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The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (known as PÖFF) has unveiled the full lineup of its flagship Official Selection, whose 18 features from 23 countries will compete for the coveted €20,000 Grand Prix.

They include 11 world premieres. The jury is helmed by acclaimed German director Christoph Hochhäusler.

Tiina Lokk, the founder and director of the festival, said “the Official Selection Competition has it all! There’s a psycho-thriller that approaches horror, a psychological family drama, and sci-fi genre is represented. The selection is broad, and so is the range of countries. We’re not trying to highlight a certain theme or a particular region, we are free in our choices,” she noted.

Emphasizing the various topics covered, Lokk cites old age, the end of life and euthanasia “perhaps due to the influence of Covid,” domestic violence and war, “not tackled in the traditional form” but rather via psychological dramas.

“Last year there were...

This review of Azrael was originally published during the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

Azrael, the latest horror starring scream queen Samara Weaving, hails from the minds of director E.L. Katz and screenwriter Simon Barrett. The movie follows a relatively simple premise: a young woman is hunted by a frightening cult and demonic creatures in a post-rapture world. Their sinister plan for her is unclear, but one thing's for sure she will survive at any cost.

Azrael

Director E.L. KatzRelease Date September 27, 2024Writers Simon BarrettCast Sonia Roszczuk, Sebastian Bull Sarning, Phong Giang, Lucie Jan, Karen Bengo, Johhan Rosenberg, Katariina Unt, Peter Christoffersen, Vic Carmen Sonne, Eero Milonoff, Samara Weaving, Nathan Stewart-JarrettRating RRuntime 85 MinutesGenres Action, Horror

The premise is one that many horror fans will recognize, as it's the basis of many classic horror films. The Rapture and its consequences have been a playground for science fiction and horror creatives for some time now,...

Samara Weaving returns to the horror movie genre in 2024, and there are multiple options for where to watch Azrael in a short amount of time. After making a name for herself with horror movies like Ready or Not and The Babysitter, plus having a cameo in Scream VI, the actress is cemented as a modern scream queen. Samara Weaving's horror movies filmography grew again in 2024 thanks to Azrael, the action horror movie from the minds of director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett.

Azrael's story is set in a world where no one speaks. The movie revolves around a cult's attempt to imprison and sacrifice Weaving's Azrael to a mysterious evil. With Azrael's reviews being mostly positive, the inherent interest for some in seeing Weaving return to horror becomes even more exciting. This is especially true considering the involvement of Shudder, the horror-focused production company behind acclaimed films like In A Violent Nature,...

Samara Weaving is a horror movie icon. She burst onto the scene in and as The Babysitter, where she played the leader of a demonic cult masquerading as a sweet and upstanding resident in the suburbs. She later went on to cameo in the sequel to that Netflix release, alongside another budding horror enthusiast, Jenna Ortega. Weaving teamed up with Steven Yeun in Mayhem where they played two employees trying to resist the effects of an experimental virus that was causing everyone in their workplace to go berserk. And even if these films went under the radar of horror fans, everyone sat up and took notice when she took on a rich and murderous family in Ready or Not. She followed that up with the deliciously entertaining Guns Akimbo, alongside Daniel Radcliffe. She showed up for a brief cameo in Scream VI too. And now, she is here in and as Azrael,...

Many years after the Rapture, a young woman by the name of Azrael (Samara Weaving) has broken free from the cult of religious zealots of which she was a part. A party is sent out to recapture her so that she can be sacrificed in order to pacify a monstrous presence which lurks in the wilderness surrounding the cult’s shakily fortified settlement. How well do you think that’s going to go? It’s one revenge-fuelled force of nature versus a bunch of fanatics in an increasingly bloody series of face-offs…

Directed by E. L. Katz (Cheap Thrills), written by Simon Barrett (The Guest) and with Weaving in apocalyptic Ready Or Not mode, how could this fail? Well, it doesn’t fail as such but it neither does it hit the heights promised by such an auspicious team up. Opening in mid-flee, the movie immediately sets out its stall...

