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Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 Sorcha Bacon and ’Martyrs Lane’ director Ruth Platt are taking part.

The UK’s Birds’ Eye View – an organisation that campaigns for gender equality in all film spaces – has named the participants taking part in the seventh edition of the Filmonomics professional development programme.

Filmonomics is aimed at up-and-coming feature writers, directors and producers of marginalised genders from across the UK. The five-day programme takes place this month and is led by Birds’ Eye View director Melanie Iredale, training manager Simone Glover and Tolu Stedford, who is part of the Birds’ Eye View advisory committee.

The...

This is a film whose quality and attention to detail are such that it remains compelling viewing even after one is familiar with its central mystery, so it is likely to become a treasured part of many a DVD collection. Like most DVDs today, it includes a short Behind The Scenes documentary, which includes some brief detail about the shooting process but is mostly a succession of talking heads. This includes the young stars talking about how much they enjoyed the process, which is heartening to see given how miserable the filmmaking process often is for kids that age. it will fill you in on the casting process and the way the relationships in the film came to life.

Director Ruth Platt grew up in a rectory herself. Here and in the interview (which incorporates some of the same material), she discusses the autobiographical aspects of the film and her own.

Stars: Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer, Kiera Thompson | Written and Directed by Ruth Platt

Several years ago I took a gamble at Frightfest and booked a ticket for a movie in a small screen at maybe ten or eleven in the morning (the first film of the day). It was a low budget British horror that showed a teacher’s revenge on the pupils that caused him stress and pain in his job. It was a gritty, sometimes brutal but brilliant first feature film – The Lesson – from Ruth Platt. So when I saw her name as director on Martyrs Lane, I knew I had to see it.

Not many movies scare me now. Not really, occasionally I get caught up in the very best horror movies and the tension is there and it happens but not all to often. Even the so called cheap jump scares rarely work (but I love it when they do!

The latest Talk is held in partnership with the Dinard Festival of British Film.

The latest in our series of ScreenDaily Talks will discuss the rise of genre filmmaking in the UK by women directors.

Filmmakers such as Corinna Faith (The Power), Prano Bailey Bond (Censor), Ruth Platt (Martyrs Lane), Ruth Paxton (The Banquet), Romola Garai (Amulet) and Rose Glass (Saint Maud) are playing with horror and genre tropes to probe a series of female-led issues and garnering arthouse plaudits as they do so.

The Talk will explore what is driving the flare in female genre filmmaking, the local and international market for these films,...

Ten-year-old Leah (Kiera Thompson) is caught watching her family like an outsider looking in. Her much older sister (Hannah Rae’s Bex) is about to leave for college and the milestone has seemingly thrown a wrench into their otherwise simple lives. While their father Thomas (Steven Cree) treats it like a celebration, thanks to his faith as the pastor of their local church, their mother Sarah (Denise Gough) appears distracted and perhaps even angry. She begins having nightmares, retreats from others, and becomes lost in a past Leah knows nothing about. Whether coincidence or fate drives the young girl to unearth the answer from within the locket Sarah wears around her neck is up to you to decide. Once it’s out, however, there’s no putting it back.

How it arrives is in the form of a girl (Sienna Sayer) just about Leah’s age. She has no recollection...

Ruth Platt’s fairytale of fusty parish England is subtle, highly atmospheric and illuminated by surprising love and care

Leah (Kiera Thompson) feels like a stranger in her own house. Home for the 10-year-old is a Victorian vicarage, but it is not a place of comfort. Her morose mum Sarah (Denise Gough) berates her when she comes back with a cake from the parishioners; her dad Thomas (Steven Cree) is constantly busy with his flock. Snatches of distraught parental conversation seem to lodge in the house’s nooks. Leah is fixated with a golden locket her mother always wears, and she starts feeling flashes of a ghostly presence near the windows. Then a ringletted little girl with lopsided angel wings (Sienna Sayer) begins visiting her every night. Huddled under bedsheets, the pair play a game, Two Truths One Lie, bound to produce revelations.

This is a supernatural mystery set in...

Martyrs Lane will stream exclusively to Shudder on September 9 in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as via the Shudder offering within the AMC+ bundle where available.

