Dark Star Pictures has picked up the North American rights to Brande Roderick’s directorial debut, Wineville, a horror film set for a September 2024 release.
The Celebrity Apprentice contestant also stars in the 1970s-set thriller as Tess Lott, a woman who escaped her abusive father as a teen. Now she returns as a single mother to her family’s vineyard after her father’s death to sort out her inheritance, only to discover the dark secrets and painful memories she left behind return as a murderous legacy sparking violence and death.
Roderick’s acting credits include The Nannie Diaries, Starsky & Hutch and Baywatch.
The ensemble cast for Wineville includes Carolyn Hennesy, Texas Battle, Casey King and Keaton Roderick Cadrez. The film was written by Richard Schenkman (Mischief Night, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth), who also produced alongside Roderick, Robin DeMartino and Todd Slater.
Dark Star Pictures will...
The Celebrity Apprentice contestant also stars in the 1970s-set thriller as Tess Lott, a woman who escaped her abusive father as a teen. Now she returns as a single mother to her family’s vineyard after her father’s death to sort out her inheritance, only to discover the dark secrets and painful memories she left behind return as a murderous legacy sparking violence and death.
Roderick’s acting credits include The Nannie Diaries, Starsky & Hutch and Baywatch.
The ensemble cast for Wineville includes Carolyn Hennesy, Texas Battle, Casey King and Keaton Roderick Cadrez. The film was written by Richard Schenkman (Mischief Night, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth), who also produced alongside Roderick, Robin DeMartino and Todd Slater.
Dark Star Pictures will...
- 5/23/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to “Big Boys,” an LGBTQ coming-of-age comedy. The company is planning a theatrical release in May, followed by a digital launch in June, which will coincide with Pride Month.
Written and directed by Corey Sherman, “Big Boys” follows a group of teenage boys whose unexpected romantic attachment transforms a simple camping trip into a weekend of self-discovery. “The first crush of a young queer person is a profound experience, filled with awkward, humorous moments. We aimed to delve into this pivotal phase, resonating with those who’ve had similar experiences,” says Sherman. “We’re thrilled to partner with Dark Star Pictures and share this film across North America.”
The film’s ensemble cast includes Emily Deschanel (FX’s “Bones”), Dora Madison (“Alone With You”), Taj Cross (Hulu’s “PEN15”), Marion Van Cuyck (Hulu’s “PEN15”) and newcomer Isaac Krasner. It was...
Written and directed by Corey Sherman, “Big Boys” follows a group of teenage boys whose unexpected romantic attachment transforms a simple camping trip into a weekend of self-discovery. “The first crush of a young queer person is a profound experience, filled with awkward, humorous moments. We aimed to delve into this pivotal phase, resonating with those who’ve had similar experiences,” says Sherman. “We’re thrilled to partner with Dark Star Pictures and share this film across North America.”
The film’s ensemble cast includes Emily Deschanel (FX’s “Bones”), Dora Madison (“Alone With You”), Taj Cross (Hulu’s “PEN15”), Marion Van Cuyck (Hulu’s “PEN15”) and newcomer Isaac Krasner. It was...
- 4/3/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Dark Star Pictures has acquired US rights to M.H. Murray’s queer drama and Toronto premiere I Don’t Know Who You Are starring TIFF Rising Star Mark Clennon.
The story draws on Murray’s life and follows a gay working-class musician who, over the course of one intense weekend, struggles to obtain access to expensive preventative HIV medication after being sexually assaulted.
Clennon collaborated with Murray and Victoria Long on the screenplay. The distributor has released a first-look trailer, below.
I Don’t Know Who You Are will open in select US theatres in May with a digital release to follow in June.
The story draws on Murray’s life and follows a gay working-class musician who, over the course of one intense weekend, struggles to obtain access to expensive preventative HIV medication after being sexually assaulted.
Clennon collaborated with Murray and Victoria Long on the screenplay. The distributor has released a first-look trailer, below.
I Don’t Know Who You Are will open in select US theatres in May with a digital release to follow in June.
- 3/6/2024
- ScreenDaily
Alice Maio Mackay, the filmmaker behind So Vam and Bad Girl Boogey, is back with new movie T-Blockers, and a brand new red band trailer highlights the horror movie’s punk rock spirit with blood, violence, and parasites.
Dark Star Pictures releases T-Blockers on March 5, 2024.
Watch Bloody Disgusting’s exclusive red band trailer reveal below.
In the film, “In small-town Australia, a nightmare is brewing. Sophie is a young filmmaker obsessed with finding a thought-to-be long-lost film. Meanwhile, an earthquake unleashes ancient parasites in the area that thrive on hatred, causing outbursts of violence. Now Sophie and her friends, struggling with dating and their undesirable jobs, must also face off against an ancient evil that spreads like wildfire.”
Lauren Last, Lewi Dawson, Joe Romeo, Chris Asimos, Joni Ayton-Kent, Stanley Browning, and Lisa Fanto star.
“I am really excited to once again be partnering with Dark Star Pictures – this time for...
Dark Star Pictures releases T-Blockers on March 5, 2024.
Watch Bloody Disgusting’s exclusive red band trailer reveal below.
In the film, “In small-town Australia, a nightmare is brewing. Sophie is a young filmmaker obsessed with finding a thought-to-be long-lost film. Meanwhile, an earthquake unleashes ancient parasites in the area that thrive on hatred, causing outbursts of violence. Now Sophie and her friends, struggling with dating and their undesirable jobs, must also face off against an ancient evil that spreads like wildfire.”
Lauren Last, Lewi Dawson, Joe Romeo, Chris Asimos, Joni Ayton-Kent, Stanley Browning, and Lisa Fanto star.
“I am really excited to once again be partnering with Dark Star Pictures – this time for...
- 2/22/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
“Stay Online,” a Ukraine war drama from director Yeva Strielnikova which uses the innovative Screenlife format, has been acquired for North American distribution by Dark Star Pictures, Variety has learned. The L.A.-based company is planning a U.S. release for late Q2 2024. The deal was brokered by XYZ Films.
Set after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the film begins when a young woman (Liza Zaitseva) volunteering in Kyiv is given one of the thousands of laptops donated by ordinary Ukrainians to support the war effort. She’s asked to install a sensitive military application and deliver the laptop to her brother serving on the frontline.
But the woman receives a mysterious video call from a young boy searching for his father, the laptop’s previous owner, who went missing during the Russian army’s brutal massacre of innocent civilians in Bucha. Reluctantly, she agrees to help...
Set after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the film begins when a young woman (Liza Zaitseva) volunteering in Kyiv is given one of the thousands of laptops donated by ordinary Ukrainians to support the war effort. She’s asked to install a sensitive military application and deliver the laptop to her brother serving on the frontline.
But the woman receives a mysterious video call from a young boy searching for his father, the laptop’s previous owner, who went missing during the Russian army’s brutal massacre of innocent civilians in Bucha. Reluctantly, she agrees to help...
- 2/15/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in genre-bending comedy The Becomers, and Dark Star Pictures announced today that they’ve acquired it for release.
In The Becomers: “Dropped to Earth and escaping their dying planet, the two extraterrestrials (played by a sequence of actors) seek each other out —jumping from body to body— on our planet while becoming increasingly drawn into the madness of modern-day America.
Written, directed, and edited by Zach Clark (Little Sister), the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films.
Clark...
In The Becomers: “Dropped to Earth and escaping their dying planet, the two extraterrestrials (played by a sequence of actors) seek each other out —jumping from body to body— on our planet while becoming increasingly drawn into the madness of modern-day America.
Written, directed, and edited by Zach Clark (Little Sister), the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films.
Clark...
- 2/8/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to Zach Clark’s genre-bending comedy “The Becomers,” with plans for a theatrical release in the third quarter of 2024. The acquisition took place before the commencement of the 2024 European Film Market on Feb. 15.
