SOUTHBOUND: Complete World Premiere Post-Screening Q&A With Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Radio Silence, Patrick Horvath, Brad Miska

Here is the complete Southbound world premiere introduction and post-screening Q&A featuring Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Radio Silence, Patrick Horvath, Brad Miska as well as many of the cast. Moderated by programmer Colin Geddes.

THE MIND'S EYE: Complete World Premiere Post-Screening Q&A Joe Begos, Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier

Here is the complete world premiere introduction and post-screening Q&A of The Mind's Eye. With director/writer Joe Begos, producer editor Josh Ether, actors Graham Skipper, John Speredakos, Larry Fessenden, Jeremy Gardner and many members of the crew!


 

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

Mind-Melting Pics from the World Premiere of THE MIND'S EYE!

Does anyone else have a splitting headache? Maybe it's the fact that we're halfway through Midnight Madness and we've already been exposed to some of the best and weirdest films yet, or maybe it's the power-mad doctor with whom we're engaged in psychic warfare, but I can feel my brain leaking out of my nose.

In any case, Tuesday night's screening of Joe Begos's sophomore Midnight Madness effort, The Mind's Eye had us all desperately trying to keep the furniture from flying around the room, and Ian Goring was there to capture all the madness!

Ehhhh! Despite having his second film in Midnight Madness, Joe Begos shows no signs of jumping the shark.

"They're not sneering, their faces are just like that!"

Producer Zak Zeman, Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier, and Joe Begos!

Hee hee! Our brains have been turned into pudding.

Evil doctor John Speredakos and Graham Skipper pose with Joe Begos.

LARRY FUCKING FESSENDEN, Josh Ethier, John Speredakos, Joe Begos, and Graham Skipper

Middle school class photo day...IN HELL!

Larry fucking Fessenden, Joe Begos, Producer Peter Phok, and Josh Ethier

LARRY FUCKING FESSENDEN! Also, Joe Begos.

Midnight Madness Prom King and Queen, Graham Skipper and Jordann Skipper

WHY IS MY DINING ROOM TABLE FLYING AT MY FACE???

A group hug with programmer Colin Geddes before the face-melting The Mind's Eye

With their powers combined, Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier, Joe Begos, and Colin Geddes managed to levitate the Ryerson Theatre 300 feet in the air!

Colin Geddes points out the part of the brain where telekinesis comes from. Spoiler: it's the front part.

Jeremy Gardner hams it up onstage in the Q&A after The Mind's Eye

Joe Begos describes almost dying on the set of his second film.

Fun fact: The '40' in TIFF40 refers to the approximate number of people onstage here.

I just had a mind-meld with you, reader, and implanted the suggestion that you should go see The Mind's Eye at one of these lovely screenings, even if you've already seen it.

THE MIND'S EYE Screening Times:
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

THE MIND'S EYE: World Premiere Video Interviews Joe Begos, Graham Skipper, John Speredakos & Larry Fessenden

The Mind's Eye premiered at Midnight Madness last night! The Ryerson Theater is still shoveling snow, mopping up telekinetic brain juice and blood, lots and lots of blood! Robert A. Mitchell was on the red carpet and battled telekinetic actors, a freak September snow storm, dodged an axe and barely got out of the way of several shotgun blasts to file this video. Robert talks to director and writer Joe Begos (Almost Human) about his sophomore film as well as actors Graham Skipper, John Speredakos and genre legend Larry Fessenden.

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

THE MIND'S EYE: Graham Skipper Interview: The Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul

Graham Skipper first appeared at Midnight Madness in 2013 in Almost Human. He brought kinetic energy, a wide range of emotions and compassion to the film as his character Seth Hampton dealt with the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of his best friend Mark Fisher (Josh Ethier). Michael Caine has said this about acting, "You cannot lie to the camera. If an actor feels the emotion internally, it will show in the eyes. If not, your eyes will betray you."

Anyone who has seen Mr. Skipper in film or on stage can attest to his eyes convey a lot of emotion. Graham returns to Midnight Madness with writer, director Joe Begos in The Mind's Eye. Mr. Skipper has channeled some serious intensity with his portrayal of Zack Connors. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Graham about acting.

It is fascinating to learn about the genesis of an actor. How did you get started in acting?