Check out this clip:

In this unsettling ghost story, Leah, 10, lives in a large, old house with her family but can’t quite work out why her mother seems so distant. At night she is visited by a mysterious guest, who might be able to give her some answers. With a new challenge every night, Leah is rewarded with bits of knowledge that, when pieced together, threaten to shine a dangerous light on both the truth in her nightmares and of the world she lives in.

Written and directed by Ruth Platt, and expanded from her 2019 short film by the same name, Martyrs Lane is a deeply personal film that explores love and grief through a dark and captivating ghost story.

Severin Films Reveals Trailer And VOD Release Date For Kier-la Janisse’S Award-winning Festival Hit Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror: "Severin Films is proud to finally bring the debut feature film from Kier-La Janisse (author of “House of Psychotic Women”) to VOD platforms on October 26th, just in time for Halloween. The film will continue to play festival dates and theatrical bookings throughout Autumn.

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched explores the folk horror phenomenon from its beginnings in a trilogy of films - Michael Reeves' Witchfinder General (1968), Piers Haggard's Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man (1973) - through its proliferation on British television in the 1970s and its culturally specific manifestations in American, Asian, Australian and European horror, to the genre's revival over the last decade. Touching on over 100 films and featuring over 50 interviewees, Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched investigates the...

Television networks are unveiling slates of Halloween-themed content including new and classic horror films, reality competition shows, live specials and more.

Among this year’s programming options is Freeform’s annual “31 Nights of Halloween,” with up to 10 films a day including many family favorites from “Shrek” to “Casper,” plus an in-person event in Los Angeles called Freeform’s Halloween Road. Additionally, horror streaming service Shudder has kicked off “61 Days of Halloween,” with weekly film and series premieres, 24-hour jack-o-lantern stream “The Ghoul Log” and a “Halloween Hotline” where every Friday in October, subscribers can call Shudder’s head of programming Samuel Zimmerman to discuss horror favorites and receive new recommendations.

Read a full list of Halloween programming below. (More programming will be added to the list as networks announce titles.)

“Superhost” – As travel vloggers Teddy (Osric Chau) and Claire (Sara Canning) notice their internet fame dwindling, they pivot from sharing...

Martyrs Lane Trailer — Ruth Platt‘s Martyrs Lane (2021) movie trailer has been released by Shudder. The Martyrs Lane trailer stars Denise Gough, Steven Cree, Anastasia Hille, Hannah Rae, Kiera Thompson, Sienna Sayer, Donna Banya, Catherine Terris, Charlie Rix, Julie Barclay, and Lianne Harvey. Crew Ruth Platt wrote the screenplay for Martyrs Lane. Anne Müller [...]

Continue reading: Martyrs Lane (2021) Movie Trailer: A Mysterious Guest Gives a 10-year Old Girl Clues to the Truth in Her Nightmares...

Ghost stories have been a staple of the horror genre since its inception. It’s the fact that these films deal with an enemy unseen that frightens many and has kept these stories around for so long. But how many ways can you tell a ghost story? They can all be similar, but it’s even more frightening when the film involves children. What makes kids, kids – their innocence and trust-worthiness – makes them unaware of the dangers that are out there. Ruth Platt’s Martyrs Lane centers on two children and their friendship, one dead and one living. It's a ghost story mixed with fairy tale elements to emphasize how children see the world differently – until it turns dark. Built upon Platt’s short film of the same name, Martyrs Lane explores love and grief through the lens of a captivating and unsettling haunting, with many secrets to uncover.

A...

Quake Enhanced Trailer: "Announced today during QuakeCon at Home, in celebration of 25 years since the release of the dark fantasy first-person shooter, an enhanced version of the original Quake is available today on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and backward compatible on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Native Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions bringing native 4K at 120 Fps will be available soon as a free upgrade.

The Original Quake, Enhanced

Experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original Quake.

Featuring resolutions up to 4K and widescreen resolution support, enhanced models, dynamic and color lightning, anti-aliasing, depth of field, and the original soundtrack and theme song by Trent Reznor. There has never been a better time to relive or experience Quake for the first time.

Online, Cross-play, & Local Multiplayer and Co-op

Fight through the dark fantasy base...