The alien romance film had its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal; it subsequently screened at Beyond Fest and the Leeds International Film Festival. The cast includes Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Frank V. Ross, Isabel Alamin and Keith Kelly. Russell Mael, the lead singer of Sparks, lends his voice to the film as narrator.
Written in march 2021, the film “reverberates with the pulse of American politics of that time,” according to the description. It draws from Covid, Qanon, and “constant states of anxiety while exploring themes of confusion, isolation and the deep need for human connection through the story of two body-snatching alien lovers.
The alien romance film had its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal; it subsequently screened at Beyond Fest and the Leeds International Film Festival. The cast includes Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Frank V. Ross, Isabel Alamin and Keith Kelly. Russell Mael, the lead singer of Sparks, lends his voice to the film as narrator.
Written in march 2021, the film “reverberates with the pulse of American politics of that time,” according to the description. It draws from Covid, Qanon, and “constant states of anxiety while exploring themes of confusion, isolation and the deep need for human connection through the story of two body-snatching alien lovers.
- 2/8/2024
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
One of last year’s collaborations between Bloody Disgusting and Dark Star Pictures was Japanese crime thriller Missing, now nominated for the 51st annual Saturn Awards!
Deadline explains, “The Saturns, which honor the best in genre entertainment across film and television, are organized by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.”
Missing has been nominated in the “Best International Film” category, alongside Madeleine Collins, The Origin of Evil, Ransomed, Speak No Evil and Sisu.
You can see the full list of Saturn Awards nominations over on Deadline.
Winners will be announced February 4, 2024.
In Missing from Bloody Disgusting and Dark Star Pictures…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the...
Deadline explains, “The Saturns, which honor the best in genre entertainment across film and television, are organized by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.”
Missing has been nominated in the “Best International Film” category, alongside Madeleine Collins, The Origin of Evil, Ransomed, Speak No Evil and Sisu.
You can see the full list of Saturn Awards nominations over on Deadline.
Winners will be announced February 4, 2024.
In Missing from Bloody Disgusting and Dark Star Pictures…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the...
- 12/7/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Outfest prize-winner to open in early 2024.
Dark Star Pictures has acquired US and UK rights to teen trans filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay’s queer horror T-Blockers.
The film premiered at Salem Horror Film Festival before playing Outfest where it took home the prize for best emerging talent, and also screened at Fantasia and Popcorn Frights among others.
Dark Star will continue the film’s festival run, followed by a release in select theatres, VoD/digital and physical media in early 2024.
T-Blockers follows a young filmmaker who may be the only saviour after ancient parasites take over the bodies of residents in a small town.
Dark Star Pictures has acquired US and UK rights to teen trans filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay’s queer horror T-Blockers.
The film premiered at Salem Horror Film Festival before playing Outfest where it took home the prize for best emerging talent, and also screened at Fantasia and Popcorn Frights among others.
Dark Star will continue the film’s festival run, followed by a release in select theatres, VoD/digital and physical media in early 2024.
T-Blockers follows a young filmmaker who may be the only saviour after ancient parasites take over the bodies of residents in a small town.
- 10/17/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Dark Star Pictures has nabbed the North American rights to the teen horror flick Abigail from director Melissa Vitello and starring Ava Cantrell.
A theatrical release in select theaters is planned for Dec. 2023, followed by transactional home entertainment sales. “Abigail is a wild descent into the teen psyche. The film brings important topics like bullying, racism, mental health and gender stereotypes to the forefront while staying true to the core horror genre, giving audiences a thoughtful experience painted in bloody throwback fun,” Dark Star president Michael Repsch said in a statement.
Abigail is set in 1976 where Abigail Cole, a troubled teen played by Cantrell, and her mother move to a small Alabama town in hopes of escaping the girl’s violent past. She befriends the boy next door, Lucas, who is mercilessly bullied by a group of kids at school.
Determined to help him seek revenge, Abigail takes matters into her own hands,...
A theatrical release in select theaters is planned for Dec. 2023, followed by transactional home entertainment sales. “Abigail is a wild descent into the teen psyche. The film brings important topics like bullying, racism, mental health and gender stereotypes to the forefront while staying true to the core horror genre, giving audiences a thoughtful experience painted in bloody throwback fun,” Dark Star president Michael Repsch said in a statement.
Abigail is set in 1976 where Abigail Cole, a troubled teen played by Cantrell, and her mother move to a small Alabama town in hopes of escaping the girl’s violent past. She befriends the boy next door, Lucas, who is mercilessly bullied by a group of kids at school.
Determined to help him seek revenge, Abigail takes matters into her own hands,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dark Star Pictures have released supernatural sasquatch horror Summoning The Spirit on Digital and DVD.
The film, written by Jon Garcia and Zach Carter and directed by Garcia, premiered to rave reviews at the Miami Film Festival with outlets calling the film “captivating” (Film Factual), saying it “revels in its atmosphere and it is thick with paranoia” (Reel Reviews); further, Blair Witch Project producer Greg Hale says of the film, “Sts is a great addition to the sub-sub-genre of Bigfoot horror. The film turns convention on its head with a fresh take on Sasquatch while still delivering on the fun and the scares.”
Summoning The Spirit follows Carla (Krystal Millie Valdes) and Dean as they decide to escape the hustle of the big city, purchasing a home in the remote forest. They have big plans for their new quiet life, only to find something much more sinister. The couple quickly...
The film, written by Jon Garcia and Zach Carter and directed by Garcia, premiered to rave reviews at the Miami Film Festival with outlets calling the film “captivating” (Film Factual), saying it “revels in its atmosphere and it is thick with paranoia” (Reel Reviews); further, Blair Witch Project producer Greg Hale says of the film, “Sts is a great addition to the sub-sub-genre of Bigfoot horror. The film turns convention on its head with a fresh take on Sasquatch while still delivering on the fun and the scares.”
Summoning The Spirit follows Carla (Krystal Millie Valdes) and Dean as they decide to escape the hustle of the big city, purchasing a home in the remote forest. They have big plans for their new quiet life, only to find something much more sinister. The couple quickly...
- 8/8/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Dark Star Pictures is set to give the supernatural Sasquatch horror film Summoning the Spirit a digital and DVD release on August 8th, and with that date just one month away we’ve gotten our hands on a trailer for the movie! You can check it out in the embed above.
Directed by Jon Garcia, who also wrote the screenplay with Zach Carter, Summoning the Spirit follows Carla and Dean as they decide to escape the hustle of the big city, purchasing a home in the remote forest. They have big plans for their new quiet life, only to find something much more sinister. The couple quickly realize that they are on the land of a cult, and the leader claims a telepathic connection to a legendary flesh-eating beast deep in the woods surrounding them. Carla and Dean are forced to uncover the terrifying truth of the cult’s prophecy.
Directed by Jon Garcia, who also wrote the screenplay with Zach Carter, Summoning the Spirit follows Carla and Dean as they decide to escape the hustle of the big city, purchasing a home in the remote forest. They have big plans for their new quiet life, only to find something much more sinister. The couple quickly realize that they are on the land of a cult, and the leader claims a telepathic connection to a legendary flesh-eating beast deep in the woods surrounding them. Carla and Dean are forced to uncover the terrifying truth of the cult’s prophecy.
- 7/7/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The legend of the Sasquatch gets a folkloric, supernatural twist in Summoning the Spirit, the new film from director Jon Garcia and co-writer Zach Carter. A brand new trailer highlights the tense, cult-in-the-woods setup that introduces a new take on the familiar cryptid.
Dark Star Pictures will release supernatural sasquatch horror Summoning the Spirit on Digital and DVD August 8, 2023.
Get a glimpse of the Sasquatch and cultish intensity in the trailer below.
