Production underway in UK on cult-set thriller featuring an all-deaf principal cast; XYZ handling world sales via its New Visions initiative
XYZ Films has announced production is underway on writer-director Ted Evans’ debut thriller RETREAT, which stars Anne Zander, James Boyle and Sophie Stone, with Ace Mahbaz and Anna Seymore rounding out the cast. The film, featuring an all-deaf principal cast and writer/director, is produced by The Fold and 104 Films, Michelle Stein, Jennifer Monks and Alex Usborne, with financing provided by BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), BBC Film and West Midlands Production Fund. Claudia Yusef for BBC Film, Louise Ortega for BFI and Paul Ashton for Creative UK are executive producing.
XYZ Films is handling worldwide sales as a part of their New Visions slate of films, an initiative designed to spotlight the boldest new voices alongside established talent striking a new path in the international space.
Raised in an isolated deaf community, cracks begin to appear in Matt’s (Boyle) seemingly idyllic world when the arrival of enigmatic outsider Eva (Zander) forces him to question the realities of his identity. Is Matt prepared to discover what lies beneath the surface of his supposedly utopian community and the costs demanded to maintain it?
“XYZ is beyond thrilled to be working with Ted Evans on his debut feature. We immediately fell in love with this unique and compelling world from the first page of the script. Imagine Karyn Kusama’s THE INVITATION blended with CODA and you have the world of Evans’ RETREAT. It is tense and striking and there’s never been anything quite like it.” Todd Brown, Head of International Acquisitions, XYZ Films.
“The Fold is delighted to finally bring Retreat to the screen. Ted’s vision for the world’s first deaf thriller is as exciting as it seems and we can’t wait to share this unique film with audiences,” said The Fold.
Writer-director Ted Evans is from Hackney, East London and communicates in both spoken English and British Sign Language. He started his career at a small production company, before progressing from researcher to director at the BBC. In 2012 he co-wrote and directed two films for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony – ‘Look Up’ and ‘Bird Gherl’. Evans received international and critical acclaim for his award-winning shorts, ‘The End’ and ‘Retreat’, the latter of which he has adapted as his debut feature film, with producers Michelle Stein (SKY PEALS) and Alex Usborne (NOTES ON BLINDNESS) which was developed with the support of BFI and BBC Film through Creative UK’s iFeatures programme. He has also just directed his first music video and a documentary, featuring Rose Ayling-Ellis: ‘Signs for Change’, which aired on BBC1 after being showcased at Sheffield’s Doc Fest in 2023. In 2018 he was selected as part of Creative England’s CE50 and his most recent short film ‘To Know Him’ was nominated for Best Short Film at BIFA 2018 and screened at festivals such as Sundance London and Sydney International Film Festival.
Anne Zander has recently been seen in the ZDF series “Nächste Ausfahrt Glück”, produced by Producers at Work and cast by Uwe Bünker. In autumn 2023 she won the “Best Actress” category of the Della Award, the first international film festival for deaf filmmakers. Anne won for her leading role alongside Claudia Michelsen in the ZDF drama “Du sollst hören”. In 2022, she also appeared in front of the camera for the Netflix production “Sleeping Dogs” and played a stirring leading role in an episode of “Soko Köln”. The Netflix production “For Jojo” celebrated its premiere at the Munich Film Festival.
James Boyle made his screen debut with a role in Luke Snellin’s series “Reunion” (BBC Film / Warp Films). On stage, he recently completed a tour with Deafinitely Theatre’s production of “The Promise,” which played at Birmingham Rep, The Lyric Hammersmith, HOME and The Northern Stage. He is fluent in both British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken English, and he is currently learning International Sign (IS). He is the first d/Deaf man to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Sophie Stone’s recent TV credits include “Reunion,” “Generation Z,” “The Chelsea Detective,” “This Way Up,” “Two Doors Down,” “Moving On,” “Shakespeare & Hathaway,” “Shetland,” “The Crown,” and “Doctor Who.” Feature films include RETREAT, (she was awarded Best Actress Award, Clin d’Oeil Festival), NAME ME LAWAND, MY CHRISTMAS ANGEL, CONFESSIONS and COMING HOME. Stone is Co-Founder of Deaf & Hearing Ensemble Theatre Company.
