John Rosman’s Critically Acclaimed Dark Thriller NEW LIFE Opens in Select Theaters & On Demand May 3 From Brainstorm Media
A Genre Festival Darling, Rosman’s Breakout Debut Stars Sonya Walger (For All Mankind, Lost) & Hayley Erin (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists)
From the producers of Something in the Dirt and The Mortuary Collection
“An invigorating piece of humanity horror and the work of a genre mad scientist… We feel for our hero to a depth that action-thrillers have never known”
— Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com
“New Life stands not only as one of the year’s most gripping and tense films, but among the strongest genre debuts in recent memory”
Michael Gingold, Rue Morgue
“A blistering multidimensional thriller that hits from all directions… The kind of debut filmmakers dream about”
— Matt Donato, Slash Film
“This indie gem from writer-director John Rosman hits the ground running and never loses steam”
— Scott Phillips, Forbes
“New Life provides edge-of-the-seat thrills with an emotionally intelligent twist”
— Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, AWFJ.org
“Finds suspense, emotion, and rich characters alongside a ticking clock for humanity”
— Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects
“Deftly blends genres, interweaving a meditative character drama with bursts of stark horror and plenty of action thrills”
— Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
“John Rosman’s feature debut twists one of horror’s most overused tropes to create a deeper emotional character journey”
— Marco Vito Oddo, Collider
Brainstorm Media’s NEW LIFE, the celebrated genre-blending horror thriller from John Rosman, releases in theaters and on demand in North America on May 3.
Rosman’s feature directorial debut is a character-driven story that upends traditional horror conventions through its intimate exploration of mortality. The film follows the story of a mysterious woman on the run (Hayley Erin) and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in (Sonya Walger). As their two stories inexorably link, the stakes of their pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
NEW LIFE kicked off its festival run with its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival and quickly became a festival favorite, earning critical acclaim and continuing with buzzed-about screenings and stops at FrightFest London, Overlook Film Festival, Panic Fest, Florida Film Festival, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, and the Heartland International Film Festival, where it took the 2023 Audience Choice Award.
The film is written and directed by Rosman, who pulled from his documentary background by recalling a story he worked on about a young woman diagnosed with ALS (Summer Whisman, to whom the film is dedicated), which would heavily motivate the feature. NEW LIFE is produced by T. Justin Ross, producer on Shudder’s record-breaking hit The Mortuary Collection and the Judy Greer-led Aporia, and Mike Marchlewski, and executive produced by David Lawson Jr., producer of the Independent Spirit-Award Nominated Sundance darling Something in the Dirt, critically acclaimed science fiction horror The Endless, and EP on the recent SXSW breakout Things Will Be Different. Sonya Walger (For All Mankind, Lost), Hayley Erin (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, The Young and the Restless), and Tony Amendola (Annabelle, Curse of Llorona) star.
Rosman was named one of Filmmaker magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2023 and, prior to developing and shooting his feature debut, was an Emmy-Award-winning journalist for public media, with stories appearing on national and international outlets including NPR and PBS.
MAY 3RD THEATRICAL ENGAGEMENTS
5/3 — Lumiere Music Hall (Beverly Hills, CA)
Filmmaker Q&A Opening Night
5/3 — Westown Movies (Middletown, DE)
5/3 — Emagine Palladium (Birmingham, MI)
Filmmaker Q&A 5/10
5/3 — Galaxy Grandscape (The Colony, TX)
5/3 — Emagine Rogers (Rogers, MN)
5/3 — Screenland Armour Theatre (Kansas City, MO)
5/4 — Hollywood Theatre (Portland, OR) *One Night Only*
Filmmaker Q&A
[84 mins. | U.S. | Not Rated | 2023]
Director, screenwriter: John Rosman
Produced by: T. Justin Ross, Mike Marchlewski
Executive Producer: David Lawson Jr.
Cast: Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, Tony Amendola
Synopsis
A mysterious woman on the run, and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in. Their two unique stories inextricably link, as the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
