Exclusive: ALIEN ADDICTION Director Shae Sterling Attributes Film to Peter Jackson & Steven Speilberg

Get ready for a close encounter when the award-winning sci-fi comedy Alien Addiction land on DVD/Blu-ray and VOD beginning September 29th. Give the trailer a spin and read more about the movie below.

Synopsis:
Alien Addiction follows Riko (Jimi Jackson) who lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere (Waikato, New Zealand). Life was pretty normal until two aliens crash landed near Riko’s house. He welcomes the aliens and together they develop an intergalactic relationship of epic proportions. Alientologist Peter Mackintosh (Thomas Sainsbury) has tracked the aliens and Riko, and plans to capture them and reveal them to the world.

From writer-Director Shae Sterling, and starring Jimi Jackson, Thomas Sainsbury, Jojo Waaka, and Harry Summerfield, Alien Addiction orbits the US and Canada On Demand, Blu-ray and DVD September 29th from Gravitas Ventures.

Dread Central was lucky enough to score an exclusive interview with Sterling! Give it a read below.


Shae Sterling

Dread Central: How has your year been, sir? Bad question…?

Shae Sterling: Actually could be a lot worse! We’ve got it pretty good down here in New Zealand.

DC: Your film is coming out though – and that’s a win. Did you always plan on releasing it this year or did you move it up because most of us are stuck inside this year and need fresh films to watch?

SS: I was getting ready to release this year and when covid hit I thought it was actually going to be even a better time because there would be so much streaming going on! Tragic year but I’ve got to hustle as much as I can.

DC: Were you planning to shoot anything this year that the pandemic messed up?

SS: I had a few fleeting thoughts about doing some apocalyptic pandemic style thing, but there’s going to be a whole flurry of them I’m sure.

DC: And I imagine Alien Addiction was in the can a long, long time before we got wind of this Coronavirus last winter? How long ago did it shoot?

SS: The shoot took forever because it basically didn’t have any money. I would go shoot a whole heap of music videos and then come back 6 months later a little bit more. I noticed the actors aging throughout the movie as it took 3 years on and off. The release also took another 1-2 years. I think my next movie will be a lot faster. They say the first is the hardest.

DC: It’s a real throwback. Was that the intention?

SS: Throwback? I’ve never heard that description or analogy of the movie. I guess there’s influences from some films I saw when I was very young, for instance Gods Must be Crazy, E.T., Morons from Outer Space, Close and Counters of the Third Kind… Ok I get the throwback reference.

DC: Being from New Zealand, I imagine Peter Jackson is a big influence – -but have you ever met?

SS: I’ve never met Peter, I did like his very early films and it’s inspiring to have someone from the country doing so well.

DC: What did you learn from watching his earlier movie that you applied to your film?

SS: Not much really. Most of my inspiration comes from my own trial and error, I get to work on all sorts of projects all the time and I really just refined my own craft. Peter has his own style, my inspiration comes from music and culture.

DC: Practical vs. CGI? What’s the preference?

SS: I can really see CGI which is a bit unfortunate because it inhibits me sometimes from enjoying a movie, so I would have to say practical effects a preferred but I do understand that CGI is such a powerful and efficient tool, I feel it’s getting real close though.

DC: How would you classify the film? Is it a zany comedy? Spacely sci-fi? Stoner postcard of New Zealand?

SS: That’s a good question because I didn’t intend on making a specific genre film. I just made something that I like to watch, something a bit out there. I guess it’s a sci-fi comedy drama with a New Zealand flavor!

DC: I love that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously  – and yet there are scares. Is it hard to write scares for a film lighter in tone than your typical genre film?

SS: I guess this being my first film, I did want to have a play with all these different film devices, drama intrigue, emotion, action and the more I got into it, I realised that comedy was quite a dominating theme.

DC: And notes from others that you took on after testing it?

SS: I sat in the theatre many times now with the film and I’m 100% certain that this is a comedy hit. I know where the people are going to laugh and how big are going to laugh. So I’m really happy about that. I’ve had an odd person here in there prefer some parts of the film as two others. I feel like if I was trying to chase making a perfect film then you would not get an Alien Addiction, you would get something that we’ve seen before. I watch so many movies and I can often predict what the plot will do, where it will go, who’s going to die etc. I wanted Alien Addiction to take turns that we’re unexpected in the pure reason to be different.

DC: The film is seeing the light of day in America this month, are you hoping to open doors for you as a filmmaker?

SS: Hell yes, I am ready to go I want to get onto another film. I’ve got a bunch of scripts all really good ideas.

DC: If Hollywood does come calling, and they offer you the chance to remake or reboot any horror or sci-fi film, what would it be?

SS: Oh definitely Dune. I’d love to remake Dune… f*** whoops. I would do wonders for Akira. Love that film, I think many other classics don’t need to be touched. Surely we got some new ideas people!

Are you excited to check out Alien Addiction? What do you think of our exclusive interview with Shae Sterling? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.

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