The Tunnel screens at LA’s Mann Chinese Theater
Australian self-financed horror The Tunnel will have its US premiere screening at Los Angeles’ Screamfest on Saturday October 15 at legendary Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
A Q&A with director Carlo Ledesma and Co-producers/writers Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey will follow the screening. The venue, situated next to the Hollywood Walk of Fame is home to some of the world’s biggest film premieres and has also previously hosted the Oscars ceremony.
The team has also confirmed a US DVD release through Blackrock Films on December 27, 2011.
“It is an exciting time for The Tunnel as we break into the US market. We expect a great reaction to our little Aussie movie at Screamfest and are thrilled American horror fans will have the opportunity to own our film when it comes out on DVD in December” said Tedeschi.
Self financed film making back its budget?!?!? Holy moley! Unheard of. Until now. What a success story this film is.
Well done to the creative team behind this..and well done to all those that supported the films development. It just goes to show that this kind of crowd sourcing can work and that together we could build a different industry..an alternative to the current one that is functional for a small percentage of people who can work the political machine and dysfunctional for most who try and build careers within it. If one film can work I’m sure others can follow, lets try and build another alternative and truly independent industry where the quality of the idea is paramount not the opinion of some cinema studies graduate or failed and cynical filmmakers who have wormed their way into the development arm of a funding body committed to polishing their own demented idea of challenging cinema.
Find it hard to believe all the hype surrounding what many saw as an extended news story @ best…so plenty of low budget filmmakers fund their films thru crowdsourcing & release online. This NOTHING new. Perhaps in the small circles they move in it is. One suspects it was the backers who had the connections to give it glorified publicity. Doesn’t necessarily make it a good film as such so lets see if it stands the test of time based on its own merits. People are just curious, that’s all. Wouldn’t anyone download a ‘free’ film? It isn’t difficult to get into a little film festival in LA, particularly a horror one. They are everywhere you look sideways. When they are there, perhaps they will realise the magnitude of the industry over there that they are very small fish in a bigger pond. This is just another flash in the pan but I hope they prove me wrong!
filmreviewer have you ever made a film that went to an LA festival? shoudn’t be hard considering it’s easy to get into the festivals and easy to crowd source, according to you.
The Tunnel’s crew and cast deserve all of the accolades they are getting and more, whether you think they are a small fish or not, at least they’re still making a splash
Brian
I agree with you on this one. There’s a difference between mindless (dare I say ‘snobbish’) criticism and thoughtful criticism.
“Filmreviewer” if you actually knew how hard it is to make any kind of film, short or feature, you’d see that not only have the creative team behind this done something brilliant in getting the film produced and distributed, they have shown others a potential path towards a funding model that could see a % of us circumnavigating the need to suckle at the government teat. Maybe the film isn’t a knock out, maybe its just okay..the fact that they got it made and got it out there is more than I feel you will ever do..enjoy your armchair view.
I went to university with one of the producers. he was always a stand out talent. Well done to the team, and I hope they will an Oscar for one of their future films!
Sorry guys, hate to burst your bubble. I am an LA based producer. Filmmakers should be able to take the heat of criticism…both good & bad if they are worth a grain of salt instead of just having family/friends or cast/crew defending them which just further proves my point. Welcome to the ‘real’ world. If it was so good then why didn’t it go straight to cinema release instead of being free disguised as being a marketing strategy. Plenty of Aussie movies are making a killing right now because they rely on substance rather than hot air. Good luck people.
Filmreviewer is just being honest. He, like many others part of the audience & entitled to an opinion. The film has its supporters but along with that comes the critics as with any other film. It would be somewhat unrealistic & arrogant to think there wouldnt be anything to criticise? He is just saying what others may be thinking but too afraid to verbalise…the film itself isn’t great @ all, it was the marketing that succeeded which I understand was done by another agency. Without all the publicity, noone would’ve even known about it except maybe the ‘horror’ fans which in itself is quite limited & it would’ve had to stand on its own two feet. Most films with a half decent finished product can be distributed. Anyone can enter a film festival & again, it only has to be of a certain production value to be accepted. I have done it several times myself including success @ Cannes & LA etc. It is not uncommon in the film community (maybe just not as well publicised in Australia). Essentially, they have invested their own time like many of us & then asked for financial support. It averaged less than $50k which is standard for most crowdfunding projects. It is not a new model @ all. Fortunately for them, they just happened to have some connections. This does not necessarily make it a success in it’s own right so of course, they are listening only to the ‘fan’ base they created themselves. Isn’t that what egos do? I do have to say though, I was disappointed with the cinematography – looked to me like they covered up bad work with ‘oh, we’re a news crew’. Also, that lead actress was pretty weak, even for a journalist which in itself says something…