28th San Francisco Independent Film Festival
CLOSING NIGHT: Thursday, Feb 12th, 8:30 PM
@ Roxie Theater House 2

AUDIENCE AWARD
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE

US PREMIERE: "Dead Souls is the kind of singular, politically sharp, formally inventive Western that actually justifies taking a classic novel and moving it into a new context. It has a unique visual identity, a clear and current political backbone, and enough stylistic personality to stand apart from both traditional Westerns and flat 'issue films.' The adaptation isn't a gimmick. Cox genuinely engages with Gogol's core idea—dead bodies turned into abstract "souls" on paper—and makes it painfully relevant to the history and present of immigration policy and state violence. The combination of desert locations, confident mise-en-scène, strong pacing, and an animated inner-life sequence makes this feel like a late-career statement from a director who still knows how to be risky. It speaks directly to questions of borders, bureaucracy, and who gets counted as human—without sacrificing cinematic pleasure or craft."—Lucy Hanna, SF IndieFest

Above, L-R: Levee Duplay ("Samuel S. Vistov"), Chance Falkner (Director of Photography, US), masked actor Eric Schumacher ("Mayor Avery"), Tom Gibbons (Animation, Tippett Studios), Alex Cox (Writer/director/'Strindler"), Dan Wool (Music, Sound Design), Jesse Lee Pacheco, ("Johnny Behan"), Jere Sallee (Art Direction, US), Zander Schloss, ("Borracho"), Melissa Erdman Woods (Production Design, US), and Ed Pansullo ("Undertaker"). BELOW: First row shows photos by Lucy Hanna ("Festival Programmer & Lifetime Hustler"), L-R: Festival poster, Cox speaks before the screening, smiles during the screening, and fortunately still smiling after the screening with Lucy; 2nd row, photos by Tom Gibbons: Title card for Cox, Cox after the screening,. Cox's hands, Cox and Tom Gibbons. 3rd row, photos by Lori Ann Dotson: Sold-Out; Atticus Hause ("Thanks"), Jeff Hause (Associate Producer), and Alex Cox (tired of posing for photos); Phil Tippett (Oscar-winning genius), Jeff Hause (non-Oscar-winning non-genius), and Atticus Hause (still "Thanks"); Ed Pansullo ("Undertaker") and Atticus Hause ("Under-16," needs Ed to get him inside the theater).

Dead Souls had its European Premiere at the Almería Western Film Festival in Tabernas, Spain on Thursday, October 9th at 9:00 PM, closing the second day of the festival, out-of-competition. Present were actors Sarah Vista, Javier Arnal and Ed Tudor Pole, as well as crew members and numerous fans. "Dead Souls re-explores the margins of the western genre with a unique style, between the irreverent and the visionary, reaffirming why Alex Cox received the Cinema Tavern Award in 2019," according to a festival release.¹ Director Alex Cox tried to make the premiere but his flight was canceled due to a US government shutdown, so his missed the screening.² Cox said in a video message, "I've tried to be there, but there are problems with flights, and restrictions in the United States and it's been impossible. Many thanks to all who have participated. See you next year and I hope you all enjoy the screening."
In a message to backers, Cox said, "A thunderstorm preceded Dead Souls' world premiere at the Almería Western Film Festival in Tabernas. Filmgoers clad in cowboy outfits ran for the cantinas and bars as the heavens opened up. Chunks of ice fell from the sky. It was a highly auspicious debut for our film, which played to a full house, and was—I'm told—enthusiastically received." His video to the audience and some shots of the festival can be seen, at right (also at el_indaliano on TouTube).

