The AMD Next Wave Spotlight!

AMD has a long history of working with young creative filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez to provide tools and equipment that make the creative process easier. With the AMD "Next Wave" spotlight, we have chosen 8 films by young, up-and-coming filmmakers. These are filmmakers who are beginning their careers and may well become the next wave of talent shaping the industry in the decades to come. These eight films will be judged by the Next Wave jury, the winning film will be awarded a $1000 cash prize as well as Dell/AMD editing hardware. All eight of the "Next Wave" filmmakers will be in attendance at Fantastic Fest.

Next Wave films/filmmakers:
Maurice Devereaux (Canada) End of the Line
Karim Hussain (Canada) La Belle Bete
Joe Lynch (USA) Wrong Turn 2
Greg Swinson/Ryan Thiessen (USA) Five Across the Eyes
Nacho Vigalondo (Spain) Time Crimes
Damon Vignalie (Canada) The Entrance
Gregory Wilson (USA) The Girl Next Door
Marko Zaror/Ernesto Díaz Espinoza (Chile) Mirageman
Adam Green/Joel David Moore (USA) Spiral

Meet the Filmmakers and their films:


Maurice Devereaux (End of the Line)
Maurice Devereaux was born and raised in Montreal, a film fanatic at a very early age. He studied cinema at Ahuntsic College, and while in his second year, left to make his first self-financed, feature, BLOOD SYMBOL. His next two features films, LADY OF THE LAKE and SLASHERS were released under the FANGORIA PRESENTS banner in the US and numerous countries worldwide and were official selections at prestigious film festivals such as the FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL (Montreal), SITGES (Spain) FANTASPORTO (Portugal) CINEFANTASTICO (Malaga) and FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL (Sweden). His latest film END OF THE LINE premiered at the TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL in September 2006 and has since won two audience awards for Best Feature Film (DEAD BY DAWN Festival in Scotland and FANTASIA in Montreal) in its extensive festival run across the globe. Maurice Devereaux’s production company, also does lots of commercial work, including the creation of numerous theatrical trailers and TV spots for Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm.


End of the Line
In this unsettling and creepy thriller, Karen (Ilona Elkin), a young nurse who works in a psychiatric ward, boards the last subway train of the night only to have it stop suddenly in the middle of the tunnel. As those around her are brutally murdered, Karen and a handful of survivors must face supernatural forces, homicidal religious cult members, as well as their own fears and suspicions of Armageddon, in order to survive.


Karim Hussain (La Belle Bête)
Co-writer of Nacho Cerda’s THE ABANDONED (2006), Karim Hussain is also known for his controversial first feature film as a director, SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY (2000) and the art-house genre film ASCENSION (2003), Winner of the New Visions Award at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, and the short film LA DERNIÈRE VOIX (THE CITY WITHOUT WINDOWS) that Hussain co-directed in 2002, and was nominated for a Jutra (Quebec Academy Award) for Best Short. Between 1997-2001 he was a programmer for the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal and also works as a cinematographer. LA BELLE BÊTE (The Beautiful Beast) (2006) premiered at the Sitges Film Festival and is Hussain’s third feature film as a director.

La Belle Bete (The Beautiful Beast)
A love triangle between a mother, son and daughter, LA BELLE BETE (THE BEAUTIFUL BEAST) is a dark drama on the themes of jealousy, vanity, emotional incest and, finally, murder.


Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2)
Joe Lynch was named "Filmmaker Of The Year" in 1999 by the Long Island Voice in the "Best Of Long Island" Issue. He created MuchMusic/Fuse show "Uranium" and has directed several music videos. Joe was also cinematographer on the television series STREET FURY and acted in the role of as "Clothespin Boy" in the Troma film TERROR FIRMER. WRONG TURN 2 is his feature directorial debut.

Wrong Turn 2
Taking place shortly after the events of the original film, a group of six contestants are thrown together for six days in a simulated post-apocalyptic wasteland through a reality television show called The Ultimate Survivalist: The Apocalypse, hosted and produced by former marine Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins), in which the winner will walk away with $100,000. Located in a remote part of West Virginia, the contestants soon discover that what they really are fighting for is their survival against a family of hideously deformed inbred cannibals who plan to ruthlessly butcher them all.


Greg Swinson (Five Across the Eyes)
Greg Swinson was born and raised in East Tennessee. He earned his degree in Film Production from Full Sail: Center for the Recording Arts. First discovering his love for movies when he was in the sixth grade, he made his first short entitled SCORPIAN: DAY OF DARKNESS, an action thriller about a war veteran whose girlfriend had been kidnapped. The star of the film, however, was his ten year old brother and the weapons were spray-painted waterguns. Greg went on to make over twenty short films before making his first full-length feature, FIVE ACROSS THE EYES.