I've been acting since a very young age. My father was an actor in LA (where I was actually born) and then in Texas as I was growing up, and my mother was very involved in our local theatres, so both of my parents were very supportive. I did lots of plays and musicals as a kid, including one film when I was 12 that ended up going to Sundance, so you could say acting has been in my blood from the beginning. I went to school for it at Fordham University in NYC, and have been acting professionally ever since!

What have you learned about the craft of acting while making Almost Human and how did you apply that knowledge  to The Mind's Eye?

As with anything, I just try to be as truthful moment to moment on-screen as I can be - and I think that's especially true with horror films. It's so easy to comment on something at outrageous as some of the scenarios you find yourself in with a horror movie, but it's so much more effective to live it honestly and react truthfully to the ridiculousness going on around you. If you're believing what's happening to you, then the audience will, too. I think that was the main thing I kept with me coming out of Almost Human: I had to do my best to ground Seth in what was going on so that the audience would take that ride with me. The same I feel is true for The Mind's Eye - or any role, really. It also should be said that having worked with Joe on Almost Human just helped to solidify our friendship and make working together on The Mind's Eye that much easier. There's a shorthand we developed really quickly on Almost Human, and that just continued on into The Mind's Eye. Plus it just makes it fun!

Making a film can be such a surreal experience. Do you have any funny anecdotes from your time on film sets?

There was a really weird, hilarious moment on the set of Almost Human that was thankfully captured in the special features on the blu-ray and DVD, that is truly one of those things that only an actor would ever find themselves doing. I had to record some wild lines at the end of a long day out on a cold forest road - it was freezing cold, it was getting dark, we were all exhausted, and they had to get several takes on audio of me yelling various obscenities - "fuck, shit, goddammit" - all the things my mother would have hated hearing me say. And so there I am, screaming these curse words at the top of my lungs, covered in blood, freezing cold, just shouting them into the air while like twenty people just stood around watching me. It wasn't til it was over that we all burst out laughing. Such a weird, surreal moment.

As an avid aficionado of horror films are there any performances that you have drawn inspiration from?

Oh man, there are so many... Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2 is one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time. Same with Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West in Re-Animator. It's not exactly a horror film but Stallone in First Blood is like one of my favorite performances of all time. Also Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani in Possession are two just totally remarkable performances, in what must have been a tremendously difficult film to wrap your head around as an actor. Marilyn Burns in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a testament to commitment as an actor - any time I would ever get tired or sore or whatever, I would think to that performance and remind myself of her and what she went through, and that I needed to suck it up and push through. I really admire the work of some of the old greats - Peter Lorre, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price...there's an elegance mixed with madness that they brought to every role that I think every actor should study. Oh! And who could forget the great Robert Englund! There's so many...!

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

THE MIND'S EYE: Interview with Director Joe Begos

Joe Begos returns to the Midnight Madness program with his sophomore film The Mind's Eye. His first film Almost Human the alien abduction, slasher film threw a bunch of blood and alien slime upon the Ryerson theater screen. I recently I had the opportunity to speak to Joe about the making of The Mind's Eye. -- Robert A. Mitchell

Where did the idea for The Mind's Eye come from? 

It just sort of organically evolved from me wanting to do a really violent, badass telekinesis movie. There are really far too few of them. I was itching to do a revenge movie as well, and the two seemed like a match made in heaven, and I built the story from there. Like my last film, I wanted to make something that I would KILL to see.

You have assembled quite a cast for the film. Larry Fessenden (Stake Land, You're Next) Noah Segan (Deadgirl, Brick) John Speredakos (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers). You are also working again with Graham Skipper who played the lead in Almost Human. What was the casting process like? Did you write parts for specific people?

The casting process was pretty awesome. I wrote the lead for Graham from the start, and then handful of the roles were written for specific people, and the rest of the roles were filled out by me picking up the phone and giving someone a call. I have a love for actors that look supremely blue collar, to me it makes there movie more realistic, so it was important to get actors that are recognizable to the genre, but can also act their asses off and don't look like a cosmopolitan model. I think we hit a pretty good balance, as everyone was able to turn in a phenomenal performance, and to me, look like they could be believable civilians in 1991 New England. 

What did you learn from making Almost Human and how did you apply that to The Mind's Eye? Did you expand upon your usage of practical special effects?

