IFC MIDNIGHT ANNOUNCES "RELIC"
IFC Midnight is planning on twisting your mind this summer with RELIC. The unforgettable and auspicious feature debut from writer/director Natalie Erika James (see below).
IFC Midnight describes the psychological thriller Relic as such:
When elderly mother Edna (Robyn Nevin) inexplicably vanishes, her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) rush to their family's decaying country home, finding clues of her increasing dementia scattered around the house in her absence. After Edna returns just as mysteriously as she disappeared, Kay's concern that her mother seems unwilling or unable to say where she's been clashes with Sam's unabashed enthusiasm to have her grandma back. As Edna's behavior turns increasingly volatile, both begin to sense that an insidious presence in the house might be taking control of her. All three generations of women are brought together through trauma and a powerful sense of strength and loyalty to face the ultimate fear together. “RELIC” had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 to critical acclaim, praising the film as a fresh and terrifying twist on the notorious haunted-house tale.
emily Mortimer
The psychological horror Relic is Japanese-Australian writer and director Natalie Erika James debut feature. based in Melbourne, Australia,Natalie is currently developing Drum Wave, a Japanese folk horror funded by the highly competitive Screen Australia Hot Shots Plus program. Her 2018 proof-of-concept short for Drum Wave was nominated for Best Australian Short Film at the Sydney Film Festival and premiered internationally at Fantastic Fest.
James first drew attention with Creswick, her 2016 short, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, goning on to screen at 60+ festivals including the New York Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Fantasia, and the Atlanta Film Festival. Creswick was awarded the 2017 AWGIE Award for Best Short Form screenplay by the Australian Writer’s Guild.
In early 2017, Natalie was awarded a Film Victoria funded director’s attachment on Leigh Whannell’s sci-fi thriller, Upgrade. Natalie also produced Under the Sun, shot on location in Changzhou, China. Under The Sun premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Cinefondation program, and has gone on to screen at 60+ festivals internationally.
Director and Co-Writer NATALIE ERIKA JAMES