Los Angeles action film festival BIG BAD FILM FEST has revealed its 2025 lineup with the event opening with the World Premiere of the DY Sao barn burner Gladiator Underground.
The event, which runs between August 22-24 at the LOOK DINE-IN Cinemas Glendale for its annual three-day extravaganza, will showcase 9 features, including multiple World, North American, and West Coast premieres, and 12 blistering short films from all around the globe.
The festival will close with a 10 Year Anniversary screening of Soi Cheang’s SPL 2 aka Kill Zone starring Tony Jaa. The film is distributed by Well GO USA and is currently streaming on the Big Bad Film Fest’s partner’s streaming service Hi-Yah.
Opening night film Gladiator Underground is directed by festival alum Chaya Supannarat, whose previous film Bangkok Dog premiered at last year’s event. Also among the lineup, Brandon Sagle’s Affinity starring genre fan favorite Marko Zaror (John Wick 4, Diablo, Fist of the Condor); Toei Company presents the West Coast Premiere of Yu Irie’s Samurai Fury, hot off its World Premiere at NYAFF; Steven C. Miller is in the house presenting a special screening of his new buddy action comedy Under Fire starring Dylan Sprouse and Mason Gooding with cast and crew in attendance; and keeping the buddy action spirit going, Mark L. Lester will present his cult classic Showdown in Little Tokyo. Then there is festival mainstay Scott Adkins, who returns to the Big Bad screens in his new film Prisoner of War, directed by Louis Mandylor.
This year’s festival will also be its first with two Big Bad Film Fest After Dark screenings which, along with Prisoner of War, will be occupied by the West Coast Premiere of the “Pyun Cut” of Captain America (1991). The “more tragic and impactful” version of the film has its world premiere at AAIFF on August 1st. The screening is an effort by the late Albert Pyun’s wife to get his version of the much maligned and tampered with film seen by a wide audience. Big Bad co-founder Patrick Young says “it’s a genuine honor to be trusted by the Pyun estate to show this version of the film. It’s easy to forget the emotional impact and variety that can be contained within the superhero genre and even easier to forget that Albert Pyun was showing us the way 35 years ago.”
From Japan will be the North American Premiere of Hiroyuki Tsuji’s Tamura Yuto: ISOLATED, the next entry in the Japan Unified Garden franchise and one of the only times any of the films have screened in theaters outside of Japan. Venerated fight choreographer and director Koichi Sakamoto (Mega Monster Battle, Mob Psycho 100, Ninja vs Shark), who worked on the film as fight director, will be present for a Q+A hosted by the Action For Everyone Podcast.
Co-Founder Powell Robinson commented: “Between our exciting premieres, killer shorts block, and deep-cut fan favorite repertory screenings, we can’t wait to share another weekend with our audience of action fanatics.”
Tickets and badges for the festival can be found at bigbadfilm.com.
FOR REFERENCE USE
FRIDAY * Opening Night *
7:00 PM – WORLD PREMIERE – Gladiator Underground – Q+A w/ Chaya Supannarat, DY Sao, Brian Le, and Andy Le + Dangerous Delivery (short directed by Etienne Laurendeau)
10:00 PM – Prisoner of War
SATURDAY
12:00 pm – WEST COAST PREMIERE Samurai Fury (dir Yu Irie) + Trapo Sucio (short dir. Jordan Santacana)
3:00 pm – SPECIAL SCREENING – Under Fire Q+A w/ Steven C Miller, Simon Rhee, and Mason Gooding
6:00 pm – Showdown in Little Tokyo – Q+A w/ Mark L. Lester + Dragon Jacket Kung-Fu (short dir. Atsuhiro Yamada)
9:00 pm – WEST COAST PREMIERE Captain America: Albert Pyun Cut (dir. Albert Pyun)
SUNDAY
12:00 PM – Shorts Block
Angie – dir. Ángel G. Brophy
Shaolin Office – dir. Alexis Bouillé
Prevail – dir. Ryan Dalan
In Your Dreams – dir. Nathaniel Gary Henry
Nameless – dir. Brian Otting
Brawler – dir. Bulent Ozlarusso
NYX – dir. Bulent Ozlarusso
Kingdom Come – dir. Emil Křižka
Work it Out – dir. Spencer Schwendiman
2:00 PM – WORLD PREMIERE Affinity (dir. Brandon Slagle)
4:10 PM – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE – Isolated (dir. Hiroyuki Tsuji) Q+A w/ Koichi Sakamoto Q+A Moderated by Action 4 Everyone Podcast
6:30 PM – 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPL 2 (dir. Soi Cheang)