Award-winning actor, filmmaker, and producer Ethan Daniel Corbett is set to bring his latest leading role to the international stage as Astrolatry premieres at the 59th Sitges Film Festival, running October 8–18, 2026.
Marking David Gordon’s feature directorial debut, the psychologically driven genre satire heads to the world’s premier fantasy and horror festival for its first public screening. The high-profile festival debut follows momentum built earlier this year at the Cannes Marché du Film. Astrolatry was selected from a record-breaking 124 submissions for the prestigious Frontières Buyers Showcase.
Toxic Masculinity and Obsession Core to Feature Debut
Astrolatry stars Corbett as Elliot, an obsessive outcast whose fixation on a beauty-cream model rapidly deteriorates into violent delusion. Fusing dark character study, satire, and horror, David Gordon’s debut feature examines desire, alienation, and control. All while mounting a sharp interrogation of toxic masculinity and the “nice guy” trope.
Reflecting on the role, Corbett says playing Elliot was a surprisingly healing experience. He offers insight into how personal mental health struggles can lead people into dark circumstances. He emphasizes that behind its terrifying surface, the film carries a deep emotional core that explores whether people are born bad or shaped by isolation and trauma.
“Sitges has a long history of championing both emergent and established
independent filmmakers, so it’s an honor to have the World Premiere of ASTROLATRY, my first
feature film as director, take place within that storied tradition. I’m excited to expose our first
theatrical audience to this bizarre film, since I truly believe this film plays best in a crowded room,
especially due to the dark subject matter and surreal presentation that makes our audience
complicit in the twisted mental space of our protagonist, Elliot, played by Ethan Daniel Corbett.
Seeing Ethan bring the character to life went beyond my wildest expectations, as he was able to
imbue Elliot with both vulnerability and a simmering aggression that lingered right underneath
the character’s surface. Perfectly situated for a midnight audience, ASTROLATRY will take
viewers on a rollercoaster and leave them discussing its messaging after they leave the theater.”
Ethan Daniel Corbett Expands Portfolio Across Genre Cinema
Raised in Santa Clarita with strong family ties to the entertainment industry, Corbett honed his craft at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) before breaking out in Hulu’s Voodoo. After early critical recognition for his performance in Blood at Cannes in 2018, Corbett has built a strong festival presence with standout roles in Clown & Out, OUTtv’s Laid Bare, and FACES. It earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at FilmQuest in 2024. Beyond his starring performance in Astrolatry, Corbett is active behind the camera via Upright Pictures. It’s the banner he co-founded with writer Sadie Villhard. He currently serves as executive producer and co-star in Melissa Vitello’s upcoming psychological horror feature Regression, while also playing the primary antagonist in the vertical western romance series West of My Heart.
A Historic Platform for International Genre Storytelling
Founded in 1968, the Sitges Film Festival holds a nearly six-decade legacy as a launching pad for landmark genre cinema. It screened early seminal works like Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and Peter Jackson’s Braindead. It also screened Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy and Demian Rugna’s When Evil Lurks. Serving as an Academy Award-qualifying festival, Sitges continues to host the industry’s most influential figures. It includes legendary alumni like David Lynch, George A. Romero, David Cronenberg, and Guillermo del Toro. This year’s edition will also honor director Robert Eggers with the prestigious Time Machine Award. It also includes an exclusive preview of his upcoming Focus Features title Werwulf. This makes Astrolatry’s selection a major milestone for Gordon and Corbett’s creative team.
