It’s been a few months since we took an in-depth look at what our previously featured filmmakers have been up to and as expected, in that time a lot has happened. From acquisitions to adaptations and exclusive partnerships, our alums are once again making their mark on the film industry. Eager to share their success, below is the latest industry news from S/W filmmakers:

Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert in front of the camera for their 2014 short Interesting Ball

Directing duo the Daniels sign exclusive five-year partnership with Universal Pictures

Even if you’re not a fan of their short film work (My Best Friend’s Wedding / My Best Friend’s Sweating, Pockets, Interesting Ball, Possibilia), it’s likely you will have already heard of the Daniels. Exploding onto the feature scene back in 2016 with their head-turning, flatulent corpse starring Sundance-winning feature Swiss Army Man it took the pair another six-years to unleash their follow-up, the brilliant Everything Everywhere All at Once, which again has made quite splash ($100 million in global ticket sales) and launched the duo into the mainstream. On the back of this success, Kwan and Scheinert, along with producing partner Jonathan Wang have signed an exclusive deal with Universal Pictures, which will see them work with the production company for the next five years.

READ MORE

***

Hvistendahl proved she had an eye for horror in her previous short Children of Satan.

Neon acquires North American and UK rights to Thea Hvistendahl’s debut feature Handling the Undead

Based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s (Let the Right One In) novel of the same name, Thea Hvistendahl’s – who has featured on our platform three times, with short films Virgins4Lyfe, Children of Satan and Cramps –  debut feature promises an enticing mix of horror and drama. Still currently in production, we’ll have a wait to see just how good it is, but potential audiences in North American and the UK will be excited to see the film picked up by distributors Neon.

READ MORE

***

Laura Moss’ short film Fry Day made an impression on the festival circuit winning awards at Palm Springs ShortFest & SXSW in 2017

Laura Moss begins production on debut feature Birth/Rebirth

Another filmmaker in the process of making the step from short film to feature is director Laura Moss. Having impressed the S/W team with her 2017 award-winning short Fry Day, Moss is teaming up with Shudder for her debut, which is the tale of an re-animated little girl, inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

READ MORE

***

Elizabeth Lo’s Stray gave its audience a dog’s-eye view of the streets of Turkey

Elizabeth Lo’s Stray follow-up a doc on a China-based “mistress dispeller”

With her debut feature Stray having impressed on the festival circuit,  Elizabeth Lo’s (Hotel 22, Mother’s Day) next directorial outing will see her tackle extra-marital affairs in China. Following the titular mistress dispeller as she’s hired by couples who are trying to save their marriages after an affair, the film will be produced by Anonymous Content and Impact Partners.

READ MORE

***

#chadgetstheaxe gets the feature treatment

This is one we don’t have much information on, but it looks as if Travis Bible’s 2020 short award winner #chadgetstheaxe is set to be turned into a feature. With the original short following annoying vlogger Chad Ryan who explores the Williams Burrows Murder Cabin in the search of more viewers, the feature length version sees the internet star check out a similarly creepy location, this time accompanied with some equally annoying “friends”.

***