By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The horror film centered on the UK’s “video nasties” phenomenon will see release on this side of the pond this summer.
Variety reports that Magnolia Pictures has picked up North American rights to CENSOR, which world-premiered last month as the opening Midnight title of the Sundance Film Festival. The distributor has set a June 11 release date for the film, directed by Prano Bailey-Bond from a script she wrote with Anthony Fletcher and starring Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta and Michael Smiley (KILL LIST, THE HALLOW). The synopsis: “The movie centers on film censor Enid [Algar], who discovers an eerie horror that speaks directly to her sister’s mysterious disappearance. She resolves to unravel the puzzle behind the film and its enigmatic director–a quest that will blur the lines between fiction and reality in terrifying ways.” You can check out our review of CENSOR here.
“Magnolia Pictures champion exactly the unique, powerful cinema that I love,” Bailey-Bond says, “releasing titles that have truly resonated with me: THE SQUARE, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, SHOPLIFTERS, TANGERINE. For CENSOR to have found a home on this remarkable slate is amazing!”
Adds Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles, “Prano Bailey-Bond has delivered a frightening, incredibly original film. It is a rare work that has a lot on its mind as well as being genuinely terrifying.”
