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Vertigo Releasing has set a UK and Ireland theatrical roll-out for 40 Acres, the post-apocalyptic thriller headlined by Danielle Deadwyler, from 1 August. The film’s world premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival where it garnered strong acclaim, and now it lands in select cinemas ahead of a digital release on 4 August.

Set in a future ravaged by famine, 40 Acres follows Hailey Freeman (Deadwyler) and her kin, the last descendants of African American settlers who established a community in rural Canada in 1875 after the first Civil War. Resources grow scarce and hostile outsiders threaten to wrest their land. Freeman must marshal every ounce of resilience to defend the farmstead that has sheltered her family for generations.

Deadwyler’s performance anchors the film. The New York Times declared that “Deadwyler’s forceful energy fills the frame,” while Collider praised the story as a “thrillingly told apocalyptic tale,” and Variety lauded...

In a future where land is the most valuable commodity, the Freemans adhere to a strict isolationist policy. The tight-knit family at the center of R.T. Thorne’s gripping debut 40 Acres does not explore areas outside of their farm, a sprawling tract of land in rural Canada demarcated by barbed wires, nor do they fraternize with other survivors in their dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Led by their resolute matriarch Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler, in typically fine form) and her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes, also excellent), the Freeman children spend their days tending crops, undergoing rigorous combat training and learning about the traditions of their Black and Indigenous ancestors.

But their quiet existence becomes threatened after Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor), the eldest Freeman kid, makes contact with a young woman who desperately needs his family’s help.

Borrowing from a range of familiar sources, most notably the work of Octavia Butler, Thorne crafts a...

Magnolia Film’s post-apocalyptic thriller “40 Acres” has officially arrived for its theatrical debut and TheWrap is here to give you all the details on how to watch.

The action-thriller, directed by debut feature filmmaker R.T. Thorne, also stars Michael Greyeyes (“Firestarter”). The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), gaining widespread acclaim from its audience and film critics. It was listed as one of the festival’s Top 10 films from that year.

Earlier this year, Magnolia Films acquired the rights to the “40 Acres,” and set the film up for a summer release, which has now arrived. Here’s everything you need to know about when, where and how to watch.

When does “40 Acres” come out?

The film “40 Acres” comes out in theaters on Wednesday, July 2.

Is “40 Acres” in theaters?

Yes, “40 Acres” hits theaters on Wednesday, July 2. Check out the listings below for tickets.

“40 Acres” director and co-writer R.T. Thorne said his film, which centers on a Black family’s survival through a starved, post-apocalyptic world and their commitment to preserving their heritage, also serves as a reminder to communities of color that knowing your history is crucial, particularly amid political anti-dei agendas.

“It’s something that’s been instilled in me from my mother. One of the things she used to tell us all the time is that, ‘I don’t trust these institutions to teach you about you,’ so we have to learn our own history, and that’s been a big part of my journey,” Thorne told TheWrap. “I think the film is informed by history. It’s a film that takes place in the future, and I think that it’s a circular thing … In order to move forward, in order to survive, in order to thrive in the future,...

In a desolate landscape where the world as we know it has already collapsed, a family fights for survival and the preservation of their legacy. 40 Acres, the feature directorial debut of R.T. Thorne, co-written with Glenn Taylor, is an intense dystopian drama set in a future ravaged by war and famine.

Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) is a former soldier who leads her family with an iron fist on an isolated farm in the middle of nowhere, constantly threatened by a militia that covets her precious land — rich in historical and personal symbolism. Alongside Deadwyler are Kataem O’Connor (Murdoch Mysteries), Michael Greyeyes (Wild Indian), Milcania Diaz-Rojas (The Bold Type), Leenah Robinson (1923), and Haile Amare.

40 Acres Review Danielle Deadwyler as Hailey in 40 Acres | © Magnolia Pictures Michael Greyeyes as Galen in 40 Acres | © Magnolia Pictures Kataem O’Connor as Emanuel and Milcania Diaz-Rojas as Dawn in 40 Acres | © Magnolia Pictures Danielle Deadwyler as Hailey in...

