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A24 acquires SA made horror Talk To Me
17 February 2023
After a successful International Premiere at Sundance Film Festival, New York-based entertainment company A24 has acquired US rights to South Australian made and SAFC supported feature film Talk To Me, from Adelaide filmmaking twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, well known for their YouTube channel RackaRacka.
The entertainment company behind 2023 Academy Award Best Picture nominee Everything Everywhere All At Once, Uncut Gems, Midsommar, HBO’s Euphoria and more acquired the US rights to the SA made horror after its hugely successful international premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month.
Filmed in Adelaide, and supported by the SAFC and Adelaide Film Festival, Talk To Me follows a group of friends who discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand and become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
The Bankside Films and Causeway Films production is directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, from a screenplay by Danny Philippou and South Australian writer Bill Hinzman. The talented cast includes Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes and Chris Alosio.
International critics have raved about the film with Variety calling it an “entertaining Aussie horror” that’s “a cut above average”, Bloody Disgusting describing it as “an intense, nightmarish horror movie that’ll leave you breathless” and The Curb lauding it as “a new benchmark for horror films”.
“It was so thrilling to witness the amazing reaction to Talk To Me at Sundance. We are delighted to have A24 as our North American distributor and are thankful for our continuing relationship with Sam and Kristina at Causeway Films,” said Stephen Kelliher of Bankside Films.
The film has its European premiere at the Berlinale next week, and will screen at SXSW 2023 in March alongside SAFC-supported film Monolith. It will be released theatrically in Australia and New Zealand by Maslow Entertainment and Ahi, with Umbrella handling home entertainment across both territories.
Talk to Me is produced by Causeway Films’ Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton. Executive producers are Stephen Kelliher, Sophie Green, Compton Ross, Daniel Negret, Noah Dummett, John Dummett, Jeff Harrison, Ari Harrison, Miranda Otto, Dale Roberts, Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou. The film received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the South Australian Film Corporation, Adelaide Film Festival, KOJO Studios, Head Gear Films, Hold Standard and Maslow Umbrella Ahi Entertainment.
Take a first look at this “supremely confident feature film debut with twisted, high-energy” at Deadline.