BREAKOUT DIRECTORS IN UPCOMING SCI-FI THRILLERS

Spanish and Russian directors Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Timur Bekmambetov affix their filmmaking signature in the upcoming special effects laden thrillers "28 WEEKS LATER" and "DAY WATCH."

Slowly yet steadily gaining momentum in moviedom is the upcoming cutting-edge Russian fantasy movie entitled "DAY WATCH (Dnevnoi Dozor)." From the cinematic vision of (Russian) director Timur Bekmambetov (currently in pre-production with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman in the movie "Wanted"), "DAY WATCH" revolves around the conflict and balance maintained between the forces of light and darkness - the result of a medieval truce between the opposing sides.

The movie sets up a different pace for moviegoers as it presents a dazzling mix of state-of-the-art visual effects, amazing action sequences, and nail-biting horror with its characters being supernatural humans and monsters (including vampires, witches, shape-shifters and sorcerers) who exist together in modern day Moscow. In the movie, the protagonist Anton (Konstantin Khabensky) is torn between his son Yegor and his love Svetlana. As night becomes day, Yegor has joined the ranks of the Dark Others while Svetlana is the hope of the Light, Anton is not only caught between them but he''s been accused of murder and is constantly on the run. Taking on the reign of acclaimed director Danny Boyle is Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo who helms the sequel "28 WEEKS LATER." Boyle had recently seen the provocative thriller "Intacto," the feature film debut of Fresnadillo which had been a huge international and critical success. "I thought Intacto was amazing," recalls Boyle. "A terrific thriller with tremendous flare as well as being a highly individual piece of filmmaking and was convinced that Juan Carlos is the one who can take on ''28 Weeks.''

In "28 WEEKS LATER," the story focuses on how an urban environment like London might be affected, and how the government might respond to the daunting task of containing an outbreak. The film starts with the American military helping to repopulate London starting by creating a quarantined zone. The virus returns, but unlike the first film you actually see the outbreak, the speed in which it spreads and the devastation it brings." Fresnadillo first earned a following with Spanish audiences when he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997 for his black and white comedy short film ''Esposados'' which went on to win 40 national and international awards. In 2002 Fresnadillo won Spain''s prestigious Goya Award for Best New Director for ''Intacto'' which was his full-length feature debut. He was also listed as one of this year''s Variety Top 10 filmmakers to watch. "28 WEEKS LATER" and "DAY WATCH" open very soon in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.