The new film Sissy is turning some heads ahead of its world premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival as the movie has already been picked by up the horror streamer Shudder. One of the Midnighters for this year's SXSW, the film comes from writers-directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes. Shudder will serve as the exclusive streaming home to the Australian horror-comedy in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes’ script crafted something special, a stylish and thoroughly modern horror comedy with bite, led fearlessly by Aisha Dee. We can’t wait for audiences to meet Sissy," Craig Engler, Shudder's general manager, said in a statement.
Lisa Shaunessy from Arcadia added, “Shudder is the perfect home for Sissy and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them. The team at Shudder are the best at bringing elevated horror to engaged audiences across major territories. As filmmakers, to know Sissy will be celebrated by a genre-loving audience like Shudder's is a dream come true."
Hannah Barlow and Kane Sense wrote and directed Sissy. The film stars Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha, Lucy Barrett, Shaun Martindale, Amelia Lule, April Blasdall, and Camille Cumpston, It's produced by Lisa Shaunessy, John De Margheriti, Jason Taylor, and Bec Janek. Executive producers include Alexandra Burke, Vicki De Margheriti , William Day Frank, Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes, Anna Dadic, Jacqueline Kerwick, Seth Larney, Mathieu Van De Velde, and Clement Dunn.
The deal was negotiated by XYZ Films, LevelK and Arcadia on behalf of the filmmakers and Emily Gotto on behalf of Shudder.
A Childhood Bully Is Much, Much Worse As an Adult in Sissy
The synopsis for Sissy reads: "Cecilia and Emma were tween-age BFFs who were going to grow old together and never let anything come between them, until Alex arrived on the scene. Twelve years later, Cecilia is a successful social media influencer living the dream of an independent, modern millennial woman... until she runs into Emma for the first time in over a decade. Emma invites Cecilia away on her bachelorette weekend at a remote cabin in the mountains, where Alex proceeds to make Cecilia’s weekend a living hell. #triggered"
Hyping this year's SXSW, which boasts many world premieres for a variety of films, SXSW's Janet Pierson said in a statement, “The last two years have been complicated, and full of uncharted new waters for all of us. While there’s been innovation in building community in isolation and figuring out how to pivot, we’ve intensely missed being able to gather together. For our 29th edition of SXSW Film Festival, we are thrilled to share a bounty of creative work to experience together, in-person, with some virtual possibilities, as well. There are fantastic new projects to enjoy from a variety of voices, with, as always, surprising new discoveries.”
Sissy will make its world premiere on Friday, March 11 at SXSW. Its Shudder premiere date hasn't yet been set. You can find out more information about the Film Festival at SXSW.com.