Summoning the Spirit follows “Carla (Krystal Millie Valdes) and Dean as they decide to escape the hustle of the big city, purchasing a home in the remote forest. They have big plans for their new quiet life, only to find something much more sinister. The couple quickly realize that they are on the land of a cult, and the leader claims a telepathic connection to a legendary flesh-eating beast deep in the woods surrounding them. Carla and Dean...
Dark Star Pictures will release supernatural sasquatch horror Summoning the Spirit on Digital and DVD August 8, 2023.
Get a glimpse of the Sasquatch and cultish intensity in the trailer below.
Summoning the Spirit follows “Carla (Krystal Millie Valdes) and Dean as they decide to escape the hustle of the big city, purchasing a home in the remote forest. They have big plans for their new quiet life, only to find something much more sinister. The couple quickly realize that they are on the land of a cult, and the leader claims a telepathic connection to a legendary flesh-eating beast deep in the woods surrounding them. Carla and Dean...
- 7/6/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
A couple months ago, we learned that Dark Star Pictures has picked up the North American distribution rights to the Australian slasher movie Bad Girl Boogey – and at the time, we heard the film would be receiving a VOD, digital, and physical media release on July 4th. But the release strategy is actually a bit more spaced out than that. Dark Star will be giving Bad Girl Boogey a digital release on July 4th, then the film will reach select theatres on July 7th, and the DVD release is scheduled for July 11th. With those dates less than a month away, a trailer for the film has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above.
The second film from writer/director/producer Alice Maio Mackay (the first was the 2021 vampire movie So Vam), Bad Girl Boogey centers on Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night,...
The second film from writer/director/producer Alice Maio Mackay (the first was the 2021 vampire movie So Vam), Bad Girl Boogey centers on Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Company will also represent the film for international sales.
Dark Star Pictures has announced a worldwide acquisition of the horror anthology Midnight Peepshow that closed in the final days of the Cannes market.
The film centres on a peepshow that offers bespoke experiences tailored to customers’ deepest desires, fears, and sins.
When the peepshow finds a businessman with a unique connection to an extreme fantasy website on the dark web, he is made to pay a high price for dabbling in the dark side of his desires.
Airell Anthony Hayles, Andy Edwards, Jake West and Ludovica Musumeci each directed a segment of Midnight Peepshow,...
Dark Star Pictures has announced a worldwide acquisition of the horror anthology Midnight Peepshow that closed in the final days of the Cannes market.
The film centres on a peepshow that offers bespoke experiences tailored to customers’ deepest desires, fears, and sins.
When the peepshow finds a businessman with a unique connection to an extreme fantasy website on the dark web, he is made to pay a high price for dabbling in the dark side of his desires.
Airell Anthony Hayles, Andy Edwards, Jake West and Ludovica Musumeci each directed a segment of Midnight Peepshow,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
United States-based Dark Star Pictures, Mexico-based Mantícora and Spain-based La Dalia Films are joining forces to form Antídoto Horror Factory, Variety reports.
The new genre label will “develop, produce, distribute and sell a minimum of four genre feature films in the next four years, starting pre-production in 2023.”
Variety details, “Dark Star will take North American rights; Mantícora, Latin American territory, and La Dalia, Spanish rights.”
“In what is a more competitive market for small to medium distribution companies, in order to assure premium content for us the natural next step was to expand into the production side. We’re very happy to start this alliance with La Dalia Films and Dark Star Pictures,” said Mantícora director José Luis Mejía Razo.
“We’re certain that the combination of the expertise of each partner in their market with the guidance of our amazing artistic directors will result in a production output with...
The new genre label will “develop, produce, distribute and sell a minimum of four genre feature films in the next four years, starting pre-production in 2023.”
Variety details, “Dark Star will take North American rights; Mantícora, Latin American territory, and La Dalia, Spanish rights.”
“In what is a more competitive market for small to medium distribution companies, in order to assure premium content for us the natural next step was to expand into the production side. We’re very happy to start this alliance with La Dalia Films and Dark Star Pictures,” said Mantícora director José Luis Mejía Razo.
“We’re certain that the combination of the expertise of each partner in their market with the guidance of our amazing artistic directors will result in a production output with...
- 5/26/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
U.S. distribution company Dark Star Pictures, Mexico’s Mantícora Distribution and Spain’s La Dalia Films announced at Cannes a strategic deal to launch genre label Antídoto Horror Factory.
The venture, unveiled at the Marché du Film’s new genre-focused Fantastic Pavilion, will develop, produce, distribute and sell a minimum of four genre feature films in the next four years, starting pre-production in 2023.
Dark Star will take North American rights; Mantícora, Latin American territory, and La Dalia, Spanish rights. “For the rest of the world, the partners will mutually agree to the most suitable sales representation,” said Antídoto Horror Factory partners in a statement.
For Mantícora, a distribution and sales company based in Mexico, fruit of a joint venture between Vcs Capital and Mónica Lozano’s Alebrije Cine, the move will mark the entry into film production.
“In what is a more competitive market for small to medium distribution companies,...
The venture, unveiled at the Marché du Film’s new genre-focused Fantastic Pavilion, will develop, produce, distribute and sell a minimum of four genre feature films in the next four years, starting pre-production in 2023.
Dark Star will take North American rights; Mantícora, Latin American territory, and La Dalia, Spanish rights. “For the rest of the world, the partners will mutually agree to the most suitable sales representation,” said Antídoto Horror Factory partners in a statement.
For Mantícora, a distribution and sales company based in Mexico, fruit of a joint venture between Vcs Capital and Mónica Lozano’s Alebrije Cine, the move will mark the entry into film production.
“In what is a more competitive market for small to medium distribution companies,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Dark Star Pictures has picked up the North American distribution rights to the Australian slasher movie Bad Girl Boogey, The Wrap reports. The second film from writer/director/producer Alice Maio Mackay (the first was the 2021 vampire movie So Vam), Bad Girl Boogey features a voiceover cameo from genre icon Bill Moseley and will be receiving a VOD, digital, and physical media release on July 4th. Dark Star Pictures also intends to give the film a theatrical release at some point before that date.
Written by Mackay and Ben Pahl Robinson, Bad Girl Boogey centers on Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night, when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and...
Written by Mackay and Ben Pahl Robinson, Bad Girl Boogey centers on Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night, when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and...
- 4/21/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay (So Vam) is back with new movie Bad Girl Boogey, and The Wrap reports today that Dark Star Pictures has acquired the queer slasher.
Bad Girl Boogey will release on VOD outlets beginning July 4.
Bad Girl Boogey is said to “take the slasher out of the hands of the Reaganite 80s mentality of punishment and violence and turns it into a powerful and resonant allegory for the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, and all of those who are hated and outcast.”
In the film, “Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night, when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry.
“Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and find the masked killer before he, or it,...
Bad Girl Boogey will release on VOD outlets beginning July 4.
Bad Girl Boogey is said to “take the slasher out of the hands of the Reaganite 80s mentality of punishment and violence and turns it into a powerful and resonant allegory for the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, and all of those who are hated and outcast.”
In the film, “Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night, when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry.
“Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and find the masked killer before he, or it,...
- 4/21/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American rights to Australian queer horror film “Bad Girl Boogey,” the second film from writer-director Alice Maio Mackay,
“Bad Girl Boogey”, per the official description, tells the story of “Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night, when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and find the masked killer before he, or it, slaughters everyone they hold dear.”
Cowritten with Ben Pahl Robinson when Mackey was just 17, the film features a cast of queer and trans actors. Starring Lisa Fanto, “Bad Girl Boogey” also stars Iris Mcerlean, Chris Asimos, Toshiro Glenn, Lewi Dawson, Kate Bonney, plus a voiceover cameo by horror genre mainstay Bill Moseley.
“I...