Stars: Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett | Written by Simon Barrett Simon Barrett | Directed by E. L. Katz

Across its 25 year history, FrightFest has been a film festival that has championed showing underseen classics and highlighting exciting new voices in cinema. They are also fond of screening new works by returning filmmakers, many of whom came up with the festival, which effectively allows an audience to get hyped for new instalments from reliable creatives. Azrael: Angel of Death is a collaboration from two such filmmakers; director E. L. Katz, and screenwriter Simon Barrett. To quote Mr. Peanutbutter, “What is this, a crossover episode?”

Set many years after the apocalypse, a devout cult of mute zealots hunt down Azrael (Samara Weaving), a young woman who escaped her imprisonment. Upon being recaptured, it becomes clear that Azrael is intended as a sacrifice to pacify an ancient evil lurking within the surrounding wilderness.

La película de terror se estrenará en cines de la mano de YouPlanet Pictures. © IFC Films

Ya se ha publicado el primer tráiler de Azrael, una película de terror dirigida por L. Katz y escrita por Simon Barrett, que se proyectará en el Festival de Sitges 2024, donde competirá en la Sección Oficial Fantástico a Competición.

En Azrael, nos adentramos en un mundo aterrador en el que nadie habla. Una comunidad liderada por mujeres persigue a Azrael, una joven que ha escapado de su reclusión. Azrael está destinada a ser sacrificada para apaciguar a un antiguo demonio ancestral que reside en lo más profundo del bosque. Sin embargo, ella luchará por su propia supervivencia mientras avanza hacia un salvaje enfrentamiento entre las fuerzas del bien y del mal.

La película, que se estrenó en el Festival de Cine de South by Southwest a principios de año, está protagonizada por Samara Weaving,...

IFC Films and Shudder have released the first trailer for Cheap Thrills director E.L. Katz's second feature, Azrael, which had its world premiere at South by Southwest festival back in March before screening at the Overlook Film Festival and at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival shortly after.

Playing out in real-time, the movie stars Samara Weaving as a woman named Azrael - the Biblical name for the Angel of Death - living in a post-Rapture world where nobody speaks (whether by choice of not is unclear) who is captured by a devout cult and taken into the forest as a sacrifice to a mysterious demonic creature.

In the teaser, we see that Azrael manages to escape her bonds, and proceeds to exact bloody revenge on her pursuers. There are also a couple of creepy shots of the evil entity from the woods, but it's difficult to make out exactly what the monster is.

"After the rapture, those left on Earth will suffer in silence." IFC Films has revealed the first official trailer for an acclaimed indie horror film titled Azrael, from filmmaker E.L. Katz (of Cheap Thrills). This is also the latest film written by acclaimed horror screenwriter Simon Barret, known for A Horrible Way to Die, You're Next, The Guest, Seance. It first premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival earlier this year, and is now set for a theatrical release at the end of September throughout the October horror season. In a world no one speaks a devout female hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the wilderness. What are these things?! Is it post-apocalyptic?? "From the seeds of this gritty, relentless parable of sacrifice and salvation, comes an immersive, real-time,...

Breakout horror film Azrael debuted at SXSW, challenging genre norms with minimal dialogue and brutal action sequences. Director E.L. Katz's vision combines with writer Simon Barrett's recurring nightmare to create a unique, gripping story. Samara Weaving shines as the lead, showcasing her fearless performance in a post-apocalyptic world of survival and revenge.

The new horror movie Azrael made its debut this week at the 2024 South by Southwest Festival, generating plenty of conversation despite its own sparse use of language. The tale springs from writer Simon Barrett recurring nightmare, accentuated by the time director E.L. Katz spent mid-pandemic watching Eastern European and Soviet film classics. Azrael, which challenges the horror genre with its nearly completely non-verbal storytelling, stars scream queen Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) alongside Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.

The apocalypse has long since seen the downfall of Earth's societies, and a young...

