We have your first look at HY3NA, a new, hyper-stylized thriller coming from Canadian director Matthew Ninaber. His new film will have its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest at the end of the month, August 31st.
Steadily building himself quite the resume within the Canadian genre sphere, Ninaber's career has picked up speed of late, directing a sci-fi thriller (Transference: Escape the Dark), a horror sci-fi (Death Valley) and a medieval horror (A Knight's War) in the last five years. They have also starred in some of their own films, often behind masks like he did in Death Valley, and others like Steven Kostanski's Psycho Goreman and Deathstalker.
The official poster and a small batch of stills will be found below the official announcement and a director's statement from Ninaber.
Stylish poster and first look stills drop ahead of the World Premiereat Tubi FrightFest LondonBlack Fawn Distribution has dropped the neon soaked poster and a series of first look stills for HY3NA. The hyper-stylised thriller from Matthew Ninaber will have its World premiere at Tubi FrightFest London on August 31st.After a violent car crash links Nicole and the enigmatic Rachel to a string of brutal murders, two detectives uncover a world of corrupt online sex work, obsession, and manipulation. As Nicole recounts her descent into Rachel’s seductive influence, the lines between protector, predator, and identity begin to collapse.Set against a backdrop of stark urban decay and intimate, tension-filled spaces, HY3NA is a visually arresting film with complex characters and an unrelenting pace, sure to captivate audiences with its shocking twists and turns.The film is written and directed by Matthew Ninaber and produced by Jacqueline Ninaber. Matthew Ninaber has crafted a name for himself since the release of his previous films Death Valley (A Shudder Original), and A Knight’s War, the medieval horror that blasted to number 7 on Amazon in the US last year. On screen, Ninaber played the title character in Steven Kostanski’s Psycho Gorman along with various characters in the recently released Deathstalker reboot.HY3NA stars Storm Steenson (Cup of Cheer, Beyond the Chamber of Terror), Kristen Kaster (Death Cycle, A Knight’s War), Jeremy Ninaber (A Knight’s War, Death Valley), and Matthew Ninaber.HY3NA will have its World premiere at Tubi FrightFest London on August 31st
Matthew Ninaber's director's statement
"What drew me to Hyena was the idea of how much we are willing to change ourselves to fit into our society. How we judge certain people for “selling their bodies” when, in reality, we are all doing that in our own way. I have done a lot of documentary work with survivors of abuse and people who have been taken advantage of. In many situations it starts the same: trading a small part of ourselves or crossing a line because we want to be loved or accepted, to be something that we think the world wants. And if you do it too long, you’ll end up not liking what you see in the mirror. That’s what I wanted to explore with this film. How that exchange fractures us. This movie is about love, belonging, and the violence that can happen when we don’t receive those things. It was a very challenging film to make as we aimed to strike the right balance of what to show and what not to. Making sure we weren’t being exploitative but, also ensuring we were incorporating the elements we needed to tell this unique story."