'Dazzling array of sci-fi, action, fantasy and cult film from around the globe in a riotous weekend-long celebration of fantastic film at Sheffield's Showroom Cinema'

Sci-fi, fantasy and action films will be screened back to back at the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield from April 25-27. The new event, Culture Shock: Festival of Fantastic Film, has been created by the makers of Celluloid Screams, a horror film festival, which has delighted audiences in the city since 2009.

A love letter to Kaiju cinema, Brush of the God (director Keizō Murase), will make its European premiere to launch the festival. It is the first and last film of Murase, a legend of special effects and stunt work in the ‘Japanese monster movie’ industry. The film screens with one of his earlier credits, Terror of Mechagodzilla (Director Ishirō Honda), in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Two other films will make their UK premiere at Culture Shock: The Black Hole (director Moonika Siimets), an absurdist sci-fi odyssey from Estonia and Marshmallow (Director Daniel DelPurgatorio), a thrilling coming-of-age mystery set at an American summer camp.

Elsewhere on the programme, audiences can catch The Last Sacrifice (director Rupert Russell), a true crime investigation into the real-life witchcraft killing that inspired The Wicker Man, a 35th anniversary retrospective of the Hong Kong action film Fatal Termination (director Yeung-Wah Kam), and underseen East German sci-fi In the Dust of the Stars (director Gottfried Kolditz) which is presented in collaboration with Masters of Cinema.

Rob Nevitt, Culture Shock festival director, said: “Over the years working on Celluloid Screams, we’ve seen some of the most vibrant and original films across a range of genres, but that didn’t fit within a horror festival. With Culture Shock, we’re now able to treat audiences to a dazzling array of sci-fi, action, fantasy and cult film from around the globe in a riotous weekend- long celebration of fantastic film at Showroom Cinema.”

Ryan Finnigan, head of programming at Showroom Cinema, said: "As Showroom celebrates its 30th birthday this year, we’re more excited than ever to be a home for bold, diverse, and imaginative cinema from around the world.”

For the full details of what’s on offer at Culture Shock, go to www.celluloidscreams.com/cultureshock. Weekend and day passes for the festival are available at www.showroomworkstation.org.uk