Well now. This is fantastic news. This is amazing news.
Shudder has announced that they have acquired the Senegalese film, Saloum. A verifiable kitchen sink of genres, Saloum is equal parts a horror filim, an action film, a revenge thriller and rural dark fantasy built around African folklore. This is what you should refer to when you say something is genre-bending. This. This is genre bending and it does it very, very well.
In Saloum, shot down after fleeing a coup and extracting a drug lord from Guinea-Bissau, the legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas – Chaka, Rafa and Midnight - must stash their stolen gold bounty, lay low long enough to repair and refuel their plane and escape back to Dakar, Senegal. When they take refuge at a holiday camp in the coastal region of Sine-Saloum, they do their best to blend in with their fellow guests; including a mute named Awa, with secrets of her own, and a policeman who may be on their tail, but it’s Chaka who happens to be hiding the darkest secret of them all. Unbeknownst to the other Hyenas, he's brought them there for a reason and once his past catches up to him, his decisions have devastating consequences, threatening to unleash hell on them all.
Our own Kurt caught the film when it had its world premiere in the Midnight Madness program at TIFF last year. You will find his full review here, but here is a quick snippet.
With its pounding surf, sodium vapour night-lighting, a bevy of handsome overhead shots, and a devil-may-care willingness to stuff 75 years worth of global genre cinema (from Leone and Kurosawa to Miike and McTiernan) into 84 minutes, Saloum may be ragged around the edges at times, but it is never, ever, boring.
IFC Midnight, another part of the AMC Network family, will handle the theatrical release beginning on September 2nd. Shudder will then premiere Saloum on their streaming service on September 8th followed by a theatrical rollout from IFC on the 9th. Follow?
SHUDDER ACQUIRES TIFF OFFICIAL SELECTION SALOUMBREAKOUT SENEGALESE FILM TO RECEIVE U.S. THEATRICAL RUN VIA IFC MIDNIGHT – OPENING IN NY & LA ON SEPTEMBER 2FILM TO PLAY AT NEW YORK’S IFC CENTER AND LOS ANGELES’ ALAMO DRAFTHOUSEStreams September 8 Only on ShudderShudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, and IFC Midnight announced today a theatrical run for the highly-anticipated and award-winning Shudder Original Saloum beginning Friday, September 2 ahead of the film’s streaming debut on Thursday, September 8. A national rollout will follow beginning Friday, September 9. The film, written and directed by Jean Luc Herbulot (Dealer) was a breakout release of Midnight Madness at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, before playing Fantastic Fest 2021, the Red Sea International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, and the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival.“Saloum is a bold combination of horror, revenge thriller and African folklore that's worthy of every bit of praise it’s been receiving at festivals,” said Shudder General Manager, Craig Engler. “We’re proud to share this incredibly original and thrilling film from the distinctive voice of Jean Luc Herbulot with our members and theatergoers.”Said Herbulot, “I created the Hyenas as a personal gift for my own 7-year-old self who grew up without heroes and my 37-year-old self who was bored by modern African cinema, and today I hope they can be the heroes of many across the globe. It's very important for us at Lacmé that this type of story offers a glimpse of what African myths and legends can generously deliver to a global audience.”In Saloum, shot down after fleeing a coup and extracting a drug lord from Guinea-Bissau, the legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas – Chaka, Rafa and Midnight - must stash their stolen gold bounty, lay low long enough to repair and refuel their plane and escape back to Dakar, Senegal. When they take refuge at a holiday camp in the coastal region of Sine-Saloum, they do their best to blend in with their fellow guests; including a mute named Awa, with secrets of her own, and a policeman who may be on their tail, but it’s Chaka who happens to be hiding the darkest secret of them all. Unbeknownst to the other Hyenas, he's brought them there for a reason and once his past catches up to him, his decisions have devastating consequences, threatening to unleash hell on them all.Saloum stars Yann Gael, Evelyne Ily Juhen, Roger Sallah, Bruno Henry, Marielle Salmier and Mentor Ba. The film marks the first production from Pamela Diop and Herbulot’s pan-African Lacme Studios. Diop produced Saloum and the executive producers are Hus Miller, Douglas Jackson, and Mike Shema. Alexis Perrin and EV.L Prod are co-producers.The acquisition deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto, VP, Global Acquisitions & Co-Productions on behalf of Shudder and Adeline Fontan Tessaur, co-Founder and Managing Director of Elle Driver on behalf of the filmmakers.