In a crushing blow to anyone who claims they’d rather be dead than vegan, a fungal plague wiped out animal life on planet earth 14 years ago. The natural disaster effectively wiped out thousands of years of human economic development, turning us back into an agrarian society overnight. Land has become the most important resource on planet Earth, and anyone who owns their own farm is both blessed with the resources they need to survive and burdened by the knowledge that people are trying to kill them at all times. And because people still need protein, cannibalism is making a regrettable comeback.

So begins “40 Acres,” a dystopian home invasion saga anchored by a phenomenally grizzled Movie Star Performance from Danielle Deadwyler. The actress stars as Hailey Freeman, a former soldier who runs a family farm and is all too aware of the kinds of people who would love to take it from her.

Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes, Kataem O’Connor, Haile Amare, and Jaeda LeBlanc in ’40 Acres’ (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)

40 Acres is an incredibly intense post-apocalyptic thriller set in a world transformed by a fungal pandemic followed by civil war and famine. The film plunges us into a new reality where fertile farmland has become the world’s most coveted resource. And yet, despite the bleak setting, 40 Acres is a profoundly moving story of hope and human resilience.

The film’s action is focused on the Freeman family, owners of a thriving farm that’s often the target of armed trespassers. The family, led by Hailey and Galen, has extensive arms training and quickly dispatches all intruders. Their weapons of choice: guns, knives, and hatchets.

The Freemans aren’t just survivors; they are formidable guardians of their flourishing cornfields. Scenes around the dining room table reveal their deep, ingrained commitment to their land and lineage.

A simple title screen introduces us to the world of 40 Acres. It explains that the global food supply has been decimated, society has crumbled, and farmland is now prized above all else. This is the first and last time R.T. Thorne’s feature-length directorial debut will pull back for such a big-picture view, narrowing its focus from that moment on to the survival story of a single family in rural Canada. It’s a choice that makes for a tight, tense thriller, and helps 40 Acres carve out a corner of its own in a genre landscape that doesn’t lack for dystopian visions.

The film begins with a gang of bandits closing in on a farmhouse. One of the gang’s members cheerfully announces himself and begins a “we were just passing through” spiel while the others sneak around the back, all of them with a glint in their eye,...

Acclaimed actress Danielle Deadwyler is back on the big screen this summer with the release of R.T. Thorne’s “40 Acres.” The critically praised 2024 TIFF premiere — a survival action-thriller set after a plague has destroyed animal life on Earth — doesn’t open nationally until July 2. But select audiences can see the movie for free on the upcoming Juneteenth holiday, June 19, courtesy of distributor Magnolia Pictures.

As IndieWire exclusively announces, Magnolia will partner with top radio stations, DJs, and affinity groups in select U.S. cities to bring the film directly to local communities in honor of the 160-year anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States. (Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.)

Cities and partners include Atlanta, Ga (Majic 107.5/97.5), Birmingham, Al (Wbhk-fm 98.7 Kiss), Chicago, Il (Creative Cypher + Xl Fest), Dallas, TX (Juilliard Black Alumni Association – Jbaa), Houston, TX (Prairie View University Alumni), Los Angeles, CA (Radio Free 102.3 Kjlh), Nashville,...

Magnolia Pictures will be giving the post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres, starring Danielle Deadwyler of The Woman in the Yard and Carry-On, a theatrical release on July 2nd – and in anticipation of that release, we’re proud to share an Exclusive clip from the movie! You can check it out in the embed above.

40 Acres marks the feature directorial debut of R.T. Thorne, who also wrote the screenplay with Glenn Taylor from a story by Lora Campbell. The film has the following synopsis: After a plague eradicates all animal life, famine spreads across the globe leaving society at war and in ruins, but the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on their ancestral farm so long as they dispatch the occasional raiding party. But what good is surviving the end of the world if it means snuffing out your own humanity? Former soldier Hailey made that choice years ago, believing that isolation was...