Martyrs Lane Review — Martyrs Lane (2021) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Ruth Platt, starring Kiera Thompson, Denise Gough, Steven Cree, Hannah Rae, Julie Barclay, Catherine Terris, Lianne Harvey, Anastasia Hille, and Sienna Sayer. Layered in the decorous austerity of [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Martyrs Lane: A Ghostly Tale of Grief [Fantasia 2021]...

Stars: Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer, Kiera Thompson | Written and Directed by Ruth Platt

Several years ago I took a gamble at Frightfest and booked a ticket for a movie in a small screen at maybe ten or eleven in the morning (the first film of the day). It was a low budget British horror that showed a teacher’s revenge on the pupils that caused him stress and pain in his job. It was a gritty, sometimes brutal but brilliant first feature film – The Lesson – from Ruth Platt. So when I saw her name as director on a film at this year’s Fantasia Festival, I knew I had to see it.

Not many movies scare me now. Not really, occasionally I get caught up in the very best horror movies and the tension is there and it happens but not all to often. Even the so called cheap jump...

"What's happening? Please go! I don't want you here!" Shudder has unveiled an official trailer for an indie supernatural fairytale horror film titled Martyrs Lane, the latest feature directed by actress / filmmaker Ruth Platt. Based on her own 2019 short film. This just premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal this month. Leah, age 10, lives in a large vicarage, full of lost souls and the needy. In the day the house is bustling with people; at night it is dark, empty, a space for Leah's nightmares to creep into. A small, nightly visitor brings Leah comfort, but soon she will realize that her little visitor offers knowledge that might be very, very dangerous... This stars young actors Kiera Thompson & Sienna Sayer, with Denise Gough, Steven Cree, Hannah Rae, and Anastasia Hille. "Martyrs Lane is a deeply personal film that explores love and grief through a dark and captivating ghost story.

There’s a mystery afoot in Ruth Platt’s ghost film, Martyrs Lane. The film, a feature adaptation of the writer/director’s 2019 short of the same name, is less interested in traditional spectral hauntings than exploring grief and loss through the eyes of a little girl who doesn’t fully understand what’s going on. While there are still […]...

Sienna Sayer as Rachel – Martyr’s Lane Photo Credit: Shudder

Launching on AMC Networks’ Shudder on September 9th is Martyrs Lane.

Ahead of its Shudder launch, Martyrs Lane will World Premiere August 19th as part of the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival and celebrate its UK Premiere August 20th with the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In this unsettling ghost story, Leah, 10, lives in a large, old house with her family but can’t quite work out why her mother seems so distant. At night she is visited by a mysterious guest, who might be able to give her some answers. With a new challenge every night, Leah is rewarded with bits of knowledge that, when pieced together, threaten to shine a dangerous light on both the truth in her nightmares and of the world she lives in.

Written and directed by Ruth Platt, and expanded from her 2019 short film by the same name,...

AMC Networks genre streamer Shudder has dropped a first trailer for U.K.’s writer-director Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane.” A tragic ghost story, the feature world premieres today at Canada’s Fantasia Festival before being released on Shudder on Sept. 9.

One day after its Fantasia bow, “Martyrs Lane” receives its U.K. premiere on Aug. 20 at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

A ghost story, yes – but one built on the pain of a child whose bedrock parental relation fails her – “Martyrs Lane” turns on Leah, 10, left to her own devices in a rambling vicarage.

Her mother’s too busy by day and distraught at night to attend much to her. Something is clearly wrong. Investigating why her mother sleeps clasping a golden locket, Leah begins to be visited by a cherubic-looking little girl wearing tawdry angel’s wings.

Drawing deep on a humanistic tradition of family relationship-driven films led by...

Martyrs Lane Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival

A haunting little fable about a lonely girl and her mysterious nightly visitor, Martyrs Lane is one of the highlights of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival. It’s the third feature-length work directed by Ruth Platt, adapted from her 2019 short, and it hinges on a beautifully balanced pair of performances by child actors Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer. Early on in the festival we met up to discuss it. She explained that she had always wanted to make it as a feature, with the short serving as a proof of concept, and I asked her how she went about finding the right children to make it possible.

Being on a limited budget had a big impact on the casting process, she says. She couldn’t be like Michael Haneke, seeing 5,000 children to find the right ones for The White Ribbon, or like the makers of Norwegian.

