Production Begins On Horror Feature Film ‘Grafted’

Production has begun on the new horror feature film Grafted starring Joyena Sun, Jared Turner, Jess Hong, Eden Hart and Sepiutaruth To’a with support from Ginette McDonald and Mark Mitchinson.

Director Sasha Rainbow on set on ‘Grafted’

Shot across Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland, the film tells the story of a Chinese student who travels to New Zealand to complete the scientific work of her deceased father, only to find a new way of achieving popularity, one bloody body at a time.

The film is the directorial debut of award-winning director Sasha Rainbow (Director of short film Kamali which was nominated for a BAFTA and long listed for an Oscar).

“When I first read the script, I knew I had to be involved,” said Rainbow. “I am incredibly excited about playing in the body-horror space for such an incredible, surprising, female-lead-project like Grafted. I can't wait to unleash it to audiences around the world.”

Production on the film also marks the first project for the freshly formed horror and genre label (Yet) Another Monster Company, a partnership between Grant Hardie’s ANZ horror distribution specialists Monster Pictures and Phil Hunts (Yet) Another Distribution Company that includes an investment partnership with HEAD GEAR FILMS.

Monster Pictures previously handled the Australia-New Zealand release for James Ashcroft’s Coming Home in the Dark.

"We are genuinely thrilled to launch in New Zealand with the announcement of Grafted. It is the perfect film for us to be attached to, a completely over-the-top body horror,” says Co-Head of Acquisitions and Development Grant Hardie. “We fully expect that Grafted will join an impressive list of world-class modern horror films from New Zealand and make a huge splash on release".

Mister Smith Entertainment will launch international sales for the film at the upcoming Cannes Market in May.

Shane Kelly, V.P. International Sales & Distribution at Mister Smith Entertainment, added: “We loved Grafted from the first page and after hearing Sasha’s pitch we jumped at the chance to bring this to the market. It’s exactly the sort of unique, high-concept genre film buyers are craving, that can pull in a younger audience. We're confident it will delight and disgust in equal measure.”

Grafted is produced by Murray Francis of Propaganda, and Leela Menon and Fraser Brown of FluroBlack and is written by Mia Maramara & Hweiling Ow, and Lee Murray.

The film is made with investment from The New Zealand Film Commission, the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Grant, Traus Holdings, Department of Post and with GAP financing from Head Gear Films. The film will be distributed in New Zealand and Australia by (Yet) Another Monster Company.

ABOUT:

THE NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION (NZFC) is a crown entity which helps grow and support our country’s vibrant screen industry. It invests in original and culturally significant New Zealand films, helps talented New Zealand filmmakers develop their careers, works to build connections internationally and to grow audiences for New Zealand films, here and overseas. The NZFC markets New Zealand’s screen production industry overseas, attracts international screen productions to New Zealand, provides a specialist enquiry service and is the first point of contact for incoming international production. It helps negotiate co-production treaties, administers the New Zealand Screen Production Grant, the Post, Digital and Visual Effects Grant and the 5% Uplift, and certifies official co-productions and New Zealand films for tax purposes.The NZFC also works to make sure New Zealand screen sector businesses are sustainable and internationally competitive.

PROPAGANDA is a New Zealand Production company that currently has five feature films in various stages of development. They specialise in commercial films that can take advantage of all that NZ offers, location and incentive-wise, that will work in an international market.

FLUROBLACK is a production company proudly based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Putting fluro and black together is a metaphor for their unique approach. They are creative producers; collaborators and doers that encourage surprising connections - across genre, talent, and execution - creating engaging original stories. They partner with diverse talent, from around the world, who have authentic voices and bold visions.

(YET) ANOTHER MONSTER COMPANY is a premier New Zealand horror and genre label that will focus on developing, distributing and financing elevated, shrewdly budgeted films aimed at the international market. They are on the hunt for exciting new projects from writers, directors, producers, and creative teams as they explore new ways to innovatively produce and distribute feature films in New Zealand.

Twitter: @yamonsterco 
Instagram: @yetanothermonstercompany

HEAD GEAR FILMS is widely recognized as the world’s most prolific independent provider of film finance. Founded by Phil Hunt in 2002, they have financed over 500 titles and have no intention of slowing down, and currently finance an average of fifty films a year. Their films have been shot across the globe with actors such as Al Pacino, Kevin Bacon, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Freeman, Joel Edgerton, Dakota Johnson, and Johnny Depp.

MISTER SMITH ENTERTAINMENT is involved in the financing, co-financing, and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker-driven movies for the global market. MSE’s current sales slate includes mystery thriller Wichita Libra, written and directed by Henry Dunham and starring Phoebe Dynevor; New Zealand-set family adventure comedy Bookworm, directed by Ant Timpson and starring Elijah Wood; Māori historical epic The Convert, written and directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Guy Pearce; comic drama Inappropriate Behavior, directed by Tony Goldwyn and starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert De Niro; true crime thriller He Went That Way, starring Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinto; romantic comedy Which Brings Me to You, directed by Peter Hutchings and starring Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff; Brian Epstein biopic Midas Man, starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Emily Watson, and Eddie Marsan; and Michael Morris’ To Leslie, starring Andrea Riseborough in an Oscar nominated performance. 
For further information, please visit MSE’s website: https://mistersmithent.com/ 
 

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