Ryan Thiessen (Five Across the Eyes)
Ryan Thiessen grew up in Morristown, Tennessee, living only a mile from where the film EVIL DEAD was shot. His interest in making movies took flight when he collaborated with Greg on the short AFTERLIFE. He later made his directorial debut with the comedy short GAMES FOOLS PLAY. Graduating with a degree in Digital Media from ETSU, he has directed several commercials and award-winning music videos. He also made his full-length feature debut with FIVE ACROSS THE EYES.

Five Across the Eyes
On their way home from a high school football game, five girls accidentally hit a parked car and decide to flee from the scene. As the driver of the damaged SUV begins one terrifying assault after another, the five girls will lose their innocence and possibly their lives in this brutal and shocking thrill ride.


Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes)
The musical short film 7:35 IN THE MORNING, which he wrote, starred in and directed, earned him over 70 national and international awards. An Oscar nominee for Best Short, it was also nominated by the European Academy in this same category. When he's not busy working on a movie, he divides his time making commercials, acting for theater and writing video-game journalism.


Time Crimes
"A man who accidentally travels back into the past and meets himself. A naked girl in the middle of the forest. A mysterious stranger with his face wrapped in a pink bandage. A disquieting mansion on the top of a hill. All of them pieces of an unpredictable jigsaw puzzle where terror, drama and suspense will lead to an unthinkable crime. Who's the murderer? Who's the victim?" TIMECRIMES takes a bold, difficult premise and brings the rarely-assayed time travel framework to pulse-pounding but intelligent new heights.


Damon Vignale (The Entrance)
THE ENTRANCE is Damon Vignale’s sophomore film, following his debut feature LITTLE BROTHER OF WAR. LBOW screened at numerous international film festivals, and was selected as the opening gala for the 2004 Reelworld Film Festival. The film won the Star!TV Audience Award, and garnered five Leo Award nominations before being released on DVD by Mongrel Media. Other credits include the made-for-TV drama A PERFECT NOTE, and the award-winning festival hit ZACHARIA, which he produced. Vignale is currently writing an original screenplay.


The Entrance
In the early 1600’s, renowned exorcist Father Sebastien Michaelis wrote about a possessed nun, Sister Madeleine, in Aix-en-Provence, France. The demon possessing Madeleine revealed itself as a fallen angel, a punisher of sinners and tempter of the innocent. Four hundred years later, Ryan James, a streetwise drug dealer, has escaped from the hands of his kidnappers. Desperate and shaken, he seeks help from the police. Jen Porhowski, a strong-willed and dedicated detective, sceptically tries to separate fact from fiction in Ryan’s account of the night’s horrifying events. As the two are drawn further into the case, a greater truth unravels, drawing attention to those writings from centuries ago. In an effort to save lives, Porhowski soon finds that the life at stake is her own.


Gregory Wilson (The Girl Next Door)
Gregory Wilson (Director) is a graduate of the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. While attending NYU he was the sole recipient of the MCA Fellowship, interning under the late MCA chairman, Lew Wasserman. His thesis film THE LAST CALL (30 min.), starring Harry Lennix (THE MATRIX II & III, RAY), received a “Student Academy Award” nomination, and won many awards for his outstanding writing, direction and production. The film was acquired and aired on Showtime as a special event. He was also the winner of the “IFC Award” for Best Student Film, whose advisory board included distinguished filmmakers such as Martin Scorcese, Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, among other recognized filmmakers. Spike Lee eventually co-produced his first feature film HOME INVADERS (100 min.), starring Yancy Arias (TV’s Kingpin), Luis Guzman (CARLITO'S WAY and BOOGIE NIGHTS), Keith David (PLATOON and SOMETHING ABOUT MARY), Judy Reyes (TV’s SCRUBS), and Larry Gillard (THE WIRE). He recently directed the adaptation of the best-selling book entitled THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum, starring Emmy Award Winner Blanche Baker (HOLOCAUST and 16 CANDLES), William Atherton (DIE HARD), and introducing Daniel Manche (Young Tarzan, in The Broadway play TARZAN) who plays the lead. His completed TV pilot called THE UNDERGROUND, which explores the darker, untold stories of a New York City nightclub, is in development.


