Wellington Vampires Tell Their Story at Sundance

New Zealand horror comedy film, the Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement-directed What We Do in the Shadows, will make its world premiere on 19 January in the Midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The feature-length vampire mockumentary, shot in Wellington in 2012, is based on the duo’s 2006 short film of the same name.

It follows the story of a group of centuries-old vampires who live in a flat in Wellington. Their constant thirst for blood makes it hard for them to make new friends. And without any mortal friends left to invite them around the town, they are basically left as outcasts who are unable to adapt to modern society.

“Consider the living quarters of vampires and stodgy old castles in Transylvania,” the film overview reads. “These aren’t your typical bloodsuckers. Viago (379 years old), Deacon (183 years old), Vladislav (862 years old), and Peter (8000 years old) have chosen to share a flat in Wellington. Can these creatures of the night put aside their differences as roommates and adapt to modern society?”

Both Waititi and Clement star in their film, alongside Jonathon Burgh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, and Stu Rutherford.