EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American and UK rights to Hector Barron’s horror-thriller In the Forest, along with U.S. rights to Alice Blehart’s animated film Little Sorcerer. Both titles are slated for a day-and-date theatrical release, with the former from Disrupting Influence to hit screens on January 28, and the latter from Chinese independent animation studio Gold Valley Films to debut on May 6.
In the Forest watches as Helen (Debbon Ayer) and her daughter Emily (Cristina Spruell) reluctantly accompany Helen’s father Stan (Lyman Ward) on a family camping trip, driving deep into the forest for a real outdoors experience, only to have angry landowner Howard (Don Baldaramos) arrive and force them to leave. When their RV gets stuck, Helen decides to seek help but discovers a disturbing secret on the man’s property. She must then fight to protect her family and make it out of the forest alive before being hunted down.
The film also stars Kaitlyn Dias, Time Winters and Sharon Sharth. Brian McLaughlin produced it, with Barron, Glenn Kendrick Ackermann, Peter Fruchtman, Julie Kroll, Jason Piette, Ewan Dunbar and Andrew Stoddard serving as its exec producers.
Gold Valley Films’ Little Sorcerer is a Cinderella tale that comes on the heels of its 2018 pic Cinderella and the Secret Prince. It watches as Prince Alex finds himself trapped in the body of a mouse, with Ella (Geri Courtney-Austein) and her friends setting off on a perilous journey to unlock the magic that can change him back.
Roger Chen penned the film produced by Adam Chiu. Cineplex Pictures has come aboard to oversee the film’s Canadian release, with Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media poised to unveil it in China. The film will also screen through Eagle Pictures in Italy, Factoris Films in France, Trinity/CineAsia in Russia, Rialto Distribution in Australia, Pflug Co in Japan, Boxoo Entertainment in South Korea, Deepjoy Corp in Taiwan, Italia Film in the Middle East and NOS Lusomundo in Portugal.
Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, which was founded in 2012. Other upcoming releases from the company include Teppo Airaksinen’s comedy Supercool, starring Jake Short, Miles J. Harvey and Damon Wayans Jr.; Delmar Washington’s sci-fi thriller No Running, starring Skylan Brooks; AJ Jones’ horror film La Patasola; the comedy Unplugging, starring Eva Longoria and Matt Walsh; John Michael McDonagh’s thriller The Forgiven, starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes, which it co-acquired with Roadside Attractions; and Drew Mylrea’s thriller Last Survivors, starring Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer and Drew Van Acker.
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