Our friends at The Horror Collective have sent along news that one of their acquisitions, the social justice-themed horror flick, Silence of the Prey, will open the 8th annual Golden State Film Festival on Friday, February 23rd. Not only is it the opener but this will be the movie's world premiere as well.
In a desperate bid to secure a future for her child, an undocumented immigrant mother takes a caretaker job. Unbeknownst to her, the elderly man conceals a horrifying truth.
Silence of the Prey is the directorial debut of Karyna Kudzina (or, Karina Bezell, depending where you look) who co-directed with Michael Vaynberg. She also stars and produced the horror flick with her co-star, production partner and real-life partner, Monte Bezell. Den Tolmor also produced. We do not believe they're related to Karyna or Monte.
If you're interested in seeing Silence of the Prey at Golden State Film Festival there is a link in the announcement below. Do yourselves a favor and do not look it up on IMDB until afterwards as I fear the synopsis on the page will given away a key plot point.
The 8th edition of the Golden State Film Festival will host the world premiere of the social justice-themed horror Silence of the Prey. As announced today on Screen Daily, the opening night screening will take place Friday, February 23, at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Inspired by a true story, Silence of the Prey follows an undocumented immigrant mother who takes a caretaker job for an elderly man, only to discover a horrifying truth. The film marks the directorial debut of Karyna Kudzina, who co-directed with Michael Vaynberg.Studio Dome’s genre label, The Horror Collective, is set to release the film on May 15 on video-on-demand and digital platforms in the United States, the UK/Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.Golden State Film Festival’s programmer, Peter Greene is excited to feature Silence of the Prey as part of the opening night line-up in this year's festival. "We are huge fans of the film and its team and believe that Karyna Kudzina's performance is one not to miss."Producers Monte Bezell and Den Tolmor commented in a joint statement: “Our film encapsulates the harrowing vanishing of thousands, shrouding the boundary between the enigmatic and the inconceivable. It stands as a chilling homage to the terrors that reverberate within the void of the absent, an uncompromising, spine-tingling saga that compels us to confront the abyss lurking amidst our midst""The film addresses the dangers that undocumented immigrants sometimes face while trying to provide for their families without the protections that most people enjoy," said Shaked Berenson, CEO of Studio Dome. "Silence of the Prey is a perfect follow-up to The Horror Collective's Ghosts of the Void which also explores social justice issues.Producer Den Tolmor is best known for the Oscar and Emmy nominated documentary, Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom. Also produced by Kudzina, and Bezell, who also star in the film alongside Michael Doyle, Lorianna Izrailova, and Chris LaPanta. Written by Kudzina and Saro Varjabedian.The rest of The Golden State Film Festival’s line-up will be announced later this week. More information and tickets can be found on the official website.The Horror Collective is the genre label of Studio Dome, a finance and distribution company founded by veteran producer Shaked Berenson (TURBO KID, TALES OF HALLOWEEN). The labels' latest productions include the killer-pants cult classic SLAXX (Shudder Original) and the critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ horror-comedy SUMMONING SYLVIA.