The 2022 Sundance Film Festival concluded over the weekend. This year’s event was completely virtual and featured eleven days of programming. Hot off their festival premiere, IFC and Shudder have picked up the North American rights to two genre titles, “Resurrection” and “Watcher.”
“Resurrection” was picked up by IFC Films and Shudder. The psychological thriller was written and directed by Andrew Semans (“Nancy, Please”) and stars Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth, Grace Kaufman, and Michael Esper.
In “Resurrection,” Margaret (Rebecca Hall) leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood with her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control. But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying the horrors of Margaret’s past with him. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business. Writer-director Andrew Semans delivers pure havoc one moment and feelings of deep familiarity the next, creating a film that promises a gripping emotional journey fused with a grand guignol style living nightmare.
“Rebecca Hall gives a performance for the ages and Tim Roth is absolutely chilling in this masterful film by Andrew Semans. People will be talking about this film for years to come, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring it to Shudder members,” said Craig Engler, GM for Shudder.
The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim, rapidly becoming one of the most talked about films at the festival. IFC Films will release the movie in theaters and on VOD, with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
“Watcher” was picked up by IFC Midnight from director Chloe Okuno (“V/H/S/94”) starring Maika Monroe (“It Follows”), Karl Glusman (“Love”), and Burn Gorman (“Torchwood”). Okuno co-wrote the film with Zach Ford, and the film is the inaugural film produced in a new genre pact between Image Nation and Spooky Pictures, in association with Lost City.
In “Watcher,” Julia (Maika Monroe) joins her husband when he relocates to his family’s native Romania for a new job. Having recently abandoned her acting career, she finds herself frequently alone and unoccupied. One night, people-watching from her picture window, she spots a vague figure in an adjacent building, who seems to be looking back at her. Soon after, while alone at a local movie theater, Julia’s sense of being watched intensifies, and she becomes certain she’s being followed — could it be the same unknown neighbor? Meanwhile, a serial killer known as The Spider stalks the city.
“We’ve been huge fans of Chloe Okuno’s since her short film days and were lucky to have her direct one of the most popular segments of our hit movie V/H/S/94, which premiered to record numbers last year. We’re delighted to be working with her again on Watcher, which is a brilliant and tense film with a breakout performance from Maika Monroe, and we can’t wait for Shudder members to see it,” said Engler.
“Watcher” made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and IFC Midnight will release the film in theaters and on VOD in 2022, with Shudder taking the first streaming window.