“Bad Girl Boogey”, per the official description, tells the story of “Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night, when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and find the masked killer before he, or it, slaughters everyone they hold dear.”
Cowritten with Ben Pahl Robinson when Mackey was just 17, the film features a cast of queer and trans actors. Starring Lisa Fanto, “Bad Girl Boogey” also stars Iris Mcerlean, Chris Asimos, Toshiro Glenn, Lewi Dawson, Kate Bonney, plus a voiceover cameo by horror genre mainstay Bill Moseley.
“I...
- 4/21/2023
- by Joshua Vinson
- The Wrap
Brian de Palma got the ball rolling with his big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Carrie… and since then, over fifty filmmakers have taken the helm of more than eighty King film and TV adaptations. The many adaptations of King’s work are the focus of the King-approved documentary King on Screen, directed by Daphné Baiwir (The Rebellious Olivia De Havilland), which we previously heard about when it was gearing up for its Fantastic Fest premiere last year. Now Deadline reports that Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to King on Screen. They’re planning to give the documentary a theatrical release sometime in the late summer, with a digital release following in the fall.
With a running time of 105 minutes, King on Screen offers an inside look with the majority of directors who have adapted his work for the screen, showcasing that unique relationship.
With a running time of 105 minutes, King on Screen offers an inside look with the majority of directors who have adapted his work for the screen, showcasing that unique relationship.
- 2/28/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American rights to Daphné Baiwir’s feature documentary King on Screen, Deadline reports today. The documentary, approved by Stephen King, “will hit theaters in late summer, with a digital release to follow in the fall.”
Deadline details, “King on Screen offers audiences an intimate sit-down with directors who have adapted King’s work for the screen, looking at the movies and shows that have brought his body of work an entirely new life — both the ones that reached the top-tier echelons of pop culture history and those that fell by the wayside into obscurity.
“Among those sitting down for interviews in the film, which world premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, are Frank Darabont, Mick Garris (ABC’s The Stand), Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep) and director and special makeup effects titan Greg Nicotero, to name a few.”
“Daphné has done a spectacular...
Deadline details, “King on Screen offers audiences an intimate sit-down with directors who have adapted King’s work for the screen, looking at the movies and shows that have brought his body of work an entirely new life — both the ones that reached the top-tier echelons of pop culture history and those that fell by the wayside into obscurity.
“Among those sitting down for interviews in the film, which world premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, are Frank Darabont, Mick Garris (ABC’s The Stand), Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep) and director and special makeup effects titan Greg Nicotero, to name a few.”
“Daphné has done a spectacular...
- 2/28/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Dark Star Pictures has snapped up North American rights to the Stephen King documentary King on Screen, examining cinematic adaptations of the iconic author’s works, out of EFM. The film from actress-turned-director Daphné Baiwir, which bears King’s stamp of approval, will hit theaters in late summer, with a digital release to follow in the fall.
King on Screen offers audiences an intimate sit-down with directors who have adapted King’s work for the screen, looking at the movies and shows that have brought his body of work an entirely new life — both the ones that reached the top-tier echelons of pop culture history and those that fell by the wayside into obscurity. Among those sitting down for interviews in the film, which world premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, are Frank Darabont, Mick Garris (ABC’s The Stand), Mike Flanagan and director and special makeup effects titan Greg Nicotero, to name a few.
King is, of course, a master of literary horror and of the bestselling authors of all time who has seen more than 80 features made based on his work. Next heading from his pages to the screen is the Rob Savage-directed horror-thriller The Boogeyman from 20th Century Studios and 21 Laps, which hits theaters on June 2nd. Among the most recent titles of his to have been picked up for adaptation is 2021’s Billy Summers, about a hitman set to take one last major job before retiring, which has landed at Warner Bros, as we told you first. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are penning the script, with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way to produce.
Producers on King on Screen included Sebastien Cruz for Les Films de la Plage, Jean-Yves Roubin for Frakas Productions and Zoe Salmon for Mr Salmon Films, with the participation of Ocs.
“Daphné has done a spectacular job of showcasing the talented filmmakers who brought the work of Stephen King to life in moving images,” said Dark Star Pictures President, Michael Repsch. “As a lifelong King fan, I could not be more excited to bring this film to audiences across North America and have it as a part of the Dark Star family.”
Recent releases from the L.A.-based distributor Dark Star Pictures include the WWII epic Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, Shinzô Katayama’s crime drama Missing, and the Tribeca-premiering drama Petit Mal. Other upcoming releases from the company include the Tim Roth vehicle Punch, Fantasia Grand Jury winner Megalomaniac, and the serial killer thriller Saturn Bowling from French auteur Patricia Mazuy.
Repsch negotiated the King on Screen deal for Dark Star Pictures, with Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms and Joe Yanick for Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.
King on Screen offers audiences an intimate sit-down with directors who have adapted King’s work for the screen, looking at the movies and shows that have brought his body of work an entirely new life — both the ones that reached the top-tier echelons of pop culture history and those that fell by the wayside into obscurity. Among those sitting down for interviews in the film, which world premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, are Frank Darabont, Mick Garris (ABC’s The Stand), Mike Flanagan and director and special makeup effects titan Greg Nicotero, to name a few.
King is, of course, a master of literary horror and of the bestselling authors of all time who has seen more than 80 features made based on his work. Next heading from his pages to the screen is the Rob Savage-directed horror-thriller The Boogeyman from 20th Century Studios and 21 Laps, which hits theaters on June 2nd. Among the most recent titles of his to have been picked up for adaptation is 2021’s Billy Summers, about a hitman set to take one last major job before retiring, which has landed at Warner Bros, as we told you first. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are penning the script, with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way to produce.
Producers on King on Screen included Sebastien Cruz for Les Films de la Plage, Jean-Yves Roubin for Frakas Productions and Zoe Salmon for Mr Salmon Films, with the participation of Ocs.
“Daphné has done a spectacular job of showcasing the talented filmmakers who brought the work of Stephen King to life in moving images,” said Dark Star Pictures President, Michael Repsch. “As a lifelong King fan, I could not be more excited to bring this film to audiences across North America and have it as a part of the Dark Star family.”
Recent releases from the L.A.-based distributor Dark Star Pictures include the WWII epic Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, Shinzô Katayama’s crime drama Missing, and the Tribeca-premiering drama Petit Mal. Other upcoming releases from the company include the Tim Roth vehicle Punch, Fantasia Grand Jury winner Megalomaniac, and the serial killer thriller Saturn Bowling from French auteur Patricia Mazuy.
Repsch negotiated the King on Screen deal for Dark Star Pictures, with Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms and Joe Yanick for Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.
- 2/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Project is director Welby Ings’ debut feature.
The Yellow Affair has struck a deal for North American rights with Dark Star Pictures to Welby Ings’ debut feature Punch.
Other deals recently closed for the New Zealand drama include to UK & Ireland (Peccadillo), Germany and Austria (Salzgeber) and France (Outplay) with further territories in negotiation.
Punch, which stars Tim Roth, Jordan Oosterhof and Conan Hayes, recently had its international premiere in the First Feature Competition at Tallinn Black Nights.
After a North American premiere at Palm Springs International Film Festival, Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in early 2023.
Robin Murphy...
The Yellow Affair has struck a deal for North American rights with Dark Star Pictures to Welby Ings’ debut feature Punch.
Other deals recently closed for the New Zealand drama include to UK & Ireland (Peccadillo), Germany and Austria (Salzgeber) and France (Outplay) with further territories in negotiation.
Punch, which stars Tim Roth, Jordan Oosterhof and Conan Hayes, recently had its international premiere in the First Feature Competition at Tallinn Black Nights.
After a North American premiere at Palm Springs International Film Festival, Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in early 2023.
Robin Murphy...
- 12/7/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Project is director Welby Ings’ debut feature.
