Die Hard director grabs headlines at London’s first ever action festival

The inaugural London Action Festival (28-31 July) will open with a screening of Die Hard, with director John McTiernan and other guests taking part in a Q&A. McTiernan’s “Predator” will also be screened at the festival.

Visual Effects in Jurassic World: Dominion will be explored in a master class led by Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Pawl Fulker, Partner and Creative Director, Proof London Ltd, and Dave Vickery, Visual Effects Supervisor, ILM, with the participation of Director Colin Trevorrow. This panel event is presented by Proof Inc., who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.

With the support of UK studio MARV from ‘Kingsman’ director Matthew Vaughan, the festival is showing exclusive footage from their new action film ‘School Fight’, which marks stunt coordinator Damien Walters’ debut as director. Walters will give a master class on the leap from stunt professional to director, and cast members Greg Townley and Bobby Holland Hanton, themselves highly respected stunt professionals, will also join the judging panel.

Picturehouse Central will be home to the festival on its main weekend, with additional events taking place at other major venues in Central London. These include the Friday Night Showdown at the Royal Geographical Society, which combines panel events, comedy, music and guests of honor to celebrate all things action; Write Club, featuring industry-leading writers who create the blueprint for any action movie or TV show in the form of the script; and Punch Above Your Weight – How to Make Your First Action Masterpiece, how to make high-octane action movies on a budget.

Julian Alcantara, Festival Co-Director and Founder said: “We will celebrate the skill and talent of those who bring action films and TV to life. We see the festival as an opportunity to show much greater appreciation to those whose incredible work and achievements are rarely recognized, particularly in the fields of stunts and action design.”

Ron Fogelman, Festival Co-Director and Founder, added: “This will be an exciting, entertaining and inspiring experience for viewers who love action. The very filmmaking that drives global entertainment deserves this level of attention and respect.”

Informational news service Den of Geek is the senior media sponsor for the event.

Jennifer Bartner-Indeck, CEO of Den of Geek said: “Our ethos at Den of Geek is ‘By Experts for Fans’ and is shared with the London Action Festival team. We look forward to being a part of this long overdue celebration of the skills, creativity, talent and courage required to create the world’s most exciting content for film and television.”

Broadcaster, critic and programmer Ashanti Omkar serves as the cultural curator of the festival.