Indie
‘The Cannibal Club’ a Bloody Satire That Devours the Elite
In the run-up to late January’s Rotterdam Fest, Berlin-based sales company M-appeal has acquired world sales rights to Guto Parente’s The Cannibal Club, a horror movie packing a searing, if often comic, put-down of Brazil’s political elite represented as a cannibal, machista, amoral and grossly self-unaware ruling class, explains Variety.
Meshing frank sex scenes, occasional dismemberment and laugh-out-loud social satire, The Cannibal Club turns on an extraordinarily rich couple, Otavio and Gilda, part of Brazil’s ruling elite, who have a habit of eating their employees.
“For me, the film is an investigation into the cynicism of the Brazilian elite and how far they can take it. As well as a reflection on the role men insist on playing in society to prove their virility and maintain their power,” Parente told Variety.
Parente added that he was interested in “looking deep into the horror embedded in our society’s behavior,” focusing not on explicit violence but more the “violence of speech and thought of those who truly believe they are above everything and everyone because they have money and power.”
Genre gives “a possibility to step away from this real-world violence, creating an absurd reality based on its violence and archetypes and from that maybe offer to the spectator a safe distance to look and think about what they are seeing,” Parente added.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Otávio and Gilda are a very wealthy couple of the Brazilian elite who have the habit of eating their employees. Despite some casual disagreements and discussions, the couple gets along well and lives a peaceful and happy life. Until the day Gilda accidentally discovers a secret from Borges, a powerful congressman friend of her husband, what happens to put their life at risk. Under this imminent and invisible threat, Otávio and Gilda will need to count with the help of Jonas, the newly hired employee.”
The Cannibal Club has been selected for the Rotterdam Festival’s newly-revived Rotterämmerung genre section.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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