Well Go USA has acquired all North American distribution rights to the Australian sci-fi thriller ‘Monolith’ starring Lily Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise, I Met a Girl, Picnic at Hanging Rock), which had its international premiere as part of SXSW’s Midnighters section after having screened at Adelaide Film Festival in 2022.
The deal was brokered by Pip Ngo and Peter Van Steemburg of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers and by Brennan Lane on behalf of Well Go USA. Blue Finch Films will continue international sales, with Bonsai Films handling Australian distribution.
In this taut, contained mystery, a disgraced journalist attempts to salvage her career by turning to investigative podcasting. While trying to uncover the secrets behind a strange artifact with links to an alien conspiracy theory, the journalist soon finds that the story has moved uncomfortably close to home, leaving her to grapple with the lies at the heart of her own story.
‘Monolith’ was developed and produced through the FilmLab: New Voices program, an initiative run by the South Australian Film Corporation and the Adelaide Film Festival, with support from Screen Australia, designed to develop and elevate first-time South Australian feature filmmakers. ‘Monolith’ was directed by Matt Vesely, written by Lucy Campbell and produced by Bettina Hamilton and was filmed across a three-week period in one location in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Completed at the end of 2022, Monolith is the first film to come out of the FilmLab: New Voices program, with the second round currently in development.
“Monolith brilliantly leverages its breathtaking sole location to construct a captivating and immersive world that draws viewers in from the very beginning,” said Brennan Lane, director of acquisitions and production at Well Go USA. “Built on a foundation of masterful writing alongside visual and audio storytelling approaches that sustain suspense throughout, MONOLITH is a gripping, well-executed and original genre film.”
“We are delighted to be working with Well Go USA on bringing our sci-fi thriller Monolith to North American audiences. In Well Go we feel we have continued to find partners who really believe in the film, as XYZ Films did when they came onboard for sales. Monolith has had a great festival response from audiences and we can’t wait to share it further,“ said Bettina Hamilton, Producer, Black Cat White Rabbit Productions.
