Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary year, full-service character effects company MASTERSFX, and its founder Todd Masters, have announced their collaboration with Twisted Twins Productions to create the character designs and produce the prosthetic and makeup special effects for the original indie horror film “American Mary.” Masters made the announcement along with Jen and Sylvia Soska, partners, Twisted Twins Productions of Vancouver, CN. nnThe deal comes on the heels of the just-released DVD of “Dead Hooker in a Trunk,” the debut film from Twisted Twins Productions. The DVD release is from IFC Films and MPI Media. Fangoria Magazine has called that film, “One hell of a hoot.” nnSaid Mr. Masters, “I first met the Soska Sisters online, when they started gauging my possible interest in the follow-up to their debut project ‘Dead Hooker in a Trunk’. After watching THAT film, I realized I’d never seen a film like it before, nor had I ever done special FX like those presented there before. So I quickly decided that I wanted MASTERSFX to play a ‘horrific’ role in their new project ‘American Mary’ – it was something we simply HAD to do!” nnJen and Sylvia Soska add, “We fell in love with horror films by learning about the ‘monster-makers’ behind the scenes—the artists who create the scares. Working with Todd and MASTERSFX on ‘American Mary’ is an experience that takes our love of prosthetic effects to a whole new level. People who love horror films are sure to really dig the creations that Todd and his team will be presenting within this new flick!”nnThe second original feature film from Twisted Twins Productions, “American Mary” is the story of a medical student, Mary, who becomes increasingly broke and disenchanted with medical school, and with the established doctors there she once idolized. The allure of easy money sends a desperate Mary to perform as an unqualified “surgeon,” working her way through a messy world of “underground surgeries” which leave more marks on HER than on her freakish clientele.nn
nWatch the teaser trailer online here.nnAbout “DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK”nProduced in 2010, “Dead Hooker In A Trunk” was the debut film from identical twins Jen and Sylvia Soska, who wrote, directed, and produced it, as well as serving as the stars and stuntwomen. Taking a lesson from Rodriguez’s book “Rebel Without A Crew,” the film so followed the spirit of El Mariachi that the twins’ story reached the original El Mariachi, Carlos Gallardo, who not only gave the ladies advice, but also appeared in the film in the appropriate role as “God.” nn”Dead Hooker In a Trunk” has been embraced by horror fans, film festivals, reviewers, and film makers on a global scale, becoming an underground sensation in the process. The film, which has been called "a hidden gem in indie film making and a cult classic in waiting,” has won multiple awards, toured the world (shown at numerous film festivals,) and been reviewed by the biggest horror media, including Gorezone, Fangoria, Twitch Film Basterds, Bloody Disgusting, and Ax Wound, just to name a few. nnRenowned horror film director Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Inglorious Bastards”) has praised the Twisted Twins, saying, “You should check out the Soska sisters, who made a film called ‘Dead Hooker In a Trunk.’ They made it low budget and it’s fucking awesome. It’s really violent and the stunts are superb. They are two Canadian twin sisters who made a feature that they wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. And it’s fantastic.” n nAbout TWISTED TWINS PRODUCTIONSnTwisted Twins Productions was founded by identical Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska. Their specialty is to bring audiences edgy dialogue, gore-geous effects, beautiful cinematography, and memorable characters, all within the setting of truly “twisted” storytelling. Prior to launching their own company, the Soska Sisters worked in production on numerous feature films, music videos, short films, commercials, and everything in between. To view their site and collective works, please see: www.twistedtwinsproductions.netnnAbout MASTERSFX nCurrently celebrating its 25th anniversary year, MASTERSFX, founded in l987 by Emmy Award® winner Todd Masters, is a full-service Character Effects company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, with an additional studio in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The company has designed, created and produced prosthetics, animatronics, and character effects for many hundreds of motion pictures, television programs, and commercials. nnMASTERSFX has recently provided creature and prosthetic FX for such high profile feature films and television series as “Underworld Awakening,” “True Blood,” “Falling Skies,” “Super,” “Slither,” “The Haunting in Georgia,” “Big Love” and “Fringe.” Historically, the company has contributed FX to such other hits as “Stargate SG1,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “Star Trek: First Contact,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” both “Addams Family” films, “Six Feet Under,” “Tales from the Crypt,” and many more. n nMASTERSFX is the winner of numerous entertainment industry awards, including an Emmy®, a Saturn and a Gemini. Todd Masters and MASTERSFX are also the founders of the annual “Aliens to Zombies” Convention, held in Hollywood each October. nnMASTERSFX’s Los Angeles office can be contacted by phone at 818/834-3000. The web is www.mastersfx.com and Facebook.Press Contact for MASTERSFX: Dan Harary The Asbury PR Agency, Beverly Hills 310/859-1831 Contact Dan via email
Asian World Film Festival Reveals Asian Vision Program Lineup, Snow Leopard and Bruce Lee Honorees, and Jury Members
The 10th Annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) is proud to announce the lineup for its inaugural Asian Vision program, which was conceived to showcase new and exceptional Asian features that have participated in major A-list film festivals and/or garnered international acclaim. The program of eight motion pictures (see list below) will be held November 17-19, 2024, with the top film receiving the Asian Vision Best Film Award. The 10th Annual Asian World Film Festival takes place November 13 - 21, 2024, at the Culver Theatre in Culver City, CA. This year’s Snow Leopard Lifetime Achievement Award, the Festival’s highest honor, will be presented to acclaimed director, screenwriter, and producer Sergei Bodrov in celebration of his remarkable 50-year career. Bodrov established his reputation as a visionary filmmaker with “Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan” (2007), nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film, and “Prisoner of the Mountains” (1996), also an Oscar® nominee as well as a Cannes Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize-winner. The Snow Leopard Outstanding Cinematic Achievement Award will be presented to director, producer, and screenwriter Peter Ho-Sun Chan, one of Hong Kong’s most critically acclaimed and accomplished filmmakers. Known for his versatility and the scope of his work, Chan’s landmark films, including “Comrades: Almost a Love Story” (1996) and “The Warlords” (2007), have earned him a remarkable 233 awards from more than 400 nominations. As previously announced, AWFF will screen “Comrades: Almost a Love Story,” followed by a Q&A with Chan. Multi-award-winning actress Kathryn Bernardo will receive the Snow Leopard... Read More