“Martyrs Lane,” the third feature from Ruth Platt (“The Lesson”), hits Fantasia with a double momentum: Bullish word of mouth, and a recent sale to AMC Networks genre streamer Shudder for North America, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Produced by London’s Ipso Facto Productions, whose credits take in “Irina Palm” and Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Valhalla Rising,” the LevelK sales title is a ghost story but, like the best of that kind, much more.

Leah, 10, lives in a rambling vicarage with her parents and haughty older sister. But something’s very wrong. Her mother, who sleeps clasping a golden locket, hardly has any time for her. One morning, Leah spots the locket left on the bathroom shelf. She opens it, and steals what she finds inside, sparking the nightly visits of a cherubic looking little girl, sporting shabby angel wings.

“Martyr’s Lane” is described as an...

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival got an early 25th birthday present in the form of James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad,” which will receive a special screening on Aug. 4, the day before Fantasia officially kicks off with the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s zombie thriller “Brain Freeze.” Gunn is a long-time friend of the fest, having first attended in 1997 before later returning for the Canadian premiere of his Marvel blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Fantasia also unveiled its second wave of features participating at this year’s festival, joining a raft of titles announced in May, and will announce the rest of its slate in late July along with details on several virtual events and this year’s juries.

New world premieres, joining the a six-pack announced last month, include Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane,” Anna Zaytseva’s feature debut “#Blue_Whale,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers-starrer “Yakuza Princes” from filmmaker Vicente Amorim,...

The Fantasia International Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary edition in style, with the announcement of a special screening of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad! We also have a look at more of their impressive lineup, as their second wave has been announced (with a third wave announcement still to come):

The Fantasia International Film Festival will launch its 25th edition this summer as an exciting virtual event composed of scheduled screenings, on-demand library, panels, and workshops, taking place from August 5th to August 25th. The festival will be accessible across Canada, geo-locked to the country, and will maintain unique film admittance quantities in line with the cinema experience.

Fantasia is thrilled to reveal a second wave of programming and will return in late July with a third and final line-up announcement, including features, virtual events, and juries.

In celebration of Fantasia’s 25th anniversary, the international film...

Warner Bros tentpole to screen on August 4 in Montreal.

An in-person screening of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is among the second wave of Fantasia International Film Festival selections announced on Wednesday (June 23).

The Warner Bros tentpole will screen on August 4 in Montreal ahead of its August 6 day-and-date debut in cinemas and on HBO Max.

Anticipated highlights from the upcoming 25th anniversary edition of Fantasia, which runs as a geoblocked virtual event from August 5-25, include world premieres of Vicente Amorim’s Yakuza Princess starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Japanese-American singer Masum, UK filmmaker Ruth Platt’s Martyr’s Lane,...

Exclusive: AMC Networks’ genre streamer Shudder has landed rights for North America, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to Martyrs Lane, the UK supernatural horror, in a deal with Danish sales company LevelK.

Ruth Platt (The Lesson) wrote and directed the movie, which stars Olivier Award-winner Denise Gough (Colette), Steven Cree (Outlaw King) and newcomers Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer.

LevelK has also pre-sold the title to Italy (Koch Media), Vietnam (Noori Pictures), Taiwan (Deep Picture Corporation) and India (Big Tree Entertainment). The deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto for Shudder with Debra Liang from LevelK. The film will be part of LevelK’s pre-Cannes market line-up.

Martyrs Lane centers on Leah, a young girl who lives in a large vicarage with her parents and older sister. During the day the house is bustling with people; at night it is dark, empty and a space for Leah’s nightmares to creep into.

Liang was previously sales and acquisitions manager.

Danish sales agency LevelK has promoted Debra Liang to head of sales, with immediate effect.

Liang joined the company three years ago as part of the Screen Australia: Gender Matters – Brilliant Careers initiative.

She moves up from sales and acquisitions manager to her new role.

Prior to working at LevelK, she worked as a freelancer in production across live-action, animation, shorts and music videos.

Liang’s focus will be on acquiring English-language titles; she will cover all key territories.

LevelK’s upcoming slate includes Tove, Zaida Bergroth’s biopic of Moomins creator Tove Jansson...