New sales and production titles from the XYZ Films studio include 2024 TIFF Platform title Daniela Foreverdirected by Nacho Vigalondo and starring Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannó which just sold to Well Go USA, FULL THROTTLE MINDSET starring Josh Duhamel and Lukas Gage, FLESH OF THE GODS, directed by Panos Cosmatos and starring Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac, HE BLED NEON with Joe Cole and Rita Ora, KILL ME with Allison Williams and Charlie Day, FREE FALL starring Zachary Levi and directed by Zoë Bell, Sundance title SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY, which sold to Netflix, BLACKBERRY starring Gotham and Independent Spirit-award nominee Glenn Howerton, which was released by IFC Films, ASH starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus, and the Netflix Original HAVOC, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forrest Whitaker. XYZ Films recently announced the global acquisition of THE RITUAL starring Al Pacino and Dan Stevens.
Evans is represented by Ellen Gallagher at Casarotto, Ramsay & Associates.
About XYZ Films:
XYZ Films is an independent studio whose mission is to empower visionary storytellers from every corner of the planet. As a producer, financier, and distributor, the company is uniquely suited to identify talented filmmakers and bring their stories to life. XYZ recently expanded into talent management, working with a global roster of filmmakers. XYZ was founded in 2008 by Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer, and Aram Tertzakian.
About The Fold:
The Fold is a TV and Film production company from BAFTA and RTS nominated, BIFA winning, UK-based Producers Michelle Stein and Jennifer Monks who have a combined 20+years in the industry. The company produces high quality authored work from unique creative voices, serving the UK and global market from their North West of England base.
The team enjoy enduring relationships with the creatives they work with across multiple projects and formats, including talents such as Moin Hussain, whose first feature premiered at Venice 2023, BAFTA and BIFA nominated deaf director Ted Evans, alongside supporting other established visionaries and exciting new voices. Current film projects include Hussain’s second feature and Evans’ debut, Sean Dunn’s THE FALL OF SIR DOUGLAS WEATHERFORD backed by BBC, BFI, Screen Scotland, Mubi and Charades alongside untitled features from THE FAVOURITE writer Deborah Davis; Screen Star of Tomorrow Genevieve Barr; Black Cake’s Kara Smith; Sundance Grand Jury Nominee Mike Forshaw and author and playwright Rory Gleeson. TV projects include works from Andy Yerlett and Kefi Chadwick (Rivals).
The Fold’s slate is currently supported by the BBC Small Indie Fund.
About 104 Films:
104 films were established in 2004 with the aim of creating a tectonic shift in the representation of disabled people both in front of and behind the camera.
We help bring to the screen critically acclaimed award-winning films for an international audience such as the Oscar shortlisted UNREST, BAFTA winning I Am Breathing, BAFTA Best British film nominee NOTES ON BLINDNESS, BAFTA nominated SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL, Royal Television Society-winning Deaf WW1 drama Battle Lines, plus the multi award winning SPECIAL PEOPLE which was hailed as a “Milestone in mainstream cinema” by The Guardian for its use of disabled cast.
104 Films also run training schemes, short film programmes and initiatives for disabled film talent and are strategic partners of the British Film Institute and ScreenSkills. We work with other organisations such as BAFTA and the DCMS to support their work in disability and film.
In 2018 we set up 104 projects CIC to engage in not-for-profit projects with a disability focus across the cultural sector including visual arts and heritage. We are powered by Disability.
ABOUT THE BFI FILMMAKING FUND
The BFI Filmmaking Fund invests National Lottery funding into developing and supporting filmmakers with diverse, bold and distinctive projects that have cultural relevance or progressive ideas.
BFI titles which world premiered at major festivals in 2024 include On Falling written/directed by Laura Carreira at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which also screened at San Sebastian where Carreira won the Best Director prize and at the BFI London Film Festival where it won Best First Feature; and Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, by the Quay Brothers screened in Venice. Three films received their world premieres at the Cannes Film Festival: Bird, written/directed by Andrea Arnold and starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski screened in Competition and had its North American Premiere at TIFF; Sister Midnight, written/directed by Karan Kandhari, starring Radhika Apte and Ashok Pathak screened in the Directors’ Fortnight; and Santosh written/directed by Sandhya Suri and starring Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, screened in Un Certain Regard, also screened at TIFF. Santosh has also been selected at the UK’s official submission for Best International Film at the Oscars.
