It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the new peer-reviewed Cine-Excess eJournal, which brings together scholars with international filmmakers in the discussion of global cult film cultures. The intention to create new forms of dialogue and enquiry between these differing cult communities closely mirrors the annual Cine-Excess conference and festival from which the journal has evolved. This event also brings together international academics and industry figures in a festival that features a three day themed conference, filmmaker discussions and exclusive UK theatrical premieres of forthcoming film releases.
The annual Cine-Excess International Cult Film Conference and Festival was first established at Brunel University in 2007, before moving to the University of Brighton in 2012 to become the centrepiece of the new BA (Hons) Digital Film programme. From 2007 to the present, Cine-Excess has become recognised as a key event within the UK film festival calendar. Cine-Excess has been noted for its ability to attract high profile filmmakers and academics as guests of honour and keynote speakers at the event.
The first Cine-Excess film festival was held during the 3rd-5th May 2007. The guests of honour included John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) and Brian Yuzna (Society). The conference also attracted keynote addresses from Professor Mark Jancovich (University of East Anglia), Professor Martin Barker (University of Wales) and Dr Matt Hills (University of Cardiff). Cine-Excess also attracted over 45 cult film scholars from a diverse section of international locations including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, and Estonia.
The second Cine-Excess event was held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts between 1st-3rd May 2008. The event featured Roger Corman (Masque of the Red Death, Wild Angels) as guest of honour, as well as a keynote address on Italian cult cinema from Sir Christopher Frayling. The event also featured over 80 speakers from Europe, North America and the Far East discussing a variety of global cult film topics.
Cine-Excess III (held 30th-April-2nd May 2009) was held across two central London media venues: The Curzon Soho Cinema and The Odeon Covent Garden. Guests of honour included Dario Argento (Suspiria, Tenebrae) and his long term composer Claudio Simonetti, while keynote addresses were delivered from Professor Chris Jenks and Professor Jeff Sconce. As well as featuring the themed conference ‘Beyond Life: The Undead in Global Cult Media’, Cine-Excess III also featured the official launch of the Nouveaux-Pictures-Cine-Excess film label, and featured a special panel discussion on what academics can expect from the UK’s first dual educational/commercial cult film platform.
The fourth Cine-Excess was held between 29th April-1st May 2010, with Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) as guest of honour, and an international conference on ‘Cult Bodies: Corporeal Excess was attended by a large number of international scholars. The keynote also featured a keynote on European serial killer films by Professor Richard Dyer. More recently, Cine-Excess V took place at the Italian Cultural Institute and the Odeon Covent Garden between the 26th and 28th May 2011.
Cine-Excess V featured Franco Nero (Django, Keoma, Die Hard II) and Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust and House on the Edge of the Park as guests of honour, alongside a themed three day academic conference on ‘The Politics and Aesthetics of Excess.’ Some of the highlights of the 2011 event included a special session between Ruggero Deodato and senior examiners from the BBFC, which also included a keynote on audiences responses to House on the Edge of the Park by Professor Martin Barker. Cine-Excess V also featured the world-wide theatrical premiere of Deodato’s new director’s cut of Cannibal Holocaust, which was secured after a successful application to have the BBFC reconsider this contentious title was mounted by Professor Julian Petley. This new application resulted in the most complete cut of the movie being available in UK for twenty-seven years. The film’s transition from the margins to the mainstream of critical respectability was also captured in the commissioned Cine-Excess documentary The Long Road Back From Hell: Reclaiming Cannibal Holocaust, which was released in September 2011, as part of the new UK Blu-ray release of the film.
With the 2012 relocation of Cine-Excess to the University of Brighton, a number of new developments connected to the event have been announced. These include the 2013 launch of the peer-reviewed Cine-Excess eJournal, which will publish a selection of papers from the event on a twice yearly basis, while a new Cine-Excess feature film arm is also in development in conjunction with a range of international partners.
The new Cine-Excess eJournal will comprise of a select and and peer reviewed sample of papers presented at the annual May event, alongside more general submissions to be promoted on appropriate academic listings sites. It is intended that the eJournal will follow the broad structure of the established Cine-Excess event, by mixing 12-15 peer reviewed papers with filmmaker interviews and conference/festival reports. Given the conference’s continued interest in themes of global film controversy, it seems appropriate that the launch issue of the journal explores some of the most contentious cult titles to have provoked official condemnation from the 1960s until the present. We very much hope you enjoy the academic accounts and filmmaker responses to the topic of ‘Subverting the Senses: The Politics and Aesthetics of Excess.’
