James Nguyen’s insanely bad eco-horror, inspired by The Birds, Apocalypse Now and An Inconvenient Truth, is already a legend. “We confirm that it’s the worst-film-ever experience of the season and that you need to see it.” — Vice
Screened as part of NZIFF 2010
Birdemic: Shock and Terror 2008
Move along Ed Wood Jr, there’s a new bad(ass) filmmaker in town: his name is James Nguyen and he is the perpetrator of this hilarious cinematic mind-fuck. At the Sundance Film Festival he promoted Birdemic in a van decorated with ugly birds and paper signs that read ‘Why did the eagles and vultures attacked [sic]?’ before renting out a local theatre to show his disasterpiece. The word of mouth from that screening catapulted Birdemic into the pantheon of the world’s most celebrated worst movies overnight. Birdemic struggles in vain to depict a small town in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is suddenly and inexplicably attacked by birds. The film’s dramatic failings may be due to a cast failing to act their way out of paper bags but it’s more than likely to be the animated GIF file eagles and vultures that dive to the ground and explode into flames. Comes with my personal 100 per cent guarantee to make you pee your pants with laughter. — AT