The project is directed by Ruth Platt, whose previous features are The Lesson and The Black Forest.

LevelK has acquired world sales rights to Ruth Platt’s British ghost story Martyrs Lane, which is now in post.

The supernatural story is about a 10-year old girl living in a vicarage and confronting her deepest fear, that her mother doesn’t love her.

Denise Gough stars alongside Steven Cree (Outlaw King) and newcomers Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer.

Christine Alderson and Katie Hodgkin produce for Ipso Facto Productions.

The BFI has supported the film’s development and production; other backers include Lipsync and Sharp House.

The biopic will blend dramatic elements with Cosey’s art and music.

UK director Andrew Hulme, whose credits include Snow In Paradise and The Devil Outside, is to make Art, Sex, Music, a biopic about Cosey Fanni Tutti, the outrageous and controversial UK performance artist, stripper and musician.

Cosey was co-founder of experimental rock and art group, Throbbing Gristle. The film is loosely based on Cosey’s autobiography, Art Sex Music and Cosey has co-written the screenplay with Hulme.

Details of the project were revealed by its producer, Christine Alderson of Ipso Facto, at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr...

Stars: Robert Hands, Evan Bendall, Michaela Prchalová, Rory Coltart, Joshua Wedge | Written and Directed by Ruth Platt

Very much a reflection of modern society, especially given the film was inspired by a real life event when a teacher, after 20 years of teaching – with no prior episodes of anger or violence – suddenly lost it with a child in class; The Lesson tells the story of Fin and Joel, two teenage wasters running wild in an arid rural landscape. But their bad education is about to take a turn for the intellectual best as someone at the end of their tether has decided to teach both schoolboys a lesson they will never forget.

Now I don’t know about you, but I thought high school was torture… However The Lesson takes that idea to the extreme. Made on a budget of just £27k, this film is, at its most basic level, a...

What a surprising city Rotterdam is and the Festival and Cinemart are full of surprises too.

Being in The Netherlands is like a homecoming for me. My first major job in the film industry was with 20th Century Fox International and City Fox Films in Amsterdam in 1975 which is when I first attended the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, three years after its founding by Huub Bals. It was much smaller then. Iffr’s logo is a tiger, loosely based on the M.G.M. lion as an alternative. From the beginning, the festival has profiled itself as a promoter of alternative, innovative and non-commercial films, with an emphasis on the Far East and developing countries. It has become one of the most important events in the film world, an integral part of the winter circuit of Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals.

“Fox and HIs Friends”

Except for my...

A very sadistic type of school will be in session when Scream Factory releases The Lesson on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, March 7th, and we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers.

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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of The Lesson.

How to Enter: For a chance to win, email [email protected] with the subject “The Lesson Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on March 12th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

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The Lesson Blu-ray & DVD: “Fin (Evan Bendall), a lone teen from a broken family, gets caught up in the wrong crowd of delinquent kids in this chilling horror film filled with white-knuckle suspense.

Fin and his new trouble-making friends are about to learn the lesson of all lessons. Directed by Ruth Platt, The Lesson will be released on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow from Scream Factory, but you can check out two Blu-ray clips and an official trailer right now.

The Lesson Blu-ray & DVD: “Fin (Evan Bendall), a lone teen from a broken family, gets caught up in the wrong crowd of delinquent kids in this chilling horror film filled with white-knuckle suspense. When Fin and his friend, Joel (Rory Coltart) act up in class, their English teacher (Robert Hands, Stonehearst Asylum) decides to teach them a lesson they will never forget. First-time feature helmer Ruth Platt "comes out swinging as an intelligent directorial force with this debut" (DreadCentral.com) that "ramps up the tension dramatically and results in a solid horror coming-of-age film that features one of the scariest teachers ever put on screen" (Bloody-Disgusting.

Victors on the night included Russian-French co-pro Jumpman and UK ghost story Martyrs’ Lane.

The 2017 edition of CineMart, the industry arm of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr), crowned its winners tonight (Feb 1) at a ceremony held at primary festival venue De Doelen.

A total of 26 projects from 24 countries participated in the 34rd edition of the long-running co-production market. Four prizes were handed out on the night.

