Dark Star Acquires ‘Motherwitch’ Ahead of Sitges [Trailer]

L.A.-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American rights for Cyprus-set horror Motherwitch ahead of its screening in the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia next week, reports Deadline.

Dread Central previously exclusively debuted the trailer for the psychological horror and dark folklore gothic feature from acclaimed, prolific, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Minos Papas (Shutterbug, Tango on the Balcony, A Short Film About Guns, The Harvester Generation).

In the film: “Eleni, a scorned painter in Cyprus in 1882, attempts to resurrect her dead children, but instead awakens the Kalikantzari creatures of Cypriot folklore. Now she must find a way to overcome her grief and anger and dispel the curse that has befallen her village.”

Since Rotterdam, Motherwitch has screened at the EFM Market, Cyprus Film Days, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Transilvania Film Festival, Mediterrane Film Festival (Malta), BIFAN, and Galway Film Fleadh. Following Fantasia, the film will continue its festival run at Croatia International Film Festival, Festival Filmes Incríveis, and Fantasy FilmFest Germany.

The film is described as “a love letter to Cyprus—to its captivating beauty, its clouds wept mountains and blood-red earth, its lullabies, superstitions, and stories whispered from grandmother to child.”

The production also notes that the film was born from Papas’ years spent listening to “bereaved parents, healers, artists, veterans whose memories echo long after war,” crafting a story that explores how “voices who are brave enough to speak can turn pain into art for survival.”

Watch our exclusive trailer debut for Motherwitch below.