We Speak Movies
|TRAILER| Polaris: an icy, futuristic thriller with an all-female cast
Featuring polar bears and a headstrong heroine, the new post-apocalyptic thriller Polaris is out in cinemas on 3 November and VOD on 7 November 2023. Set in 2144, the film follows 10-year-old Sumi’s fight for survival in a frozen, inhospitable world.
The film is carried by the outstanding young actress Viva Lee, who plays Sumi – through her eyes, we see a different perspective on this dystopian world. Sumi narrowly escapes capture from the brutal Morads and sets out alone across the vast subarctic landscape. When she stumbles across the mysterious Frozen Girl, an unlikely friendship is forged and together they race ahead towards the guiding light of the Polaris star.
Despite a a challenging subartic shoot for cast and crew, Polaris retains its strong vision throughout. Executive producer Patrick Ewald explains: “When I met the Polaris filmmaking team at the Frontières market, I was immediately drawn to the story and environmental messaging of this project. It’s amazing to see what KC has accomplished and brought on screen.”
“I can’t wait for audiences to see Viva Lee Sumi’s award-winning performance in this incredible film.”
Executive producer Patrick Ewald
“I want to encourage an emotionally immersive audience experience that is more empathy-based, intuitive and universal.”
Writer and director KC Carthew
Polaris is Carthew’s second feature film, following her multiple-award winning debut feature, The Sun at Midnight (2017) starring Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs from Reservation Dogs. Recognised for spectacular world-building in her visual storytelling, Carthew excels in bringing forth award-winning performances, cultivating innovation and pushing both technical and narrative elements to new heights in her work.
Polaris has already won awards at film festivals around the world, including multiple Best Performance awards for Viva Lee (Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, Fantasmagoria, LEO), the Audience Choice Award at the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, the Jury Award at the Reel 2 Reel International Film Festival For Youth and a Visionary Award for KC Carthew (Seattle Make Believe).
Polaris
Synopsis: Set in the frozen world of a post-apocalyptic 2144, a young girl raised by a polar bear must fight to survive after she is captured and escapes from a brutal warriors.
Directed by: KC Carthew (The Sun at Midnight, Fish Out of Water)
Produced by: Max Fraser (Bond of Strangers: The Operation Husky Story, Martinis of the Wilderness), Paul Cadieux (Advocate, Gaza), Alyson Richards (Children Ruin Everything, Before I Change My Mind), Kirsten Carthew (The Sun at Midnight)
Written by: KC Carthew (The Sun at Midnight, Fish Out of Water)
Starring: Viva Lee (An Unexpected Christmas, Deadly Class), Khamisa Wilsher (The Flash, Charmed), Muriel Dutil (Ressac, Curling)
Genre: Sci-Fi | Action | Thriller | Fantasy | Adventure | Independent
Run Time: 89 minutes
Language: English
Territory: US Only
Theatrical Release Date: November 3, 2023
VOD Release Date: November 7, 2023
The film, a co-production with Epic Pictures, is written and directed by KC Carthew, and is executive produced by Patrick Ewald (Epic Pictures CEO and owner); Paul Cadieux (winner of the 2003 Genie Award for Best Motion Picture for The Triplets of Belleville); Alyson Richards (an Ontario-based producer and writer, known for The Retreat, Don’t Talk to Irene and Guidance); Kirsten Carthew (Elijah and the Rock Creature, The Sun at Midnight) and independent Yukon filmmaker Max Fraser.
Also starring in the film are Muriel Dutil (Ressac, Niagara) as Dee, and Khamisa Wilsher (a Canadian actress, model and singer-songwriter) as Frozen Girl.
ABOUT EPIC PICTURES
Founded in 2007, Epic Pictures is an independent content studio with the mission of delivering the best-in-class genre entertainment “for fans, by fans.” Epic Pictures produces, finances, and distributes approximately twenty-thirty independent genre films a year. In 2013, the company established Epic Pictures Releasing which is its US focused distribution division. In 2017, Epic Pictures acquired the world’s most popular horror website, Dread Central, and launched its unique horror label, Dread, followed by its AVOD channel, DreadTV. In 2019, Epic Pictures started the horror gaming site, DreadXP, with a focus on editorial, reviews, podcasts, and original streaming content. In 2020, DreadXP began a video game production and publishing division in collaboration with some of the most innovative developers in the independent gaming space.
Official film history often forgets about female directors, says Julie Des, the founder of SheDoesFilmz, a subscription service featuring solely female-directed films. She’s hoping to remedy that, and during the week of 4-11 March, new subscribers will get a 50% discount on annual membership, to mark International Women’s Day. Julie says: “For the price of two coffees a month, you can receive a regular, curated collection of female films selected by the best global festivals.”
The online platform, which features award-winning films from around the world, was set up in 2018 to highlight brilliant women in film. Julie says:
“SheDoesFilmz aims to build a community of film lovers who will help progress the search for past and current talent and bring these talented works to the world.”
According to a study in Slate magazine, women-directed films suffer from 67% lower distribution than other movies. Julie said: “This means women are making all these movies that are amazing and get to festivals, but then don’t get distributed. Part of our analysis is that some institutions go for easy picks, wanting to avoid topics that are too bold or female-focused. We are more interested in those – the movies that are a bit shocking, different.
“Many of our movies are about topics which you wouldn’t expect or you don’t usually see. As a society we have to actively work towards representation in all fields, but particularly in the arts and film. It’s work we’re proud to be leading!”
SheDoesFilmz shows a rotating collection of festival films directed by women, which can be hard to see elsewhere. Past gems include Nelly Kaplan’s iconic ‘nouvelle vague’ films. SheDoesFilmz selects movies from across all genres and Julie says she’s inspired by the “pure cinephile joy” of watching wonderful films:
“What a shame to ever have missed them! This is the real passion behind the platform – discovering and sharing incredible films.”
When asked to recommend a couple of films that are currently on the site, Julie mentions the Sundance Film Festival-winning documentary ‘Half The Picture’, which is, appropriately enough, about the gender gap in Hollywood. The movie features interviews with successful female directors, including Ava DuVernay, Lena Dunham, Jill Soloway, Rosanna Arquette and Gina Prince-Bythewood, asking them about their career paths, challenges and aims for the future.
Another must-watch is ‘Microhabitat’, by South Korean director Jeon Go-woon. Julie says: “It’s a super-fun, quirky film about a thirty-something woman in Seoul who’s in love with whisky and cigarettes! It was a huge festival favourite, winning over 10 awards.” And Julie says that she’s looking forward to adding to new festival acclaimed Ecuadorian film about a prostitute seeking revenge, ‘La Mala Noche’ and Chinese festival favourite ‘Girls Always Happy’ about the symbiotic relationship between a mother and her daughter in Beijing.
To find out more about SheDoesFilmz and subscribe, visit: www.shedoesfilmz.com
Featured photo credit: AvaDuVernay, ‘Half The Picture’ documentary. Photo by Soraya Selene
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