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After the straight horror content of 2018 narrative feature debut “Dachra,” which was released in the U.S. just six months ago, Abdelhamid Bouchnak aims for a more complex, unclassifiable mix of fantasy and drama in “Golden Butterfly.” . But its thematic ambition and visual panache further advance the writer-director as a significant emerging talent in the region.

A head-on opening sequence finds two bound and bloodied men being tortured, then executed, apparent rough justice for crimes we only learn about much later. Likely as not connected to this scene is protagonist Moaz (Mohamed Souissi), a hulking 30-ish cop who storms around his apartment like his default emotion is “Wanting to punch something.” Unsurprisingly, then, he soon learns he’s being suspended from duty for being “too angry these days,” a mild way of describing God knows what professional misconduct.

That news doesn’t improve his mood, natch. But he’s distracted...

Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2022 Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry

The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...

Stars: Hela Ayed, Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali, Bilel Slatnia | Written and Directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak

The feature debut of writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, Dachra is a Tunisian folk horror that has broken box-office records in its native North Africa. Impressively acted and chillingly atmospheric, it represents a formidable calling card.

Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali and Bilel Slatnia play Yasmine, Walid and Bilel, three journalism students who are tasked with reporting an exclusive story. When they hear rumours of a woman called Mongia (Hela Ayed), who was found mutilated 25 years ago and locked away in an asylum, they decide to investigate her story, but an interview in her cell doesn’t go as planned. Adopting a different tack, they travel to the spot where she was supposedly found and encounter an isolated country village, full of silent women and a suspiciously large amount of meat. Encouraged to stay overnight by a jovial,...

Dachra marks multiple firsts at once. It’s the feature debut by writer/director Abdelhamid Bouchnak. More notably, Dachra earns the distinction of Tunisia’s first horror movie, and what an entrance into the realm of genre film. Bouchnak’s debut wears its influences on its sleeves but fully embraces the darkness to bring a new cultural tale of gruesome, dread-filled horror. […]...

On-screen texts bookending “Dachra” claim this thriller is “inspired by true events,” and that “in North Africa hundreds of children are victims of acts of witchcraft.” Nonetheless, one might be forgiven for assuming this purported first-ever Tunisian foray into horror cinema is drawn less from local crimes or superstitions than from the familiar genre tropes of “The Blair Witch Project,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and umpteen other long-standing fan favorites.

Originality may indeed be scarce in writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s debut narrative feature. Yet this gory goulash of city slickers, creepy yokels, editorial jolts and cannibalism largely transcends its derivative basic elements, thanks to his astute, richly atmospheric handling. Dekanalog is releasing the film to U.S. theaters and virtual cinemas on July 9, nearly three years after its festival premiere — during which time “Dachra” became Tunisia’s biggest homegrown box office hit in a quarter century. That impact is unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere,...

A film by Abdelhamid Bouchnak Dachra The acclaimed Tunisian horror thriller haunts U.S. cinemas on Friday, July 9th Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, …

The post Dachra // Acclaimed horror thriller hits cinemas nationwide next week! appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Heading to theaters on July 9th, we have the brand new trailer for Dachra!

"Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, Dachra begins with a simple classroom assignment and spins through double plot twists into high-tension cannibal sorcery.

Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).

Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with...

Directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, the Tunisian horror movie Dachra is headed to U.S. theaters on July 9, and the official trailer has been debuted by Dekanalog today. Preview the witchcraft-infused nightmare mayhem below! “Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside […]...

New Poster for Dachra: "Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, Dachra begins with a simple classroom assignment and spins through double plot twists into high-tension cannibal sorcery.

Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).

Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with a minimalist color palette in Hatem Nechi’s eerie...

Dekanalog Acquires Dachra: "Fresh off their national theatrical launch of Quentin Dupieux's acclaimed absurdist comedy Keep An Eye Out (Au Poste!), Gotham-based distributor Dekanalog has added three acclaimed festival favorites to their bustling 2021 slate, including the acclaimed horror thriller Dachra from writer/director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, per an announcement this morning at Deadline.

The acquisitions, which also include Paul Negoescu's Two Lottery Tickets and Mariam Ghani's What We Left Unfinished, join a stacked 2021 lineup for Dekanalog that currently includes theatrical and digital releases of Grímur Hákonarson's TIFF darling The County, Ena Sendijarević's Rotterdam Tiger Award-winning Take Me Somewhere Nice, and Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's Sundance-winning This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection - Lesotho's first-ever submission to The Academy Awards.

Dachra, which is based on a terrifying true story and made waves at the world's largest genre film festivals, follows a group of students who become...

Mati Diop, Talal Selhami and Larissa Sansour discuss their different routes to genre at Marrakech’s Atlas Workshops.

International festival programmers are sitting up and paying attention to the rise in genre cinema by Arab and African filmmakers.

Mati Diop’s genre-bending drama Atlantics wowed Cannes Competition earlier this year, with Algerian psychological drama Abou Leila screening in Cannes Critics Week and Tunisian horror film Dachra for Venice Critics’ Week in 2018.

A group of filmmakers gathered to discuss their routes into genre filmmaking at a panel talk ‘Unearthing the Fantastic’ held during the Atlas Workshops of the Marrkech International Film Festival last week.

Film is a contemporary reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

UK distribution outfit Blue Finch has boarded UK and Ireland distribution on Larry Fessenden’s horror Depraved.

The company is planning a winter release on the title, which recently had its UK premiere at horror festival FrightFest. It has also played festivals including Fantasia and Sydney.

Genre sales outfit Yellow Veil Pictures handles rights and struck the deal with Blue Finch.

Depraved is a contemporary re-imaging of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, centring on a field surgeon (played by David Call) who creates a man out of body parts in a makeshift lab in Brooklyn.

Daily Dead was proud to once again sponsor and experience this year's Overlook Film Festival, which took place in the historic (and quite possibly haunted) confines of New Orleans. And with another year of immersive events, essential screenings, and live performances in the books, the Overlook Film Festival's 2019 audience and juried awards have been announced, and we've been provided with the full list to share with Daily Dead readers.

Press Release: - The Overlook Film Festival 2019 has come to an end on Sunday, June 2nd after bringing four days of horror films, immersive games, Vr exhibitions, panels and workshops in New Orleans. The festival reached an audience of over 3000 people and hosted over 60 filmmakers, actors, and producers including Elijah Wood, Robert Rodriguez, Mick Garris, Chelsea Stardust, and Paul Scheer over the weekend.

The Overlook Features Jury; Rolling Stone’s Film/TV editor David Fear; writer, director and fashion photographer Carter Smith...

Exclusive: UK horror festival Arrow Video FrightFest is teaming up with local distributor Blue Finch Films and short film funding company Genera to launch a genre shorts fund called Fresh Blood.

The partners will look to help finance short form projects in the latter stages of development in the bid to

discover new voices in the world of genre filmmaking.

Submissions are open today and shortlisted finalists will be announced on 14 August with those selected given the opportunity to pitch their project in front of an industry panel during the early August festival, who will then decide the winning film.

Genera’s CEO, Christian Parton commented, “Short films are notoriously hard to fund. Partnering and creating exciting opportunities to support short filmmakers is paramount to Genera. We are incredibly excited to be partnering with FrightFest and Blue Finch Films in launching this round to encourage the financing of more genre films”

Ian Rattray,...