Berkley Brady Brings Women-Led Horror to the Masses
Filmoption International is pleased to announce the theatrical release of Dark Nature, the feature film debut from Berkley Brady, co-written by Brady and Tim Cairo. The film stars Hannah Emily Anderson (Jigsaw, X-Men: Dark Phoenix), Madison Walsh (Don’t Say Its Name), Roseanne Supernault (The Northlander), Kyra Harper (Orphan Black) and Helen Belay. After a successful film festival run including a premiere at Fantasia, the film will be releasing wide in theaters across Canada and the US starting May 19th, 2023.
Dark Nature follows Joy, a survivor of domestic abuse, who joins her friend Carmen and her therapy group for a secluded weekend retreat in the Canadian Rockies. Led by the enigmatic Dr. Dunnley – whose methods are experimental and sometimes dubious – the experiment shatters the line between reality and illusion. Joy begins to suspect that she is being stalked by her attacker, when in reality the whole group will be forced to face a threat even more terrifying than the monsters of their past.
Berkley Brady’s debut horror feature Dark Nature is a suspenseful and gory journey into the darkest corners of the mind. When Joy (Hannah Emily Anderson) escapes an abusive relationship, her best friend talks her into a retreat for women who have survived trauma in the Rocky Mountains with the acclaimed Dr. Dunnely. As they move deeper into the wilderness and their treatment, Joy begins to believe her violent ex-boyfriend is out there somewhere, but perhaps it is something even worse. A part of Cannes’ Fantastic 7, Dark Nature tackles classic survival horror with a modern approach, aided by a terrific ensemble cast.
Berkley Brady is a Métis writer, director and producer based in Treaty 7 territory in Calgary, Alberta. Her creative work in film has premiered at festivals around the world, including the Berlin Biennale and at Sundance. She has directed television series, commercials and music videos and holds a master’s degree in film from Columbia University in New York, with a specialization in directing. Her credits include Song of the Dead and The Gray Man, both of which will appear in upcoming horror anthologies from Amazon and Creepy Pasta. She also directed the short documentary Kohkum and The Quest, which explores the process of preparing for a vision quest. She is currently in the process of adapting Maria Campbell’s book Halfbreed for the screen.
Dark Nature is produced by Michael Peterson for Peterson Polaris and Berkley Brady for Nika Productions with the participation of Telefilm Canada and Super Channel, in association with the Indigenous Screen Office, Epic Pictures and Filmoption International which distributes the film in Canada. The film is composed by Ghostkeeper.