Xavier Mendik
Director of the Cine-Excess International Film Festival
August 2013
The annual Cine-Excess International Cult Film Conference and Festival was first established at Brunel University in 2007, before moving to the University of Brighton in 2012 to become the centrepiece of the new BA (Hons) Digital Film programme. From 2007 to the present, Cine-Excess has become recognised as a key event within the UK film festival calendar. Cine-Excess has been noted for its ability to attract high profile filmmakers and academics as guests of honour and keynote speakers at the event.
The first Cine-Excess film festival was held during the 3rd-5th May 2007. The guests of honour included John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) and Brian Yuzna (Society). The conference also attracted keynote addresses from Professor Mark Jancovich (University of East Anglia), Professor Martin Barker (University of Wales) and Dr Matt Hills (University of Cardiff). Cine-Excess also attracted over 45 cult film scholars from a diverse section of international locations including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, and Estonia.
The second Cine-Excess event was held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts between 1st-3rd May 2008. The event featured Roger Corman (Masque of the Red Death, Wild Angels) as guest of honour, as well as a keynote address on Italian cult cinema from Sir Christopher Frayling. The event also featured over 80 speakers from Europe, North America and the Far East discussing a variety of global cult film topics.
Cine-Excess III (held 30th-April-2nd May 2009) was held across two central London media venues: The Curzon Soho Cinema and The Odeon Covent Garden. Guests of honour included Dario Argento (Suspiria, Tenebrae) and his long term composer Claudio Simonetti, while keynote addresses were delivered from Professor Chris Jenks and Professor Jeff Sconce. As well as featuring the themed conference ‘Beyond Life: The Undead in Global Cult Media’, Cine-Excess III also featured the official launch of the Nouveaux-Pictures-Cine-Excess film label, and featured a special panel discussion on what academics can expect from the UK’s first dual educational/commercial cult film platform.
The fourth Cine-Excess was held between 29th April-1st May 2010, with Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) as guest of honour, and an international conference on ‘Cult Bodies: Corporeal Excess was attended by a large number of international scholars. The keynote also featured a keynote on European serial killer films by Professor Richard Dyer. More recently, Cine-Excess V took place at the Italian Cultural Institute and the Odeon Covent Garden between the 26th and 28th May 2011.
Cine-Excess V featured Franco Nero (Django, Keoma, Die Hard II) and Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust and House on the Edge of the Park as guests of honour, alongside a themed three day academic conference on ‘The Politics and Aesthetics of Excess.’ Some of the highlights of the 2011 event included a special session between Ruggero Deodato and senior examiners from the BBFC, which also included a keynote on audiences responses to House on the Edge of the Park by Professor Martin Barker. Cine-Excess V also featured the world-wide theatrical premiere of Deodato’s new director’s cut of Cannibal Holocaust, which was secured after a successful application to have the BBFC reconsider this contentious title was mounted by Professor Julian Petley. This new application resulted in the most complete cut of the movie being available in UK for twenty-seven years. The film’s transition from the margins to the mainstream of critical respectability was also captured in the commissioned Cine-Excess documentary The Long Road Back From Hell: Reclaiming Cannibal Holocaust, which was released in September 2011, as part of the new UK Blu-ray release of the film.
With the 2012 relocation of Cine-Excess to the University of Brighton, a number of new developments connected to the event have been announced. These include the 2013 launch of the peer-reviewed Cine-Excess eJournal, which will publish a selection of papers from the event on a twice yearly basis, while a new Cine-Excess feature film arm is also in development in conjunction with a range of international partners.
The new Cine-Excess eJournal will comprise of a select and and peer reviewed sample of papers presented at the annual May event, alongside more general submissions to be promoted on appropriate academic listings sites. It is intended that the eJournal will follow the broad structure of the established Cine-Excess event, by mixing 12-15 peer reviewed papers with filmmaker interviews and conference/festival reports. Given the conference’s continued interest in themes of global film controversy, it seems appropriate that the launch issue of the journal explores some of the most contentious cult titles to have provoked official condemnation from the 1960s until the present. We very much hope you enjoy the academic accounts and filmmaker responses to the topic of ‘Subverting the Senses: The Politics and Aesthetics of Excess.’
Xavier Mendik
Director of the Cine-Excess International Film Festival
August 2013