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Synopsis:

In an odd turn of events, six troubled individuals arrive at an asylum to find they must compete for the last remaining available space. Their only contact in the facility is Nurse Milly and her two orderlies and the ever watching, ever present, “big brother” authority known only as “the beard” and only heard through the hospital’s speaker system. The six become friends, enemies and even lovers as they face challenges to become the final patient; they are the Asylum Seekers.

Review:

Rania Ajami’s black comedy, Asylum Seekers, takes a different approach to the asylum based horror tropes;… More...

*full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by Breaking Glass Pictures.

Director: Rania Ajami.

Writers: Rania Ajami and Jake Pilikian.

The Asylum Seekers is a surreal comedy from director Rania Ajami. This is her first feature and this title is an offbeat look at the possibilities of insanity. Breaking Glass Pictures will release this title on DVD August 30th and Asylum Seekers is a high recommend, based on the interesting atmosphere created by Ajami and cinematographer Lyn Moncrief. Almost every scene is highly saturated, but it is the characters and the message which stand out the most.

There are six supposed lunatics moving into the local asylum. However, there is only one bed available. So the "evangelical nihilist," the "trophy mouse wife," the "gender bender refuge," and many more characters must battle it out to prove that they are more insane than the next. If this sounds strange,...

So, you normally don't hear about what women are directing in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy? That's because other assholes don't write about it. Only this asshole does. And there's a lot of new films projects you'll want to check out, if you're a real fannerd.

Aside from German-language release Lollipop Monster by Franziska Riemann and Larysa Kondracki's thriller in mainstream theaters, The Whistleblower, there's a bunch of shit to check out this summer.

Also in theaters is director/writer Miranda July's fantasy film The Future (see our review) opening on August 5th, 2011. This is July's second feature as director, the first being Me and You and Everyone We Know, which everyone who loves arty movies said was amazing. There's a talking cat and romance and a goregous beauty to The Future. Watch the stunning trailer:

At the end of August, 2011, FrightFest UK in London is screening Emily Hagin's...

Breaking Glass Pictures will release The Coffin, Strigoi and Asylum Seekers under its Vicious Circle Films label. We have all the details for you below!

The Coffin

Synopsis:

Su and Chris are two strangers whose lives have been struck by tragedy — Su has been diagnosed with lung cancer just days before her wedding and Chris’ longtime girlfriend has fallen into a mysterious coma. When they both learn of a bizarre Thai ritual in which a living person lies in a coffin to reverse bad Karma, they both decide to partake in a mass funeral for the living. Soon, their lives have turned around — Su’s cancer vanishes and Chris’ girlfriend awakes from her coma — but the good fortune is short-lived. A series of terrifying paranormal events suggests that Su and Chris may have upset the Karmic balance of the universe by cleansing themselves of bad luck, and the people closest...

Breaking Glass Pictures is closing part of the the mental hospital on DVD August 30th with Asylum Seekers. This is the day when several of the mentally ill must prove their insanity in front of a mental health review board, because their is only one bed available. The backstabbing and manipulation begins in only a few weeks and fans of Miss Ajami can expect something psychological and thrilling in the Asylum Seekers. Cast and crew details are below.

The plot details for Asylum Seekers:

"Work, deadlines, family, terrorism, information overload ... As modern life pushes the world to the brink of madness, six strangers decide there’s only one sane response; head through the door marked Exit. It leads to a deluxe, exclusive, luxuriously-appointed mental asylum where a staff will wait on them hand and foot for the rest of their carefree lives. The problem? The asylum has only one vacancy.

Breaking Glass Pictures under the Vicious Circle Films label is quickly making a name for themselves within the genre by releasing quality indie and foreign horror flicks. Think we're kiddin'? Check out the scoop on their next three titles for August!

From the Press Release

Breaking Glass Pictures will release director Faye Jackson’s vampire tale “Strigoi: The Undead” on DVD August 2 under the Vicious Circl Films label. The dark comedy follows the quirky inhabitants of a Romanian village who learn that there are vampires among them.

Synopsis: After failing to start a life of his own, 20-something Vlad is forced to move back to his grandfather’s old farming village in Romania. Though the village seems like a typical Eastern European haven, a mysterious death suddenly thrusts Vlad into the heart of a murder mystery. As he sets out to investigate, his trail leads him to the Tirescus...

Drafthouse Films, Timpson Films, and Magnet Releasing have hired a whopping two women to be a part of the 26-chapter horror anthology film The ABCs of Death.

The film, which will begin shooting in June 2011, is based on the idea that each director is assigned a letter from the alphabet representing a horrific word to act as a springboard for a short horror movie. Think , "A is for Autopsy", "B is for Bog Monster", et cetera.

The 25 directors chosen to be a part of this are all fairly new, young-ish up-and-comers like Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun), Nacho Vigalondo (TimeCrimes), Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter), Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman), Gadi Harel (DeadGirl), Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Simon Rumley (The Living and the Dead), Tak Sakaguchi and Yuji Shimomura (Yakuza Weapon), Marcel Sarmiento (DeadGirl), Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre...

Year: 2009

Directors: Rania Ajami

Writers: Rania Ajami & Jake Jake Pilikian

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: projectcyclops

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

“What do you call a monkey that has developed neurosis?”

“A human being.”

