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- During his 40-year career, cult film director Albert Pyun's fantastical movies were often criticized and parodied. He was even dubbed "the Post-Apocalyptic Ed Wood" by many critics. But the visionary cinematic universes he brought to life continue to captivate fans all over the world. His innovative filmmaking techniques and imaginative concepts were ahead of their time, and his works have significantly impacted sci-fi, horror, and action filmmakers. Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies tells the story of a true renegade and his love for filmmaking, a free spirit who always did Hollywood his way despite the odds. The documentary follows Albert after his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and dementia. Fighting rapidly declining health, hallucinations, and memory loss, he is on a mission to make his final film, Cyborg Overture - Bad Ass Angels and Demons, the prequel to one of his most famous films, the post-apocalyptic classic Cyborg. Although Albert is deeply in love with his complicated psychotherapist wife, he believes that the only true reason to live is to make movies and he races to finish his film before it is too late. The documentary features intimate conversations with the stars of his films including Christopher Lambert, Ice-T, Chad Stahelski, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Seth Green, and his most frequent collaborators, as well as his love interests and childhood friends. Archival footage from his library of 50+ films, verité scenes of Albert on location in the Nevada desert (?), recently recovered footage from Albert's first film and never-before-seen clips from his unfinished movies, Interstellar Civil War and Captain America: Director's Cut are woven together to make an intimate portrait of one of the film industry's never-forgotten heroes. A native Hawaiian of Japanese and Korean descent, Albert started making movies as a child, enlisting his schoolmates as cast members. He won a competition to go to Japan and was mentored by Toshiro Mifune, who believed that as an Asian director Albert wouldn't make it in Hollywood. A huge fan of Japanese cinema and manga comics, Albert absorbed the Japanese film work ethic but was soon ready to return to the U.S. to make his own movies. At 29, Albert directed his first feature, The Sword and the Sorcerer, which made $50 million and became one of the most successful films of 1982. Along with his loyal producers and crew, Albert went on to make more than 50 movies, including Captain America, Cyborg, Nemesis, Kickboxer, and Radioactive Dreams, with some of the industry's biggest stars. As an emerging filmmaker, Albert was declared "the next George Lucas" but was not destined to be part of mainstream Hollywood and refused to buy into the system. He was a big-hearted maverick who wanted to make movies his way without anyone else's input. He refused to attend screenings or do press, which many believe was detrimental to his career. But he persevered, undeterred by the encumbrances of budget, scheduling, and the star system. He worked with low budgets for the direct-to-video market, churning out multiple movies on a single weekend, secretly making another film while on the set of Cyborg. He loved working with rappers like Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and Fat Joe. He preferred working with women, many of whom were bodybuilders because they "worked well under his filming conditions." He formed positive relationships with cast and crew over the years who would loyally show up for Albert time and again. After Albert's passing in November 2022, his legacy among cult film enthusiasts worldwide persists stronger than ever. Audiences will be inspired by his drive, passion, and desire to keep going despite the obstacles, without compromise, following his unique vision and love for filmmaking to the very end.
