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Arrow Strikes For UK & U.S. Rights To Horror Pic ‘The Leech’

Exclusive: Arrow Films has acquired rights in the UK, Ireland, U.S. and Canada to Eric Pennycoff’s Christmas horror comedy The Leech, which is set to have its world premiere at Chattanooga Film Festival tomorrow (June 23). A December 2022 release is planned. In the movie, a devout priest welcomes a struggling couple into his house at Christmas time. What begins as a simple act of kindness quickly becomes the ultimate test of faith once the sanctity of his home is jeopardized. Jeremy Gardner, Graham Skipper and Taylor Gardner lead cast. Writer-director Eric Pennycoff commented: “Working with Arrow Films has been a total dream come true. Having been a fan of theirs since the beginning of my filmmaking career, I cannot think of a better home for The Leech to live on in all its holiday madness. Between the...

Exclusive: A number of Estonia’s top creative talents are partnering with streamer Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent Group) to create the first Estonian Viaplay Original.

Helmed by director René Vilbre and written by Birk Rohelend, the crime drama Who Shot Otto Mueller? will star Jaan Rekkor, Tambet Tuisk and Märt Avandi, and will premiere exclusively on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in Estonia and across the Baltic region.

Vilbre’s recent credits include the hit Class Reunion trilogy, which are among the highest-grossing films in Estonian cinema history. His next film, Estonian Funeral, will be released late summer. Novelist Rohelend is creator of one of Estonia’s biggest TV series, The Pillowclub, currently in its 14th season, along with hit local dramas The Trap, Wicked Girls and Restart.

The series will follow a famous businessman and former Soviet wrestling star who is found murdered in his manor on his 65th birthday.

Gentle period drama “The Little Comrade” is an affecting and richly visualized coming-of-age story set in Soviet Estonia during the Stalinist terror of the 1950s. Adapting two autobiographical novels by Leelo Tungal, one of Estonia’s most beloved authors, documentary maker-turned-feature writer-director Moonika Siimets successfully captures the perplexed perspective of a traumatized 6-year-old who sees her mother, a school principal, arrested and taken away at gunpoint. The film was released in March, became a huge hit and currently ranks No. 4 all time at the Estonian box office. Further festival play is assured after its international premiere in Busan.

Intelligent and inquisitive, young Leelo Tungal (angel-faced Helena-Maria Reisner), can’t wait to start her education at the provincial school where her parents Helmes (Eva Koldits) and Feliks teach. Oblivious to the political portents of the time, Leelo idolizes the school’s red-kerchiefed “young pioneers,” the kids that she sees singing the Soviet anthem and shouting slogans,...

Even though the country of Laos only has thirteen produced films to its name, it’s already an exemplary proponent of equal opportunities. Female director Mattie Do accounts for two out of those thirteen titles, and even more impressively, both are ambitious horror films. In 2013, Do brought Chanthaly to Austin’s Fantastic Fest, and now she’s back with another unnerving Laotian tale by the name of Dearest Sister – a family affair haunted by greed and selfishness. No gimmicks or grading curves are needed to appreciate Laos’ budding local “Hollywood” scene, as Do helps put an entire country on the genre map with only her second feature film. No such thing as too little, too late!

Amphaiphun Phommapunya stars as a “lowly” villager (Nok) who’s called to Vientiane (Laos’ capital) so she can care for her sight-impaired cousin, Ana (Vilouna Phetmany). Nok is welcomed by Ana’s husband Jakob (Tambet Tuisk) upon her arrival,...

The Toronto genre specialist has picked up international rights to Mattie Do’s Lao-European horror feature.

Dearest Sister tells of a village girl who travels to the Lao capital Vientiane to care for her rich cousin who has lost her sight and gained the ability to communicate with the dead. Xyz Films represents Us rights.

Music and radio celebrity Vilouna Phetmany and Estonian theatre and screen veteran Tambet Tuisk play the couple while newcomer Amphaiphun Phommapanya portrays the village girl.

The Laos-France-Estonia co-production is set for a late spring shoot.

The producers are Lao Art Media, Annick Mahnert of Screen Division and Sten Saluveer and Helen Lõhmus of Oree Films.

Post-production is scheduled for later this year in France and Estonia and the producers are eying a 2016 release.

Do previously directed Chanthaly, the first ever Lao genre film. She was chosen to present Dearest Sister in the World Cinema Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 as...