U.K. sales and distribution company Blue Finch Films has picked up worldwide sales rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Nick Kozakis’ action horror “Kick On,” which will have its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto Film Festival.
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The company will launch sales on the film at the festival’s newly established industry market. Umbrella Entertainment picked up the Australia and New Zealand rights separately.
“Kick On” follows four friends whose night out spirals into a drug-fueled den run by a mobster’s volatile son, pulling them into a brutal cycle of paranoia, violence and betrayal as they fight to survive.
Kozakis is known for “Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism,” a Sitges Film Festival award winner. The “Kick On” ensemble includes Markella Kavenagh (“Rings of Power”), Nikolai Nikolaeff (“Stranger Things”), Ras-Samuel (“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”) and Jacek Koman (“Conclave”).
“‘Kick On’ is the kind of movie that believes more is more. More blood, more psycho mayhem, more insane action, more moments that make an audience scream, laugh and cheer at the same time. I can’t wait to unleash that experience on a packed TIFF audience,” Kozakis said.
Elsewhere on Blue Finch Films’ roster are the Fantasia premieres “Attack on Paradise” and “Unholy Night,” along with George MacKay-fronted “Mission,” backed by BBC Film and Screen Scotland.
“‘Kick On’ is an adrenaline fueled rollercoaster ride which will bring the house down in Toronto. An unpredictable, Gen Z led, genre gem which cements Nick as part of the new wave of exciting talent coming out of Australia,” said Mike Chapman of Blue Finch Films.
Phil Klimek wrote the screenplay. Fableist Films, the indie banner behind the project, was launched by AACTA-winning producer Stephanie Troost, whose credits include “Birdeater” (SXSW 2024), alongside longtime producer and entrepreneur Simon Bell. “Kick On” marks Fableist’s first feature, and landing a Toronto berth positions the young company on the world stage.
“At Fableist it’s our goal to make ambitious cinema that is designed to be watched in community, preferably with the volume up. ‘Kick On’ is exactly that film and Toronto Midnight Madness is the room we wanted to do it in,” Troost said.
Bell co-founded Fableist Films with Troost after a career as an entrepreneur and producer.
“‘Kick On’ is a great example of what we’re building at Fableist, an agile, sustainable model that provides bold directors like Nick with as much creative freedom as possible. We’re just getting started,” Bell said.
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