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Blood in the Snow Film Festival (Bits), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian genre films, are pleased to announce the Blood in the Snow Film Festival is back for its 12th exciting edition fully in-person November 20th – 25th at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto presented by Super Channel.

Thrillers play a big part of the lineup this year with the festival feature opener Last County by Barret Mulholland and the World Premiere of Walking Supply from director Derek Barnes.

Other highlights include the highly acclaimed My Animal, from director Jacqueline Castel which recently won the Silver Audience Award for Best Canadian Feature at Fantasia and long time alumni Jesse Thomas Cook returns with The Hyperborean. Jesse’s last film to premiere at Bits in 2021, Cult Hero went on to be nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards.

Two short films that originally played at Bits before have been...

Marked slates includes Romi, Falling Stars.

Toronto-based genre specialists Raven Banner have acquired worldwide sales rights to Max Isaacson’s genre-bending Paradise and has introduced to AFM buyers this week.

Patricia Allison (His Dark Materials), Tate Donavan (Ghosted) and Tia Carrere (True Lies) star in the comedy western as Ella Patchet, a rebellious punk and the fastest gun around in a small island town.

When corrupt officials cover up the murder of her father Dan, the town sheriff, Ella embarks on a rage-fuelled quest for justice. Paradise is in post.

Raven Banner will also introduce Robert Cuffley’s horror Romi,...

The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to commence from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s second wave of programming is here, bringing with it announcements of the opening film, serial killer thriller Red Rooms, the Canadian premiere of Talk to Me, and a slew of new world premieres and festival screenings.

The festival’s complete lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected second wave of titles and happenings. From the press release:

Red Rooms

Coming to christen Fantasia’s 27th edition days after its Karlovy-Vary competition debut, Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) is the haunting third feature from celebrated Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante. The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed.

Montreal fest runs July 20-August 9.

The 27th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival (July 20-August 9) in Montreal will open with the North American premiere of Pascal Plante’s cyber thriller Red Rooms (Chambres Rouges).

The film will get its world premiere in Karlovy Vary and follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer.

As reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path in search of the final piece in the puzzle, the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl. Sphere Films International recently launched sales in Cannes.

Second wave...

Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has announced the opening film of its 27th edition: Pascal Plante’s “Red Rooms,” about a high-profile case of a serial killer and the woman (Juliette Gariépy) obsessed with him.

“It’s a film of enormous emotional force, unbelievably controlled and smart, with a staggering performance from Gariépy. Pascal is one of the greatest talents of his generation in Quebec cinema and among the strongest filmmakers in the country right now,” says festival’s artistic director Mitch Davis.

“In a sense, it’s an unconventionally grim note to open a festival on. It’s a profoundly disturbing film. But I know the audience is going to be left completely breathless by it.”

“As a Montrealer, I have been a regular festival goer of Fantasia for years now, but it’s the first time one of my features will be screened in their lineup. I...

Exclusive: Quebec’s Fantasia International Film Festival will open its 27th edition with the North American premiere of Pascal Plante’s latest pic Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges).

Plante will bring the pic to his native Quebec following a Competition bow at Karlovy Vary in June. The film, Plante’s third, follows the high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier, which has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the case’s puzzle.

The Nicolas Cage-starrer Sympathy for the Devil will have its international premiere at Fantasia. Written by Luke Paradise, the pic follows “The Driver” (Joel Kinnaman), who finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after being forced to drive a mysterious man, “The Passenger” (Cage). As their white-knuckle ride progresses, it becomes clear that...

Production has begun on a Canadian tech-horror called Romi, from director Robert Cuffley.   Based on his short film by the same name the story is about a young woman on the run is forced to hide out in a tricked out smart home. The digital assistant, the titular Romi, does not take kindly to their visit.    Romi stars Alexa Barajas from Yellowjackets with Juan Riedinger (Narcos) and Pavel Kriz (Mission Impossible).   Friends at Raven Banner Entertainment are handling international sales while freshly forged Canadian distributor Red Water Entertainment will dish it out here at home. Avi Federgreen of Red Water is also on board as an executive producer along with John Ferraro of Valleywood Entertainment.   Shooting has begun on acclaimed Canadian...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Stars: Siobhan Williams, Michael Eklund, Agam Darshi, Sally Cacic | Written by Susie Moloney | Directed by Robert Cuffley

We wake up, with our protagonist, knocking back a miniature bottle of vodka and heading into the office. Living the dream. Before we know what is happening, a sacked employee is stalking the halls of the office with a gun. Not even the ladies toilets is sacred.

