Shudder announced today that they have acquired writer-director Izabel Pakzad’s searing feature debut FIND YOUR FRIENDS starring Bella Thorne (DIVINITY), Chloe Cherry (EUPHORIA), Helena Howard (MADELINE’S MADELINE), Sophia Ali (UNCHARTED), Zion Moreno (GOSSIP GIRL). The film had its world premiere at Fantasia Film Festival as one of the festival’s headliners, and additionally screened at the Toronto International Film Festival as one of 10 Industry Selects, followed by its US premiere at Fantastic Fest. The deal includes rights in North America, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand. FIND YOUR FRIENDS will be released on Shudder on June 12, 2026.
FIND YOUR FRIENDS follows Amber and her four best friends as they flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface. What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a revenge-fueled nightmare.
Izabel Pakzad is an Iranian-Greek American filmmaker, writer, and actor. Her short film DON’T WORRY, IT’S GONNA BE OK (2022), which she directed, wrote and starred in, was an official selection at the Oscar-qualifying Raindance Film Festival and Hollyshorts, and also won Best Short Film at the L.A. Film Festival. Previously, Pakzad produced and starred in the independent feature, THENA, opposite Chris Bauer, Virginia Gardner (Fall), Brian Marc (White Girl) Will Peltz (Euphoria), Dakotas Lotus (Cami and Coop), and Malia Baker (The Baby-Sitters Club,). THENA had its world premiere at Taormina Film Festival in June 2025.
“Shudder champions work that refuses to play by the rules and challenges everything we think young women should be in genre films. My hope was to make a film that audiences find to be raw, unapologetic and bold and I am so grateful to be partners with them, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect home for FIND YOUR FRIENDS,” said writer-director Izabel Pakzad.
“We’re thrilled to share FIND YOUR FRIENDS, a visceral film that begins as an escape into the stark beauty of the desert and quickly descends into a gripping struggle where paranoia, resentment, and survival collide,” said Emily Gotto, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions at Shudder. “Audiences should prepare for an intense, emotionally charged experience that rethinks the trope of the final girl.”
FIND YOUR FRIENDS is produced by Allison Friedman, Andrea Iervolino, Luca Matrundola, Monika Bacardi, Gary Michael Walters and Izabel Pakzad. Bella Thorne serves as executive producer. The deal was negotiated by Shudder with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers. WTFilms is handling international sales. Pakzad is repped by her manager Joanne Roberts Wiles at Black Bear.
About Shudder
Shudder is the best streaming service in the world for horror fans, offering a level of depth and curation that no other service can match. With an ever-expanding library of films, TV series, and exclusive Originals, Shudder is accessible across most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Shudder releases approximately thirty original films per year, and has redefined genre streaming with a slate of groundbreaking and critically acclaimed titles, including Jayro Bustamante’s Golden Globe-nominated LA LLORONA, Phil Tippett’s MAD GOD, Kyle Edward Ball’s SKINAMARINK, Chloe Okuno’s WATCHER, Demián Rugna’s WHEN EVIL LURKS, Chris Nash’s IN A VIOLENT NATURE, Colin and Cameron Cairnes’ LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, Damian McCarthy’s ODDITY, and the latest installments in the V/H/S franchise. Notable recent releases include Emilie Blichfeldt’s Academy Award-nominated THE UGLY STEPSISTER, Ben Leonberg’s critically acclaimed GOOD BOY, and the upcoming FORBIDDEN FRUITS from Director Meredith Alloway and the FACES OF DEATH remake. Shudder also boasts fan-favorite series such as the two-time Emmy Award-nominated THE BOULET BROTHERS’ DRAGULA, Mark Duplass’ THE CREEP TAPES, the anthology series HELL MOTEL, and specials hosted by Joe Bob Briggs, among others.