Universal’s monster movie Abigail helmed by Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett has been set to world premiere as the closing night film of horror fest The Overlook Film Festival, which is taking place this year at the Prytania Theatres in New Orleans from April 4 – 7.

Slated for release on April 19, Abigail watches as a group of criminals retreats to an isolated mansion after kidnapping the ballerina daughter (Alisha Weir) of a powerful underworld figure, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. Written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, the film’s cast also includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Giancarlo Esposito, and the late Angus Cloud.

This year’s Overlook lineup includes 45 films — 22 features and 23 shorts — from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations and five immersive experiences. Set to open the fet, on the heels of its Berlin launch,...

The Overlook Film Festival, billed as “the annual celebration of all things horror,” announced today the initial lineup for its 2024 edition.

Taking place April 4 through 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror fest is ready to bring audiences back to “America’s most haunted city” with a selection of both new and classic films, including 2024 releases like Sundance smash hit “I Saw the TV Glow” from director Jane Schoenbrun, Tilman Singer’s opening night pick “Cuckoo,” closing night offering “Abigail” from the Radio Silence team, plus offscreen offerings including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming, special guests and much, much more.

“We are finally able to see the fruits of post-pandemic productions and it’s a sight to behold,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming of the Overlook Film Festival, in an officials statement. “This year’s lineup is full of bigger, scarier, more personal,...

This year’s SXSW Film Festival, taking place in Austin, TX, just unveiled their lineup, and what a massive year for horror.

The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store.

The fest unveiled its Midnight lineup, which includes the Samara Weaving-starring Azrael. Elsewhere, look for Neon’s highly anticipated Cuckoo set to make its premiere.

Read on for the genre titles included in SXSW 2024’s lineup, and stay tuned for additional programming announcements.

Narrative Spotlight

Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.

Cuckoo (Germany)

Director/Screenwriter: Tilman Singer, Producers: Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, Ken Kao, Thor Bradwell, Ben Rimmer...

In a new image from the upcoming horror film Azrael, Ready or Not star Samara Weaving finds herself soaked in blood once again. The Australian actor is no stranger to violent horror, starring in The Babysitter, its sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and the highly-anticipated Scream VI. However, Weaving may be most recognizable from her acclaimed performance in the black horror comedy Ready or Not, which found the actor completely covered in blood on her wedding night.

Deadline now shares a first look image at Weaving's new action-horror film, Azrael.

Although not much is known about the film, Weaving stars as the titular character, who has run away from a cult-like women-led community where no one speaks. The Ready or Not star finds herself drenched in blood again in the new movie. When Azrael is recaptured, she is chosen to be sacrificed to keep an ancient evil at bay. With...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Undergods, a fantasy thriller anthology movie directed by Chino Moya in his feature directorial debut. A May 7 day-and-date release in theaters and on-demand is planned.

The pic is a collection of darkly humorous fantasy tales about failed societies and doomed fortune told via a pair of corpse collectors who roam the desolate streets of an unknown city chatting humorously about their dreams, in which a series of men see their worlds fall apart through a visit from an unexpected stranger.

Geza Rohrig, Johann Meyers, Ned Dennehy, Hayley Carmichael, Michael Gould, Khalid Abdalla, Jan Bijvoet, Eric Godon, Tanya Reynolds, Tadhg Murphy, Katariina Unt, Sam Louwyck, Kate Dickie, Adrian Rawlings and Burn Gorman star.

Gravitas’ VP Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal with Kirk D’Amico of Myriad Pictures, which continues to handle worldwide sales.

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Veteran TV director Matthew Penn has been set to Badge of Trust,...

You've gotta watch this wildly weird trailer for the upcoming supernatural horror/fantasy film November. This movie is filled with unsettling dream-fueled folklore that seriously looks so freakin' odd. But just wait until you see the black and white cinematography of this thing! This movie may be strange, but it's visually stunning. This synopsis will give you a little tease of what to expect, but it's the trailer that will give you the full effect of this blend of movie genre madness.