Yeah, there are so many effects in this movie my SPFX guy, Brian Spears wanted to kill me on numerous occasions haha. Not only did we have practical blood and gore, but he had to coordinate with a few other departments as we had tons of wire work, pyrotechnics, squibs, breakaways, you name it. I learned what was possible and how to stretch the budget on almost human even more than I had on any of the shorts I had made in my life. I was determined to take whatever extra money we could get for our budget and put it ALL in front of the camera. 

Both films are set in the winter. What do you like about this season as a backdrop to your stories? 

I love when seasons give movies a specific characteristic and atmosphere to the point where the season IS almost a character. I had actually planned to shoot this film in the fall, with all of the beautiful autumn colors, but we weren't able to obtain money fast enough. So therefore the movie was pushed to winter, and we were (un)fortunate to have almost 100 inches of snow during shooting. This was a MAJOR pain in the ass, but man does it look awesome!!

What kind of cinematic experience awaits the Midnight Madness audience who enter into this world of telekinetic people?

My biggest goal is making sure people have an absolute fucking blast when watching one of our movies

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

THE MIND'S EYE Larry Fessenden: A Horror Genre Renaissance Man

Larry Fessenden is truly a horror genre renaissance man. A director, writer, producer, actor. Appearing as Mike Connors in The Mind's Eye directed by Joe Begos will mark Mr. Fessenden's fourth time acting in a film that has premiered at the Midnight Madness program. Larry is always a joy to watch in a film, a talented and fearless actor who puts everything into his performance.

Larry started making short films with a Super 8 camera in high school and took that passion to NYU film school. As he has said, "I was born to make movies." He was naturally drawn to tell stories in the horror genre. "I have a slightly, paranoid nature, I just see the world filled with a sense of the potential for things to go wrong. So, I kind of live in a genre reality."

His second film Habit found an audience and was critically well received. Here is a snippet of what  Roger Ebert said about the film, "Fessenden, who wrote, directed, acted, and edited this film, is a talent to watch. That he is able to see himself with such objectivity is almost frightening; there is not a shred of ego in his performance."

Some of Fessenden's other films as a writer director include Wendigo, Beneath and The Last Winter. Not content to just make a movie for the sake of making a movie his films usually have a subtext, such as, addiction in the vampire film Habit or the perilous state of the natural world and environment which propels the undercurrent of The Last Winter.

In 1985 he founded his production company Glass Eye Pix. The name was derived from a decorative glass eye a friend gave him and said, "Here's to your vision," as well as paying homage to the Jimmy Cagney film Yankee Doodle Dandy where a Variety headline appears "Sticks Nix Hick Pix." Glass Eye Pix is still going strong having been one of the companies that has produced every single film Larry has directed as well as producing many other films most notably, I Sell The Dead and Stake Land. Recently he has become a curator and producer of Tales From Beyond The Pale. Tales is billed as "Radio Plays For The Digital Age".  

It was Larry's love of acting that initially drew him into film making so it was only logical that he would continue to perform in front of the camera -- in his own films -- but also appear in films made by Martin Scorsese Bringing Out The Dead, Jim Jarmusch Broken Flowers. Holding true to his roots and passion for the horror genre Larry has supported and acted in a lot of genre films. Larry has the distinction of having appeared in three previous films that have screened at the Midnight Madness program. Vanishing on 7th Street, You're Next and the 2010 People's Choice winner Stake Land which he also produced.

You can read an interview where Mr. Fessenden talks about producing the Jim Mickle film here. Larry's fourth time acting in a Midnight Madness premiere coincides with the 4th dimension in the The Mind's Eye a film about telekinesis. Coincidence? Then the very next night Larry will appear in Southbound which will also have it's world premiere.

Here is a video interview I conducted with Larry Fessenden in 2008.



THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Wed, Sept 16, 12:00 PM SCOTIABANK
Thu, Sept 17, 12:15 PM SCOTIABANK
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

SOUTHBOUND screens:
Wed, Sept 16, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Fri, Sept 18, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK
Sun, Sept 20, 3:30 PM SCOTIABANK
 

Anticipating THE MIND'S EYE A Look Back At ALMOST HUMAN

As the anticipation builds for the world premiere of Joe Begos' The Mind's Eye a look back at his first feature film is in order. One of the great aspects of the Midnight Madness program is seeing new voices in cinema emerge.  Such was the case in 2013 when the film Almost Human had its world premiere. The film was written, directed and photographed by Joe Begos. The film is an alien abduction, slasher hybrid which reminds one of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Fire in the Sky.
The movie transcended its low budget limitations with a lot talent, determination, passion and  outstanding practical special effects. Programmer Colin Geddes said this, "Almost Human is a raw indie film that delivers the splatter, drawing from many of the touchstones of cinematic shock for a refreshing intense thriller bound to excite a new generation of moviegoers."

The film is a testament to the do-it-yourself ethos and an inspiration to fellow independent and aspiring filmmakers.

The Almost Human crew wore their love of horror films on their T-shirts as well as their skin. Dawn of the Dead, Videodrome, Fright Night, Phantasm tattoos were clearly visible. There was no question of their passion and love of genre films so it was really no surprise that Joe, editor/actor Josh Ethier and lead actor Graham Skipper attended every single midnight screening.

Another great aspect of the Midnight Madness program is the return of alumni directors. Joe Begos is set to premiere his sophomore film The Mind's Eye. It will be great to see what he has done with all the knowledge he gained from the making of Almost Human and what new thrills and chills await the audience. It sure looks like Joe and his regular collaborators Josh Ethier and Graham Skipper have really upped the ante and delivered a solid horror film with lots of telekinetic action aka exploding heads. It'll also be great to once again be around their passion for genre films. Here is my interviews with them at the Almost Human red carpet.



THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK
 

First Look at Joe Begos's Mysterious Thriller, THE MIND'S EYE!

As is the case with a number of the Midnight Madness selections this year, there isn't much information out there about The Mind's Eye. Joe Begos's followup to 2013 Midnight Madness selection, Almost Human is something of an enigma, but your intrepid blogger did some digging (okay I looked at Joe Begos's Twitter) and found some screenshots that reveal...well, not much about the plot of The Mind's Eye per se, but certainly something that rivals the over-the-top batshittery that was Almost Human's trademark.

The first shot is Graham Skipper, the lead from Almost Human, playing "Zack Connors". Using forensic photo analysis, we've determined that he should probably use a napkin:

This is Lauren Ashley Carter (Jugface, Pod, Premium Rush) playing an awfully crabby-looking Rachel Meadows:

Here's John Speredakos (House of the Devil, The Innkeepers) as "the nefarious Dr. Michael Slovak". Now, call me crazy, but I think if I see Dr. Mike in the operating room during my next kidney transplant, I'm probably going to take a raincheck:

And finally, the immortal Larry Fessenden (!!!) playing the spooky Mike Connors, as only Larry Fessenden (!!!!) can:

Like most people, I left 2013's Midnight Madness premiere of Almost Human wanting more from Joe Begos, and it looks like we're about to get it.  Whatever The Mind's Eye has in store, it sure doesn't look pretty, which suits the Midnight Madness audience just fine.

The Mind’s Eye screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Wed, Sept 16, 12:00 PM SCOTIABANK
Thu, Sept 17, 12:15 PM SCOTIABANK
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

Stake Land on the Midnight Madness Red Carpet

On September 17th, 2010 Stake Land received it's world premiere at Midnight Madness. I was able to speak with the creators of the film prior to the screening. Here is that footage.



On September 19th, 2010 Stake Land was awarded the Cadillac People's Choice Midnight Madness award.

@thesubstream ♥'s Midnight Madness #10 - FIRE OF CONSCIENCE

We'd like to tip our hats to everyone that makes Midnight Madness the best film festival programme ever - Colin Geddes, the volunteers, staff, filmmakers and of course - THE FANS!!!

It's been a hoot and we can't wait to do it again - thanks to all for another great year!