The Yellow Affair has struck a deal for North American rights with Dark Star Pictures to Welby Ings’ debut feature Punch.
Other deals recently closed for the New Zealand drama include to UK & Ireland (Peccadillo), Germany and Austria (Salzgeber) and France (Outplay) with further territories in negotiation.
Punch, which stars Tim Roth, Jordan Oosterhof and Conan Hayes, recently had its international premiere in the First Feature Competition at Tallinn Black Nights.
After a North American premiere at Palm Springs International Film Festival, Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in early 2023.
Robin Murphy...
The Yellow Affair has struck a deal for North American rights with Dark Star Pictures to Welby Ings’ debut feature Punch.
Other deals recently closed for the New Zealand drama include to UK & Ireland (Peccadillo), Germany and Austria (Salzgeber) and France (Outplay) with further territories in negotiation.
Punch, which stars Tim Roth, Jordan Oosterhof and Conan Hayes, recently had its international premiere in the First Feature Competition at Tallinn Black Nights.
After a North American premiere at Palm Springs International Film Festival, Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in early 2023.
Robin Murphy...
- 12/7/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Karim Ouelhaj’s Fantasia winner “Megalomaniac” has been selling widely, now adding North America (Dark Star Pictures), France (Factoris Films) and Scandinavia (Njuta Films) to its growing slate.
Media Move manages sales for the world, with XYZ in charge of North America.
“The feedback from the festivals has been enthusiastic and we noticed a real ‘craze’ [for the film] from female spectators. I find it especially touching,” Ouelhaj tells Variety, noting its viewers praise his fourth feature for “leaving its mark.”
“[They say] you keep thinking about it for days, it sticks to your skin and your brain. I’m happy to hear it’s not forgettable. The only ones who are disappointed, which is rare, [come in] expecting an entertaining slasher.”
Produced by Okayss and Les Films du Carré, the film was inspired by the terrifying case of a Belgian serial killer nicknamed “The Butcher of Mons” in the 1990s. He was never captured.
Apart from...
Media Move manages sales for the world, with XYZ in charge of North America.
“The feedback from the festivals has been enthusiastic and we noticed a real ‘craze’ [for the film] from female spectators. I find it especially touching,” Ouelhaj tells Variety, noting its viewers praise his fourth feature for “leaving its mark.”
“[They say] you keep thinking about it for days, it sticks to your skin and your brain. I’m happy to hear it’s not forgettable. The only ones who are disappointed, which is rare, [come in] expecting an entertaining slasher.”
Produced by Okayss and Les Films du Carré, the film was inspired by the terrifying case of a Belgian serial killer nicknamed “The Butcher of Mons” in the 1990s. He was never captured.
Apart from...
- 11/25/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Production recently wrapped on a Portland-based Sasquatch horror movie called Summoning the Spirit, which is coming our way from Dark Star Pictures, Lake Productions, and Silk Road Entertainment. The film was written and directed by Jon Garcia, who previously worked with Dark Star on the prison drama Luz and the romance Love in a Dangerous Time. Dark Star’s Michael Repsch told The Hollywood Reporter, “It is such a joy to be working again with Jon Garcia on his foray into genre filmmaking, after reading the script we knew this was a project we could really get on board with. This is more than your typical creature feature — it explores the depths of the human psyche, thirst for power and desire to control… all alongside some incredible practical effects and a creature audiences will not soon forget.“
The official synopsis says that Summoning the Spirit follows a couple who move...
The official synopsis says that Summoning the Spirit follows a couple who move...
- 11/23/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Click here to read the full article.
Bigfoot is coming to the AFM. LA distributor Dark Star Pictures and Lake Productions have now wrapped principal photography on Summoning the Spirit, the newly-announced Portland-based “Sasquatch Horror,” which is set to make is debut in the American Film Market with Silk Road Entertainment.
Written and directed by Jon Garcia, who previously teamed with Dark Star on LGBTQ prison drama Luz and Covid-shot romance Love in a Dangerous Time, Summoning the Spirit follows a couple (played by Krystal Millie Valdes and Ernesto Reyes) who move to a home in the remote forest to escape the bustle of the city. Although they have big plans for their new quiet life, they find something much more sinister and soon realize that they are on land occupied by a cult, and the leader claims a telepathic connection to a legendary flesh-eating beast deep in the woods surrounding them.
Bigfoot is coming to the AFM. LA distributor Dark Star Pictures and Lake Productions have now wrapped principal photography on Summoning the Spirit, the newly-announced Portland-based “Sasquatch Horror,” which is set to make is debut in the American Film Market with Silk Road Entertainment.
Written and directed by Jon Garcia, who previously teamed with Dark Star on LGBTQ prison drama Luz and Covid-shot romance Love in a Dangerous Time, Summoning the Spirit follows a couple (played by Krystal Millie Valdes and Ernesto Reyes) who move to a home in the remote forest to escape the bustle of the city. Although they have big plans for their new quiet life, they find something much more sinister and soon realize that they are on land occupied by a cult, and the leader claims a telepathic connection to a legendary flesh-eating beast deep in the woods surrounding them.
- 11/3/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The next collaboration between Bloody Disgusting and Dark Star Pictures is the Japanese crime thriller Missing, which will open in theaters on November 4, 2022, before making its way to VOD platforms on November 18th and Blu-ray on December 6th.
Watch the official trailer below to begin this nail-biting game of cat-and-mouse!
In the film…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously.
“But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst—and must begin looking for him.”
Missing is written and directed by Shinzô Katayama. The filmmaker crossed paths...
Watch the official trailer below to begin this nail-biting game of cat-and-mouse!
In the film…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously.
“But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst—and must begin looking for him.”
Missing is written and directed by Shinzô Katayama. The filmmaker crossed paths...
- 10/21/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
It was announced last week that Dark Star Pictures acquired the North American distribution rights to the crime thriller Missing as part of its ongoing collaboration with Bloody Disgusting.
After screening at several prestigious festivals including Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia, and the forthcoming Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, Missing will open in theaters on November 4, 2022, before making its way to VOD platforms on November 18th and Blu-ray on December 6th.
In the film…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to...
After screening at several prestigious festivals including Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia, and the forthcoming Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, Missing will open in theaters on November 4, 2022, before making its way to VOD platforms on November 18th and Blu-ray on December 6th.
In the film…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to...
- 9/21/2022
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to the crime thriller Missing as part of its ongoing collaboration with Bloody Disgusting, we’re excited to announce today.
After screening at several prestigious festivals including Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia, and the forthcoming Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, Missing will open in theaters on November 4, 2022, before making its way to VOD platforms on November 18th and Blu-ray on December 6th.
In the film…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts...
After screening at several prestigious festivals including Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia, and the forthcoming Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, Missing will open in theaters on November 4, 2022, before making its way to VOD platforms on November 18th and Blu-ray on December 6th.
In the film…
“Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer ‘No Name’ (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts...
- 9/13/2022
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Dark Star Pictures has acquired distribution rights in North America for Australian gay love story “Lonesome,” directed by Craig Boreham. Following its world premiere at the Seattle Intl. Film Festival in April, San Francisco’s Frameline Film Festival will present the film on June 20. The film is also screening at the Guadalajara Intl. Film Festival, which runs June 10-18.
The deal was made with Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal, which has already secured distribution for the film in the U.K. and Ireland (Peccadillo Pictures), France (Optimale Distribution), multi-territory Europe (Cinemien/OUTtv Europe), and Poland (Tongariro Releasing).
Sydney-based Boreham was described by The Guardian newspaper as “a strong new voice in Australian Queer cinema” following the premiere of his debut feature film “Teenage Kicks” at the Sydney Film Festival in 2016.
“Lonesome” follows Casey, a country boy, who finds himself down and out in Sydney. When he meets Tib, a street-smart city...
