Latest feature Films
Mad God
Renowned visual effects specialist Phil Tippett presents a bleak dystopian world in this stop motion masterpiece. The combination of hand-crafted figures and set designs creates a unique horror aesthetic.
As a probe is lowered deep into the underworld, an assassin shrouded in a thick coat and a gas mask emerges from it. Equipped with a map and a suitcase, he begins to search for his target. The deeper he descends into the bowels of this grotesque world, the more monstrous become the landscapes and creatures he encounters. A single life is worth nothing here – senseless violence is omnipresent. Near an underground city, he finally opens his suitcase and begins to prime the time bomb inside. But before the bomb explodes, a monster pounces on him. He is taken to a laboratory where surgeons cut a larva-like creature out of him, which an alchemist uses to make glittering stardust. A strange creature and the alchemist use the dust to construct a new universe in a humongous furnace, thereby animating planets and creating civilisations so that the endless cycle of horror and suffering can continue.
Phil Tippett began his work on “Mad God” in the 1990s, after having worked on major Hollywood productions like “RoboCop” and “Jurassic Park”. When the digitalisation of film production took hold, Tippett wanted to abandon the project because he no longer saw a future in stop motion technology. However, members of his studio encouraged him to continue, and he financed the production with a crowdfunding campaign. The project attracted a growing fan base of amateurs and professionals who continued to work on the film in their spare time.
In 2021, after almost 30 years of production, this experimental stop motion horror film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. (Thomas Kunz)
As a probe is lowered deep into the underworld, an assassin shrouded in a thick coat and a gas mask emerges from it. Equipped with a map and a suitcase, he begins to search for his target. The deeper he descends into the bowels of this grotesque world, the more monstrous become the landscapes and creatures he encounters. A single life is worth nothing here – senseless violence is omnipresent. Near an underground city, he finally opens his suitcase and begins to prime the time bomb inside. But before the bomb explodes, a monster pounces on him. He is taken to a laboratory where surgeons cut a larva-like creature out of him, which an alchemist uses to make glittering stardust. A strange creature and the alchemist use the dust to construct a new universe in a humongous furnace, thereby animating planets and creating civilisations so that the endless cycle of horror and suffering can continue.
Phil Tippett began his work on “Mad God” in the 1990s, after having worked on major Hollywood productions like “RoboCop” and “Jurassic Park”. When the digitalisation of film production took hold, Tippett wanted to abandon the project because he no longer saw a future in stop motion technology. However, members of his studio encouraged him to continue, and he financed the production with a crowdfunding campaign. The project attracted a growing fan base of amateurs and professionals who continued to work on the film in their spare time.
In 2021, after almost 30 years of production, this experimental stop motion horror film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. (Thomas Kunz)
Info
Duration 84'
Country US, 2021