Reviewing these photos from the premiere, Cox said, "... I wish I had been there to hear Ed's tale. (He has recently published a memoir, The Pen Is Mightier, which is a great read.) In penance, I spent the day making an introductory video for AWFF to screen. And fortunately Dead Souls was well supported, by backers, producers, crew members, and these three bold thespians. The reaction seems to have been very good." Ed Tudor Pole reported to the filmmakers: "Man your film is utterly brilliant; it held us spellbound all the way. ... If lack of funding means you have to do more of the work yourself then hallelujah!: it's very punk ethos too. Necessity is the mother of invention indeed, and needs must when the devil drives, and all that, but look at the benefits! ... A film needs pace. Yours has it: it has forward thrust. The viewers made happy like children listening to a bed-time story, i.e., unresisting. And the ending is climactic, and works perfectly to great dramatic effect! And your boat at the end! Great stuff. Your instincts were correct: it's a very good film indeed ... It had a magisterial authority and grip over the audience. It was treat for them, rather than a highbrow buff duty."

Then it was on to the International Premiere of Dead Souls (now Almas Mortas) at the São Paulo International Film Festival (Portuguese: Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo), also known internationally as "Mostra," an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A non-profit event, the festival is organized by ABMIC (Associação Brasileira Mostra Internacional de Cinema). Cox told the backers, "I went to the Sao Paolo festival decades ago, and like the city it was big. They showed a lot of films in various locations, and I had a great time. So if you are in the vicinity, please check out Almas Mortas in Brasil."³

The 49th São Paulo International Film Festival took place between October 16 and 30 with 374 films from 80 countries, shown in 52 movie theaters, cultural spaces and CEUs spread throughout the capital of São Paulo. The festival hosted four screenings of the film, taking place at different venues:

Cox reported: "Merritt has attended two screenings of Dead Souls at the Sao Paolo Mostra. The first was on Friday, and was a full house (though the house was not large). The audience laughed more than once. Our intrepid producer/editor/actor took this photo of the audience for today's screening:"⁴

"That's a pretty good crowd, if they're all coming to see our picture. However, there is a very small person dressed in pink who will not be granted admission, as the festival (or the appropriate authorities) have decided that in Brasil Dead Souls is suitable for 16 years and older. So it may be that she and her mom and all the other people seen here are actually queuing for candy at the concession stand. ¡Bom apetite!"⁴

INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES - PAULISTA

17 Oct 2025 - 19:10

ESPAÇO PETROBRAS DE CINEMA SALA 3

19 Oct 2025 - 15:55

CINE SEGALL

25 Oct 2025 - 16:10

CINESESC

28 Oct 2025 - 22:05

NOTES ON THIS PAGE

¹—Festival Internacional de Cine Western de Tabernas Oficial: "La segunda jornada de Almería Western Film Festival ha cerrado con la premier internacional de 'Dead Souls', la nueva película de Alex Cox (España-EEUU, 2025). Rodada en parte en el Desierto de Tabernas, esta película fuera de competición ha reunido a numerosos aficionados y marca el cierre de la trayectoria como director de Cox. 'He intentado de estar allí, pero hay problemas con los vuelos, y restricciones en Estados Unidos y ha sido imposible. Agradezco mucho a todos los que han participado. Nos vemos el próximo año y espero que todos disfruten con la proyección,' trasladó \ en un vídeo mensaje. La película, fuera de competición, contó con algunos de los actores como Sarah Vista, Javier Arnal y Ed Tudor Pole, y reunió a numerosos aficionados y seguidores del conocido director. 'Dead Souls' vuelve a explorar los márgenes del género wéstern con un estilo único, entre lo irreverente y lo visionario, reafirmando por qué Alex Cox recibió el Premio Tabernas de Cine en 2019 en nuestro festival. Antes, en la Sección RTVA, se ha proyectado 'Pokerface' (Kai Joel Zeller / España / 2024 / 14' / M-18), un cortometraje intenso que abrió esta noche de cine contemporáneo." (Also on Instagram.)

²—Tod Davies: "Alex's new film, DEAD SOULS, has its premiere right now at the Almeria Western Film Festival! His plane's got canceled. So we're celebrating with Oregon champagne!"

³—"Kickstarter Update #32 10 Oct 2025

⁴—"Kickstarter Update #33 19 Oct 2025