Australia’s first all-female horror anthology Dark Whispers – Volume 1, created by filmmaker Megan Riakos (Crushed), debuts internationally on Sunday 8 February as part of Final Girls Berlin Film Festival in Germany.
This screening will be followed the film’s North American premiere at Cinequest in San Jose, California, screening on 5, 6, 7 and 9 March. Further festival dates will be announced soon.
Starring Andrea Demetriades (Babyteeth), Asher Keddie (Offspring) and Anthony LaPaglia (Riveria), the unique project is a first for Australia, where genre anthologies have not been a popular format until recently. The independent production showcase the stories directed by eleven talented filmmakers: Angie Black, Briony Kidd, Isabel Peppard, Janine Hewitt, Jub Clerc, Kaitlin Tinker, Katrina Irawati Graham, Lucy Gouldthorpe, Madeleine Purdy, Marion Pilowsky and Megan Riakos, who directed the wrap-around segment.
In the overarching story, shot by Justine Kerrigan, Andrea Demetriades plays Clara, who is obsessed with her late mother’s cherished “Book of Dark Whispers”.
Each weird tale that she encounters within its pages explores a new facet of the twisted human psyche, or not-so-human; from the horror of grief to a share-house living disaster, from existential dread to right-swiping vampires.
“I’m proud to be able to bring this work to international audiences,” says producer and instigator of the project Megan Riakos. “Australian genre filmmakers are highly regarded around the world but there are many exciting voices for audiences still to discover.”
“With this project we particularly wanted to present a broad cross-section of approaches and the filmmakers included are of diverse backgrounds and ages. What unites them is a taste for twisted tales as a vehicle to reflect on the complexities of contemporary life.”
Dark Whispers – Volume 1 was produced by Riakos and Leonie Marsh in collaboration with Executive Producer Enzo Tedeschi (Deadhouse) and Associate Producer Briony Kidd (Stranger With My Face International Film Festival).