In this tale of love and survival in 19th century Estonia, peasant girl Liina longs for village boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by the visiting German baroness that possesses all that he longs for. For Liina, winning Hans’ requited love proves incredibly complicated in this dark, harsh landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge, where thievery is rampant, and where souls are highly regarded,...

"Take your pants off and put them on your head." Oscilloscope Labs has debuted the official Us trailer for an insane fantasy horror romance film from Estonia titled November, which first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. Adapted from the best-selling novel Rehepapp by Andrus Kivirähk, the film is set in a 19th century village, where the peasant girl Liina longs for the simple boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by a visiting German baroness who possesses all that he longs for. Rea Lest stars as Liina, and Jörgen Liik as Hans, with a full cast including Arvo Kukumägi, Katariina Unt, Taavi Eelmaa, Heino Kalm, Meelis Rämmeld, and Dieter Laser. This film won Best Cinematography at Tribeca last year, and stopped by a bunch of other festivals. It certainly looks great, also seems weird and twisted and dark as hell. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Rainer Sarnet's November,...

Sundance released their slate for 2010. It includes:43 documentaries on the Middle East12 films about friends who 'discover' something33 movies about people you've never heard about1 comedyHopefully the lineup this year is strong but it doesn't look that way compared to last year. Last year we had Push (Precious), that Lil Wayne documentary that never went anywhere, Mystery Team which might make my top ten, Moon, Mike Tyson documentary, Cold Souls. Just so much last January that was excellent. I hope I don't go out therer and freeze my tail off just to see...I don't know, a documentary about a former Pakistani prime minister or something silly like that.Here's the lineup so far: Premieres To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.

Sundance released their slate for 2010. It includes:43 documentaries on the Middle East12 films about friends who 'discover' something33 movies about people you've never heard about1 comedyHopefully the lineup this year is strong but it doesn't look that way compared to last year. Last year we had Push (Precious), that Lil Wayne documentary that never went anywhere, Mystery Team which might make my top ten, Moon, Mike Tyson documentary, Cold Souls. Just so much last January that was excellent. I hope I don't go out therer and freeze my tail off just to see...I don't know, a documentary about a former Pakistani prime minister or something silly like that.Here's the lineup so far: U.S. Documentary Competition This year’s 16 films were selected from 862 submissions. Each film is a world premiere. Bhutto(Directors: Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara; Screenwriter: Johnny O'Hara)—A riveting journey through the life and work of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto,...

The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the lineup of films playing in competition from January 21 through January 31, 2010. The early fest typically debuts some of the best films the year has to offer, like 2009’s Precious, (500) Days of Summer, and Moon.

I’m bummed I won’t be in Park City, Utah next month because the lineup looks great, and these are just the films playing in competition. Here’s a few that stood out to me:

The Allen Ginsberg trial film Howl starring James Franco, a documentary by Alex Gibney (a truly great filmmaker) on Jack Abramoff, Mark Ruffalo’s directorial debut Sympathy for Delicious, a doc about Joan Rivers, the directorial debut of “How I Met Your Mother” star Josh Radnor titled Happythankyoumoreplease (I wrote a glowing script review of it here), Hesher with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman, and Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

I...

And the first announcement is upon us and includes quite a few movies we've already reported on.. What does that include?

The incredible looking Estonian drama The Temptation of St. Tony for which we got the exclusive trailer on a while ago. It's by Veiko Õunpuu who did the incredible Sügisball and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing this.

From Spencer Susser, the director of the incredible zombie short I love Sarah Jane comes Hesher, his first feature which stars Jgl!

David Michôd's Australian thriller Animal Kingdom which stars Guy Pearce.

From Taiki Waititi, director of Eagle vs Shark comes Boy which we previously reported on, but then it was known as The Volcano.

Full list after the break!

U.S. Documentary Competition

This year’s 16 films were selected from 862 submissions. Each film is a world premiere.

Bhutto (Directors: Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara; Screenwriter: Johnny O'Hara)—A riveting...