Producers Ant Timpson, Tim League, and Magnet Releasing have announced the twelve finalists in ABCs OF DEATH 2’s “Search for the 26th Director.”
The original ABCs OF DEATH, comprised of 26 alphabet-themed ways to die from the biggest names in horror, invited any and all indie filmmakers from around the world to submit their own T-themed deaths – with one exceptional entry being chosen to appear in the final film. The tradition of selecting the 26th Director proudly continues in the 2014 sequel.
The competition’s twelve outstanding finalists will be voted on by the upcoming anthology film’s other 25 directors, with a victor being announced on December 15th.
The Top Twelve finalists will be screened for free at select Alamo Drafthous locations on December 15th, after which Drafthouse founder/CEO Tim League will announce the competition’s winner. In addition to receiving a $5000 cash prize, the winning film will be become ABCs OF DEATH 2’s “M” segment.
The competition’s twelve finalists, half of which were chosen via public vote and half by jury selection, are Dante Vescio and Rodrigo Gasparini’s “M is for Mailbox”, Summer Johnson’s “M is for Make Believe”, Steve Daniels’ “M is for Marauder”, Robert Boocheck’s “M is for Masticate”, Sean Tretta’s “M is for Matchmaker”, Wolfgang Matzl’s “M is for Meat”, BC Glassberg’s “M is for Mind Meld”, Álvaro Núñez’s “M is for Miracle”, Antonio Padovan’s “M is for Misdirection”, Mia'Kate Russell’s “M is for Muff”, Santi González’s “M is for Multiverse Apathy”, and Jason Koch and Clint Kelly’s “M is for Munging.”
With a whopping 541 final entries from over 40 countries submitted to the competition, the sequel’s terrifying tournament ranks as one of the industry’s most popular fan film contests. “Our dedicated jury watched 27 hours worth of entries,” said producer and juror Ant Timpson. “The sequel’s ‘Search for the 26th Director’ had three times the number of entries submitted to the first film’s contest. Narrowing our selections down to six proved immensely difficult, given the massive number of absolutely incredible films submitted.”
Along with Timpson, the jury of horror experts also included producer Tim League, Associate Producer Ted Geoghegan, Magnolia Pictures’ Matt Cowal, Entertainment Weekly Senior Writer Clark Collis, Horror-Movie-A-Day founder and Badass Digest contributor Brian Collins, author Grady Hendrix, and Fangoria Magazine Managing Editor Michael Gingold.
Aside from creating the very best entries possible, the six finalists chosen by public vote used their own innovative takes on film publicity, marketing, contests, and viral outreach to secure their entries as many votes as possible.
The twelve finalists will be voted upon by the ABCs OF DEATH 2’s other attached directors: an eclectic, acclaimed group consisting of Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh; Goya Award winner Álex de la Iglesia (THE LAST CIRCUS, WITCHING AND BITCHING); Israel’s Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado (BIG BAD WOLVES, RABIES); Japan’s arthouse provocateur Sion Sono (COLD FISH, SUICIDE CLUB); Academy Award-nominated animator Bill Plympton; ROOM 237 mastermind Rodney Ascher; Filipino icon – and Director’s Fortnight inductee – Erik Matti (ON THE JOB, MAGIC TEMPLE); Lithuania’s Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper (VANISHING WAVES); SPLICE and CUBE’s Vincenzo Natali; indie horror icon Larry Fessenden (THE LAST WINTER, HABIT); THE STATION’s Marvin Kren; Todd Rohal (THE CATECHISM CATALYSM); Canada’s king of lo-fi, Steven Kostanski (MANBORG); Cuba’s Alejandro Brugués (JUAN OF THE DEAD); acclaimed UK commercial director Jim Hosking; Japanese monster-maker Hajime Ohata (HENGE); Canadian short film wizard Chris Nash (SKINFECTIONS); France’s Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (INSIDE, LIVID); E.L. Katz (director of the SXSW breakout hit CHEAP THRILLS); twin auteurs Jen and Sylvia Soska (AMERICAN MARY, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK); A LONELY PLACE TO DIE’s Julian Gilbey; Brazil’s most controversial filmmaker Dennison Ramalho (NINJAS and LOVE FOR MOTHER ONLY); the founder of Nigerian “Nollywood” cinema Lancelot Imasuen; THE LEGEND OF BEAVER DAM and the upcoming STAGEFRIGHT’s Jerome Sable; and animator Robert Morgan – creator of the BAFTA Award nominated short BOBBY YEAH.
“Being a part of the original ABCs OF DEATH was the proudest and most important moment of my life,” says ‘T is for Toilet’ director Lee Hardcastle, whose innovative stop-motion entry won the first film’s ‘Search for the 26th Director.’ “Winning the competition was a dream come true and got my video in front of all the right people. I’ve since become great friends with many of the ABCs crew, and even collaborated with some of them on my own personal projects.”
Magnet is planning a 2014 release of the film. ABCs OF DEATH 2 is produced by Ant Timpson and Tim League, in conjunction with associate producers Todd Brown, Marc Walkow, Mitch Davis, and Ted Geoghegan.
