SUNJIVE STUDIOS, Australian horror distribution specialists MONSTER PICTURES and Chris Brown’s PICTURES IN PARADISE have partnered in the $12 million production fund for an initial slate of three elevated horror films aimed at the international market. The slate is financed by HEAD GEAR FILMS, AMCOMRI PRODUCTIONS and SUNJIVE STUDIOS and distributed globally by 101 FILMS INTERNATIONAL.
The first film in the outfit’s slate is Daniel J. Phillips’ second feature DIABOLIC, which will commence principal photography in South Australia in late 2022 and is currently ramping up pre-production.
Co- written by Daniel J. Phillips and Mike Harding, DIABOLIC is the story of a woman suffering from a debilitating chronic disease who is desperate to find treatment. As a last resort, she takes part in a fundamentalist religious ritual and is faced with the force of a mysterious, evil witch.
Daniel J. Phillips said of the film “Diabolic is a character driven thrill ride with terrifying sequences and an ending that will leave audiences’ adrenal glands withered and empty. This will entice horror fans the world over, and also connect with a broader audience that will relate with the rich, complex characters and universal themes that make Diabolic truly unique.”
Pictures in Paradise’s Chris Brown commented “Our partnership with Sunjive Studios, Monster Pictures and Headgear is the perfect synergy to produce a unique pipeline of elevated genre films over the next 3 years. We look forward to creating a powerhouse of horror….”
Silvio Salom said “Sunjive Studios is pleased to be filming and post-producing DIABOLIC in its studios in Adelaide, South Australia. We’re excited in partnering with Headgear and 101 films in this new business model for sustainably producing elevated genre pictures in South Australia for international audiences.”
Phil Hunt adds “This will be my 51st Australian film since I launched Bankside in 2007, and I can’t think of a more brilliant team to be making it with.”
Andy Lyon, CEO of Amcomri Productions and 101 Films International said “We are excited to add Sunjive Studios, Pictures in Paradise and Monster Pictures to our list of production partners as we continue to scale up our international slate” Lyon adds “We have completed numerous projects with Head Gear over the past few years who are a pleasure to work with, and the combination of their finance, the Australian team, and the global distribution capabilities across Amcomri Entertainment’s companies, makes this is an exciting first step in a potentially huge partnership with and beyond these three movies.”
Director of Monster Pictures, Grant Hardie added: “we set up the slate to focus on high quality, high concept, character-driven films that would entertain audiences around the world. DIABOLIC ticks every one of these boxes and I couldn’t be happier to announce this as the lead project”.
DIABOLIC will be produced in association with Mark Patterson from Go Patterson Films with Silvio Salom and Andrew Mann for Sunjive Studios, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear Films, Andy Lyon for 101 Films International, Ari Harrison for Umbrella Entertainment, Grant Hardie for Monster Pictures and Chris Brown for Pictures in Paradise.
Sunjive Studios is providing equity investment, with Head Gear Films providing production financing. 101 Films International has been appointed as international sales agent with 101 Films and Phil Hunt’s Yet Another Distribution Company as the North America and the UK distributor.
Sunjive Studios is an Australian independent film and television production and financing company with operations in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
The second and third films in the slate are also in pre-production and will be announced in late 2022 and will begin shooting in 2023.
