Dark Sky Films today announced that it has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to Caveat, the acclaimed new suspense thriller from rising director Damian McCarthy. Dark Sky parent company MPI Media Group will be handling worldwide sales of the film and will bring it to the American Film Market in November.
The film is set mainly in an isolated house on a remote island. When Isaac (Jonathan French, A Soldier’s Voice), a lone drifter with partial memory loss, accepts a job to look after his landlord’s niece Olga (Leila Sykes, Missing Something, Lancaster Skies) for a few days it all seems like easy money, but there is a caveat: he must wear a leather harness and chain that restricts his movements to certain rooms. Once Olga’s uncle, Barrett (Ben Caplan, Call the Midwife, Band of Brothers), leaves the two of them alone, a game of cat and mouse ensues as Olga displays ever worsening psychological issues. With Isaac trapped and at the mercy of Olga, he begins to discover secrets in the house that coincide with the terrifying resurgence of his own memory.
Damian McCarthy is an award-winning filmmaker based in Cork, Ireland. His short films – including He Dies at the End, Hatch, Hungry Hickory, Never Ever Open It, and How Olin Lost His Eye – have screened in such prestigious festivals as the New York City Horror Film Festival and the San Sebastian Horror & Fantasy Film Festival. He is a two-time winner of the Melies d’Argent Award for Best European Short Film, the Delta Film Award, the International Indie Short Film Award, and the Cutting Edge Award for Best Emerging Horror Director.
The agreement was negotiated by Nicola Goelzhaeuser, MPI’s VP, Television, Digital and International Sales, and MPI’s Giles Edwards, Head of Acquisitions and Development.
Caveat recently screened at FightFest in London and Screamfest in Los Angeles, where it received rave reviews.
MPI’s Nicola Goelzhaeuser said, “Damian Mc Carthy’s tension-filled feature debut marks the emergence of a major new talent, and we are thrilled to work with him.”
Dark Sky plans a U.S. theatrical release in early 2021.