Carry-On star Danielle Deadwyler is fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world in the first official trailer for 40 Acres, a new thriller from Magnolia Pictures.

Magnolia Pictures has released the first official trailer for 40 Acres, a new post-apocalyptic thriller starring Deadwyler as Hailey, a mother who is forced to teach her children how to fight and kill in an unforgiving world. In addition to Deadwyler, 40 Acres also stars Michael Greyeyes (Firestarter), Kataem O’Connor (Time Cut), Milcania Diaz-Rojas (Share), and Leenah Robinson (Monkey Beach). R.T. Thorne, best known for directing episodes of Kung Fu and The Lake, is making his feature directorial debut with 40 Acres. Thorne also co-wrote the script alongside Glenn Taylor. Check out the official trailer for 40 Acres below.

The official synopsis for 40 Acres reads: "After a series of plagues and wars leaves society in ruins, the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films has licensed UK, Germany, Australia and Middle East rights on recent SXSW action thriller 40 Acres starring Danielle Deadwyler.

Vertigo Releasing will distribute in the UK, Weltkino in Germany, Rialto Distribution in Australia and New Zealand, and Falcon Films in the Middle East. Further territories are in negotiation.

Magnolia plans an early summer theatrical release in the US, and Mongrel Media will distribute in Canada.

R.T. Thorne directed the story of Hailey Freeman and her family, the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in rural Canada after the Civil War, as they struggle in...

Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar in ‘Drop,’ directed by Christopher Landon. (Photo Courtesy of Overlook Film Festival)

The 2025 Overlook Film Festival announced its first wave of films, with director Christopher Landon’s Drop starring Brandon Sklenar (1923) and Meghann Fahy (The Perfect Couple) set as the Opening Night film. This year’s popular horror film festival will take place April 3-6 in New Orleans and will include 47 films, live performances, interactive events, and special guests.

Attendees will also be treated to screenings of classic horror films including director Ernest Dickerson’s Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight and the 40th anniversary 4K restoration of Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator.

“No matter how many years this festival runs, every time we get to re-open the gates of our spectral summer camp feels like a miracle,” stated Landon Zakheim, co-founder and executive director of the Overlook FIlm Festival. “For all wayward souls and monster...

The Overlook Film Festival returns to “America’s most haunted city” from April 3 to 6. A cat on its ninth life, the annual event in New Orleans was founded almost a decade ago to celebrate scary movies and immersive horror experiences. This year, the festival lineup emphasizes tradition — honoring Shudder’s 10th birthday at its opening night party, programming a retro series with “Ash” director Flying Lotus, offering a conversation with genre literary legend Joe Hill, and more.

“I feel like we are standing at the crossroads of horror history,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming. “This year really showcases the old and new guard coming together. We have astounding debuts from exciting newcomers. We have veteran masters that keep reinventing themselves with new work. And we’re just getting started so stay tuned for more.”

From narrative films like “The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick...

The Overlook Film Festival has announced this morning their first wave of programming for the upcoming 2025 edition, taking place April 3 – April 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Get ready to descend on America’s most haunted city for interactive events, live performances, immersive programming and special guests.

The fest announces 47 films (25 features and 22 shorts) from 10 countries, as well as five live presentations and three immersive experiences, with many more exciting surprises to be announced as the festival approaches. Kicking off the festivities as the Opening Night film will be Universal Pictures’ upcoming thriller Drop from Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes. Following the screening, festival-goers and special guests will make their way to an unmissable party celebrating both the start of the festival and the tenth anniversary of Shudder, the iconic horror curation and streaming service. Hosted by Shudder, this one-of-a-kind event will kick off with a horror-infused second line and will include some very special guest performances.

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to the Toronto International Film Festival breakout film “40 Acres” starring Danielle Deadwyler.