The deal was made with Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal, which has already secured distribution for the film in the U.K. and Ireland (Peccadillo Pictures), France (Optimale Distribution), multi-territory Europe (Cinemien/OUTtv Europe), and Poland (Tongariro Releasing).
Sydney-based Boreham was described by The Guardian newspaper as “a strong new voice in Australian Queer cinema” following the premiere of his debut feature film “Teenage Kicks” at the Sydney Film Festival in 2016.
“Lonesome” follows Casey, a country boy, who finds himself down and out in Sydney. When he meets Tib, a street-smart city...
- 6/15/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Corey Deshon’s debut cult thriller screens in the market.
Yellow Veil Pictures has struck a North American deal here on its market title Daughter starring Casper Van Dien with Dark Star Pictures.
Corey Deshon’s debut cult thriller screens in the market today [Monday 23] at 9.30am and centres on a young woman inducted into a bizarre family as their new surrogate daughter.
As Daughter navigates through this twisted family dynamic coping with the loss of her own freedom, dark secrets about the past are revealed, leading to even darker implications about the future.
Starring alongside Dien are Elyse Dinh, Ian Alexander and Vivien Ngô.
Yellow Veil Pictures has struck a North American deal here on its market title Daughter starring Casper Van Dien with Dark Star Pictures.
Corey Deshon’s debut cult thriller screens in the market today [Monday 23] at 9.30am and centres on a young woman inducted into a bizarre family as their new surrogate daughter.
As Daughter navigates through this twisted family dynamic coping with the loss of her own freedom, dark secrets about the past are revealed, leading to even darker implications about the future.
Starring alongside Dien are Elyse Dinh, Ian Alexander and Vivien Ngô.
- 5/23/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Los Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to Chilean LGBTQ Comedy Phantom Project following its North American Premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival 2022.
Dark Star is planning a September 2022 theatrical release for Phantom Project in New York City, Los Angeles and additional markets across the country, with the on demand and digital release to follow.
In Phantom Project, we follow Pablo, a young actor who dreams of starring in a film, but in order to pay the bills he has to work as a simulated patient in medical schools and in weird sessions of alternative therapies.
“Roberto has masterfully crafted a story of human affection, that we can all relate to.” Said Dark Star President Michael Repsch. “This heartwarming film connects to our times more than ever as we recover from the pandemic, and truly shows the importance of connectivity.”
The movie is...
Dark Star is planning a September 2022 theatrical release for Phantom Project in New York City, Los Angeles and additional markets across the country, with the on demand and digital release to follow.
In Phantom Project, we follow Pablo, a young actor who dreams of starring in a film, but in order to pay the bills he has to work as a simulated patient in medical schools and in weird sessions of alternative therapies.
“Roberto has masterfully crafted a story of human affection, that we can all relate to.” Said Dark Star President Michael Repsch. “This heartwarming film connects to our times more than ever as we recover from the pandemic, and truly shows the importance of connectivity.”
The movie is...
- 4/29/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to The Passenger as part of its ongoing collaboration with Bloody Disgusting. Dark Star and Bloody Disgusting plan a theatrical release for the film on June 3, 2022 with the On Demand and DVD release to follow on June 28, 2022.
The Passenger is directed by Raúl Cerezo and Fernando González Gómez. The film was written by Luis Sánchez-Polack (Como Caido Del Cielo), based on a story by Raúl Cerezo (Escarnio) and developed by Asier Guerricaechebarría (Errementari) and Javier Echániz (Guts). The movie stars Ramiro Bias (La Fuga), Cecillia Suárez (House of Flowers), Paula Gallego (Cuéntame) and Cristina Alcázar (Cachorro).
In the movie, a group of strangers sharing a ride have their trip interrupted when the driver hits a woman hiking in the dark of night. They decide to help her, but quickly learn that something is wrong and that they shouldn’t...
The Passenger is directed by Raúl Cerezo and Fernando González Gómez. The film was written by Luis Sánchez-Polack (Como Caido Del Cielo), based on a story by Raúl Cerezo (Escarnio) and developed by Asier Guerricaechebarría (Errementari) and Javier Echániz (Guts). The movie stars Ramiro Bias (La Fuga), Cecillia Suárez (House of Flowers), Paula Gallego (Cuéntame) and Cristina Alcázar (Cachorro).
In the movie, a group of strangers sharing a ride have their trip interrupted when the driver hits a woman hiking in the dark of night. They decide to help her, but quickly learn that something is wrong and that they shouldn’t...
- 4/12/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
“Chock full of beautiful and crazy sequences” … Film Threat
The sci-fi thriller King Car, hits theaters on January 7th.following its premieres at Rotterdam, Fantasia & Fantastic Fest. Check out this insane trailer:
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American rights to Renata Pinheiro’s sci-fi thriller King Car. Dark Star Pictures will release the film in theaters and on VOD/Digital on January 7, 2022. King Car World Premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, North American Premiered at Fantasia Film Festival, and U.S. Premiered at Fantastic Fest.
A young man’s ability to surreally speak with cars sparks a revolution that could save his community. When his invention inadvertently accelerates the underlying problems, our hero’s quest puts him in a fight for survival with capitalism’s zombies.
Directed by Renata Pinheiro and written by Sergio Oliveira, Leo Pyrata, and Renata Pinheiro, King Car stars Matheus Nachtergaele, Luciano Pedro Jr,...
The sci-fi thriller King Car, hits theaters on January 7th.following its premieres at Rotterdam, Fantasia & Fantastic Fest. Check out this insane trailer:
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American rights to Renata Pinheiro’s sci-fi thriller King Car. Dark Star Pictures will release the film in theaters and on VOD/Digital on January 7, 2022. King Car World Premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, North American Premiered at Fantasia Film Festival, and U.S. Premiered at Fantastic Fest.
A young man’s ability to surreally speak with cars sparks a revolution that could save his community. When his invention inadvertently accelerates the underlying problems, our hero’s quest puts him in a fight for survival with capitalism’s zombies.
Directed by Renata Pinheiro and written by Sergio Oliveira, Leo Pyrata, and Renata Pinheiro, King Car stars Matheus Nachtergaele, Luciano Pedro Jr,...
- 11/18/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Dark Star Pictures has taken North American rights to paranoia thriller Alone With You ahead of the film’s world premiere at Fantastic Fest.
Written and directed by Emily Bennett and Justin Brooks as their feature debut, the film also stars Bennett, alongside horror stalwart Barbara Crampton (You’re Next), Dora Madison (Friday Night Lights) and Emma Myles (Orange is the New Black). Pic was produced by Uncorked Productions Andrew Corkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene).
The story follows a young woman (Bennett) as she painstakingly prepares a romantic homecoming for her girlfriend. As she goes about her task, her apartment begins to feel more and more like a tomb as voices, shadows, and hallucinations reveal a truth she has been unwilling to face.
Dark Star will release theatrically in early 2022 in New York and Los Angeles, plus additional markets across the country, with an on demand and digital release following after.
Written and directed by Emily Bennett and Justin Brooks as their feature debut, the film also stars Bennett, alongside horror stalwart Barbara Crampton (You’re Next), Dora Madison (Friday Night Lights) and Emma Myles (Orange is the New Black). Pic was produced by Uncorked Productions Andrew Corkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene).
The story follows a young woman (Bennett) as she painstakingly prepares a romantic homecoming for her girlfriend. As she goes about her task, her apartment begins to feel more and more like a tomb as voices, shadows, and hallucinations reveal a truth she has been unwilling to face.
Dark Star will release theatrically in early 2022 in New York and Los Angeles, plus additional markets across the country, with an on demand and digital release following after.
