The Dead 2: India to Premiere at Film4 FrightFest 2013

It has been announced that The Dead 2: India will have its world premiere as the opening film of Film4 FrightFest 2013:

"We are continuing the tradition of the last few years of announcing our opening and closing films ahead of the big main announcement of the full programme, which will be at 2pm on 28 June.

Each year we strive to give the platform of our opening slot to a locally produced British film, and this year is no different. We are delighted to be able to announce this year's opening film will be the world premiere of The Ford Brothers latest, THE DEAD 2: INDIA, the first-ever International production of a zombie film shot in India.

Howard and Jon Ford, the director, writer and producer team behind the acclaimed African-set zombie road movie 'The Dead’ said today: “It's truly an honour to be the opening film – mind-blowing! Being at FrightFest for ‘The Dead’ was such an incredible experience for us and one of the highlights of our whole journey with the film. It's an awesome event with a brilliant crowd and we both sincerely cannot wait to see you all there!”.

The film follows the story of India-based American engineer Nicholas Burton (JOSEPH MILLSON) in a race against time to reach his pregnant girlfriend Ishani Sharma (MEENU). Burton enlists the help of an orphan street kid Javed (ANAND GOYAL) and together they make a perilous 300 mile journey across deadly landscapes as a zombie apocalypse threatens to engulf the entire nation. You can see the trailer here.

Two years ago Keshales & Navot Papushado’s burst on to the scene with their fabulous first film RABIES. Famously in a first for FrightFest we had to screen the film four times, such was the demand to see it. And now we are delighted to welcome them back to the Empire to close FrightFest 2013 with their extraordinary revenge thriller BIG BAD WOLVES. Soaked in twisted tension, fairytale myth and seat-edged suspense, the film follows the lives of three men on a collision course: following a series of brutal murders: the father of the latest victim now out for revenge, a vigilante police detective operating outside the law, and the main suspect in the killings - a religious studies teacher arrested and released due to a police blunder.

Aharon and Navot said today: “We always dreamt of having a film which would be good enough to be shown at FrightFest, but not even in our wildest dreams did we think that an Hebrew speaking revenge thriller would get us there. FrightFest is really making history here. As a token of our appreciation we promise to give everyone there a night they won't easily forget”.

The Hollywood Reporter said in their review "Big Bad Wolves is mesmerising from start to finish, including a haunting final image that you’ll find impossible to forget". All the directors and some cast members from both films will be attending the festival.

This years Opening and Closing Film choices represent everything FrightFest is about; the discovery, nurturing and celebration of vital new voices in the genre. FrightFest launched the Ford Brothers' THE DEAD to worldwide acclaim in 2010 and Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's RABIES in 2011, so we are delighted to welcome both duos back with their stunning new movies. These films bookend Film4 FrightFest perfectly and hint at what we are trying to achieve this year - the best platform to deliver our broadest, most diverse and most surprising event ever”.

Film4 FrightFest, the UK’s biggest genre film festival, runs from Thursday 22 August to Monday 26 August at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square. Festival & day passes go on sale from 29 June. Tickets for Individual films are on sale from 27 July."

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For more information on Film4 FrightFest, visit: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/ Here's the trailer and plot details for The Dead 2: India:

"Another darkly mysterious Continent becomes an inhospitable dead zone in THE DEAD 2: INDIA. The highly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning Ford Brothers’ critically acclaimed zombie road movie The Dead sees the cult commercial franchise move to the hustle and bustle of India as the devastating outbreak takes hold. Set against the spectacular vistas and stunning scenery of Rajasthan, known as The Land of the Kings and one of the world’s first and oldest civilizations, THE DEAD 2: INDIA puts the Ford Brothers’ unique apocalyptic vision on a far bigger canvas in terms of breathtaking scope, thrilling action, death-defying stunts, emotional resonance and spine-tingling fright.

A ship docked fresh from Somalia, containing one infected worker who feverishly picks up his meager pay then passes unnoticed into the very heart of India through the overpopulated bustling streets, setting off an unstoppable chain of events.

Meanwhile American turbine engineer Nicholas Burton (JOSEPH MILLSON), is working up high on wind farms in the peaceful and stunning Indian countryside. Having fallen in love with local girl Ishani Sharma (Meenu) from a humble home on the outskirts of the slums of Mumbai.

Their three hundred mile distance is broken by a phone call revealing Ishani is now pregnant and scared for her life : chaos and terror have taken hold of the cities as the dead return to life and attack the living.

Nicholas has to battle his way across three hundred miles of ferociously infected Indian landscapes to reach Ishani and his unborn child. With the help of a young street kid Javed (Anand Goyal), he has to rely on his wits and sheer brute force using any means possible to try and save them.

Latitude Films in association with Road Trip Pictures present THE DEAD 2: INDIA starring Joseph Millson (Casino Royale, Telstar, Enid) and newcomers Meenu, Anand Goyal, Sandip Datta Gupta and Poonam Mathur. The highly anticipated companion piece to The Dead is written and directed by Howard J Ford and Jon Ford."