XYZ Films Acquires North American Rights To Supernatural Slasher ‘#FLOAT’ From Rotting Press

Zac Ntim
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: XYZ Films has picked up the North American distribution rights to the supernatural slasher #FLOAT, written and directed by Zac Locke (Black Christmas) and starring newcomer Kate Mayhew.

The deal was negotiated by XYZ’s Executive VP of U.S. Distribution, James Emanuel Shapiro. XYZ Films will release the film domestically on December 8.

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The film follows the young, beautiful, and full-of-life vlogger Kali (Mayhew) and her pals who are heading to the river for their annual lazy river float, the first one since their friend Chuy overdosed and drowned a year earlier. But their partying suddenly takes a dark turn when a mysterious force plunges them into a life-and-death struggle, forcing them to face their own fears as they turn on each other – and proceed to die one by one.

The flick is the first from Locke’s genre micro-studio Rotting Press and it recently had its festival premiere at the Nightmares Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio. #FLOAT also marks the directorial debut of Locke, who has a long list of producer credits, including 2018’s Black Christmas, the comedy-fantasy Country Gold, Vengeance, and The Voyeurs, starring Sydney Sweeney. Locke also spent two years as Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Blumhouse.

In addition to newcomer Kate Mayhew, #FLOAT stars Scarlett Sperduto (Those Who Walk Away), Kaya Coleman (Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders), Grant Morningstar (Meathook), and Christina Nguyen (Lion). The flick is produced by Mikey Bill Taylor, Jensine Carr, Rebecca Rufer, Justin Anderson, and Locke. Matt Wise and Robert Rippberger executive produce.

XYZ Films’ James Emanuel Shapiro said: “Very few people know the horror genre and what makes horror work more than Zac Locke does; so when he told me he was directed directing his first film, I had to work on it. I was thrilled in that the film came out as good as I expected it to and I can’t wait for #FLOAT to be celebrated as one of the best horror debuts of 2022.”

Locke added: “This film was so much fun to make, and I think it’ll be just as fun for audiences to watch. I’ve worked with both James and XYZ Films in many capacities over the years and I’m thrilled to have the perfect distribution partner to unleash this project onto the world.”

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