Indie
‘Persomnia’ a Horrific Experiment on Insomnia
Gustavo Hernandez, who broke out to international recognition and sales with his debut, the Elle Driver-sold 2011 Cannes hit La casa muda, pictured, is lining up psychological paranormal thriller Persomnia as his third directorial outing, reports Variety.
Set up at Montevideo’s Mother Superior Films, Persomnia could also mark Hernandez’s English-language debut.
Written by Juma Fodde Roma (Splendorous Garden of the Heart), Persomnia is said to continue Hernandez’s hallmark claustrophobia: “A young actress joins a radical theater troupe, replacing a member who has disappeared, which is experimenting with days without sleep in order to perform all the better a play first created and put on in the now abandoned psychiatric ward 30 years ago and whose original performers, all inmates, died in a terrible fire, the play’s climax. As the days pass, the actors reach new levels of sensitivity, opening up to the spirits in the hospital in order to achieve unique performances, as these spirits drive the play towards the same terrible ending.”
It’s said to pack an important twist in its narrative.
“There have been experiments on insomnia, what happens to people after four, five, six days without sleep. It’s as if their sensibility, perceptions open up to another world,” said Hernandez to the site, adding that Persomnia “is a horror film” which “also talks about madness in art and just how far artists will go to create something which transcends.”
“This is a beautiful path to follow to work on fear, on the line dividing the real from unreal, or from death.”
Shot as one continuous take and the subject of a U.S. remake starring Elizabeth Olsen and directed by Open Water’s Chris Kentis and Lara Lau, La casa muda was shot in an isolated countryside house. Local God, Hernandez’s second film, seen at September’s Austin Fantastic Festival, unspools in a cave where a demonic force unleashes a rockband members’ worst nightmares.
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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