The CineMart jury was comprised of Uldis Dimiševskis, head of production and development at National Film Centre of Latvia, producer Annamaria Lodato and Anton Scholten, co-founder of leading Dutch post-production and VFX house Filmmore.

The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, worth €20,000, went to Jumpman, a Russia-France co-pro from writer-director Ivan I. Tverdovsky, his third feature following 2016 Karlovy Vary jury prize-winning Zoology and Corrections Class in 2014. Mila Rozanova of Moscow’s New People Film Company is producing the project, which also has Guillaume de Seille of Paris-based Arizona Productions as a co-producer...

Though the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) is going on its 46th year and its Cinemart on its 35th, 2017 marks only the third year since festival director Bero Beyer, a former producer, continues to reshape the event into a more focused selection of film projects whose life on the film circuit will have an impact beyond the festival scene itself, a field that is becoming increasingly crowded for many reasons which would take another article to explain.

But there will be quite a discussion about this very issue.The Rotterdam Cinemart, the first co-production market ever, started in 1982 and brought the then-small international film community together in a uniquely egalitarian and intimate way that only the Dutch could offer. In many ways it became a victim of its own success, mentoring similar events in Hong Kong and So. Korea and then copied by numerous others, but without the care and warmth of the original event.

You will learn a lesson if Mr. Gale has anything to do with it! Ruth Platt's The Lesson made its festival rounds across the world stage and soon Scream Factory will release the film on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD, and VOD platforms beginning March 7th.

Press Release: Get ready for a blood-curdling lesson that you will never forget with Mr. Gale in the astonishingly twisted UK horror thriller, The Lesson. Written and directed by Ruth Platt, the film stars Robert Hands (Shine, Stonehearst Asylum) as a bullied school teacher who has a mental breakdown, resulting in a terrifying act of revenge on his students. The Lesson made its world premiere at FrightFest London and North American premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival 2016 to great audience and press enthusiasm. On March 7, 2017, Scream Factory home entertainment is proud to present The Lesson on Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital HD and available across On-Demand platforms everywhere.

A total of 26 film projects will participate in this year’s co-production market in Rotterdam.Scroll down for full line-up

The line-up for the 2017 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) co-production market CineMart has been revealed.

The 34th edition of the co-pro event features 26 projects and will run Jan 29 – Feb 1 as part of the Iffr Pro Days industry strand of the wider festival (Jan 25 – Feb 5).

Film-makers presenting projects at this year’s edition include Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro, whose 2015 feature Neon Bull [pictured] won prizes in Venice and Toronto. His next project is titled Centre Of The Earth.

Also participating in the event will be UK director Ben Rivers, whose credits include The Sky Trembles And The Earth Is Afraid And The Two Eyes Are Not Brothers. His latest project, After London, is being produced by Ben Wheatley’s Rook Films. Rivers previously won Rotterdam’s Tiger Award for his 2014 short film Things.

Nepalese director...

Exclusive: Sales outfit strikes deals for three titles in Cannes: Worry Dolls, The Lesson and Last Girl Standing.

UK genre specialist Jinga Films has sold three of its titles to North America in deals closed at the Cannes Marché.

Padraig Reynolds’ supernatural horror Worry Dolls [pictured] has been picked up by IFC Midnight, which in recent years has handled the Us releases of horror films including Can Evrenol’s Baskin and Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook.

Starring Christopher Wiehl (Jericho), Kym Jackson (Iron Sky) and Samantha Smith (Transformers), the film follows a detective racing against the clock to save his eight-year-old daughter from a voodoo curse. IFC previously released director Reynolds’ debut feature Rites Of Spring.

Jinga has also sold Ruth Platt’s thriller The Lesson to Shout! Factory. Starring Robert Hands (Shine), Evan Bendall, Michaela Prchalova and Tom Cox, the film follows a bullied school teacher who has a mental breakdown, resulting in a terrifying...

Psychological thriller sold to territories in Europe and Asia.

On the eve of its North American premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival (Jan 22-28), genre specialist Jinga Films has closed deals in several territories for Ruth Platt’s psychological thriller The Lesson.

Mfa have taken German-speaking rights in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Njuta have taken all rights in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway; Fabula have taken all rights in Turkey; and BlueBrick have taken all rights in Korea.

