Marginalised voices to be championed at cult cinema event

A special event running this week will examine how cult classics and new disruptive visions of cinema can provide an outlet for underrepresented voices and tell stories of marginalised communities.

The Cine-Excess Film Festival, led by Xavier Mendik, Professor of Cult Cinema Studies at Birmingham City University, has announced its programme for a special series of screenings and talks championing diverse filmmakers from across the world.

The three-day event, titled Distinctive Visions: A Cine-Excess Event, will run between Friday March 25 and Sunday 27 and feature a mixture of renowned classic titles alongside innovative new features.

Distinctive Visions will also feature an array of exclusive Q and A sessions with filmmakers from the USA, UK, Mexico and Argentina.

Being held online, the event will provide insight into new ways of storytelling and how the cult cinema provides a unique outlet for under-heard voices.

Commenting upon his Distinctive Visions festival entry The Unsettling, director Harry Owens said: “Despite the success of films like Get Out, there is still a dearth of Black or African horror.

"Although I didn't set out to make the film overtly political, when watching it I could see it was permeated by the unease that I as a Black immigrant feel in residential American neighborhoods; gossiping about anyone walking around that they don't think fits in.

"This film speaks to this moment in history, when it has become even clearer that diverse stories are so necessary. ”

Alongside a range of recent releases, Distinctive Visions also features screenings of well-known classics including Wes Craven 's The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and Clive Barker 's Hellraiser (1987), both courtesy of Arrow Films.

Xavier Mendik, professor of Cult Cinema Studies at Birmingham City University and Director of Cine-Excess, said: “The Distinctive Visions event is dedicated to profiling diverse new visions of cinema, whilst also celebrating those cult film classics with social significance.

"We are delighted to be working with leading film programmers such as Paul McEvoy from Frightfest Festival and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who have curated this event for us. ”

Professor Mendik is also the Director of Birmingham City University 's BCU Film Futures and leads on the institution 's partnership with the British Film Institute. His expertise spans European, American and Canadian cinema and he is the author, editor and co-editor of ten volumes on cult film traditions.

The Distinctive Visions film festival runs from between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 March 2022. All films are rated over 18s only, and screenings are geo-locked to the UK region unless specified.

Tickets for Distinctive Visions are available for £5.99 on the Cine-Excess website.

Find more information about what Cine-Excess has to offer here.