Dystopian thriller ‘The Survivalist’ will be released to cinemas in the UK, Northern Ireland and Ireland as well as on demand from 12th February, 2016, being distributed by Bulldog Film Distribution.
The film will also preview in the QFT in Northern Ireland before general release from the 5th February 2016.
‘The Survivalist’ marks the feature debut of writer-director Stephen Fingleton, who has previously made a name for himself with short films such as ‘Magpie’, ‘Shirin’ and ‘SLR’ – with the latter film making the Oscar short-list in early 2015.
‘The Survivalist’ was produced by Wayne Marc Godfrey (Silence, Cake), Robert Jones (The Usual Suspects, Babylon) and David Gilbery (Bone Tomahawk) through The Fyzz Facility. Shot in Northern Ireland, the film was financed by The Fyzz Facility and BFI in association with Goldcrest. The film received funding from the Northern Ireland Screen Fund supported by Invest NI and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
‘The Survivalist’ is the near future story of a man (Martin McCann) eking out a meagre existence on a secluded smallholding deep in the forest. When a starving woman (Olwen Fouéré) and her teenage daughter (Mia Goth) discover his farm, his loneliness drives him to strike a bargain with them in return for bed and board. But as desire becomes stronger than necessity, the exchange becomes an uneasy, ongoing arrangement which threatens not only his carefully constructed world but also his life.
The film recently played at the BFI London Film Festival and has also previously screened at Tribeca, Belfast and the Galway Film Fleadh.
Read our interviews with writer/director Stephen Fingleton and lead actor Martin McCann after the Galway Film Fleadh screening here and here.
Stephen Fingleton and Mia Goth are nominated for Debut Director and Best Newcomer awards respectively at this year’s British Independent Film Awards, which follows wins for Best New Narrative Director, Special Jury Mention at Tribeca, Best Film at Ithaca and the Citizen Kane Best Newcomer Director Award at Sitges. Stephen Fingleton and Martin McCann have also recently been unveiled as BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.
K5 International are handling worldwide sales. Alchemy acquired North American rights at this year’s Cannes.