Starring Robert Hands (Shine) and a cast of young British newcomers including Evan Bendall, Michaela Prchalova and Tom Cox, The Lesson follows a bullied schoolteacher whose mental breakdown results in a terrifying act of revenge on his students.

Jinga’s Rosana Coutinho said of the director: “Ruth used to work as a school teacher, so maybe this is one from the heart.”

Following its UK premiere at FrightFest, The Lesson was acquired by Icon Films, which is preparing...

Oliver Kassman, former head of production over at Qwerty Films, has departed to form his own production outfit, Escape Plan Productions; and the label will focus on genre fare including horror, comedy, noir, sci-fi, and period pieces. Today brings word… Continue Reading →

The post Ruth Platt’s Second Feature Martyr’s Lane Shooting Next Year appeared first on Dread Central.

Exclusive: Ruth Platt horror on slate for new UK production outfit.

Former Qwerty head of production and development Oliver Kassman has left the company to set up production outfit Escape Plan Productions.

While reporting to Qwerty chairman and former Polygram Filmed Entertainment boss Michael Kuhn, Kassman worked across the development and production of titles including The Last Days on Mars and Suite Francaise.

He played a key role in bringing in scripts including Nicholas Martin’s Florence Foster Jenkins and Matthew Orton’s Brit List project Clean.

London-based Escape Plan will focus on genre including horror, comedy, noir, sci-fi and period pieces and will also look to produce TV drama.

The first film to go into production is due to be writer-director Ruth Platt’s (The Lesson) second feature Martyr’s Lane, a psychologically driven haunted house film, which Kassman hopes to shoot in summer 2016.

Kassman told Screen: “Working at Michael Kuhn’s Qwerty Films has been...

The Horror label will release the new titles in early 2016.

Icon Film Distribution and Frightfest have added six new films to their joint venture FrightFest Presents, the horror label launched by the two companies in April this year.

The new titles are: Ruth Platt’s The Lesson; Benjamin R. Moody’s Last Girl Standing; Levan Bakhia’s Landmine Goes Click, Jaron Henrie-McCrea’s Curtain; Eugene McGing’s The Unfolding and Michael Thelin’s Emelie.

Previous films released through FrightFest include Aaaaaaaah!, The Sand, Night Of The Living Deb, Estranged, After Death and Some Kind of Hate.

Alan Jones, co-director of FrightFest, said: “Our initial slate set out the stall of what FrightFest Presents is all about and got the brand off to a flying start thanks to its diversity and ability to deliver the shocking goods for genre lovers.

“Now we are building on that strong foundation with six more unmissable titles that once more shines a light...

Festival top brass announced on Monday the 12 Narrative and eight Documentary Feature Film Competition films in 22nd edition, set to run in Park City from January 22-28, 2016.

The 20-strong line-up includes 12 world premieres, three North American premieres and one Us premiere.

All competition films are feature directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1m and without Us distribution.

Jury awards are presented to feature films in both categories and all films are eligible for audience awards as well as the Spirit Of Slamdance Award, judged by the filmmakers themselves.

“The standard of Diy filmmaking around the world is the highest we’ve seen, and the diversity of storytelling is the most we’ve experienced,” sad Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter.

“With a record breaking number of submissions to select from, the narrative and documentary feature line-up has never been so competitive or as exciting to programme.”

All synopses provided by the festival.

Narrative Features...

Festival top brass announced on Monday the 12 Narrative and eight Documentary Feature Film Competition films in 22nd edition, set to run in Park City from January 22-28, 2016.

The 20-strong line-up includes 12 world premieres, three North American premieres and one Us premiere.

All competition films are feature directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1m and without Us distribution.

Jury awards are presented to feature films in both categories and all films are eligible for audience awards as well as the Spirit Of Slamdance Award, judged by the filmmakers themselves.

“The standard of Diy filmmaking around the world is the highest we’ve seen, and the diversity of storytelling is the most we’ve experienced,” sad Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter.

“With a record breaking number of submissions to select from, the narrative and documentary feature line-up has never been so competitive or as exciting to programme.”

Al synopses provided by the festival.

Narrative Features...

