Cannes Market Dailies

DIABOLIC Awoken Photo Ian Routledge. Caption Daniel J. Phillips on the set of “Awoke

SUNJIVE STUDIOS, Australian horror distribution specialists MONSTER PICTURES and Chris Brown's PICTURES IN PARADISE have partnered in a $12 million production fund for an initial slate of three elevated horror films aimed at the international market. The slate is financed by AMCOMRI PRODUCTIONS, HEAD GEAR FILMS and SUNJIVE STUDIOS and distributed globally by 101 FILMS INTERNATIONAL. 

The first film in the outfit's slate is Daniel J. Phillips' second feature DIABOLIC, which is currently ramping up pre-production and will commence principal photography in South Australia in late 2022. 

Co- written by Daniel J. Phillips and Mike Harding, DIABOLIC is the story of a woman suffering from a debilitating chronic disease who is desperate to find treatment. As a last resort, she takes part in a fundamentalist religious ritual and is faced with the force of a mysterious, evil witch. 

Daniel J. Phillips says, "Diabolic is a character driven, thrill ride with terrifying sequences and an ending that will leave audiences' adrenal glands withered and empty. Diabolic will entice horror fans the world over, and will also connect with a broader audience which will relate with the rich, complex characters and universal themes that make it a truly unique film." 

Pictures in Paradise's Chris Brown comments "Our partnership with Sunjive Studios, Monster Pictures and Headgear creates the perfect synergy to produce a unique pipeline of elevated genre films over the next three years. We look forward to creating a powerhouse of horror...." 

Silvio Salom adds, "Sunjive Studios is pleased to be filming and post-producing Diabolic in its studios in Adelaide, South Australia. We're excited to be partnering with Headgear and 101 Films International in this new business model for sustainably producing elevated genre pictures in South Australia for international audiences."

Phil Hunt adds, "This will be my 51st Australian film since I launched Bankside in 2007, and I can't think of a more brilliant team to be making it with." 

Andy Lyon, CEO of Amcomri Productions and 101 Films International says, "We are excited to add Sunjive Studios, Pictures in Paradise and Monster Pictures to our list of production partners as we continue to scale up our international slate," Lyon adds, "We have completed numerous projects with Head Gear over the past few years and they are a pleasure to work with - the combination of their finance, the Australian team, and the global distribution capabilities across Amcomri Entertainment's companies, makes this is an exciting first step in a potentially huge partnership with, and beyond, these three movies."  

Director of Monster Pictures, Grant Hardie adds, "We set up the slate to focus on high quality, high concept, character-driven films to entertain audiences around the world. Diabolic ticks every one of these boxes and I couldn't be happier to announce this as the lead project."