Presents: Writer/Director Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead, Don't Breathe, Alien: Romulus)

Recorded live on location at RENDR 2026 in Banana Block Belfast, we caught up with acclaimed filmmaker&nbsp;Fede Álvarez, the director, writer and producer behind genre-defining features including&nbsp;Evil Dead,&nbsp;Don’t Breathe&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alien: Romulus.In this in-depth conversation, he discusses breaking into Hollywood from Uruguay, working with iconic horror franchises and the key moment he reassessed his career. Fede has collaborated with some of the industry’s biggest names, including&nbsp;Ridley Scott, and reflects on the success of Alien: Romulus, the evolution of genre filmmaking, and the cinematic worlds he enjoys building.If you want to watch the video recording of this talk, check out the episode page here.We are delighted to present this very special speaker series in partnership with&nbsp;RENDR Festival&nbsp;and supported by the&nbsp;National Talent Academy for VFX, recorded in&nbsp;The Spinners Mill Studio. Fede ÁlvarezDirector, writer &amp; producer Federico Javier Álvarez Mattos&nbsp;is a Uruguayan filmmaker whose directorial debut was the 2013 remake of&nbsp;Evil Dead, which he also wrote. The film starred Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez and Lou Taylor Pucci, and opened at number one at the box office. Following the success of his first film, Alvarez wrote, directed and produced the hit genre film&nbsp;Don’t Breathe. The film premiered to rave reviews, grossed over $157 million globally.Alvarez also directed and wrote the action-crime film&nbsp;The Girl in the Spider’s Web, starring Claire Foy and LaKeith Stanfield, based on the characters from the bestselling Stieg Larsson series,&nbsp;The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He also produced and wrote&nbsp;Don’t Breathe 2&nbsp;and later produced and wrote the 2022 film&nbsp;Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which premiered at number one on Netflix’s Top 10 list. On the TV side, Alvarez created, directed and wrote the Apple TV+ series&nbsp;Calls, an English adaptation of the French series of the same name.Most recently, Alvarez’s film&nbsp;Alien: Romulus, which he wrote, directed and executive produced, was released in the summer of 2024, starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu. The film is a standalone instalment in the&nbsp;Alien&nbsp;franchise and follows a group of young people on a distant world who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying lifeform in the universe. The film grossed over $350 million worldwide and received positive critical acclaim. It won Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards, received a Golden Globe nomination for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, and an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.RENDR FestivalThis is a&nbsp;unique event&nbsp;celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive two-day festival exploring the space between Creativity and Technology. Ignite your imagination with inspiring speakers from the worlds of Film, Gaming, Animation, Immersive, and more! Learn from the best, with 30+ creatives from the likes of Netflix, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios and Epic Games among others.National Talent Academy for Visual EffectsAs the newest of the Academies, the National Talent Academy for VFX provides support and opportunities for anyone interested in a career in VFX. Launched in 2024, the National Talent Academy for VFX is an initiative of Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, managed by Cultural &amp; Creative Industries Skillnet. Their mission is to transform aspiring VFX artists into industry-ready professionals while providing ongoing upskilling opportunities for current talent.Through comprehensive courses and programmess, we introduce participants to best practices both locally and globally, creating clear pathways and solidifying Ireland’s reputation as a premier destination for VFX. The National Talent Academy for VFX is dedicated to attracting individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, fostering greater awareness of VFX as a viable and exciting career choice.&nbsp;Learn more about the work they do here<