The action-thriller, which comes from debut feature filmmaker R.T. Thorne, also stars Michael Greyeyes (“Firestarter”). The film premiered at TIFF in 2024, gaining wide applause from its audience and film critics. It was listed as one of the festival’s Top 10 films from that year.

The film also stars Kataem O’Connor, Leenah Robinson, Jaeda LeBlanc, Haile Amare, Elizabeth Saunders and Tyrone Benskin. In March, “40 Acres” will make its U.S. premiere at the South by Southwest film festival, which will be followed by a summer theatrical release.

“Writer-director R.T. Thorne has delivered an incredible, intense vision of a world on edge,” Magnolia Pictures co-CEOs Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley said in a Thursday statement. “Danielle Deadwyler’s towering performance as a total badass is one for the ages.

Exclusive: Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to 40 Acres, an action-thriller starring Danielle Deadwyler (Till) and Michael Greyeyes (True Detective), from world sales company Visit Films. Hailing from debut filmmaker R.T. Thorne, who wrote the script with Glenn Taylor, the film will be released in theaters in early summer.

World premiering at TIFF, where it was named one of Canada’s Top 10 films of the 2024 festival, 40 Acres is set in a world where a plague has eradicated all animal life and famine has spread across the globe, leaving society at war and in ruins, but the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on their ancestral farm, so long as they dispatch the occasional raiding party. But what good is surviving the end of the world if it means snuffing out your own humanity? Former soldier Hailey (Deadwyler) made that choice years ago, believing that isolation was the only way to protect her family.

Hammer Films is making a big comeback, and this time, they’re bringing a brand-new monster to the horror world. Under the leadership of British theater producer John Gore, the legendary studio is set to launch a fresh slate of films while honoring its rich horror legacy.

For the first time in 60 years, Hammer is introducing a new movie monster with Ithaqua, a horror film directed and produced by Casey Walker. Set in the harsh, frozen wilderness of 1800s Canada, the story follows a group of survivors at a remote fur-trading outpost. The industry is in decline, food is scarce, and a mercenary is forced to unite the struggling group against the deadly cold, starvation… and something even worse.

A dark presence lurks in the shadows, watching, waiting. Those who fall under its influence are cursed with an uncontrollable hunger for flesh.

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The legendary brand Hammer Films is plotting a return with a brand new slate of movies under the ownership of British theater producer John Gore, the new team aiming to “celebrate and preserve the unmatched legacy of Hammer and to usher in a new era of storytelling.” For the first time in 60 years, on that note, Hammer is unleashing a brand new movie monster!

The brand announced on Instagram over the weekend that director and producer Casey Walker will soon unleash Ithaqua, which is set in the brutal wilderness of 1800s Canada.

Hammer Films previews, “the fur trade is in decline and a remote outpost is starving. A mercenary fights to unite the survivors against the cold, the hunger… and something far worse.

“A dark force is watching. Waiting. And those who fall into its grasp are cursed with an insatiable hunger for flesh.”

Now in production, Ithaqua will feature...

John Gore Studios, a new film and TV production studio headquartered in London, has on Wednesday officially launched and appointed industry veteran Hilary Strong as CEO.

British-born Gore, a two-time Emmy and Olivier award winner, will serve as executive chairman of John Gore Studios. He has tapped Strong as CEO, an exec in the literary and entertainment sectors whose previous endeavors include chief at Agatha Christie Ltd and commercial director at Hat Trick productions.

John Gore Studios, with additional offices in New York, will adopt a “strategic approach to film and TV that mirrors the highly successful methods used for theater” by the John Gore Organization, a comprehensive family of media companies, which includes Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, and Group Sales Box Office. Gore is a 22-time Tony award winner.

John Gore Studios is already set for production on two new features: The Bitter End...

Exclusive: Broadway producer John Gore has fulfilled a long-held desire to launch a British studio, appointing Hilary Strong CEO and unveiling first projects including the Joan Collins-starring Wallis Simpson biopic.

