Dennis Bartok's debut feature, Nails, is set to have its world premiere next month at the Dublin International Film Festival and we have some exclusive images for this creepy looking film. Nails marks Bartok's first foray into directing after participating as a writer on several features and spending years involved with the American Cinematheque as a programmer and now the general manager, as well as working with independent distributor Cinelicious Pics. On board for the journey he has the The Descent star Shauna MacDonald as well as comedian Ross Noble among a great many other familiar names.
The film's premiere news couples with the exclusive announcement that UK and Irish distrbution has been grabbed by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, who will offer Nails on VOD and SVOD later in the year. Check out the official press release for more information along with this gallery of images.
January 19, 2017
NEW IRISH HORROR FILM NAILS TO WORLD PREMIERE
AT AUDI DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL –
FEATURE DEBUT FOR WRITER / DIRECTOR DENNIS BARTOK
STARS SHAUNA MACDONALD (THE DESCENT) &
ROSS NOBLE (STITCHES)
DUBLIN, IRELAND – Fantastic Films and Kaleidoscope Film Distribution announced today that the new Irish horror film NAILS will have its World Premiere as part of the Audi Dublin International Film Festival (ADIFF), which runs 16-26 February, 2017. This intense and claustrophobic thriller centers on a happily-married track coach and mother, Dana Milgrom, who’s survived a near-death car accident only to find herself paralyzed and trapped inside her own body. Forced to communicate via an artificial voice program and hooked to a breathing machine, she becomes convinced that a terrifying presence called “Nails” exists inside her hospital room. No one believes her – not even her own husband and doctors, who think she’s experiencing a mental breakdown. In the vein of recent films like THE BABADOOK and UNDER THE SHADOW, NAILS is part of a new wave of horror that puts female characters and their emotional lives at the center of the story. The film was financed with support from Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board.
“NAILS is a truly terrifying and suffocating horror film, and we’re thrilled to premiere Dennis’ debut feature here at ADIFF,” says Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys. “Shauna Macdonald gives a fearless, beautiful performance that reminds me of Mathieu Amalric in THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY.” Adds writer/director Dennis Bartok, “Most horror films are about running away – NAILS is the opposite: it’s about being locked inside your own flesh with the terror. I don’t think there’s any other actress who could give the performance Shauna did: her concentration and emotional rawness took the film to a whole different level.”
NAILS is the feature debut from Bartok, who produced & wrote the Lionsgate horror TRAPPED ASHES in 2006, with segments directed by Joe Dante, Ken Russell & Monte Hellman. Bartok recently published the non-fiction book A Thousand Cuts: the Bizarre Underground World of Collectors & Dealers Who Saved the Movies, hailed as one of the Best Film Books of 2016 by the Huffington Post. He’s well known for his work with the American Cinematheque in L.A. and art-house distributor Cinelicious Pics which he co-founded in 2014.
UK-based distributor and sales company Kaleidoscope Film Distribution will be releasing NAILS theatrically and on VOD / SVOD in the U.K. and Ireland later in 2017, dates TBA, and will be representing the film for world sales at the upcoming European Film Market at the Berlin Film Festival.
The film stars Scottish actress Shauna Macdonald as Dana Milgrom, which required long hours of make-up to create her graphic injuries and tremendous preparation and focus to portray a character who is paralyzed and forced to communicate via laptop for most of the film. Macdonald is much-loved by genre fans for her role in Nail Marshall’s seminal horror film THE DESCENT (2005) and its sequel THE DESCENT: PART 2 (2009). British stand-up comedian and actor Ross Noble co-stars as Trevor Helms, a nurse’s aide at Hopewell Hospital who slowly comes to believe that Dana’s paranoid visions may be real. Noble first appeared to horror fans in the UK-hit STITCHES (2012), also produced by Fantastic Films, where he portrayed the lead character.
The film was co-written by Tom Abrams and also stars Steve Wall (of Irish band The Stunning), newcomer Leah McNamara in her breakout performance as Dana’s daughter, Gemma, and Richard Foster-King as Nails, with cinematography by James Mather (FRANK) and music by longtime Gary Numan collaborator Ade Fenton.
The producers of the film, Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell of Fantastic Films, are well known to genre lovers for their recent horror films including LET US PREY, THE HALLOW, THE LAST DAYS ON MARS, STITCHES, THE WAKE WOOD and THE CHERRY TREE. The executive producer of NAILS, Joseph Kaufman, was exec producer of John Carpenter’s 1976 classic ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 along with the 2005 remake starring Ethan Hawke.
NAILS will world premiere at ADIFF on Monday, February 20th, 2017 at 20:45 PM at Cineworld, Parnell Street, Dublin.
Tickets go on sale at 18.30 on 18th January at www.diff.ie, by phone on +353 1 687 7974 or in person at DIFF House & Box Office, 13 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1.
ABOUT FANTASTIC FILMS
Taking its name from the great tradition of European Cinema Fantastique, Fantastic Films is an OSCAR™ winning film production company based in Dublin, Ireland. Focusing on high quality genre and niche films, recent titles include The Hallow, Cherry Tree, Let Us Prey, Last Days on Mars, Wake Wood & Stitches.
www.fantasticfilms.ie
www.facebook.com/FantasticFilmsLtd/
ABOUT Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (KFD)
Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (KFD) is an established International Sales outfit based in London, offering full UK and international distribution and sales capabilities. KFD specialises in commercial features films and branded documentaries.
New titles include: Nails, the terrifying new feature from the producers of The Hallow and Let Us Prey; Monster Island, a hilariously fun family animation of one small boy who finds out he is really a monster! Prevenge, the critically acclaimed dark comedy from director Alice Lowe, which has played at BFI London Film Festival, TIFF, Venice Film Festival and Sitges; A Dark Song, the unique horror tale of a grieving mother who undergoes a hellish ritual to avenge her child’s untimely death; Little Princess & The Legend of Blue Foot, a stunning family animated feature from the creator of On Angel Wings, The Snowman and Father Christmas; The animated adventure, The Land of Sometimes, starring the voice talent of Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Terry Jones, and David Walliams. Recent titles include documentary, After Spring, the poignant story of Syrian refugees’ survival in the largest camp ever built for them; The Windmill Massacre, an original genre horror from the producer of Frankenstein’s Army; and Top Cat Begins, the hilarious feature length prequel to the much-loved television series. Previous titles include: Joss Whedon’s acclaimed Much Ado About Nothing; Tank 432, a stunning thriller from executive producer, Ben Wheatley, director of Kill List and High Rise; and I Am Durán, the true story of underdog boxer, Roberto Durán.
ABOUT Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board
The role of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) is the national development agency for Irish filmmaking and the Irish film, television and animation industry, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise. The agency supports writers, directions and production companies across these sectors by providing investment loans for the development, production and distribution of film, television and animation projects. The IFB also supports and promotes the Irish screen industries at major international markets and festivals, promotes inward investment, the use of Ireland as a location for international production and provides support for companies filming in Ireland. The agency provides a strategic vision for industry training through Screen Training Ireland.