RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH to Kick Off Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival, 12/7

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival is the city's first event of its kind celebrating the genre. The organizers behind the event which takes place in Brooklyn from from December 7-9, 2012 are excited to preview the award-winning films before their anticipated screenings. From the minds of talented filmmakers the festival brings forth the wisdom of worlds unlike anything seen before and showcase the possibilities of what science fiction offers.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7

RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH (2010)
Written and Directed by John Alan Simon
Starring: Jonathan Scarfe, Shea Whigham, Katheryn Winnick and Alanis Morrissette

In 1985, the nation is under control of a dictatorship inspired democracy ran by a figure similar to President Nixon. Nick Brady (Scarfe) experiences a state of "VALIS," strange visions that soon lead him to Los Angeles where he becomes a successful executive in the music industry. His friends Philip K. Dick (Whigham) and the mysterious Silvia (Morrissette) guide him down a dangerous path that involves a political conspiracy.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8

FIRST WINTER (2012)
Written and Directed by Benjamin Dickinson
Starring: Samantha Jacober, Jennifer Kim and Lindsay Burdge

An doom-laden blackout strands a group of young Brooklyn natives in a remote farmhouse with no power in one of the coldest winters known to man. As time passes, the inhabitants must band together but they become consumed by jealousy, desire and a struggle to live as they attempt to survive the grueling first winter. This glance at human nature and self-preservation highlights the emotion in a situation imagined by many but known to few who make it out alive.

JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011)
Written and Directed Alejandro Brugués
Starring: Alexis Díaz de Villegas, Jorge Molina and Andrea Duro

When local Cuban residents begin acting out - rather grimly as they begin killing and eating people - a group of slacking individuals face an army of the undead and prepare for a zombie apocalypse. When the government and media declare that the zombies are a group of anti-government protesters, Juan (de Villegas) starts his own business to make a profit off of killing the flesh-eating walking dead and finally becoming a good father to his young daughter.

SLEEP DEALER (2008)
Written by Alex Rivera and David Riker
Directed by Alex Rivera
Starring: Luis Fernando Peña, Metztli Adamina and José Concepción Macías

In a futuristic and militarized world borders close off humans to the outside world as they are subjected to virtual labor and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences. Three strangers decide to risk their lives in order to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology.

THE MIST IN THE PALM TREES (2006)
Written by Carlos Molinero and Lola Salvador
Directed by Carlos Molinero and Salvador Maldonado

The Mist in the Palm Trees creates a "haunting found-footage montage of 20th-century history." It’s also an alternate history, a fragmented biography of Spanish physicist and photographer Santiago Bergson, pieced together as if from what remains of his haywire memory waves.

THE FINAL EQUATION (2009)
Written and Directed by Daniel Abella
Starring: Robert Harriell, Cassandra Cooke and Paul Weissman

Through a series of String equations physicist Jack Smith (Harriell) begins to realize Einstein's Dream of a Unified Field Theory. When his calculations accidentally unlock a door between realities and start to unravel the fabric of his existence, Jack is forced to make a choice between science and faith.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9

THE LAST PUSH (2012)
Written and Directed by Eric Hayden
Starring: Khary Payton, Lance Henriksen and Brian Baumgartner

A tragic accident suspends the mission to explore Jupiter's moons and Michael Forrest (Payton) is forced to make the three-year journey home to Earth in complete isolation.

BLOOD FOR IRINA (2012)
Written and Directed by Chris Alexander
Starring: Shauna Henry, Carrie Gemmell and David Goodfellow

Irina (Henry) is a killer of the night who searches for victims to feed on their blood. Near death following life a life that has lasted over a century she is protected by an equally disturbed streetwalker and the owner of a seaside motel owner who is driven by an obsession over her. Irina suffers from her fateful memories as she tries to keep her secrets at he end of her hellish life in this tale of danger, desperation and "literal and figurative decay."

With its thought-provoking films and guest speakers previously announced, The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival is sure to enthrall the mind and embody an expression of devotion for all of its attendees. The event will take place at Williamsburg's indieScreen theater at 285-289 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211. 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 about the festival or advanced ticket sales please visit http://www.thephilipkdickfilmfestival.com.

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival and the first of its kind to grace the screens of New York City is organized by filmmakers who understand the difficulties and challenges of telling a unique story in a corporate environment. The year 2012 marks the inauguration of the festival. The festival will be held in New York City in the fall for a total of three days. Guest speakers and writers that best represent the goals of the festival will attend the opening ceremonies. We look for original voices and visions in works submitted. Lastly, this is a festival by filmmakers for filmmakers.

Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was one of the 20th century's most profound novelists and writers within the science fiction community. His exploration, analysis and beliefs led to the publishings of 44 novels and 121 short stories. Dick's enormous library of works led to several film developments including Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), Minority Report (2002), Paycheck (2003) and most recently Radio Free Albemuth (2010), The Adjustment Bureau (2011) and the successful remake of Total Recall (2012). The film industry is also awaiting the release of King of the Elves in 2014, which will surely be yet another prosperous depiction of Dick's literary contribution to science fiction. His enormously effective views comprised of fictional universes, virtual realities and human mutation foresaw an exaggerated version of the current state of government and contemporary life. Though he is gone in the physical form his philosophies live on in the techniques applied to modern stories and films and generate large displays of appreciation and understanding.

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