Cinedigm Buys SXSW Genre Bender ‘Jethica,’ Unveils Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)

Manori Ravindran
·2 min read
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Cinedigm has acquired SXSW genre bender “Jethica” from New York’s Visit Films for U.S. release, Variety can reveal.

Pete Ohs’ offbeat movie — which premiered in Austin, Texas, earlier this year — follows Jessica, who lives in fear of a man named Kevin that follows her everywhere she goes. While on a road trip in New Mexico, she reconnects with old high school friend Elena who has been hiding out at her deceased grandmother’s ranch.

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When Kevin mysteriously appears again, Jessica and Elena seek help from beyond the grave to get rid of him for good — but Kevin is different from other stalkers and won’t move on so easily.

“Jethica” has screened at festivals around the world including Busan, Overlook, Maryland, Filmfort, Germany’s B3 Biennial, and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, where it received a Special Jury Award.

The movie will hit select cinemas on Jan. 13, starting with a run in L.A. at the Lumiere Music Hall, before premiering on indie discovery platform Fandor on Feb. 14. The film will then receive an exclusive window on Cinedigm’s horror streaming service Screambox.

“Jethica” is co-written by Ohs in collaboration with stars Callie Hernandez (“Under the Silver Lake”), Ashley Denise Robinson (“The Beta Test”), Andy Faulkner (“Youngstown”), and Will Madden (“The Wolf of Snow Hollow”). The production was carried by Ohs, who also shot, edited, and produced the film, with Visit Films’ Ryan Kampe serving as executive producer.

In her Variety review, critic Jessica Kiang hailed “Jethica” as an “ingenious, deadpan horror-satire that asks, ‘Can you ghost a ghost?'”

Said Ohs: “Cinedigm has given an incredible platform to independent cinema thanks to Fandor, and I’m thrilled that ‘Jethica’ will be a part of it. It’s meaningful when small movies like this get the opportunity to reach a wider audience. I think we made a very cool and strange film that challenges expectations and I’m looking forward to more people seeing it.”

Aaron Hillis, director of programming for Cinedigm, added: “’Jethica’ is a gift for adventurous viewers, a singular creation that could be described as a comedy, a drama, even a supernatural thriller. Life doesn’t fit neatly into one genre, and the story Pete Ohs and his players have told is both outrageously weird yet profoundly human.”

The deal was negotiated by Brandon Hill, director of acquisitions, on behalf of Cinedigm and Kampe of Visit Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

Watch a trailer for the film below:

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