The Bootleg Film Festival brings the best in Independent British Horror to Edinburgh

Write Shoot Cut and Project Bootleg are delighted to make our first programming announcement for the 2013 Bootleg Film Festival, Edinburgh. Edinburgh or Auld Reekie as it’s known locally is famous across the world for its macabre history; from Burke and Hare, to the Mackenzie Poltergeist, to the Black Death, there are more Haunted Vaults and Ghost Tours on the Royal Mile than there are in any other city. The venue for Bootleg 2013 is The Banshee Labyrinth, which boasts as being Edinburgh’s most haunted pub, and if you’ve ever had a pint in there then you know it’s highly plausible. Taking this into account our Creative Director, Neil Rolland (a lover of genre cinema anyway) decided to push a late night horror strand that would scare the audience into the wee small hours. As part of this we are excited to announce that at the Bootleg Film Festival 2013 we will be showcasing the work of the British short horror anthology Bloody Cuts Films, a collective of genre filmmakers from the UK.  We will be screening 8 of their short films back to back including the International Premiere of the newest project, Don’t Move by first time director Anthony Melton who will also be in attendance (Anthony has produced, edited and assistant directed some of the previous output too). The creator/producer of Bloody Cuts Films, Ben Franklin, will be attending with Anthony to present this exciting showcase. Neil Rolland had this to say; “we are extremely excited about bringing Bloody Cuts and their creators to Edinburgh as part of the Bootleg Film Festival 2013. I am personally a massive fan of what Ben, Anthony and the Bloody Cuts team are doing. They took a bold move to stand up and tell the world that they love horror cinema and that they are going to make an anthology of short films encapsulating the entire scope of the genre. What they have done though is followed through on that promise with conviction and quality. Instead of talking about it, they have come up with an online platform that really works and are creating some of the best horror short films I have ever seen. To be able to screen these films in a cinema *where they really should be seen) is awesome. This will be a really special event and one that lifts the ambitions of the Edinburgh to another level.” Anthony Melton from Bloody Cuts said this; "Bloody Cuts has been a passion for all involved now for well over 18 months, but the biggest reward for the team is the opportunity to bring our horror anthology to audiences far and wide. Bloody Cuts was born online and has thankfully attracted a broad audience through our website (www.bloodycuts.co.uk), YouTube/Vimeo Channels, but as the episodes continue to burst out of the shadows we're extremely humbled that folks are screening them at festivals and events both at home and abroad." "We are all really stoked that the Bootleg Film Festival have chosen to show the whole series to-date and it will be the first time that all of our films have be shown on the big screen in Scotland. Speaking of firsts, I am unfathomably honoured that the Bootleg film festival 2013 will host the international premiere of my directorial debut "Don't Move", the 8th episode of the Bloody Cuts Anthology." "Our heartfelt thanks go out to Bootleg and in fact everyone who has watched supported, contributed and commented on our series over the last 20 months and we hope that you have enjoyed Bloody Cuts as it keeps on slicing it's way through 13 short tales of terror. Keep your eyes peeled. In fact chop your eye lids right off, as there is much, much more to come from Bloody Cuts Films over the coming months." Tom Wilton the founder of Bootleg added; “Having Bloody Cuts in a very special section of Bootleg Film Festival Edinburgh is really, really exciting. Just to be able to showcase what these guys have been doing on such limited budgets is testimony to what Bootleg is all about. I'm really excited that they'll be joining us in Edinburgh, and I cannot wait to roll the horror in the caverns of the Banshee Labyrinth.” This special event will be taking place on Saturday 23rd March during day two of the festival in a special horror strand that will include more chills and thrills than a ghost in a graveyard.   Submissions are still open for the festival. We are accepting short and feature films from filmmakers across the world and will be putting together a diverse programme of strands, workshops and entertainment with the films and their creators front and centre. For more details check out the Edinburgh Fest page.