Indie
A Little ‘Ring’ in Christian Slater Starrer ‘Playback’
Bennett Robbins Productions has completed post-production of Playback, an independent horror thriller starring Toby Hemingway, Johnny Pacar, Ambyr Childers, Jonathan Keltz, Alessandra Torresani, Jennifer Missoni, and featuring Christian Slater.
The film features music from The Sounds, Shiny Toy Guns, AWOLNation, innerpartysystem, My Passion, Kill Hannah, High Tension Wires, K.Flay, Guadalupe Plata, Carol Bui, Youth Mass, and Playback star Johnny Pacar’s own band Forever the Day.
“While digging into their town’s infamous past, a group of high school students unwittingly unlock an even darker secret. Now an evil spirit has been awakened to possess and destroy its victims through video playback, stopping at nothing to find his true heir.”
The thriller has yet to find distribution, but it will be announced as soon as something is firmed up.
The mythos of Playback is rooted in the mysterious disappearance of Louis Le Prince, a French inventor considered by many film historians to be the true father of motion pictures. In October, 1888, Le Prince captured “Roundhay Garden Scene” and “Leeds Bridge Scene” on paper film using a single-lens camera, several years before competitors Auguste and Louis Lumière and Thomas Edison released their inventions.
Le Prince was planning a public exposition for his films at Jumel Mansion in New York City when he vanished without a trace. He was last seen in Dijon on Friday, September 16, 1890, boarding the 2:42 p.m. train for Paris.
Theories about his disappearance abound. Some believe he committed suicide. Some say he was assassinated by henchmen working for Thomas Edison. Some say he succumbed to financial and social pressure from his family and “disappeared” to live his life in obscurity in the US. Still others believe his disappearance was due to darker, even more nefarious reasons.
For more visit the official Playback website, “like” Playback on Facebook, and follow Playback on Twitter.
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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