Horror, thriller and supernatural specialist streaming platform, Shudder, has just announced having secured the distribution rights to Sasha Rainbow‘s feature directorial debut, Grafted, for the North American, UK, and Irish markets. This announcement comes ahead of the movie’s Spanish premiere, which is set to take place at the 2024 Sitges Film Festival, as part of the Midnight X-Treme strand.
Directed by Rainbow, from a script penned Mia Maramara, Hweiling Ow, Lee Murray, and Rainbow, and starring Joyena Sun, Jess Hong (“3 Body Problem”), and Jared Turner (“Power Rangers: Dino Fury”), Grafted tells the story of Wei, a highly accomplished Chinese scholarship student who has been selected to travel to New Zealand to pursue cutting-edge medical research at a well-regarded university. Wei is a reserved and introverted young woman who is shunned by her outgoing cousin Angela and Angela’s affluent social circle. Wei takes her craving for popularity to horrifying heights when she devotes herself to her late father’s pioneering research, burning the candle at both ends on a revolutionary skin grafting procedure that could finally cure her and allow her to live freely without shame or ridicule. As her experiments start to take a sinister turn, she becomes increasingly dangerous and unhinged, capable of removing anyone from the equation who could jeopardize her secret.
Rainbow expressed her delight at partnering with Shudder, saying, “There’s no better place to unleash Grafted than with the curators of terror themselves. I can’t wait for their fearless audience to sink their teeth into this one and experience Wei’s wild and bloody pursuit of perfection.”
Shudder’s SVP of Acquisitions and Production, Emily Gotto added, “Sasha Rainbow’s bold and brave work in her short form and documentary work has transitioned seamlessly into her impressive debut feature … It’s no surprise that Grafted is gripping, slicing past a high body count with a highly original take on the body horror subgenre with sharp social commentary that strikes a nerve.”
The deal was negotiated by Shane Kelly from Mister Smith Entertainment on behalf of the filmmakers and Emily Gotto on behalf of Shudder. Mister Smith Entertainment handles worldwide sales.
Grafted is produced by Murray Francis and Leela Menon, with Fraser Brown serving as executive producer. The deal was negotiated by Shane Kelly from Mister Smith Entertainment on behalf of the filmmakers, and Emily Gotto on behalf of Shudder. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling worldwide sales.
The film will screen at this year’s Sitges Film Festival on the 5th and 6th of October alongside Toby Poser and John Adams‘ Hell Hole and Lowell Dean‘s Dark Match. Grafted will debut on Shudder on January 24, 2025.
