Cinedigm has acquired all North American rights to Japanese sci-fi horror film ‘New Religion’.
“New Religion” is a surreal body horror film written, directed and produced by debutant filmmaker Kondo Keishi. Starring Seto Kaho, Nunami Daiki, Oka Satoshi and Ryuseigun Saionji.
After her daughter’s death, divorced Miyabi starts working as a call girl. One day, she encounters an annoying customer who wants to take pictures of her body parts. Soon, she realizes that every time she allows her body to be photographed, her daughter’s spirit comes closer. She must decide how far she is willing to go to reconnect with her daughter.
“New Religion” had its North American premiere last month at the Slamdance Film Festival and was nominated for best narrative feature. It has previously screened at festivals around the world, including its world premiere at Arrow Video Frightfest, the Osaka Asian Film Festival, the Warsaw International Film Festival and the Lisbon International Horror Film Festival.
Cinedigm plans to release “New Religion” later this year on horror streaming platform Screambox, which is backed by its Bloody Disgusting unit, and label the film as a Screambox Original.
“Kondo has shown tremendous ambition for his feature debut in creating this haunting body horror film,” said Brad Miska, MD of Cinedigm-Bloody Disgusting. “Its relentless storytelling and unique cinematography make it a must-watch for Screambox fans.”
The deal was negotiated by Brandon Hill, director of acquisitions at Cinedigm, and Matteo Lovadina, CEO of Reel Suspects, on behalf of the filmmakers.
The indie film ‘Terrifier 2’ recently gave Screambox a huge boost. Produced by Bloody Disgusting on a $250,000 budget, the surprise box office hit grossed over $10 million in theaters. The announcement that Screambox would become the official streaming home of “Terrifier 2” boosted the platform’s subscriber base by 144% in the two weeks since its debut.
Overall, Screambox has a mix of content for casual and hardcore horror fans. The service is refreshed monthly with content from the company’s extensive genre library across a range of horror subgenres: supernatural, slashers and zombies. The platform currently includes horror classics such as Slumber Party Massacre, House on Haunted Hill, blockbuster indies The Outwaters and Terrifier 2, as well as series The Island and Master of Horror.
The platform recently acquired the rights to the documentary “RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop” and the documentary film “Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story.”
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