The Girl Next Door
Summer, 1958. David, a 12-year-old boy living in the American suburbs, occupies his free time hanging around with three brothers living in a neighbouring house. When the trio of brothers learn that their recently orphaned cousins will be coming to live with them, they secretly hope that the prettier of the two girls will enlighten them about the mysteries of the human female. Her aunt Ruth seems to take perverse pleasure in humiliating the pretty teenager she has adopted, in full view of her three sons and of course David. But what begins as conventional if rather excessive domestic discipline rapidly becomes monstrous and sadistic torture. Discovering that his three friends have begun participating in the horrific acts of their mother, David comes to the realization that only he is in a position to save the poor girl from the clutches of her family.


Marko Zaror (Mirageman)
Nicknamed "the Latin Dragon,", Marko Zaror is a martial artist, actor and stuntman from Santiago, Chile. He worked as a stunt double for The Rock in the 2003 film THE RUNDOWN and has now embarked upon a lead acting career, working closely with fellow Chilean Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, director of KILTRO and MIRAGEMAN. To quote Twitch founder Todd Brown, "keep an eye out for Zaror, a talent this obvious won't be denied for long."

Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman)
Hailing from Santiago, Chile, Diaz’s passion for moviemaking began at the young age of ten where he filmed his first production. He later pursued his film degree at the Duoc UC Communication Institute. While attending, Ernesto directed his first short film, which was ranked the best film in its category.
In 2002, he went to LA to work as an assistant director on the feature film, Into the Flames, and wrote the very well-received script Dirty Job, scheduled to be produced by Mandrill Films.
In 2006 he wrote, edited and directed his first feature film and the first South American martial arts movie entitled KILTRO. Released theatrically in Chile, KILTRO (April 2006) was acclaimed by critics and audiences. Chilean critics said about KILTRO: “a cult movie” (Juan Andres Salfate), “a must-see adventure for film-lovers” (Gonzalo Maza), “one of the most entertaining movies made in this region of the world” (Miguel Angel Fredes).


Mirageman
The follow-up feature to their smash-hit debut martial arts feature Kiltro (also playing Fantastic Fest), Mirageman is the story of a incarnation and development of a real life superhero. Inspired to action by burglary attempt, strip club bouncer Maco (Marko Zaror) inadvertantly becomes a community hero. When his heroic actions serve to inspire his institutionalized brother, he decides to continue his path and become a true masked marvel.


Adam Green and Joel Moore (Spiral)
Adam Green
While working on cable commercials in Boston, Adam Green began "borrowing" the equipment after hours to make his own films. With friends as cast and crew, three lights, and his pet cat...Green's first feature film (the comedy COFFEE & DONUTS) was completed for a mere $400 in the summer of 1999. The movie was ultimately bought by Walt Disney / Touchstone TV and developed as a sit-com with Green writing the pilot for UPN. In 2005, Green wrote and directed the all-star horror/comedy HATCHET which premiered to rave reviews at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was selected for festivals worldwide winning several awards, including the Audience Choice Award for "Best Picture" at both the 2006 Fantastic Film Festival and the 2007 Fantasia Film Festival. HATCHET will see it's nationwide theatrical release in September of 2007 and is listed on both MTV's and Ain't It Cool News' TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR. Most recently, Green co-directed the Hitchcockian psychodrama SPIRAL, which took home the prestigious "Gold Vision Award" at the 2007 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and will be released theatrically in early 2008. Upcoming films include his romantic comedy GOD ONLY KNOWS and the big screen adaptation of the graphic novel DEAD WEST.

Joel David Moore
Joel first learned his craft in his home state of Oregon, where he earned a BFA in Performance Arts from Southern Oregon University, and was a company player in the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Moore quickly secured his career-making role, opposite Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller in the Fox hit DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY. Capitalizing on his early success, Joel starred in a string of films, including the Fox/Happy Madison picture GRANDMA’S BOY, United Artist’s ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (with John Malcovich and Angelica Houston), Anchor Bay’s HATCHET, and Sony Picture’s HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE, opposite Paris Hilton and Christine Lakin. Joel’s comprehensive background soon drove him to explore other aspects of the film industry, and in 2005 he made his directorial debut with the South By Southwest favorite short-film MILES FROM HOME, and followed up by co-writing, co-directing, producing, and starring in the independent psychological-thriller SPIRAL, which will be released in early 2008 by Anchor Bay. Joel most recently signed on to star alongside Sigorney Weaver in the epic AVATAR, James Cameron’s $200 Million follow-up to his behemoth TITANIC.


Spiral
A reclusive telemarketer, whose dysfunctional friendship with his boss is alleviated when a whimsical co-worker enters his life. But as he begins to sketch his new friend's portrait, disturbing feelings from his past threaten to lead him down a path of destruction. The follow up film to last year's festival favorite HATCHET shows real depth and breadth to Green's talent, he is truly one of the rising stars of genre cinema.