The film

In the near future, a new drug has turned the USA into a war zone. Drug dealers call the shots and their customers have become so addicted they only live for this synthetic stuff. One night, a young junkie carrying a stolen bag of powder crashes a veterans’ bar. The old soldiers decide to make their last stand and protect her from a drug lord besieging the bar with his horde of insane, bloodthirsty drug addicts.

After THE MIND'S EYES (2015) and BLISS (NIFFF 2019), Joe Begos continues to explore exploitation cinema and adds a new gut-wrenching entry to his filmography. VFW – acronym for Veterans of Foreign Wars – asks the question “What if John Carpenter had made ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 under heavy influence?” This neon-soaked and radical shot of 80s action filmmaking will no doubt delight film lovers with its star-studded cast, notably the legendary Fred Williamson.

The director

American filmmaker Joe Begos directed his first feature in 2013: ALMOST HUMAN, a surprise slasher that already proved his fascination for American cinema of the 70s and 80s. THE MIND'S EYES expanded on the idea, this time invoking De Palma and Cronenberg. BLISS, shown at the NIFFF 2019, was a frantic and colourful – to say the least – reimagining of the vampire myth. VFW is his fourth film, and probably the most ambitious yet.

Selected filmography

2013 – ALMOST HUMAN
2015 – THE MIND'S EYES
2019 – BLISS