Full coverage and reviews at www.thesubstream.com

Midnight Producers Part 6: Larry Fessenden - STAKE LAND

This is the last in my series, Meet the Producers of Midnight Madness 2010

Let me introduce you to legendary N.Y. producer Larry Fessenden, producer of Stake Land



Larry Fessenden may not be a name you instantly recognize but the name is one that has probably been involved in some of your favorite films. At this year's Midnight Madness alone Mr. Fessenden's reach is felt, from Ron Perlman that has worked numerous times with Mr Fessenden, from The Last Winter which was written and directed by Larry as well as I Sell The Dead which Mr. Fessenden not only produced with his company Glass Eye Pix but also acted in. If you were looking really close during Brad Anderson's Vanishing on 7th St, there was Larry on the big screen again, which brings me to Stake Land. Stake Land was also produced by Glass Eye Pix. He has over forty acting credits, has produced 35 films and has numerous directing credits for feature films, shorts and documentaries. In short. Mr. Fessenden is not only a remarkable talent but is truly a tireless advocate for independent cinema.






1) As others are talking about recession and economic downturns you and Glass Eye Pix seems to be thriving in the film world, how do you equate your success in remaining in business and producing quality work?

We were very fortunate to have had financial support throughout the recession of Dark Sky Films. The association began with Ti West’s THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and that lead us to strike a deal to produce three more movies over the course of 18 months: BITTER FEAST, STAKE LAND and HYPOTHERMIA. And that was followed by another Ti West film, THE INNKEEPERS. So we’ve had a very good run of it with Dark Sky. In the 2000’s Glass Eye Pix invested in the careers of several filmmakers including Ti West, Graham Reznick, James McKenney, and Glenn McQuaid, as well as Kelly Reichardt and Ilya Chaiken, and the consistent model was to make films of artistic integrity at a very low budget. During more lucrative times we could get reimbursed for our efforts. It is our hope that in these lean years our model of frugality and originality will be attractive to new investors. It is important not to discount the sheer talent we have tapped in to. And I believe there is a tone throughout all the films from Glass Eye Pix that stands in marked contrast to the mainstream or even “indie” output and that is our brand.

2) How difficult was it to find the money to produce Stake Land? What challenges did you face that were unique to this film?

Stake Land was the most solid pitch we had for our slate of three movies with Dark Sky Films; it had the elements that looked good on paper: vampires, the post apocalyptic setting, and the director Jim Mickle had made a successful first film but still was hungry enough to go from no budget to low budget with gusto and conviction. So the film was financed easily, as part of an overall slate. The challenges were many from there. First, the script had to be reworked over several months to shape it into the feature it’s become, and then the epic scope of the story had to be fit into the budget. We determined to split the shoot into two parts, so we could experience on film the change in seasons. This was a gamble that paid off, but one that can stress a budget and crew and spook most financiers. As with all our films, we choose to emphasize post production: sound design, music, graphics, visual effects, the color correct and mix, all are an essential part of the experience we want to deliver, and again, the challenge is to strategize to get the most out of what is left of the budget after a grueling shoot. By using the same team of people in post-production on several films, we have been able to get a lot of bang for the buck.

3) What is something that you have learned as a producer that you wish you knew when you started out with your first feature Habit?

There is no one thing that has changed since I made HABIT in 1994. With HABIT, I established many of the principals that I still employ: A small crew (there were seven of us on HABIT), an open schedule (we shot over 45 days), and a long post-production emphasizing sound design and a rich, live score, all driven by a resourceful, single-minded auteur (which was me at the time). With HABIT, I endured a tsunami of festival and distribution rejections and so I released the film myself, compelling me to learn about marketing and exhibition. That experience taught me that there are no answers in show biz, there is only conviction. I have applied that to film after film with various degrees of success since, and it has helped several careers get started through Glass Eye Pix. Another thing I have learned since HABIT is I need my own producer to take care of the nuts and bolts of production. I may have a philosophical overview that drives the ship, but it was HABIT’s producer Dayton Taylor that got the film made, Jeff Levy-Hinte who got my subsequent films made, and now Peter Phok and Brent Kunkle have been instrumental in getting a slew of new pictures made. Collaboration in film at every level is essential.

Stake Land screens:
Friday, Sept 17 11:59PM RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 18 12:15PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4
Sunday Sept, 19 9:00PM AMC2

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Five Questions With STAKE LAND Director Jim Mickle

Jim Mickle is taking the sexy out of the vampire. No more forbidden love. No more glamour. No more of anything but fangs and blood and violence. Mickle's Stake Land (premiering Friday, Sep 17 at Midnight!) takes to the big screen for the first time Friday and the director was good enough to answer a few questions about his latest creation and his producer / mentor Larry Fessenden.