Welcome to the asylum, where your doctor will be an enormous beard, sporting a loudspeaker at its centre. Your nurse may remind you of the cruel ballet instructor from Suspiria, and her assistants Mickey and Mini are always on hand. The twisting corridors lead to all kinds of bizarre chambers and freaky quarters, as The Beard says himself, “Our architect was also an inmate.” The only problem is that the world on the outside is now so crazy, that space on the inside is limited. Anyone hoping to stay will have to convince Doctor Beard and Nurse Milly that they’re the real deal. “May the best lunatic win.”

Enter six hopefuls: First there’s Dr. Raby...

Rania Ajami's fantasy/sci-fi feature Asylum Seekers won for "Best Alternative Feature" at the Garden State Film Festival!

Ajami also just completed a futuristic, politically prophetic short film entitled No Money, in which an American president's rise to power hinges on a novel economic plan: money is a thing of the past. Gifts and social obligations are the new currency. Check out the new trailer!...

In the near future, an American president rose to power on his novel economic plan: money is a thing of the past. Gifts and social obligations are the new currency. While this new Lincoln exalts the birth of a pure community no longer corrupted by greed and the power of money, a traveler from distant lands, and a two-bit pretty-boy mobster set out to find some of this obsolete and illegal "flighty green paper." Hounded by bizarre new customs, confused wanna-be terrorists, a waitress moonlighting as a "companion,...

The following is a series of interviews with directors whose films screened at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival, which took place this past week. A Total Artwork: “Asylum Seekers” Director Rania Ajami Owning His Film: “Easier with Practice” Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez A Good Crisis: “Daylight” Director David Barker Tackling Corruption, Greed and Love: “Patriotville” Director Talmage Cooley The Right Script: “Mercy” Director Patrick Hoelck Blaxploitation Meets Art-House: “Modus Operandi” Director …...

Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of interviews with directors whose films are screening at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival. “Asylum Seekers” (USA, 2008) Director: Rania Ajami Cast: Pepper Binkley, Bill Dawes, Judith Hawking, Daniel Irizarry, Stella Maeve, Camille O’Sullivan, Lee Wilkof Six people on the verge of a breakdown decide to check themselves into an insane asylum, only to discover there is just room for one. What initially …...

As we recently reported, Horror director Rania Ajami (Katalog, And The Earth Fell Silent Again) is world-premiering her latest horror/fantasy/comedy movie, Asylum Seekers, at the 2009 CineVegas Film festival. She's being joined by several other women and their genre films, like The Ghost and Us by Emily Carmichael and the documentary about underground filmmakers The Kuchar brothers It Came From Kuchar directed by Jennifer Kroot. Included in the lineup is the work-in-progress documentary Beautiful Darling about Andy Warhol superstar Candy Darling... read more...

Hue Rhodes' "Saint John of Las Vegas" will have its world premiere as the opening-night film at the 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival, which will be held June 10-15 at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theatres in Las Vegas. The film stars Steve Buscemi as an ex-gambler-turned-fraud investigator who returns to Vegas to investigate an insurance claim.

"Saint John" also stars Sarah Silverman, Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho and Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Eight other films will have their world premieres at the fest, overseen by artistic director Trevor Groth.

Slated in the narrative competition, they are Rania Ajami's "Asylum Seekers," a story of six people trying to escape modern life; David Barker's "Daylight," about a pregnant woman caught in a life-or-death situation; Kyle Patrick Alvarez's "Easier With Practice," based on the true story of a writer's long-distance relationship with a mysterious woman; Jeff Mizushima's "Etienne!

Horror director Rania Ajami (Katalog, And The Earth Fell Silent Again) is premiering her latest horror/fantasy/comedy movie, Asylum Seekers, at CineVegas Film festival.

Six people on the verge of a breakdown decide to check themselves into an insane asylum, only to discover there is just room for one. Starring Pepper Binkley, Bill Dawes, Judith Hawking, Daniel Irizarry, Stella Maeve, Camille O’Sullivan, and Lee Wilkof...

read more...

This new poster is really just an excuse to repost the trailer for one of my most sought after films of the year, Rania Ajami's Asylum Seekers. It played at the European Film Market and while Shoreline has picked it up as Sales Agent, there's still no premier in sight as far as I know and I've been in touch with the director's manager. Why am I so excited about this? Maybe it's the insane and dreamy storyline coupled with the incredible production design? Just watch the trailer, you'll see what I mean. For The Love Of God, Someone Please Send Me A Screener!

Work, family, relationships, deadlines, terrorism, information overload... When modern life is getting crazier and crazier, day by day, who wouldn't think about getting out? Leaving it all behind? Wouldn't that be the only sane response to this mad world? "Asylum Seekers" is about escapism, about...

It's sad that Rania Ajami's feature-length debut is having it's premier at the European Film Market instead of in a proper major fest considering the beautiful photography and production design. Really, this is a stunner of another level which is why I call it "Gilliam-esque". Will the whole feature hold up to the vague sanity displayed in the trailer? I sure hope so.

Work, family, relationships, deadlines, terrorism, information overload... When modern life is getting crazier and crazier, day by day, who wouldn't think about getting out? Leaving it all behind? Wouldn't that be the only sane response to this mad world? "Asylum Seekers" is about escapism, about feeling the pressure and deciding on a radical solution. Our six characters can't take their various stresses any more and are heading for the door marked Exit. It leads to a deluxe, exclusive, luxuriously-appointed mental asylum, an adult funfair where they...