John Landis opens first London cult film conference and UK premieres to be screened

• May 3: UK theatrical premiere of Stuart Gordon's thriller Edmond (Tartan Films), adapted by David Mamet from his own play, starring William H. Macy (6.00pm-7.45pm) preceded by Resurrecting Horror: interview with Edmond's director Stuart Gordon, and producer Brian Yuzna (5pm-6pm). £7.00


• May 4: Leading cult film director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London, The Kentucky Fried Movie, The Blues Brothers, Thriller (Michael Jackson video) is the subject of an on-stage interview: An American Film-Maker in London on May 4, (5pm-6pm) (FREE - pre-booking advised)

• May 5: UK premiere The Last House in the Woods (Italian, English sub-titles, 2006) (Minerva Pictures Group), May 5, (1.20pm-3pm) introduced on stage by director Gabrielle Albanese and producer Gregory J. Rossi. £7.00


• Screening of Taxidermia (Hungary/ France, sub-titles, 2006) (director Gyorgy Palfi) (Tartan Films). May 5, (7.15pm). £9.50


The influential American director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London, The Kentucky Fried Movie, The Blues Brothers, Thriller video) will open Cine-Excess: the 1st London International Cult Film Conference, organised by The Cult Film Archive at Brunel University, with Sci-Fi London, on May 3.

Landis, will also take part in an on-stage discussion and a career retrospective, An American Film-Maker in London, on May 4.

Hundreds of film students and academics are expected to attend the three-day event at the Apollo West End (May 3-May 5), which will include the UK premiere of Stuart Gordon's and David Mamet's Edmond.

The conference, which features talks by 40-50 academics, and professionals in the industry from Britain, America, Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy and Australia will take place in conjunction with Sci-Fi London (May 2-May 6) the 6th annual London international festival of science fiction and fantastic film.

The conference will also celebrate the launch of the world's first MA in Cult Film and TV, at Brunel University in West London.

Brunel's course director and conference organiser, Xavier Mendik, said he hoped the event would become an annual outing in the movie calendar: “Dealing with everything from Tarantino and Italian trash movie classics, to new Brit cult cinema cinema and Nigerian horror flicks, Cine-Excess is set to become the B-movie buzzword for horror, for film critics and movie fans alike.“

Louis Savy, director of Sci-Fi London welcomed the teaming up with the “cult crazy“ conference. “By combining a leading festival of science fiction and fantasy film with the Cine Excess conference, we hope to offer London a truly international event as well as an informative and fun examination of the ever-popular topic of cult movies. Alternatively, fans can just see the movies.“


Some of the topics to be covered include: Tim Burton's Monster Culture; Werewolf films; Tarantino's audiences; Japanese sex flicks; Distributing cult movies; The League of Gentlemen, and New Brit Horror. The full programme can be downloaded from www.cine-excess.com/