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In The Buildout, Zeshaan Younus’s feature debut, a lean 64-minute indie unfolds as a hybrid of narrative drama and fragmentary found-footage realism. The format alternates between meticulously framed widescreen vistas and jittery camcorder segments (a style I might dub “docu-lyricism”), courtesy of GoPro helmet cams and a handheld consumer camera.

Against the Southern California desert’s bleached expanse, Cameron (Jenna Kanell) and Dylan (Hannah Alline) undertake one last desert trek toward a fledgling religious community. Both bear the aftermath of a shared loss—guilt-laden and aching for absolution.

Younus orchestrates a contemplative pulse, where long silences stretch like dunes, then snap into sudden, unsettling suggestion. The film’s rhythm recalls post-war pilgrim narratives—those seeking a new Eden amid dust and doubt. It even seems to echo Steinbeck’s dust-blown migrations: survivors gravitating toward the promise of renewal.

In this milieu, themes of rebirth and rupture entwine. Friendship is...

Zombie Date Night 2:

Roses are red…

Blood is too.

And the undead are even hungrier

In Zombie Date Night 2!

Ready For The Second Date?

"From the clearly rotted mind of Steve Urena comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed zombie romance comedy, Zombie Date Night!

Still recovering from the awkwardness of their first Zombie Date Night, main characters Jack and Ginger have reached the scariest place to be…the friend zone.

When their survival group realizes they’re running out of food, the enthusiastic and outgoing Ginger leads the charge with a very reluctant Jack to find sustenance before the zombaes (zombies who can only survive with a mate) eat them first. Will the second date be better than the first or will this situationship be food for the undead?

Returning for the sequel is the original team behind the first Zombie Date Night. Incredible art drawn by Sergi Domènech.

Something strange is happening in the desert. A brand new trailer for The Buildout invites you on a stunning, genre-bending odyssey into the unknown ahead of the film’s release later this month.

Look for the horror drama to arrive on VOD on February 25, 2025.

The Buildout is written and directed by Zeshaan Younus and stars Jenna Kanell, Hannah Alline, Natasha Halevi, Michael Sung Ho, and Danielle Evon Ploeger.

In the film, “Something is happening in the desert. The epicenter is a strange tent, humming with an imbued esoteric energy. What is found within its walls is incomprehensible. We first meet Dylan and Cameron as they barrel deeper into the desert. One knows exactly where they’re going, the other one is doing their best to be a good friend. On a road trip fueled by junk food and documented by a handheld camera, the women traverse a landscape that feels...

A new distribution company, Ethos Releasing, are announcing their inaugural slate for 2025. The company was founded by producer Noah Lang, who is no stranger to the ScreenAnarchy family. We've been writing about their projects for a long time and are happy to support them in this next step in the evolution of their career.    The first release from Ethos Releasing is The Buildout, the feature film debut from writer/director Zeshaan Younus. The story centers around two women whose friendship is tested when they experience something strange in the desert. Jenna Kanell and Hannah Alline star.    A small selection of stills from this year's slate can be found below. They are in alphabetical order: Alone All Together, Ba, The Buildout, Dark My Light and Noclip.   ...

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

The Popcorn Frights Film Festival is back this year, both in-person and virtually, from August 8-18. If the first wave wasn’t already an idicator, the fest is going big to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and the second wave of programming unleashes even more exciting events and premieres.

From the press release: “To commemorate its awesome milestone, Popcorn Frights introduces the Golden Skull Award, honoring a master of horror whose made an everlasting impact on the genre and our darkest dreams. The inaugural recipient is legendary actor Tony Todd, the haunting star of over 200 films, including the iconic Candyman. At a special presentation of Candyman, Todd will receive this honor, accompanied by the screening of two new films featuring him: the unsettling tale The Activated Man and the previously announced world premiere of The Bunker.

But the horror doesn’t end there! Just when you thought it was safe to go back into bed,...

The Black Sunday Film Festival has an exciting line-up for its much anticipated one-day mini-fest, set to take place at the Odeon Chelmsford this Saturday, 20th July. Known for its dedication to showcasing the best in independent genre filmmaking, this year’s event promises a thrilling array of horror features and short films from indie filmmakers across the globe.

The festival’s feature film presentations boast a diverse selection of premieres, headlined by the UK premiere of Sigil, directed by Jacob Perrett. This indie darling, starring Karlee Mihailov and Isabella Rodriguez, has been making waves on the festival circuit and is eagerly awaited by horror lovers.

Adding to the excitement is the Essex premiere of Haunted Ulster Live, a festival hit from writer/director Dominic O’Neill. Featuring performances by Aimee Richardson, Mark Claney, and Siobhan Kelly, the film promises to deliver a chilling experience rooted in the supernatural lore of Northern Ireland.

In Southern California, there is a hotbed of paranormal activity known as the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The area called the Borrego Triangle boasts stories of UFOs, eight-foot-tall ghost skeletons, and a furry cryptid known as the Borrego Sandman. Filmmaker Zeshaan Younus and producer Trevor Dillon crowdfunded, assembled a small cast, and spent a week in the Anza-Borrego Desert filming Younus’ directorial debut, The Buildout, with real life paranormal investigator Greg Newkirk (Hellier) serving as Executive Producer.

Part found footage and part paranormal fever dream, The Buildout draws from the rich supernatural history of the location, as well as the majestic scenery, with captivating results.

The Buildout follows close friends Dylan (Hannah Alline) and Cameron (Jenna Kanell) as they venture out into the California desert on motorbikes. The two women have been friends since childhood and this long journey into the desert will be the last time they are together.

MidWest WeirdFest has announced its full program for 2024. The 8th annual film festival – a cinematic celebration of of all things fantastic, frightening, paranormal, and just plain weird – takes place March 1st – 3rd 2024 at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The fest’s fantastic line-up of horror, sci-fi, underground, paranormal, and documentary cinema, kicks off at 6pm, Friday March 1, with the theatrical world premiere of the brand new, and soon to be cult hit, Blind Cop 2.- which is just one of the amazing feature films to be showcased at the festival next month, along with over fifty short films.

The feature films screening at the festival include:

Blind Cop 2: (dir: Alec Bonk ) Theatrical World Premiere

A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, this is a riotous homage and parody of 80s action cinema. Blind Cop, the former beacon of justice, is consumed by grief after...

In this series of special guest posts, we’re asking first-time feature directors (narrative and nonfiction) to share what they’ve learned from these debut outings, focusing on one specific aspect of production. This month: location shooting.

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“In dust we trust.” A motto we would have tattooed across our necks in November 2022 when we ventured into the desert to begin production on our first feature film, The Buildout. When I say we, I mean myself and Trevor Dillon (Producer).

Authors Zeshaan Younus (left) and Trevor Dillon on the set of ‘The Buildout’

Eventually, “in dust we trust” would be akin to Maximus exhorting his rank and file in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. An acknowledgement between brothers and sisters on the battlefield. Our front line? The Anza-Borrego State Park. Over 640,000 acres, temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit, potential wind gusts clocking in at 80 miles-per-hour, intermittent rain, and mostly zero cell reception. If it...