Cine-Excess 2024 Blood Ties: The Family in Cult and Horror Cinema
International Film Festival and Conference
21st – 27th October 2024 - Birmingham, UK/Online
Features:
21st – 27th October 2024 - Birmingham, UK/Online
Features:
- Online International Conference: 21-24 October 2024
- In-person Symposium (Birmingham, UK): 25 October 2024
- Blood Ties Screening Season: 21 -27 October 2024
For its 2024 edition, Cine-Excess considers the cinematic, social and cultural significance of the family in cult and horror cinema. For more than half a century, the family, in all its forms, has been at the dark heart of cult film, and the 2024 edition of Cine-Excess invites delegates to a family celebration like no other! Highlights of Cine-Excess 2024 include:
Gremlins at 40: Joe Dante in Conversation
Cine-Excess 2024 celebrates the 40th anniversary of Joe Dante’s Gremlins, the film that pioneered modern notions of family friendly horror, whilst confirming the director’s ability to cast a critical eye over American culture and politics. We are delighted that Joe Dante will be participating in an exclusive recorded Q&A session with Cine-Excess delegates, which will be streamed on Thursday 24 October between 5pm-6pm UK time. |
Blood Ties Over Time: Cast and Crew Reflect on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
One cult classic which cemented the concept of the family horrors was The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Fifty years on, the film’s visceral capacity to shock is undiminished. An immersive work of art that commented on monstrous family constructions, whilst simultaneously reflecting the horrors of the Vietnam War and the cultural nihilism of Nixon’s America. To celebrate the film's fiftieth anniversary, Texas Chain Saw Massacre cast and crew join this year's Cine-Excess in an exclusive recorded roundtable discussion. Scheduled guests include Allen Danziger ("Jerry"), Ted Nicolaou (Sound Department), Daniel Pearl (Cinematographer) and William Vail ("Kirk"), all of whom will be the recipients of a Lifetime Achievement award on behalf of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's wider cast and crew. This exclusively recorded session will be streamed on Wednesday 23 October between 6pm-7pm UK time. |
Analysing The Ties That Bind: The Cine-Excess 2024 Conference
The theme of the family in cult and horror is central to the Cine-Excess 2024 online international conference, which runs between 21-24 October, alongside a separate in-person symposium which takes place in Birmingham on Friday 25 October.
As part of this event, we are delighted to host Professor Tony Williams, author of Hearths of Darkness: The Family in the American Horror Film (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1996; University Press of Mississippi, 2014), as our keynote speaker. This online keynote address takes place on Wednesday 23 October 4.30pm-5.30pm UK time, where Professor Williams will be discussing the importance of family representations within a range of horror films including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Professor Williams’ keynote will be complemented by over 40 additional talks and discussions provided by international scholars who will be participating in the Cine-Excess 2024 conference.
The theme of the family in cult and horror is central to the Cine-Excess 2024 online international conference, which runs between 21-24 October, alongside a separate in-person symposium which takes place in Birmingham on Friday 25 October.
As part of this event, we are delighted to host Professor Tony Williams, author of Hearths of Darkness: The Family in the American Horror Film (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1996; University Press of Mississippi, 2014), as our keynote speaker. This online keynote address takes place on Wednesday 23 October 4.30pm-5.30pm UK time, where Professor Williams will be discussing the importance of family representations within a range of horror films including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Professor Williams’ keynote will be complemented by over 40 additional talks and discussions provided by international scholars who will be participating in the Cine-Excess 2024 conference.
The Cine-Excess 2024 conference is open to scholars, students and members of the public. Tickets can be purchased as the following delegate passes:
Delegate Pass 1: Online Conference
Price: £100/£50 (concessions)
Includes virtual access to the online conference, related online screenings and filmmaker talks.
Delegate Pass 2: Online Conference and In-Person Symposium
Price: £150/£75 (concessions)
Includes all the benefits of the online conference delegate pass as well as admittance to the in-person symposium on Friday 25 October and lunch/refreshments on the day of the event. This pass also allows access to listed Cine-Excess screenings at the ODEON Birmingham New Street (prior booking required).
Delegate Pass 1: Online Conference
Price: £100/£50 (concessions)
Includes virtual access to the online conference, related online screenings and filmmaker talks.
Delegate Pass 2: Online Conference and In-Person Symposium
Price: £150/£75 (concessions)
Includes all the benefits of the online conference delegate pass as well as admittance to the in-person symposium on Friday 25 October and lunch/refreshments on the day of the event. This pass also allows access to listed Cine-Excess screenings at the ODEON Birmingham New Street (prior booking required).
Judging the Ties That Bind: The Soska Sisters Tales of Terror 2024
We are delighted to welcome back the inspirational filmmaking duo Jennifer and Sylvia Soska (American Mary [2012], Rabid [2019] On the Edge [2022]). Having received their Cine-Excess award at our 2019 event, the Soska sisters return to the festival in their role as annual mentors of the next generation of filmmaking talent.
They will be judging a very special Soska Sisters Tales of Terror 2024 competition that will see BCU film students provide a fresh contemporary vision on this year’s festival theme: Blood Ties: The Family in Cult and Horror Cinema. This exclusive live-streamed panel session takes place on Tuesday 22 October between 5.30pm-6.30pm UK time. |
Writing the Ties That Bind: Celebrating Heidi Honeycutt's I Spit on Your Celluloid
To celebrate the launch of her new book, I Spit on Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies (Headpress, 2024), Heidi Honeycutt joins this year's Cine-Excess on Monday 21 October at 5pm UK time.
Mo Moshaty will be in conversation with Heidi about her new book, covering everything from women's horror filmmaking to familial politics and the female gaze. Delegates can enjoy 15% off (paperback) with an exclusive code, courtesy of Headpress. |
Blood Ties: The Cine-Excess 2024 Screening Season
To complement this year's festival theme, Cine-Excess 2024 features the screening season Blood Ties which considers subversive, monstrous and subcultural representations of the family in cult and horror cinema. The season comprises in-person UK film premieres alongside a range of streamed releases, many of which are being made available for international audiences to watch. Blood Ties has been co-curated with Black Mandala, who have collaborated with programming screenings for Cine-Excess 2024. The Blood Ties screening season is open to academics, students and members of the public (aged 18 years and over). In-person screenings take place at the ODEON Birmingham New Street Cinema (see film descriptions for specific booking details), while online releases can be accessed via the Cine-Excess streaming platform. A special online screening pass to watch all Cine-Excess 2024 streamed screenings can be purchased for £20 |
Black Mandala Rising: A New Programming Partner for Cine-Excess
Cine-Excess 2024 is proud to announce a new collaboration with the international genre film organisation Black Mandala. This prominent production and sales company was established in 2017 by noted film distributor Michael Kraetzer and leading Argentinian film producer Nicolás Onetti.
Black Mandala specializes in developing and producing high-quality genre films that captivate visually and resonate worldwide. The company manages international sales for its own productions and third-party films and boasts strong relationships with major festivals such as Sitges, Frightfest, TIFFF, BIFFF, BIFAN, and many others. Black Mandala have programmed a special screening season for Cine-Excess 2024, as well as providing additional filmed materials that outlines the support they can provide to aspiring cult and horror filmmakers seeking distribution. |