Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott has made her name in gritty action thrillers like Nemesis and Renegades, but her latest turn in Phil Claydon’s Helloween pushes her into darker territory. As Dr. Ellen Marks, a psychiatrist battling both a notorious killer and her own sense of responsibility, Sothcott delivers a performance that’s equal parts strength and vulnerability. In our conversation, she described what drew her to the role: “Playing a strong woman, playing a doctor, was a real pull for me.”

With Beast of War, director Kiah Roache-Turner delivers a survival thriller that is as emotionally resonant as it is terrifying. Known for high-octane indie horror like Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Nekrotronic, and Sting, Roache-Turner takes a more restrained, meditative approach here, balancing bloody spectacle with themes of silence, identity, and trauma. The film was sparked by a single haunting image: men adrift on a raft, stalked by unseen predators beneath the surface.

British actor Tony Way is no stranger to memorable roles, from Ser Dontos in Game of Thrones to his turn in Ricky Gervais’ After Life. His latest project, Time Travel is Dangerous, lets him lean into a very different kind of character while still playing to his comedic strengths. The film, directed by Chris Reading and co-written with Anna-Elizabeth and Hillary Shakespeare, is a mockumentary-style comedy that follows two vintage shop owners who stumble upon a time machine and begin raiding the past for collectibles.

Dean Francis has never shied away from bold filmmaking, and with Body Blow he delivers what might be his most daring project yet. Premiering at Fantastic Fest 2025, the film takes the framework of the 1990s erotic thriller and refracts it through a distinctly queer perspective, creating something both nostalgic and strikingly modern. The story follows Aiden, a disgraced cop battling sex addiction who goes undercover in Sydney’s neon-soaked gay district.

Few indie filmmakers carry themselves with the polish and confidence of Kyle Misak and Jon Petro. After speaking with them about their latest feature Bad Haircut, it is easy to imagine both becoming household names. They are smart, funny, and completely in sync with one another, two filmmakers chasing impossible ideas and somehow making them real.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with director Glenn McQuaid and legendary actor Alice Krige to talk about their new film, The Restoration at Grayson Manor. The film is a gothic, darkly funny, and unsettling story of a queer son and his domineering mother, locked in a twisted battle over legacy, identity, and control. For McQuaid, whose past credits include I Sell the Dead and Tales from Beyond the Pale, the film is both a love letter to melodrama and a deeply personal reflection on queer repression.

Emirati filmmaker Majid Al Ansari, best known for his breakout debut Zinzana, returns with The Vile, a haunting blend of psychological drama and supernatural horror. Premiering under Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Spooky Pictures’ multi-picture slate, the film marks the first Arabic-language Emirati feature in their lineup and further cements Al Ansari’s role as a trailblazer in regional genre cinema. At its core, The Vile examines the ripple effects of polygamy, greed, and betrayal through the story of Amani, a wife blindsided when her husband brings home a second wife

Spanish filmmaker Eduardo Casanova has never shied away from provocation. From his striking debut Skins to the unsettling La Piedad, his films pulse with pastel colors, grotesque beauty, and characters who embody rebellion against rigid social norms. With his latest project, Silencio, Casanova takes his singular vision to new ground, blending vampire horror and queer cinema into a tragicomic meditation on stigma, love, and survival. Told across centuries, Silencio begins during the Black Death, when vampire sisters struggle with dwindling supplies of “clean blood.”