such as Dario Argento will sure to enjoy this surrealist offering.
Brian Netto will be gracing the Mayhem Festival to present his first feature Delivery (2013) followed by a Q+A session. A refreshingly alternate take on the found footage sub genre, Delivery follows a couple attempting to conceive their first child when they suspect the child might be overcome by a sinister force.
Nostalgic slasher romp Discopath (2013) rounds off the night.
Saturday 2nd November (HMZ Film to be covering)
Opening the day is The Demon’s Rook (2013), HMZ Film interviewed creator of the film James Sizemore earlier this year, a unique vision which has gone from strength to strength. A boy is raised by a demon, upon his emergence back into the physical world, he is pursued by three demons possessing unique power. Fans of Fulci will be in their element, superb hand made special effects cap an insane head trip. Xan Cassavete’s
The Kiss of the Damned (2013) deep dives into the underworld of the vampire community.
Elliot Goldner and Jennifer Handorf present The Borderlands followed by a post screening Q+A. A visceral blend of faux documentary style film-making and found footage. When Vatican investigators are sent to an isolated church to uncover the truth behind suspected paranormal occurrences, they are greeted by a malevolence far superior than what they were prepared for. A fine setting offers a platform to explore the mystical themes of religion and the paranormal.
A collection of international short films assembled by the experts at Mayhem Festival are sure to thrill and terrify in equal measure
Winner of UK Best Feature film The Machine (2013) is accompanied by director Caradog James who will take part in a Q+A following the screening. Set in the near future, Britain has developed a killing machine.. with a conscience. An exciting and powerful independent British feature.
Cult classic from the 1970s Lifeforce closes the night.
Sunday 3rd November
The Australian cult classic Wake in Fright (1971) has been digitally remastered. A shocking and incredibly savage vision.
Juan Carlos Medina’s Painless (2012) is simply phenomenal. One of my films of the year so far and a superb selection from the organisers, here is what I wrote following my first viewing of the film. ” In the days preceding the Spanish Civil War in 1931, a group of children who are insensitive to pain are deemed to be a danger to society and are incarcerated in a remote hospital in the Pyrenees. Meanwhile, a man is on the hunt to track down a prospective donor who can save his life from 
cancer. A mesmeric fable of the preciousness of life enjoined with a sombre illustration of a lie echoing from one generation to the next. The very essence of what it means to be alive is explored from an abstract, almost mythological lens. Likenesses can be drawn to classic Spanish horror such as the Devil’s Backbone. Painless is a deeply moving, refreshingly original and spellbinding first feature from Juan Carlos Medina. The operatic finale is a truly memorable piece of cinema.”
BAFTA then presents In Fear (2013) with special guests for an exclusive Q+A. When a couple are driving through the Irish countryside, they are ensconced in a tussle with a suspected tormentor. The film plays out in real time and certainly has the makings of a thrilling spectacle.
Todd Browning’s classic The Unknown (1927) is accompanied by a live score especially commissioned by Mayhem. A unique event to celebrate one of the most influential genre films ever created.
Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film of the year so far, the Israeli feature Big Bad Wolves (2013) is the closing film of the festival. An astute choice, a darkly comic yet expressively violent finale to a superb line up. Other notable events at the festival include a Quiz of Fear and a reading of some classic horror stories from Nottingham Writer’s Studios on Monday evening
For more information on how to book tickets for Mayhem Film Festival: Check out the official website, Follow the festival on Twitter @mayhem_festival
Look forward to seeing you there!
HMZ Film