Jen & Sylvia Soska to Receive Top Accolade at UK Hosted International Film Festival

Josh Millican |

Nov 1, 2019

Jen and Sylvia Soska’s remake of David Cronenberg’s Rabid is tearing up the festival circuit in advance of its December release. Now, the “Twisted Twins” are set to receive a prestigious award at an upcoming UK film festival. Here’s the full scoop from this afternoon’s press release:

Hundreds of cult film lovers will descend on Birmingham UK next week for an array of exclusive screenings and talks from renowned directors, as an international film festival returns to the second city.

Birmingham City University (UK) will play host to the 13^th Cine-Excess conference and film festival from November 7th – 9th, which will feature a host of activities including special screenings of the new film Rabid presented by its Canadian directors, horror aficionados the Soska sisters.

The packed schedule will put horror at centre stage, with guests coming in from across the globe to access the unique screenings, as well as to attend special talks assessing the social, cultural and political impact of cult cinema.

Among the key film screenings will be the newly released remake of the David Cronenberg body horror classic Rabid, directed by award-winning filmmaking twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska. Acclaimed director Norman J Warren will also be in the city to present his well-loved 1977 movie Prey.

Xavier Mendik, Professor of Cult Cinema at Birmingham City University and Director of Cine-Excess, said: “Cult cinema has a unique role in presenting some really complex social and historical issues, and has broken ground in these areas over many decades.

“From Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead to the recently released remake of Rabid, the way these stories have taken on some really challenging issues and presented them in a way which appeals to our own fears and senses It is the subversive nature of cult cinema and its creators that we celebrate with this festival.

“Bringing Cine-Excess to Birmingham has been a real positive for us all, and having such renowned filmmakers in the city continues to support the direction it is going in. The success of Peaky Blinders has created a new cultural landmark here, and Steven Knight’s plans for a film studio will only contribute to this development as a place which is, and should be, internationally recognized.

“Our guests of honour this year will be the Soska sisters, who have received international acclaim for their filmmaking. The fact that the pair are two leading pioneers in this genre, helps show how cult cinema can subvert gender norms and make a real impact on society.”

During Cine-Excess, the Soska sisters will be presented with a special award marking their contribution as women working in the world of horror. Fans are also being asked to design their own reimagined poster of the next Cronenberg classic the duo should remake, with the winners being given the chance to get their creation signed by the directors.

Norman J Warren will also be presented with a lifetime achievement award, recognizing the major impact he has had in the cult cinema arena.

The screening schedule for the festival will include:

· Blind (European premiere), Thursday, November 7th, 2019

· Impossible Monsters (UK premiere plus Director Q & A), Thursday 7 November

· Infection, Thursday 7 November

· Rabid (Plus Director Q & A), Friday 8 November

· Prey (Plus Director Q & A), Friday 8 November

· Antrum (UK premiere), Friday 8 November

· She Never Died, Saturday 9 November

· The Quiet Revolution, Saturday 9 November

· Rabid (Plus Director Signing), Saturday 9 November

· Fornacis (Plus Director Q & A), Saturday 9 November

· Inseminoid (Plus Director Q & A), Saturday 9 November

· The Damned, Saturday 9 November

· Finale, Saturday 9 November

· Blood Bags (UK premiere), Sunday 10 November

Also taking place during Cine-Excess, will be talks and critical assessments of the impact cult cinema has had around the globe.

Topics being discussed will include:

· New Canadian female pioneers of horror

· The influence of French horror directors at home and abroad

· Latina monsters and the politics of migration

Find out more about Cine-Excess or book tickets to attend at www.cine-excess.co.uk.

Are you attending Cine-Excess later this month? Which films or panels are you most interested in checking out? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.

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