ACF 1267: Debut screening of award-winning vampire short Bloodtraffick in Hong Kong this weekend

International Award-Winning Vampire Short Bloodtraffick announces its

Debut Asian Screening at Music & Arts Festival Clockenflap 2011

Hong Kong action short starring The Man with the Iron Fists’ Grace Huang

Basking in its recent wins for Best Short, Best Editing and Best Cinematography at the 2011 Salty Horror International Film Festival, Bloodtraffick continues to rule the film festival circuit. After garnering multiple awards abroad, the highly anticipated short Bloodtraffick will be screened on Asian soil for the first time at Hong Kong’s Music & Arts Festival Clockenflap 2011. The festival is taking place December 10h and 11th in West Kowloon from 12 PM to 10 Pm.

Shot in Hong Kong and starring rising Asia artiste Grace Huang – who won Best Actress for Bloodtraffick at the HollyShorts 2011 Film Festival in August – and directed by award-nominated American director Jennifer Thym, the short is currently being produced into a full length feature film with the same title.

Set in a war torn world with vampires pitted against angels, a human vigilante (Ava, played by Grace Huang) – on the hunt for her missing sisters – is lured into the den of a vampire where she faces both a formidable opponent and her darkest fears.

“Bloodtraffick is a kick-ass short that flawlessly combines an intense storyline of good versus evil with brutal action, breath-taking cinematography and an epic original soundtrack. Bloodtraffick gives audiences a unique taste of the dark, gritty side of Hong Kong cinema,” said Grace Huang, Bloodtraffick's lead actress. Director Jennifer Thym goes on to say, “This film represents the Hong Kong film industry’s untapped potential and further enhances the city’s reputation as a hotbed for original movie ideas and talent. We felt that Clockenflap was a perfect venue to offer the diverse grassroots creative community in Hong Kong a taste of the work that is being produced right here and is currently receiving International accolades.”
  

Bloodtraffick premiered at the world renowned Gen Con Indy 2011, followed by screenings at the HollyShorts 2011 Film Festival, the 12th San Diego Asian Film Festival and The 2011 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. Clockenflap 2011 marks its debut screening on the same soil it was shot on.

For more information on Bloodtraffick, visit bloodtraffick.com.

ACF 391: The Vampire's Assistant coming to theaters on October 23rd, 2009

Vampires here, vampires there. Them damn vampires seem to be everywhere. Asian film fans had a couple of our own recently with the live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire and with Thirst.

The Vampire's Assistant - which will be opening October 23rd - ain't Asian but it sure does look promising. (Actually there is one Asian connection: the terrific Japanese actor Ken Watanbe has a major role as Mr. Tall, the circus's barker.)

I'm excited about it for several reasons. Among them is the fact that it stars John C. Reilly as the vampire. I find him a very personable actor to watch. Also, Selma Hayek stars as Madame Truska, a character who sprouts a beard when she gets passionate!

Don't miss the link to the film's sweepstakes at the end of this post.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

16-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns him into something, well, bloodthirsty.

Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with monstrous creatures from a snakeboy and a wolfman to a bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and a gigantic barker (Ken Watanabe). As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts. And while trying to survive, one boy will struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.

Cast: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia, Ray Stevenson, Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, with Willem Dafoe and Salma Hayek

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Screenplay by: Paul Weitz and Brian Helgeland

Based on the Cirque du Freak Series of Books by: Darren Shan

Website: www.thevampiresassistant.net.

NEW film clips are now available on http://www.epk.tv!

New iPhone/iTouch App for Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant now available at http://www.itunes.com/apps/iFreak.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Sweepstakes: Enter now at http://www.thevampiresassistant.net/sweeps for a chance to win a sneak preview screening for you and your school (or 200 of your closest friends), including a special appearance by one of the stars of the film! Visit the sweeps website to enter to win and see what other great prizes are being given away.