Highland Film Group Handling International Sales with Production recently wrapped in Canada
Critically acclaimed actress Emilie Bierre (the Berlinale title A Colony, Peacock’s Teacup) and rising star Joelle Farrow (Adam MacDonald’s upcoming This is Not a Test, Paramount+’s SkyMed) have joined the cast of the upcoming horror feature Lice, it was announced today. They join a strong ensemble led by Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Justin Long (Barbarian, Jeepers Creepers) and Kevin Connolly (Entourage, The Notebook), who also stars and produces with Jeremy Alter (David Lynch’s Inland Empire, The Up and Comer), and Gary Goldman (Entourage, The Up and Comer) under Connolly’s ActionPark Productions banner.
Lice, described as a horror mashup of The Breakfast Club and Lord of the Flies, follows a deadly outbreak of the parasite at a Long Island high school in the 1980s. When the school goes under military lockdown, the itch-crazed students turn on each other in a desperate struggle to survive. Emile Hirsch stars as burned-out science teacher Mr. Shanker, who finds new purpose as he investigates the bloodthirsty mites, Justin Long as Principal Van, a man who is out of his depth and soon out of his mind, and Connolly as the tenacious Detective Sikorski, the desperate cop on the outside racing against time to contain the outbreak before it consumes the entire town.
Director/Cinematographer Jonathan Bensimon makes his feature directorial debut with a script written by Anthony Musella and Shaun Harris (The Hemingway Thief), from an original concept by Connolly in this stylized horror film blending body horror, black comedy, and biting social satire. With its retro setting and practical effects, the film pays homage to ’80s cult classics while delivering a bold, modern twist.
Highland Film Group is repping international rights and launched sales at the Marché du Film, with production recently wrapping in Canada
Emilie Bierre won the Canadian Screen Award (Canada’s Academy Award) for Best Actress for her breakout performance in A Colony (Une colonie) and was named a TIFF Rising Star. Known for her emotional depth and screen presence, she brings gravitas to a film that balances high-concept horror with psychological intensity.
“I was thrilled to be asked to join this ride,” said Bierre. “What immediately drew me in was Jonathan’s unique vision for the film — it’s creepy, imaginative, and completely unexpected. I’m very excited for all horror fans to discover what we’ve been working on.”
Joelle Farrow, a versatile actress known for her work in the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation This is Not a Test and the Paramount+ series SkyMed, plays a pivotal role in the unraveling chaos.
“This has been such a creatively charged and unforgettable experience,” said Farrow. “It’s been an absolute joy working with Kevin Connolly — his guidance, support, and hands-on collaboration as both an actor and filmmaker have been incredibly inspiring. The energy on set has been electric, and this team is building something really special.”
The ensemble cast also features Riley Davis, Tom Keat, Annamarie Kasper, Cooper Levy, Christian Meer, Gage Munroe, Devyn Nekoda, Sabrina Saudin, and Milton Torres Lara. U.S. casting was handled by Sheila Jaffe and Bryan Riley. Canadian casting was led by Sara Kay.
Highland Film Group’s current slate also includes the espionage action thriller Stratagem starring Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo; Gary Fleder’s thriller Just Play Dead starring Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green; the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; the action-thriller Dedication starring Daisy Ridley; Adrian Grunberg’s action-thriller Protector starring Milla Jovovich; Justin Chadwick’s action thriller Sierra Madre starring Kiefer Sutherland; Allan Ungar’s action-comedy London Calling starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor; and the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut from producer Brad Fuller and starring Kate Mara and Lawrence Fishburne, which had its world premiere at SXSW.
Emilie Bierre is repped by Thruline Entertainment and the Gersh Agency. Joelle Farrow is represented by Julia Schneider at Ambition Talent and Steve Smith at Stagecoach Entertainment
EMILIE BIERRE
At only 21 years of age, Emilie Bierre has established herself as one of Canada’s most sought after young actresses. In 2019, at the tender age of 14 she won the Canadian Screen Award (Canada’s equivalent to the Academy Awards) for Best Lead Actress for her performance as the young troubled teen in the feature film A COLONY (Une Colonie), which had its world premiere at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. In 2022, she won the Iris Prize (Quebec’s film awards) for Best Lead Actress for the feature film OUR OWN (Les Notres) and also starred in the Netflix light hearted drama A GUIDE TO THE PERFECT FAMILY. Having starred in several tv series in Quebec throughout the years, it was her lead performance as ‘Jenny’ in the critically acclaimed French series JENNY which garnered her a Young Artist Award for Best Lead Actress.
She recently starred in the Universal/Peacock series TEACUP opposite Scott Speedman and Yvonne Strahovski and executive produced by James Wan.
Emilie is fluent in French and English and currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Montreal.
JOELLE FARROW
Joelle was born in Brampton, Ontario, and has been performing on stage and in front of the camera from an early age.
She recently wrapped a supporting role in This Is Not A Test, the book-to-screen adaptation directed by Adam MacDonald. Her recent work also includes her recurring role in seasons two and three of the Paramount+ series SkyMed, a recurring role on FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven opposite Sam Worthington (alongside Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones), and a recurring role in Apple TV’s The Big Cigar, opposite Marc Menchaca and starring Alessandro Nivola.
In the past few years, Joelle has led five feature films, including Avi Federgreen’s directorial debut Lethal Love (opposite Torri Higginson, now streaming on U.S. Netflix), Lifetime’s The Cheerleader Escort, the romantic comedy Golden Boy, the horror-comedy Here for Blood, and the upcoming horror-thriller Fresh Meat.
Her additional credits include Freeform’s Turkey Drop (alongside Cheryl Hines and Olivia Holt), Hallmark’s Meet Me at Christmas with Catherine Bell, and the Canadian Screen Award-winning film Nowhere to Be Found.
Joelle has recently begun producing, having completed her first short film in March and currently in pre-production on her next project.
She is represented by Julia Schneider at Ambition Talent and Steve Smith at Stagecoach Entertainment. You can find her on Instagram @joellefarrow.