John Gore Studios Ltd comes more than a year after Gore, a 22-time Tony Award winner, acquired iconic British Dracula outfit Hammer Films and several weeks after it bought Kaleidoscope parent KFilm.

Headquartered in London with offices in New York, the studio will make films and TV shows. “Through the strategic acquisition and restoration of film libraries, the acquisition of heritage intellectual property and a commitment to innovative production, John Gore Studios will uphold the rich traditions of the British film and television industry with a future-facing creative vision,” it said.

Gore Studios said it will adopt a similar approach to the John Gore Organization, which owns the likes of Broadway Across America, Broadway.com and The Broadway Channel. Gore’s credits include Oklahoma!

40 Acres starts at the Freeman farm. An assault on the farm and its occupants is about to occur, but a small, mighty group manages to stop the assailants and ensure they never return. Here, we meet Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler), a former soldier who has trained her family, which comprises her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and their four children, the oldest of whom is her son Emmanuel (Kateem O'Connor). The Freemans hold firm to their values, protecting their land, training to survive, and never forgetting their respective history as a blended Black and Indigenous family.

40 Acres

Director R.T. ThorneRelease Date September 6, 2024Writers R.T. ThorneCast Tyson Kirk, Patrick Kerton, David Chinchilla, Julian Lewis, Ava Weiss, Jaeda LeBlanc, Leenah Robinson, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Kataem O'Connor, David MacInnis, Elizabeth Saunders, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael GreyeyesGenres Drama, Thriller, History

The film by writer-director R.T. Thorne takes place in the near future, when the decimation of...

For as long as Danielle Deadwyler has had to wait to take the lead in an action film like “40 Acres,” it takes far less time for the “Till” star to demonstrate the full range of her strengths. Given the kind of introduction usually reserved for the likes of Clint Eastwood or Bruce Willis as a camera runs up her back, only to reveal her face after plunging a knife into an intruder on her property, it just hits differently when a Black woman is presented with such power, and though R.T. Thorne’s dynamic siege thriller has some familiar moves, it is full of fresh ideas.

Set in a dystopian future where the animal population has been wiped out 14 years earlier because of a fungal pandemic, “40 Acres” shows a new world order: Farmers who can produce their own crops hold their own while others shuffle along for survival...

Principal photography has begun on the thriller 40 Acres starring Danielle Deadwyler in one of her first feature roles following 2022’s Till.

The pic is currently shooting on location in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The independent pic also stars Kataem O’Connor (The Way Home), Michael Greyeyes (1923), Milcania Diaz-Rojas (The Bold Type) and Leenah Robinson (1923).

Billed as a “post-apocalyptic thriller,” synopsis reads: Hailey Freeman and her family are the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in 1875 in rural Canada after the first Civil War. Two hundred years later, they struggle to survive in a famine-decimated future and make their last stand against a band of cannibals intent on taking their home.

The film is directed by R.T. Thorne (The Porter). Joining Thorne are director of photography Jeremy Benning (Accused), production designer Peter Cosco (Women Talking), costume designer Charlene Akuamoah (Robyn Hood), and editors Sandy Pereira (Young Werther) and Dev Singh (The...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2023 Emmy Predictions:

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Weekly Commentary: Commentary to be added in the coming weeks.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in the major categories.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Creative Arts predictions in all categories.

And...

Spoiler Alert! This story contains plot points from episode seven of 1923 on Paramount+.

Anyone who tuned in to Taylor Sheridan’s latest Yellowstone prequel expecting wall-to-wall storytelling about the Dutton family was in for a shock: half of the story has been devoted to the horrific treatment of young indigenous women in a boarding school run by Catholic nuns and a very sadistic priest.

One of those girls is played by Aminah Nieves, an indigenous actress who landed the very important role of Teonna Rainwater — a veritable prisoner of the Catholics who can dish it out as much as she can take it. Teonna finally escapes the clutches of her captors but trouble continues to follow her.

Here, Nieves talks affectionately about meeting Taylor “Tay Tay” Sheridan and how important it was for her to accept the role.