Steven Kastrissios' brutal vengeance movie The Horseman will be released in 30 cinemas across the United Kingdom this Halloween, after scoring rave reviews from a hefty run of recent festivals including Frightfest, Stiges and Montreal's Fantasia.
The release marks the first theatrical release for the Australian thriller, in which a distraught father (brilliantly played by Peter Marshall) takes to the roads in rural Queensland to avenge the death of his teenage daughter.
The film, which Kastrissios independently financed and made straight out of film school, has already been compared to Shane Meadows revenge movie Dead Man's Shoes and praised as a future classic of the genre, winning over people like Wolf Creek director Greg McLean as fans.
Kastrissios has since landed a US agent and is part of the new wave of Aussie genre filmmakers being courted by the big studios.
Initially slated for a paltry five screen release in London, The Horseman has since gone on to add 25 more screens across the UK.
The fact the film is getting an overseas release before its home turf is familar territory in Aussie genre filmmaking.
Often made outisde the generous government funding system that supports the bulk of the Australian film industry these films tend to have more commercial tenacity with overseas distributors, and often have to contest with a conservative distribution environment back home.
After picking up the film in Cannes this year for Australia and New Zealand release, Umbrella Entertainment has said it is eyeing early 2010 for a theatrical release.
No doubt they'll be eyeing the UK release as well, and will hopefully provide more details on their plans sooner rather than later - and give The Horseman the Australian attention it deserves.
Check out the website for more http://www.thehorsemanfilm.com/
I am dying to see this, this and Un Prophete.