- 9/16/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American rights to Potato Dreams of America, writer-director Wes Hurley’s autobiographical dark comedy that had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW. The pic will get a U.S. theatrical release in Q1 2022 followed by a digital bow, and the deal comes as the pic readies for Los Angeles premiere tonight at Outfest LA where it is in the official lineup. The full cast is expected to be in attendance.
Hurley’s queer coming-of-age tale tells the story of a gay boy growing up in the collapsing Ussr, his mail-order bride mother and their eventual escape to America. The film is an immigrant’s take on the American Dream and the power of cinema. Marya Sea Kaminksi, Tyler Bocock, Jonathan Bennett, Lea DeLaria, Sera Barbieri, Hersh Powers, Dan Lauria and Sophia Mitri Schloss lead the ensemble cast.
The pic was produced by Mischa Jakupcak and Hurley,...
Hurley’s queer coming-of-age tale tells the story of a gay boy growing up in the collapsing Ussr, his mail-order bride mother and their eventual escape to America. The film is an immigrant’s take on the American Dream and the power of cinema. Marya Sea Kaminksi, Tyler Bocock, Jonathan Bennett, Lea DeLaria, Sera Barbieri, Hersh Powers, Dan Lauria and Sophia Mitri Schloss lead the ensemble cast.
The pic was produced by Mischa Jakupcak and Hurley,...
- 8/18/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Los Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Freeland, Mario Furloni and Kate McLean’s feature debut which recently premiered at SXSW.
Pic stars Krisha Fairchild (Waves), alongside Lily Gladstone (First Cow), Frank Mosley (The Carnivores), John Craven, Cameron James Matthews and Michelle Maxson. It was produced by Laura Heberton (Thou Wast Mild).
Film follows Devi (Fairchild) an aging pot-farmer who has been breeding legendary strains for decades on the remote homestead she built for herself. But when cannabis is legalized she suddenly finds herself fighting for her, and her workers’, survival.
Dark Star is lining up a late September theatrical release in targeted markets followed by on demand, digital and DVD to follow in October.
Dark Star Pictures President Michael Repsch negotiated the deal with ICM Partners Charlotte Lichtman and Producer Laura Heberton on behalf of the filmmakers during the Cannes virtual market. Dark Star...
Pic stars Krisha Fairchild (Waves), alongside Lily Gladstone (First Cow), Frank Mosley (The Carnivores), John Craven, Cameron James Matthews and Michelle Maxson. It was produced by Laura Heberton (Thou Wast Mild).
Film follows Devi (Fairchild) an aging pot-farmer who has been breeding legendary strains for decades on the remote homestead she built for herself. But when cannabis is legalized she suddenly finds herself fighting for her, and her workers’, survival.
Dark Star is lining up a late September theatrical release in targeted markets followed by on demand, digital and DVD to follow in October.
Dark Star Pictures President Michael Repsch negotiated the deal with ICM Partners Charlotte Lichtman and Producer Laura Heberton on behalf of the filmmakers during the Cannes virtual market. Dark Star...
- 7/6/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Having recently screened in the US as part of Panic Fest, we have word that Dark Star Pictures and Blood Disgusting have acquired distribution rights to The Last Matinee, from writer / director Maxi Contenti:
Los Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to The Last Matinee as part of its ongoing and exciting collaboration with horror leader Bloody Disgusting. Dark Star and Bloody Disgusting plan a theatrical release for The Last Matinee early this summer with the on demand, digital and DVD release to follow in August.
Written and directed by Maxi Contenti (Muñeco viviente V, Neptunia), the film stars Luciana Grasso (El Secreto de Julia), Ricardo Islas (El Que No Corre Vuela, Bailiwick), Julieta Spinelli, Franco Duran and Pedro Duarte.
"I’m very happy to be part of the Dark Star Pictures roster, and super excited to present my movie to the North American audiences,...
Los Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to The Last Matinee as part of its ongoing and exciting collaboration with horror leader Bloody Disgusting. Dark Star and Bloody Disgusting plan a theatrical release for The Last Matinee early this summer with the on demand, digital and DVD release to follow in August.
Written and directed by Maxi Contenti (Muñeco viviente V, Neptunia), the film stars Luciana Grasso (El Secreto de Julia), Ricardo Islas (El Que No Corre Vuela, Bailiwick), Julieta Spinelli, Franco Duran and Pedro Duarte.
"I’m very happy to be part of the Dark Star Pictures roster, and super excited to present my movie to the North American audiences,...
- 4/16/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Sean Kleier (Odd Mom Out) is set to star opposite Suraj Sharma (Life Of Pi) and Pallavi Sharda (Tom & Jerry) in the Netflix comedy Wedding Season. He joins the previously announced Rizwan Manji and Ari Afsar, as Deadline first revealed. Written by Shiwani Srivastava and directed by Tom Dey (Shanghai Noon), the film follows two Indian-Americans who pretend to date in order to survive a summer of weddings, but find themselves falling for each other as they struggle to balance who they are with who their parents want them to be. Kleier will play “Nick” who is Priya’s (Ari Afsar) fiancé and the newest family member who tries a little too hard to fit into the Indian culture. Shooting is scheduled to start later this month in Toronto. Swati Shetty is producing for her Samosa Stories banner with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard for Imagine Entertainment, alongside...
- 4/15/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
For this writer, it’s been fascinating to watch the evolution of Dark Star Pictures over the last few years, as they’ve become one of the most interesting distributors working in the genre space today, showcasing films like Jumbo, Pvt Chat, Dementer, Attack of the Demons, Koko-Di Koko-Da, and Climate of the Hunter, as well their most recent release, Honeydew, which makes its digital debut this week.
Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Dark Star’s Creative Director, Josh Goldbloom, and we discussed his background in the film festival scene and how that led to him joining Dark Star Pictures’ founder Michael Repsch in the indie horror trenches to help provide filmmakers with the opportunity to get their films out there for fans to enjoy. Goldbloom also gave us some insight into why the word “challenging” isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to marketing a film,...
Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Dark Star’s Creative Director, Josh Goldbloom, and we discussed his background in the film festival scene and how that led to him joining Dark Star Pictures’ founder Michael Repsch in the indie horror trenches to help provide filmmakers with the opportunity to get their films out there for fans to enjoy. Goldbloom also gave us some insight into why the word “challenging” isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to marketing a film,...
- 4/12/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Los Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to the festival midnighter Dementia Part II as part of their exciting collaboration with horror leader Bloody Disgusting, the companies announced Monday morning.
Taken from the pages of Sam Raimi, and delivering absurd gross-out humor and nonstop mayhem, the making of Dementia Part II came out of a dare from Chicago’s Cinepocalype Film Festival and the movie’s producers Jd Lifshitz and Raphael Margules. The two must produce a feature-length midnight movie from concept to finished product in one month so that it could make its World Premiere on the last night of the film festival. The film turned out to be Dementia Part II, a tongue-in-cheek sequel to Mike Testin’s 2015 original film.
In Dementia Part II, Suzanne wasn’t always this confused. She wasn’t always dead either – When an ex-con takes a job as...
Taken from the pages of Sam Raimi, and delivering absurd gross-out humor and nonstop mayhem, the making of Dementia Part II came out of a dare from Chicago’s Cinepocalype Film Festival and the movie’s producers Jd Lifshitz and Raphael Margules. The two must produce a feature-length midnight movie from concept to finished product in one month so that it could make its World Premiere on the last night of the film festival. The film turned out to be Dementia Part II, a tongue-in-cheek sequel to Mike Testin’s 2015 original film.
In Dementia Part II, Suzanne wasn’t always this confused. She wasn’t always dead either – When an ex-con takes a job as...
- 1/25/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Universal Monsters by Greg Staples: "On Tuesday the 26th of January Vice Press and Bottleneck Gallery will be launching a new series of limited edition Universal Monsters movie posters and art prints by British artist Greg Staples.
