Three of the six feature projects Screen Australia has backed in the past have been horror films, the agency revealed today (October 10).
Saccharine, directed by Natalie Erica James, is produced by Carver Films for distributor XYZ Films International and tells the story of a medical student threatened by a hungry ghost, while being produced by Causeway Films. Produced by Studio 301 Films and directed by Adrian Chiarella, Leviticus follows two teenage boys attracted to each other who are forced to undergo a conversion ritual that unleashes an evil presence on a rural town.
Maslow Entertainment has pre-purchased the Australian rights to both films.
The third horror title is Josh Tanner’s posthumous work. The film is about a woman who discovers a mysterious videotape that threatens to throw her entire life and everything she thought she knew out of balance. Kismet Movies will be released locally.
Screen Australia’s previous significant horror investments include Danny and Michael Philippou’s low-budget title Talk to Me, which grossed $93 million worldwide.
Three other feature projects backed by Screen Australia include Alex Staderman and David Webster’s animated feature Zack Powers; The animation is based on the Australian book series about a young spy and is produced by Cheeky Little Media and Flying Bark Productions.
Irish director Stephen Burke’s Chasing Millions is an Irish-Australian co-production between Jane Doolan of Ireland’s Mammoth Films and Michael Wren of Australia’s Invisible Republic. Screen Ireland is also backing the project, which is based on a real-life bank robbery in Belfast in 2004 that netted £26.5 million in cash.
Level K handles the international rights for the film. Bonsai Films is an Australian distribution company.
Finally, Louise Alston is directing Love Adjacent, a romantic comedy about the fiery relationship between a food critic and a top chef, for sales agent Film Seekers and local distributor Umbrella. Produced by KWFilms and Aspect Entertainment.
This feature support is part of Screen Australia’s total production capital investment of A$8.1 million ($5.4 million) in 15 projects over the past six months, including television and online content.
