News

U.K.-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Films has secured worldwide rights to “Zero,” an action thriller directed by Jean Luc Herbulot, known for his 2021 TIFF Midnight Madness selection “Saloum.”

The film has been selected for Sitges Film Festival’s first wave, with additional festival announcements expected.

“Zero” follows two Americans who awaken in Senegal with explosive devices attached to their bodies and a 10-hour deadline to uncover the reason. Guided by a mysterious voice on the phone, they must complete a series of tasks that inadvertently cause chaos in Dakar. Against a backdrop of growing anti-Western sentiment, the protagonists race against time for survival and redemption.

The screenplay was co-written by Herbulot and Hus Miller, with Miller also producing alongside Paméla Diop, Steven Adams and Gary Dourdan. The cast includes Miller, Cam McHarg, Moran Rosenblatt, Roger Sallah and Dourdan.

Herbulot said: “I have always admired Sergio Leone’s Westerns,...

The 23rd annual Boston Underground Film Festival took place at The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Ma from March 22 to March 26. The genre-blending lineup included premieres, festival favorites, anticipated titles, shorts, and more.

Here’s what I saw at this year’s event…

The Unheard

The festival’s opening night kicked off with the world premiere of The Unheard, which pairs the exciting New England talents of director Jeffrey A. Brown, following up his dynamic debut The Beach House, and writers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, hot off the success of Alexandre Aja’s Crawl. All three were in attendance for a post-screening Q&a.

Hearing impaired since the age of 8 as a result of meningitis, 20-year-old Chloe Grayden undergoes an experimental gene editing procedure to restore her hearing, which coincides with a homecoming to prepare her family’s empty summer house for sale. She’s the first patient in the clinical trial to show positive results,...

Why Watch? The title of Cameron McHarg‘s short film is the kind with countless meanings. No doubt you’ll catch them all. In a way, the movie is an epic condensed into 8 minutes of one man’s life as insult after injury befalls him. Everything from car trouble to a lack of toilet paper brings this poor soul to the brink of a tragic final decision, but will he go through with his own end? Pitch black in its comedy with a wallowing, vivid performance from Cris D’annunzio, it’s especially timely as we head toward the last month of the year. Plus, McHarg and company should be applauded for a punch line almost as mean as making Burgess Meredith drop his glasses near a tall stack of books. Fair warning: there’s a bit of strong language so prep your headphones if you’re watching at work. What...