JUAN OF THE DEAD, BLOOD FOR IRINA to Screen at Philip K. Dick Sci Fi Film Festival

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The 1st Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival is excited to announce two new films to its lineup: Chris Alexander's debut vampire tale Blood for Irina and Alejandro Brugués' Cuban zombie comedy Juan of the Dead.

Blood for Irina, from Fangoria editor Chris Alexander, follows the titular character: a predator who stalks streets at night looking for blood, she has lived over a century; tormented by memory, living in a run-down motel by the sea, Irina has reached the end. Her perceptions skewed, her body and mind revolting against themselves, she waits for an exit. Her private hell is echoed by the motel manager driven by an obsession to protect Irina and keep her secrets safe, and a broken prostitute whose desperate plight may be worse than Irina's.

Juan of the Dead follows the tale of consummate slacker/schemer/survivor Juan and his rogues gallery of friends as they navigate their way through the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse. Seeing a means to profit from the disaster, Juan forms a business out of disposing of loved ones who have turned over into mindless flesh eaters. Along the way they discover the situation they are in is declining fast, and their choice to stay and attempt to survive may have been the wrong one.

Named for the iconic novelist and short story writer whose work inspired the films Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report, the three-day event aims to start a tradition of honoring films inspired by authors who have explored the metaphysical and eerie in all its manifestations.

Confirmed films for the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival include the festival hit The Last Push starring Alien's Lance Henriksen, Tribeca selection First Winter from Benjamin Dickinson, and Radio Free Albemuth starring Alanis Morrissette and Twilight's Ashley Greene.

The first day of the festival will feature a 3 hour block of foreign-language science fiction films, courtesy of the Cervantes Institute. From 2pm to 5pm, screenings will be held of award-winning sci-fi from Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Portugal.

Dr. Ronald Mallett Ph.D will lead the panel "Is Science Fiction the Science of the Future?", joined by Latin American sci-fi writer Angela Posada-Swafford and Enrique Ricardo Miranda, Ph.D. "Philip K. Dick, the Meaning of Valis and the New Consciousness" will be hosted by Radio Free Albemuth director John Alan Simon. Walter Mosley, author of "Blue Light" and "The Wave," will be a panelist in "The Outside in Science Fiction," a focus on African-American and Latino perspectives in the genre.

Other highlights of the festival will be non-competitive screenings of the Sundance selection Sleep Dealer, Spiders 3D, The Mist in the Palm Trees and the science thriller The Final Equation. On the documentary side, the festival has an extensive lineup covering topics from Artificial Intelligence to the singularity and space exploration.

A full calendar of events can be found here. Registration is $20 for a one day pass, $15 for a one day pass ordered in advance, $55 for a three day pass and $45 for a three day pass in advance. For more information on the Philip K Dick Film Festival, please respond to this email.