By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Striking new art has been created for one of the year’s best genre films.
The creators of NEW LIFE gave RUE MORGUE the exclusive first look at the official poster marking the movie’s screening at the FilmQuest festival in Provo, Utah. Having won raves (including ours) at Montreal’s Fantasia and the UK’s FrightFest, NEW LIFE is nominated for FilmQuest’s awards for Best Feature Film, Best Director (John Rosman, who also scripted), Best Actress (Sonya Walger), Best Supporting Actress (Hayley Erin), Best Sound and Best Makeup FX. The official synopsis describes the film as “a deadly cat and mouse chase through the Pacific Northwest. In the story, Elsa Gray [Walger] is a brilliant ‘fixer’ assigned to capture a mysterious woman [Erin] on the run. As the noose of the chase tightens, Elsa finds herself entangled in her own secret battle with ALS, desperately trying to stay ahead of the explosive case before it hurtles towards a cataclysmic finale.”
The poster was created by celebrated artist Chris Malbon, and is described by the filmmakers: “Malbon explores the themes of a body in revolt across the paranoid techno-thriller landscape NEW LIFE navigates. His vision is psychedelic, dense and propulsive, showing the young woman’s journey of escape as an atom bomb mid-detonation.”
Rosman says, “What I’ve long admired about Chris’ craft is his wild attention to detail. He’s able to create a piece of art that strikes the viewer immediately, as well as reward them with each time they take another look. I think our shared style of complex, snake-eating-its-own-tail storytelling, as well as our mutual love of AKIRA, is on full display here. I can’t be more thrilled to have it represent our film at one of the festivals we’ve been most excited to play all year, FilmQuest.”
