Gens and Smith Join Death Dream Team as ABCs OF DEATH Searches for Final Director

AUSTIN, Texas, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Drafthouse Films, Timpson Films and Magnet Releasing have secured genre heavyweights Xavier Gens (Frontiers, Hitman) and Christopher Smith (Severance, Black Death) to join Noburo Iguchi (Robo Geisha, Machine Girl) and Kaare Andrews (Altitude) along with 21 other directors to make up the talented roster behind THE ABCs OF DEATH, a twenty-six chapter anthology feature that showcases death letter by letter. The 26th Director spot will be determined by short film competition to discover an aspiring new talent. The winning filmmaker will receive a $5000 cash prize and will be included in the final release of the film.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101007/DA78674LOGO)

Participants will choose their own word and create a short film based off the letter "T."  The interpretation of the word and the format of the short film will be entirely up to competitors.  The top 10 shorts will be determined by public voting and the winning director will be selected by the 25 ABCs OF DEATH directors to become the 26th and final director.  

"We expect a lot of talented folks around the world to step up to this challenge, I just hope someone attempts T is for Tabanid (blood-sucking insect) or Taws (a thong used for punishment)," said Ant Timpson.

Submissions are open now and close on October 1 at midnight PST, and there is no entry fee to submit. Finalists will be announced October 31st and the winning filmmaker announced on November 15th.  For more on the competition dates, parameters and rules, visit theabcsofdeath.com/the-26th-director.

Jason Eisener, one of THE ABCs OF DEATH directors, was propelled to a career in feature films after he won the GRINDHOUSE Trailer Contest with his entry for HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN.  Eisener went on to turn the winning fake movie trailer into a full-length feature.  THE ABCs OF DEATH "26th Director Competition" offers the same kind of opportunity to aspiring directors with the hope of introducing some new blood to genre films.

For more information on THE ABCs OF DEATH "26th Director Competition", visit our website at: http://26th.theabcsofdeath.com/

For more information and the list of confirmed directors for THE ABCs OF DEATH, visit our website at: theabcsofdeath.com

About Drafthouse Films

Drafthouse Films, the distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, debuted in 2010 with the theatrical release of Four Lions (Top 10 Film of 2010 by Time Magazine). Drafthouse Films is dedicated to scouring the globe in search of amazing, challenging and unique films that we are passionate about sharing with a wide audience. Drafthouse Films along with the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Mondo, Fantastic Fest and Badass Digest comprise the growing Alamo Drafthouse entertainment lifestyle brand.

About Ant Timpson

Ant Timpson has been involved in the production, exhibition, broadcasting, distribution and marketing of films in New Zealand since 1985. He loves films and he loves audiences and thinks the twain shall always meet.

About Alamo Drafthouse

The Alamo Drafthouse is a lifestyle entertainment brand with an acclaimed cinema-eatery, the largest genre film festival in the United Sates and an online collectible art store. Named "the best theater in America" by Entertainment Weekly, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover's oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Founder & CEO, Tim League, created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed "The Geek Telluride" by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of offbeat cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood Studios. The Alamo Drafthouse's collectible art boutique, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema plans to extend its theaters and unique programming philosophy to additional markets across the United States. More information about Alamo Drafthouse franchise opportunities are available on the official website.

About Magnet Releasing

Magnet is the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, specializing in films from the vanguard of horror, action, comedy and Asian cinema, and is home to such films as Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In, Neil Marshall's sword and sandals bloodbath Centurion, John Woo's historical epic Red Cliff, Ti West's terrifying The House of the Devil, Gareth Edwards' sci-fi masterpiece Monsters, Tony Jaa's Ong Bak trilogy, Nicholas Winding Refn's Bronson, the Spanish horror film [Rec]2, and George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead. Magnet films currently in release include Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins, Chris Smith's Black Death, KIM Jeewoon's I Saw the Devil, Andre Ovredal's The Troll Hunter, and Quentin Dupieux's Rubber, and upcoming Alex de la Iglesia's The Last Circus,. Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also include the Landmark Theatres chain, the production company 2929 Productions, and high-definition cable network HDNet.

SOURCE Drafthouse Films