It is at this point that our protagonist realises that she might need to make some changes in her life. After being caught drunk, in a dangerous situation. She is signed off work and is told to take some time to get herself healthy. She pours a load of booze down the sink and drives dangerously at night. She wakes up, and she has made it to the titular Bright Hill Road, a boarding house where she checks in. Marcy is on her way to visit her sisters in California,...

Directing a horror movie is never an easy feat but for Canadian director Robert Cuffley, his first foray into the genre was a liberating experience.

Shot in one location and featuring a stupendous performance from Siobhan Williams, Bright Hill Road is a deeply unsettling movie about a woman losing her mind in a place that might just be haunted.

I recently had a chance to speak with Cuffley about his new film and we covered everything from casting and editing to tips on how to make movies look more expensive than their budget.

Bright Hill Road is now available on DVD and on-demand.

Quiet Earth: Where did the idea for the movie start? Was this purely Susie Molo...

Canadian director Robert Cuffley's credits over the years have included a wide variety of projects from dramas and comedies to thrillers but they all have one thing in common. They all feature outstanding performances from actors on the verge of a breakout: Katharine Isabelle, Leelee Sobieski, Amanda Crew and most recently Siobhan Williams in Bright Hill Road.

Cuffley's first foray into horror isn't full of jump-scares or gore, the type of horror movie one might expect from a filmmaker looking to make a short-lived splash. Instead, the movie is clearly the work of a filmmaker who values story, character, and focuses on performance to really get at the heart of the thing: in this case, a woman on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Written by author Susie Moloney...

Bright Hill Road On Demand,DVD And Digital including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Dish Network and all major cable providers January 12, 2021 This January, Uncork’d Entertainment takes you down the terrifying trail of Bright Hill Road. Starring Siobhan Williams (Welcome to Marwen), Agam Darshi (“Sanctuary”) and Michael Eklund (The Call), Robert Cuffley’s unnerving …

The post Official Trailer: Bright Hill Road appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Stars: Chris Marquette, Amanda Crew, Michael Eklund, Niall Matter, Gwynyth Walsh, Mick Foley, Harry Smith, Laurel Van Ness, Lance Storm, Paul James Saunders, Graham Bell, Agam Darshi, Meghan Heffern | Written by Robert Cuffley, Jason Long | Directed by Robert Cuffley

Corey Swanson has problems. He’s almost 30, still lives in his mom’s basement, doesn’t date, and his career amounts to slicing meat in an archaic deli that no one ever comes to – unless they want to rob it. After a chance encounter with a popular former classmate, Corey learns that his high school crush Sheena Halliday will soon be in town for their 10-year reunion. Sheena, now a world-famous athlete, has been dubbed “the Lindsay Lohan of the wrestling world”. She twists and pounds people into oblivion for a living – the same thing she did to Corey’s heart back in high school. Corey puts his broken heart (and punched face) aside,...

Robert Cuffley's wrestling comedy Chokeslam (review) had a great festival run after premiering last year at the Calgary Film Festival and with the movie's Canadian release around the corner, a newly minted trailer has been released.

The movie stars Amanda Crew as Sheena, a high-school athlete who worked her way into the world of professional wrestling while Chris Marquette plays Corey, Sheena's high school best friend who wanted to be more than just friends and is still suffering from Sheena's humiliating rejection.

With her career at a standstill, Sheena returns home and is met with Corey's years-old heartbreak, her manager's push for a comeback match and a town who looks at her as both a sup [Continued ...]...

One of the things I love most about festivals is discovering something new and loglines don't get much stranger than "wrestling romantic comedy." But I'm cheating a little here because Chokeslam isn't really a new discovery but rather a movie I've been looking forward to since it premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival.

A passion project for writer/director Robert Cuffley (who a few years ago was responsible for the great thriller Ferocious (review), this comedy stars Chris Marquette as Corey, a nice guy who stuck around the small town he grew up in. His 10th anniversary high school re-union is around the corner and with it comes the return of Sheena, [Continued ...]...

The funding body’s Canada Feature Film Fund allocation applies to the 2014-15 cycle and includes films from Kim Nguyen and features actors such as Dane DeHaan and Catherine Keener.

