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Part of our continuing partnership with the online film journal, cléo. Every month, cléo will be presenting a great film to watch on our video on demand platform. In conjunction, we'll be hosting an exclusive article by one of their contributors. This month Eleni Deacon writes on Calvin Thomas & Yonah Lewis' breakthrough feature debut Amy George, which is available to watch starting August 31st in the Us, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Italy—and will be playing in Turkey, Mexico, and Germany later in September.

In the early minutes of Amy George (2011), Jesse gets a challenge. "It's called the Fearless Project," his teacher says, "And what I want you to do is take a self-portrait without it being a literal photo of yourselves." This is a heavy task for a classroom of 13-year-olds: it demands self-conscious self-definition at age when most kids have only begun testing the waters of self-discovery.

*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Indican Pictures

Director: Joseph Tito.

Writers: Joseph Tito and Silvio Oddi.

Cast: Natasha Allan, Daniel Baldock and Maria Grazia Cucinotta.

Release Date: Sept. 20, 2011 (DVD).

The problem with the movie Death of the Virgin is that it does not quite know what it wants to be. There are elements of a psychological horror, the underpinnings of artistic expression, a potential ghost story and a question of faith to be explored. All of them can blend together into a powerhouse product like The Omen. But when the tale is not clearly defined and the characters are as flat as a pizza, where this movie goes is uncertain.

This film can travel anywhere, including making a quest for the meaning of life. Three maidens make a trip on a bus to go find it, and they arrive at Caravaggio, an Italian monastery.

Dread Central is always on the lookout for intriguing new information to share with our readers. So when an email arrived informing us of a supernatural thriller that was the equivalent of "The DaVinci Code meets The Exorcist", of course we sat up and took notice.

The film being described is none other than director Joseph Tito's Death of the Virgin. It's been an official selection of the Toronto and Rome International Film Festivals. And if the trailer is any indication, this religious-themed horrific thriller certainly looks to be able to deliver on the whole DaVinci Code/Exorcist thing.

Starring Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Rite, The Postman (Il Postino), James Bond – The World is Not Enough), Daniel Baldock (Letters to Juliet, Pope Pius Xii, Pillars of the Earth, Go Go Tales), Linda Valadas (Novellas Morangos Com Acucar, Detective Maravilhas, Tu E Eu) and Natasha Allan (Take Your Place (Prenez Vos...

Release Date: Sept. 20, 2011

Price: DVD $24.99, Blu-ray $29.99

Studio: Indican Pictures

There are supernatural happenings whirling about the art of Caravaggio in Death of the Virgin.

At first glance, the horror-thriller film Death of the Virgin looks like it could appeal to both lovers of 16th Century Italian art and devilish and violent supernatural movies. Hmmmm….

Here’s what the movie’s all about:

In 1432, an apparition of the Virgin Mary appears in the sleepy town of Caravaggio, becoming the inspiration for the gruesomely beautiful paintings of the artist, Michelangelo Merisi — better known as Caravaggio.

Five centuries later, in modern-day Italy, three women travel to Caravaggio: Lisa (Jennifer Healy), an aspiring art student; Claudia (Maria Grazia Cucinotta, The Rite); a sexy Italian translator; and May (Natasha Allan, Blue Bird), a young woman about to enter the nunnery. Their world is quickly turned upside down when the apparition reappears and May becomes plagued by premonitions of shocking murders.

Indican Pictures, a distribution housed based in Hollywood, is set to deliver their latest thriller, Death of the Virgin. This title was shot in Italy by Joseph Tito, a Roman born director. Death of the Virgin releases on DVD September 21st and the film involves a young women, May (Natasha Allan) preparing for the nunnery. However, strange visions haunt her involving blood tears, impalings and gore. It seems the 16th Century religious painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is haunting her.

Carvaggio was an actual Italian painter who was more known for his brawling and aggression than his artwork. Carvaggio is remembered for walking about Rome with a sword and a servant attacking those who got in his way. With a price on his head, Carvaggio fled to neighbouring Italian cities, where he himself was attacked in an assassination attempt. He would die a year later. His paintings and work in the arts would be forgotten,...

DVD artwork is in for Death of the Virgin , a thriller currently playing in New York (it opens in Chicago and L.A. later this month) that is heading to DVD on September 20. Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Daniel Baldock, Linda Valadas and Natasha Allan star in this bloody tale that wields a Da Vinci Code -esque mystery. You'll find the trailer just past the synopsis. Based on a true story comes this chilling tale. In 1432 a stunning apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared in the sleepy town of Caravaggio becoming the inspiration for the gruesome yet extraordinary paintings of the artist, Michelangelo Merisi (better known as Caravaggio). Now, in modern day 2011, three women travel to Caravaggio -- Lisa, an aspiring art student, Claudia, a sexy Italian translator and May, a young...

Yesterday, the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place between September 8 and 18, unveiled the list of Canadian films that will be screened.

Galas

A Dangerous Method Director: David Cronenberg Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Sarah Gadon

Starbuck

Director: Ken Scott

Cast: Patrick Huard, Antoine Bertrand and Patrick Labbé

Take This Waltz Director: Sarah Polley Cast: Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman

Canada First

Marécages Director: Guy Édoin Cast: Pascale Bussières, Luc Picard, Gabriel Maillé and François Papineau

Amy George Directors: Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas Cast: Gabriel del Castillo Mullally, Claudia Dey, Don Kerr and Natasha Allan

Nuit #1 Director: Anne Émond Cast: Catherine de Léan and Dimitri Storoge

The Odds Directors: Simon Davidson Cast: Tyler Johnston, Calum Worthy and Julia Maxwell

The Patron Saints Directors: Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy

Roméo Onze Director: Ivan Grbovic Cast: Ali Ammar, Joseph Bou Nassar, Eleonore Millier, May Hilal...

More distribution news is headed your way, this time for Joseph Tito's Death of the Virgin, starring Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Silvio Oddi, Natasha Allan, Richard Eckles, and Jennifer Healy.

The good folks over at Indican Pictures have acquired domestic rights, and to celebrate, we here at Dread Central would like to take this moment to pour out some of our 40 ozs in memory of all of the fallen hymens out there. Respect!

For more visit the official Death of the Virgin website and check out Death of the Virgin on Facebook.

Synopsis

A suspense thriller, Death Of The Virgin is based on a true story. Taking place in the town of Caravaggio, the movie is inspired by the apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1432 and the gruesome yet extraordinary paintings of the artist Michelangelo Merisi, who became known as Caravaggio.

May, a young Canadian woman with a horrifying past,...

                                                                           

The trailer for Death of the Virgin has actually been out for almost two years but the film itself is finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, it has just been picked up by Indican Pictures. No release date is set.

Synopsis:

May, a young Canadian woman with a horrifying past, travels to the small highly religious town to take her vows into nun hood. There she begins to be plagued by disturbing dreams which become premonitions of real life murders that seem to be related to the paintings of Caravaggio. In an escalation of terror and madness, where dreams become reality, she discovers an obscure secret that digs deep into her past unraveling a shocking destiny.

This suspense thriller takes the viewer on a journey through the worlds of art and religion, painting beautiful pictures with horrifying results.

Directed By: Joseph Tito

 

Starring: Maria Grazia Cucinotta,...