Three of the six feature projects backed by Screen Australia in the past today are horror films, the agency revealed today (October 10).
Natalie Erika James’ Saccharine is being produced by Carver Films for sales agent XYZ Films international, and is about a medical student who becomes terrorised by a hungry ghost, while Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus, made under the Causeway Films umbrella for Studio 301 Films, is about a two teenage boys who attracted to each other and are forced into a conversion ritual that releases an evil entity into their rural town.
Maslow Entertainment has pre-bought Australian rights to both films. The third horror film is Josh Tanner’s
Posthumous about an attractive woman who finds a mysterious videotape which threatens to upset her life and everything that she thought she knew. Kismet Movies will release the film locally. Significant previous horror investments from Screen Australia include Danny and Michael Philippou’s low-budget title
Talk To Me, which has grossed US$93 million globally, The other three feature projects supported by Screen Australia include Alexs Stadermann and David Webster’s animation
Zac Powers, based on the Australian book series featuring a boy spy and produced by Cheeky Little Media and Flying Bark Productions.Irish director Stephen Burke’s
Chasing Millions is being made as an Ireland-Australia co-production between Jane Doolan of Ireland’s Mammoth Films and Michael Wrenn of Australia’s Invisible Republic. Screen Ireland is also backing the project that is based on a real-life bank robbery that netted PS26.5 million in cash in Belfast in 2004.Level K is handling international rights to the film; Bonsai Films is the Australian distributor.
Finally, Louise Alston is directing the romantic comedy
Love Adjacent about the fiery relationship between a food critic and a top chef for sales agent Film Seekers and local distributor Umbrella. It is being produced by KWFilms and Aspect Entertainment.The feature support is part of Screen Australia’s total A$8.1m ($5.4m) production funding investment in 15 projects, that also includes television and online content, in the past six months.
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