The projects selected for funding are:

Away From Everywhere (Justin S Simms);

Chokeslam (Robert Cuffley);

Coconut Hero (Florian Cossen);

Destroyer (Kevan Funk);

The Education Of William Bowman (Ken Finkleman);

Grand Unified Theory (David Ray);

The Sabbatical (Brian Stockton);

The Saver (Wiebke von Carolsfeld);

The Second Time Around (Leon Marr);

Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil: The End Of The End (Craig David Wallace);

Two Lovers And A Bear (Kim Nguyen);

Unless (Alan Gilsenan);

The Unseen (Geoff Redknap); and

Your Money Or Your Wife (Iain Macleod).

“I’m delighted to see the variety of genres and stories represented by these new productions, which truly reflect the diversity, scope and originality of Canadian filmmaking,” said Telefilm Canada executive director Carolle Brabant.

“This selection includes dramas, comedies and thrillers...

What would you do to secure your fame? Would you kill for it? That seems to be a likely scenario in writer/director Robert Cuffley's Ferocious. The thriller stars Amanda Crew as Leigh Parrish, an up and coming actress who is trying to maintain control of her carefully manicured public persona and will retain that control by whatever means necessary. [Continued ...]...

It's funny how things can go from bad to worse to what the hell?! That's kind of the story behind the new trailer for the upcoming film Ferocious. Just from the teaser you can tell there are some intriguing (and smarmy) characters in this one.

Written and directed by Robert Cuffley, Ferocious was produced by Carolyn McMaster and Anand Ramayya. The film stars Amanda Crew, Kim Coates, Dustin Milligan, Michael Eklund and Katie Boland.

Take a peek at the trailer below, and dig the hot disco ball poster. For more visit the official Ferocious website, "like" Ferocious on Facebook and follow Ferocious on Twitter (@ferociousmovie). A theatrical release is set for later this year.

From the Press Release

Director Robert Cuffley has released the trailer for Ferocious, a nail-biting thriller about popular television actress Leigh Parrish (Amanda Crew), who tries to secretly retrieve a sexually incriminating videotape from a seedy nightclub.

We’re happy to debut three exclusive new images from the upcoming Ferocious. Directed by Robert Cuffley (Walk All Over Me), the film stars Amanda Crew (Sex Drive) as a popular television actress who returns to her small hometown under mysterious circumstances. The truth behind her visit is not shared with her family, the media, or even her manager, but she must revisit her former place of employment—a grungy night club—in order to retrieve something that could put an end to her career. The trailer is effectively intriguing, promising a creepy performance from co-star Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy). Hit the jump to check out the images. Ferocious is slated for release sometime this fall. Here’s the synopsis for Ferocious, followed by the images and trailer: The future looks positively rosy for Leigh. Having landed a role on a soap that has exploded across North America, Leigh...

A few years ago Robert Cuffley appeared on the scene with a great comedy of errors titled Walk All Over Me. Though it wasn't the director's first feature, it was the one that introduced me to his work which often touches on dark themes. It was a fantastic bit of fun involving Tricia Helfer as a dominatrix and her roommate Leelee Sobieski who pretends to be a dom in order to pay her rent. There's more to the story than that but you'll have to check it out to get all of the details. [Continued ...]...

NEW YORK -- Christopher McDonald, Leslie Nielsen, Marion Ross, Jeffrey Tambor and Brent Spiner join young stars Drake Bell, Ryan Hansen, Kevin Hart and Sara Paxton in the Dimension Films action-movie spoof Superhero.

Dimension parent Weinstein Co. also acquired U.S. distribution rights to Robert Cuffley's crime thriller Walk All Over Me, starring Leelee Sobieski as a small-town girl who assumes the dominatrix identity of her roommate (Tricia Helfer) to make some extra cash. The studio plans a video and TV release for the recent Toronto International Film Festival premiere, acquired from IndustryWorks Distribution.

Craig Mazin's Superhero, set for a March theatrical release, will be cut from the same cloth as the writer-director's Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4 parodies. David Zucker ("Airplane!") and Robert K. Weiss (the Naked Gun sequels) will produce.

Bell (Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh), Paxton (Aquamarine), Hansen (Veronica Mars) and Hart (All About Polly) will be aided in the comic chaos by vets McDonald (Thelma and Louise), Nielsen (the Naked Gun trilogy), Ross (Happy Days), Tambor (Arrested Development) and Spiner (Star Trek: First Contact).