IFC Midnight has acquired the U.S. rights to the thriller “Rust Creek,” starring British actress Hermione Corfield in her first leading role.
Jen McGowan directed from a script by Julie Lipson, based on a story by Lunacy Productions’ Stu Pollard, who also produced the thriller.
“Rust Creek” stars Jay Paulson, Sean O’Bryan, John Marshall Jones, Micah Hauptman, Daniel R. Hill, and Jeremy Glazer. IFC Midnight is planning a January theatrical release.
Corfield, whose credits include “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” plays an ambitious, overachieving college senior with a seemingly bright future. While on her way to a job interview, a wrong turn leaves her stranded deep in the frozen Kentucky woods, where she’s punished by the elements and pursued by a band of ruthless outlaws. With nowhere left to run, she is forced into an uneasy alliance with Paulson’s enigmatic loner.
In accordance with Lunacy Productions’ mandate to support female filmmakers, most of the key roles on the movie are filled by women, including director of photography, production designer, colorist, and sound mixer. The production was awarded a Women in Film LA finishing fund grant.
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“We are thrilled to partner with IFC Films on the release of this very special film,” Pollard said. “The entire crew — with Jen leading the way — did an amazing job in some very extreme conditions. We are very excited for audiences nationwide to see our cast’s amazing performances.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco and Aijah Keith for IFC with Jay Cohen at Gersh and Elsa Ramo of Ramo Law working on behalf of Lunacy and the filmmakers.