Greg Staples is best known for his work on British comic 2000Ad and artwork for Magic the Gathering and here is what he had to say on the release –
'For me the classic Universal Monster films have been engrained into me since I was a child, not only with their legendary visual design and makeup but because they are almost not of this world. To me they are the purest form of escapism and something that simply couldn’t be made in this day and age. I decided to approach these illustrations a little differently by choosing to try to add a bit of realism, hopefully to capture a small part of...
Greg Staples is best known for his work on British comic 2000Ad and artwork for Magic the Gathering and here is what he had to say on the release –
'For me the classic Universal Monster films have been engrained into me since I was a child, not only with their legendary visual design and makeup but because they are almost not of this world. To me they are the purest form of escapism and something that simply couldn’t be made in this day and age. I decided to approach these illustrations a little differently by choosing to try to add a bit of realism, hopefully to capture a small part of...
- 1/25/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Punk musician Ben Hozie made his directing debut on the ‘camgirl’ thriller.
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to psychological thriller Pvt Chat, which had its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in January followed by a VOD/digital release in February.
The film stars Julia Fox and Peter Vack in the story of an internet gambler from New York whose fixation on a San Francisco ‘camgirl’ - an online sex acts model - reaches boiling point when he sees her on a Chinatown street.
Ben Hozie,...
Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to psychological thriller Pvt Chat, which had its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in January followed by a VOD/digital release in February.
The film stars Julia Fox and Peter Vack in the story of an internet gambler from New York whose fixation on a San Francisco ‘camgirl’ - an online sex acts model - reaches boiling point when he sees her on a Chinatown street.
Ben Hozie,...
- 11/23/2020
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Well Go USA Entertainment has closed a deal for the North American distribution to Arclight Films’ Here Are the Young Men, an Irish teen drama starring Travis Fimmel, Dean-Charles Chapman, Finn Cole, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo. Slated to be released in 2021, the pic is based on the acclaimed novel by Rob Doyle. Eoin Macken directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Doyle.
St in 2003, the film details the last summer of three Dublin high school graduates—aimless Matthew (Chapman), his charismatic yet deranged friend Kearney (Cole) and their precocious friend Rez (Walsh-Peelo)—as they embark on an epic binge to celebrate a future without limits. But when they witness a catastrophic accident, the incident sends them spiraling,...
St in 2003, the film details the last summer of three Dublin high school graduates—aimless Matthew (Chapman), his charismatic yet deranged friend Kearney (Cole) and their precocious friend Rez (Walsh-Peelo)—as they embark on an epic binge to celebrate a future without limits. But when they witness a catastrophic accident, the incident sends them spiraling,...
- 11/20/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
In our packed Halloween eve edition of Horror Highlights we have details on a Halloween artbook, Evil Dead at the drive-in, the trailer for Girl, the acquisition of Honeydew, the trailer for The Call, casting news for The Cellar, and a new poster for Cannibal Comedian!
New Visions Of Classic Horror Are Coming In John Carpenter's Halloween Artbook: "Printed In Blood, the company that brought you beautifully curated art collections celebrating The Thing, Stranger Things, and Ghostbusters, will bring together new visions of classic horror in John Carpenter’s Halloween: Artbook. P.I.B in partnership with Compass International Pictures are bringing fans this officially licensed artistic interpretation of the classic film from illustrators in nearly every part of the entertainment industry.
John Carpenter’s Halloween: Artbook features 240 pages of fully original illustrated interpretations by artists from the worlds of illustration, animation, comics, and more. Previous books published in...
New Visions Of Classic Horror Are Coming In John Carpenter's Halloween Artbook: "Printed In Blood, the company that brought you beautifully curated art collections celebrating The Thing, Stranger Things, and Ghostbusters, will bring together new visions of classic horror in John Carpenter’s Halloween: Artbook. P.I.B in partnership with Compass International Pictures are bringing fans this officially licensed artistic interpretation of the classic film from illustrators in nearly every part of the entertainment industry.
John Carpenter’s Halloween: Artbook features 240 pages of fully original illustrated interpretations by artists from the worlds of illustration, animation, comics, and more. Previous books published in...
- 10/30/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Honeydew, the horror pic written and directed by Devereux Milburn and featuring the film-acting debut of Steven Spielberg’s son Sawyer Spielberg. The film, which had been set to world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival before the fest was shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, will now aim for a March theatrical release.
It marks the first deal in a new collaboration between the Bloody Disgusting horror brand and Dark Star, which plan a new genre release each quarter.
“Dark Star is an exciting young company and we know they’re the perfect partner for the Bloody Disgusting brand,” said Bloody-Disgusting co-founder Brad Miska. “Together, we’re going to unleash hell on the horror community with an onslaught of fresh genre releases.”
Honeydew, which ended up having its world premiere at the Nightstream Film Festival earlier this month...
It marks the first deal in a new collaboration between the Bloody Disgusting horror brand and Dark Star, which plan a new genre release each quarter.
“Dark Star is an exciting young company and we know they’re the perfect partner for the Bloody Disgusting brand,” said Bloody-Disgusting co-founder Brad Miska. “Together, we’re going to unleash hell on the horror community with an onslaught of fresh genre releases.”
Honeydew, which ended up having its world premiere at the Nightstream Film Festival earlier this month...
- 10/29/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Nacelle Company is teaming with Breaker’s Blockchain Entertainment Studio on the release of Antarctica, a romantic comedy written and directed by Keith Bearden. Starring Chloë Levine, Clea Lewis, Damian Young, and newcomer Kimmie Muroya, the pic will be released sometime later this year.
It’s a story of two life-long best friends that experience a tidal wave of adult pressures and problems as they face down their last year of high school in small-town USA. Will they crack under the societal pressures, or will they triumph over the metaphorical icy tundra they call their late teens?
The deal was negotiated by Anna Roberts of The Nacelle Company and Jake Craven of Breaker.
***
Dark Star Pictures has nabbed the North American distribution rights to Climate Of The Hunter, the Mickey Reece-helmed horror film which will screen at the Nightstream...
It’s a story of two life-long best friends that experience a tidal wave of adult pressures and problems as they face down their last year of high school in small-town USA. Will they crack under the societal pressures, or will they triumph over the metaphorical icy tundra they call their late teens?
The deal was negotiated by Anna Roberts of The Nacelle Company and Jake Craven of Breaker.
***
Dark Star Pictures has nabbed the North American distribution rights to Climate Of The Hunter, the Mickey Reece-helmed horror film which will screen at the Nightstream...
- 10/10/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
“Enfant Terrible,” which received the Cannes 2020 label, is set to start its international journey with its first distribution deals announced as it joins the international festival circuit. The film, directed by Oskar Roehler, is about the life of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The German film, which received its local festival premiere at the Hamburg Film Festival, was released on home turf by Weltkino on Oct. 1. The biopic is set to start its international life with upcoming premieres at the festivals in Ghent (in competition), Istanbul (as a Gala screening) and Seville (in competition).
“Enfant Terrible” opened the German Film Festival in Paris on Oct. 7, and screened in the Masters section of the Moscow Film Festival on Oct. 7, and has received a nomination for the European Film Awards.
Alongside various ongoing and advanced negotiations, sales agent Picture Tree Intl. has announced the film’s first deals, including in the U.
The German film, which received its local festival premiere at the Hamburg Film Festival, was released on home turf by Weltkino on Oct. 1. The biopic is set to start its international life with upcoming premieres at the festivals in Ghent (in competition), Istanbul (as a Gala screening) and Seville (in competition).
“Enfant Terrible” opened the German Film Festival in Paris on Oct. 7, and screened in the Masters section of the Moscow Film Festival on Oct. 7, and has received a nomination for the European Film Awards.
Alongside various ongoing and advanced negotiations, sales agent Picture Tree Intl. has announced the film’s first deals, including in the U.
- 10/9/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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