Projects currently in production include Pillion, written and directed by Harry Lighton and starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, a modern adaptation of Hamlet directed by Aneil Aria and starring Riz Ahmed, Morfydd Clark and Joe Alwyn, and Harris Dickinson’s untitled directorial debut.
Released titles include Kneecap, written and directed by Rich Peppiatt and starring Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh and Michael Fassbender which won the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival’s NEXT strand; Layla, the debut from writer/director Amrou Al-Kadhi, starring Bilal Hasna and Louis Greatorex; Chuck Chuck Baby from writer/director Janis Pugh which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; Raine Allen-Miller’s Rye Lane starring Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson; Scrapper from writer/director Charlotte Regan starring Harris Dickinson, winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (2023); Ken Loach’s The Old Oak; and How to Have Sex, the debut from writer/director Molly Manning Walker which won the top prize in Un Certain Regard when it premiered in Cannes in 2023 and the film’s star Mia Mckenna-Bruce also won the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award.
The BFI is a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image.
Our mission is:
To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers
To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive
To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals – delivered online and in venue
To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding
To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries
Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter.
The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Jay Hunt.
About Creative UK:
Creative UK is the national network for the Creative Industries in the UK. We are an independent membership organisation that champions the value of the Creative Industries. We know that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Creative UK connects talent, business and organisations across the Creative Industries. We invest by identifying untapped potential to accelerate growth, providing tailor made resources and financial expertise. We do all of this because we believe in the power of creativity to change lives. The West Midlands Production Fund was set up with funding from the European Regional Development Fund and has invested in film and TV productions from Steve McQueen’s SMALL AXE to Terence Davies’ BENEDICTION. Wearecreative.uk
About BBC FILM
Firmly established at the forefront of UK film, BBC Film has an ambitious slate featuring many of the most exciting filmmakers working today.
BBC Film has had a number of films premiering in Autumn 2024, including Laura Carreira’s debut ON FALLING starring Joana Santos which won Best Director at San Sebastian and the Sutherland Award at the BFI London Film Festival, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s HARVEST starring Caleb Landry Jones, Harry Melling and Rosy McEwen In Competition at Venice Film Festival, and THE SALT PATH based on the best-selling novel by Raynor Winn, directed by Marianne Elliott and starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs at Toronto International Film Festival. Short film STOMACH BUG, directed by Matty Crawford, premiered at TIFF and then go on to play at LFF, alongside screenings of four BBC Film features that previously screened in Official Selection at Cannes Film Festival 2024,including: BIRD, from award-winning writer-director Andrea Arnold (Cow, Fish Tank); Rungano Nyoni’s (I am Not a Witch) second feature ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL; SEPTEMBER SAYS, the feature directorial debut from Ariane Labed based on the novel ‘Sisters’ by Daisy Johnson; and SANTOSH, the narrative feature debut from writer-director Sandhya Suri (I For India).
BBC Film’s recent cinema releases include: THE OUTRUN directed by Nora Fingscheidt, based on Amy Liptrot’s best-selling memoir and starring Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu; Daniel Kokotajlo’s second film, STARVE ACRE starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark; Naqqash Khalid’s IN CAMERA, starring Nabhaan Rizwan, Amir El-Masry and Rory Fleck Byrne; ONE LIFE directed by James Hawes starring Anthony Hopkins; HOARD from Luna Carmoon, starring Saura Lightfoot Leon and Joseph Quinn which took three prizes at Venice Critics’ Week 2023;THE IRON CLAW from Sean Durkin (The Nest) starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson; Mahalia Belo’s THE END WE START FROM, written by Alice Birch and based on the novel by Megan Hunter, starring Jodie Comer; Martin Scorsese narrated documentary MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER directed by David Hinton; and 2023’s top grossing UK independent film THE GREAT ESCAPER from Oliver Parker, starring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson.
Upcoming BBC Film titles include: Harry Lighton’s debut PILLION starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgard; Joachim Trier’s SENTIMENTAL VALUE starring Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Cory Michael Smith and Elle Fanning; the directorial debut of actor Harris Dickinson, produced by Archie Peach and Scott O’Donnell; Aneil Karia’s HAMLET starring Riz Ahmed, Morfydd Clark and Joe Alywn; Daisy May Hudson’s LOLLIPOP starring Posy Sterling; and THE CHORAL written by Alan Bennett, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Ralph Fiennes, Simon Russell Beale, Nathan Hall and Amara Okereke.
@BBCFilm
