Major US Sale for Psychological Horror Film ‘The Canal' at the Tribeca Film Festival
The Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board funded psychological horror feature, "The Canal", directed by Ivan Kavanagh has been sold to The Orchard, a independent film and video distribution company, which has acquired all U.S. and Canadian rights for the title.
"The Canal" had it world premiere at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival last week and stars Rupert Evans and Antonia Campbell-Hughes, with Hannah Hoekstra, Kelly Byrne and Steve Oram. Noted for its impressive and striking visuals, the feature has garnered great reviews, including being touted as the best horror film released at Tribeca this year.
"We're excited to release the film through an innovative film distributor like The Orchard. Their passion and strong commitment to securing the film was clear from the outset and we look forward to working with them on it. Their partnership with Shock Till You Drop will ensure horror fans discover our movie." said AnneMarie Naughton, Producer at Park Films.
‘The Canal' will be released through The Orchard's horror film brand, Shock Till You Drop and The Orchard will be releasing the film theatrically in 20 major markets and across online, cable, satellite and physical stores.
"This is one of those horror films that really creeps up on you. It's a truly unnerving piece of work," says ShockTillYouDrop.com managing editor Ryan Turek. "I'm excited to have it join the growing slate of horror films Shock Till You Drop is releasing with The Orchard."
Kavanagh's surrealistic and sensory-charged work tells the story of David Williams and his wife, Alice, who move into a beautiful period house by the canal with their small child, Billy. As David begins to suspect that his wife is cheating on him, he also starts to have nightmarish visions of an evil presence he believes inhabits his home. Eventually, brutal 20th-century murders are revealed and present-day horrors consume the protagonists.
An Irish/UK co-production (Irish Film Board and Film Agency Wales), "The Canal" was produced by AnneMarie Naughton for Park Films, with co-producers Vaughan Sivell and Sander Verdonk.