In 2014, writer and director Tony Burke and actor Craig Russell worked together on short film, Protein. Now, after a decade long battle, they have adapted the story into a feature. This longer version of Protein will receive its world premiere as part of the First Blood programming at this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.
The First Blood strand is a select number of titles that highlight some of the freshest talent working within UK genre cinema. Although writer and director Tony Burke is an award-winning content and music video director, Protein marks his feature debut. The film is sure to capture the attention of the FrightFest crowd thanks to the skillful work of both Burke behind the camera, and Craig Russel in front of it.
Protein is a grim chiller about a traumatised ex-squaddie and serial killer returning to South Wales to escape his demons. There, Sion (Craig Russell) becomes work-out and gym-obsessed, and eats a local drug dealer for their protein. Compelled to kill again he sends shockwaves through the local criminal underworld and inadvertently sparks a brutal and bloodthirsty tit-for-tat turf war between rival gangs. Soon the bloody events set Sion on an unlikely road to redemption.
Serial killers and cannibalism are two topics that continue to fascinate audiences, and as such, Protein is sure to be one of the most highly sought after Discovery tickets of this year’s FrightFest. The blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into the last ten years of its creation have paid off with Protein playing as a mixture of Dead Man’s Shoes and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, with an added dash of police procedural. Ahead of the long awaited world premiere, THN spoke with both writer and director Tony Burke and star Craig Russell about the project’s long gestation, and why Protein should be on FrightFest attendees’ viewing list.
Protein screens at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on Saturday 24th August. More information on the film and tickets can be found on the FrightFest website.