The August bank holiday weekend in London is always cause for celebration for horror fans as the FrightFest horror and genre film festival rolls into the city’s Leicester Square for four days of blood-spattered cinematic mayhem. This year saw the arrival of horror icon and star of Re-Animator and You’re Next, Barbara Crampton, as the Guest of Honour who starred in no less than five of the entries this year including festival favourite We Are Still Here. As always with film festivals it was a real mixed bag, with very few scares but a lot of laughs (some intentional, other not so much) as the filmmakers, many of them horror fans themselves, had a lot of fun playing with the tropes and clichés of the genre while others tried to put fresh new spins on some well-worn material. Here are a few of the highlights:

We Are Still Here...

Exclusive: The Sand and Aaaaaaaah! among first FrightFest Presents acquisitions.

UK distributor Icon Film Distribution and UK horror festival FrightFest have set the first films to be released under their FrightFest Presents banner.

An initial seven genre films have been selected by the distributor and festival for the new online label, with others to be added soon.

The films will premiere at FrightFest, which gets underway in London on Thursday (Aug 27), before unspooling online between October and February 2016.

Digital partners will include iTunes, Virgin Movies, Sky, Google Amazon, Xbox , Blinkbox, Google, Wuaki, TalkTalk and Volta.

First titles

Among the first batch of titles is Sightseers actor-writer Steve Oram’s surreal ‘monkey comedy’ Aaaaaaaah!, which Icon will release online this October.

Oram stars alongside Noel Fielding (The Mighty Boosh), Alice Lowe (Sightseers), Lucy Honnigman (The Ex-pm), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Lucy), Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and Toyah Willcox (Quadrophenia) in the story of a tribe of warring ‘monkeys’.

Creature...

Stars: Robert Hands, Evan Bendall, Michaela Prchalová, Rory Coltart, Joshua Wedge | Written and Directed by Ruth Platt

Very much a reflection of modern society, especially given the film was inspired by a real life event when a teacher, after 20 years of teaching – with no prior episodes of anger or violence – suddenly lost it with a child in class; The Lesson tells the story of Fin and Joel, two teenage wasters running wild in an arid rural landscape. But their bad education is about to take a turn for the intellectual best as someone at the end of their tether has decided to teach both schoolboys a lesson they will never forget.

Now I don’t know about you, but I thought high school was torture… However The Lesson takes that idea to the extreme. Made on a budget of just £27k, this film is, at its most basic level, a...

What do Barbara Crampton, Rick Wakeman, James Cosmo, Toyah Willcox, Neil Marshall and Bernard Rose have in common? They’re all set to make an appearance at this years London Film4 Frightfest!

Scream Queen legend Barbara Crampton (pictured above) is Film4 FrightFest’s special guest icon, appearing in no less than four films in this year’s line-up. She stars in We Are Still Here, Road Games and Sun Choke plus makes a cameo appearance in Tales of Halloween. Not only will Barbara be introducing all her films, she’ll also be talking about her amazing career during a special interview event, hosted by Alan Jones, on Sun 30th August at 9.15pm.

Says the legend herself:

To say that I am overjoyed, excited and eager to attend FrightFest as a guest is putting it mildly. This festival has been on my radar for some time and to be included and...

After the announcement of the Fightfest’s opening and closing films a week ago, the UK’s premiere horror festival has announced its complete line-up… And they’re not making it easy for us to bring you reviews of the majority of the films screening this year!

Yes, not only is Frightfest taking over the Vue cinema on Leicester Square again this year but they’re also taking over an extra screen, Screen 1, at the old home of Frightfest, The Prince Charles Cinema – which will be the location of Another “Discovery” screen strand.

From the press release:

Bigger, bolder, bloodier…Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen...

Shadow people, sharp-fanged co-workers, and insistent sinister spirits will just be a few of the monsters haunting the theaters at this year's Film4 FrightFest. The full lineup for the upcoming event is packed with 76 films aimed to unforgettably frighten audiences.

Press Release: "Film news (UK): Film4 FrightFest serves up a fearsome feast with a record 76 films, embracing 20 world and 42 UK & European premieres

Bigger, bolder, bloodier…Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen countries representing five continents with a record-breaking sixteen European premieres and twenty-six UK premieres. In addition, there is a further ‘Discovery’ strand at The Prince Charles Cinema, signalling a welcome return to FrightFest’s spiritual home.