Movies
‘Occupy Cannes’ – Lily-Hayes Kaufman’s Troma Doc Gets New Poster for Sitges Premiere in October
Fresh off the film’s World Premiere at Fantasia, Lily-Hayes Kaufman’s documentary Occupy Cannes is next headed to the Sitges Film Festival this coming October.
The documentary shines a spotlight on Troma’s unique approach to the Cannes Film Festival over the years, spotlighting their most recent effort to sell Return to Nuke ‘Em High at the event. Exclusively check out the Sitges poster for Occupy Cannes below and read on for more.
The hand-painted poster, created by award-winning artist Marco Mazzoni, debuts ahead of the film’s European Premiere at Sitges in the Brigadoon section, on October 10, 2025.
Occupy Cannes made its World Premiere at Fantasia Film Festival, where Lloyd Kaufman was honored with the Indie Maverick Award. The award was presented to Kaufman by Superman director James Gunn, who got his start making movies with Troma back in the ’90s.
Iconic director Lloyd Kaufman and the Troma Team wage a punk-spirited battle championing independent art at Cannes in Occupy Cannes, presented through the lens of Kaufman’s daughters, Director Lily-Hayes Kaufman (Innards, Rare Birds of Fashion), Cinematographer Charlotte Kaufman (The Jinx; The Alabama Solution) and Producer Lisbeth Kaufman.
Lloyd Kaufman and the Troma Team have been a staple of the Cannes Film Festival since 1974. Renowned for guerrilla tactics and provocative artistry to sell films, Troma’s audacious performances spark controversy and curiosity. Occupy Cannes asks: does Kaufman’s defiant stance attract coveted buyers, or ostracize Troma from the industry’s inner circle?
The documentary features performances and appearances by Catherine Corcoran (Terrifier, Best Friends Forever, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes reboot), Zac Amico (Zac Amico’s Morning Zoo), Justin A. Martell (The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs), Doug Sakmann, Lloyd Kaufman and of course, The Toxic Avenger himself.
Occupy Cannes is presented by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, a Troma Team Production and Saturday Candy Film. Executive Producers Julie Corman and Roger Corman.
The doc is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Known for a universe of superheroes with a global cult following, NYC-based Troma Entertainment may be the last surviving truly independent film studio. Troma has acquired thousands of films that big studios ignore. Trey Parker, Matt Stone and James Gunn, are Troma proteges, and there are hundreds of other artists who have found a voice with the company.
But, like hundreds of thousands of species on this planet, Troma is at risk of going extinct. After 40 years of selling films at Cannes, this could be their final trip…
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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