How long would it take one of your vampires to eat the entire cast of Twilight? Would it begin to sparkle after doing so?

My hunch is the Twilight cast would be too bland for our vamp's taste buds. Our guys are more of the meat and potatoes, blood and viscera kind of crowd.

Your vamps seem like a much darker, more primal take on the vampire mythos. Did you use anything in particular as a reference point when setting the tone and style of your creatures?

The main goal with our vamps was to make them scary again. Keep them feral and nasty, and not go down the romantic, sexy road with any of them (though one of our young vamps is very cute, even with teeth). Nick Damici (the lead actor and co-writer) and I are both big Richard Matheson fans, so I'm sure the "I Am Legend" novel found its way into shaping not just the attitude of our creatures, but the world as well.

From the scenes I’ve already seen it appears that there’s a layer of political commentary in the film that goes beyond just the creature action, can you describe the world that the film takes place in a little more?

"Stake Land" takes place in an apocalyptic America overrun by vampires. Political and economic downfalls have all but emptied out the major cities, and survivors are clinging to small locked-down towns to survive. Besides vampires, the real threat is a fundamental, militaristic, faith based group that's out to cleanse what's left of the country. We basically tried to envision a US that couldn't recover from its very divided path, dropped in a vampire epidemic and let the story evolve from that world.

This is two creature features in a row for you, what’s the appeal?

Honestly it's kind of an accident. After "Mulberry Street" I told myself "no more creatures. Something smaller scale next time." And then the opposite went and happened. We had a few very different scripts and pitches, but once Larry Fessenden got involved, the enthusiasm and drive for this particular story was kind of impossible to rein in. Then the momentum of the characters and their relationships trumped all and I found myself back behind the camera looking at teeth molds and blood tubing all over again! The beauty is that although both films would make for a very cozy double feature, they couldn't be more different in most regards. At the end of the day, it's all about the characters and the world.

You’ve got Larry Fessenden on board as a producer for the film, what has he taught you as a young filmmaker doing genre films?

I'd say it's more of a philosophy with Larry than any one lesson. He leads by example and encourages (and sometimes demands) that you follow your own instincts as a storyteller, and that's what has led to such a diverse collection of films under his roof. In a way, he becomes the muse for all these little overachieving films. It's rare to find people with a deep, genuine love and admiration for the genre, who can still see filmmaking as this magical event of creating an illusion, even after being in the business as long as he has. And he has this scary ability of selling a budget limitation as a good thing that will only make for better choices in the final film. So when you put a guy like that in a producer capacity, it's very easy to let that energy trickle down through every aspect of making a film. One of his first great lines to me as a director ended with "I'm not bringing you in to make "Terminator 4" Mickle. I'm bringing you in to give it a heartbeat." He said it with his old-timey, cigar-chomping, producer guy voice, but it made it very easy to make the film the right way after that.


With Stake Land literally finishing post production right about now there is still no proper trailer for the film but if you want a brief taste you can check out the initial teaser - cut together with raw footage from the first few days of shooting - below.

Stake Land screens:
Friday, September 17. 11:59PM Ryerson
Saturday September 18, 12:15PM Scotiabank 4
Sunday September 19 9:00PM AMC 2

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

STAKE LAND A Must See of 2010

When the Midnight Madness programme was recently announced one film that immediately grabbed my attention was Stake Land

The reason for my my excitement?

Firstly, the director Jim Mickle. Click here for an interview with him over at Twitch

It is not uncommon during a film festival Q&A to have some one raise their hand and ask, "How much was your budget?" Well Mr. Mickle's first feature Mulberry Street was made for a tiny fraction of most budgets and proved that it's not the cost of your film that matters but the amount of talent and imagination. Mulberry Street transcended all it's limitations and announced the arrival of a major new talent.

Secondly, the producer Larry Fessenden. Larry is one of those cool indie N.Y. film makers who not only makes horror films but is a huge fan of the genre. Check out my 2008 interview with him here:

Lastly, the film itself. Here is the first trailer for Stake Land. A film that people will be talking about long after the end credits.

Screening times for Stake Land are: Friday, Sept. 17th at the Ryerson Theatre at 11:59 pm, Saturday, Sept. 18th at the Scotiabank Theatre #4 at 12:15 pm and at the AMC Theatre #2 at 9 pm.