XYZ Films Boards North American Sales on South Asian Horror ‘In Flames’ (EXCLUSIVE)
XYZ Films has boarded horror film “In Flames” and will handle North American sales rights.
In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.
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The film is directed by Zarrar Kahn, an award-winning Pakistani-Canadian writer, director and producer, produced by Pakistani-Canadian Anam Abbas and executive produced by Indian-American Shant Joshi.
“In Flames” is officially a Canada-Pakistan co-production with support from Telefilm Canada. Production companies include CityLights Media, Other Memory Media and Fae Pictures.
The film is currently in post production and working towards a festival premiere in 2023.
Kahn said: “We’re thrilled to partner with XYZ films in bringing ‘In Flames’ to audiences. Our goal was to create a film that speaks to the international potential of Pakistani genre cinema, and it is a huge honor to be the first South Asian film in their slate. XYZ has a rich history of championing the best of global genre, and we cannot imagine a better home for our Pakistani genre-defying horror film.”
The news was revealed by XYZ’s head of international acquisitions Todd Brown, who is currently attending South Asian film market Film Bazaar, organized by India’s National Film Development Corporation.
“XYZ is thrilled to be working with Zarrar and his brilliant team of producers to bring ‘In Flames’ to audiences. He’s a powerful talent, someone we think is a truly generational voice from Pakistan, and his feature debut is powerful, haunting stuff. We knew we had to be involved from the moment we first looked at the script and couldn’t be happier they’ve welcomed us to be part of the team,” Brown said.
XYZ’s current projects include “Svalta,” starring Nick Frost and Lena Heady; “Blackberry” from director Matt Johnson, which just sold to IFC Films; “The Wasp,” starring Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer; “Ash,” starring Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt; “The Black Kaiser,” starring Mads Mikkelsen; “Hounds of War,” starring Frank Grillo, Robert Patrick and Rhona Mitra and the Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead film “Something in the Dirt,” which premiered at Sundance 2022.
The company’s current slate also includes Nic Cassavetes’ “God is a Bullet,” starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe and Jamie Foxx; “Nocebo,” directed by Lorcan Finnegan with Eva Green and Mark Strong; and “Accused” from “Boiling Point” director Phillip Barantini. XYZ is in post-production on the Netflix original “Havoc,” directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forrest Whitaker.
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