❉ Chilling new British horror film set to star horror icon Helene Udy (My Bloody Valentine, The Dead Zone).
The peaceful waterways of the English countryside are plagued by legends of ‘RÀN’; a water spirit who collects the bodies of sinful people along the river..
The Haunting of the Lady-Jane is the latest film from award winning independent filmmaker Kemal Yildirim (Wastelands, Rose, Saudade). The film, set in the isolated and atmospheric English countryside, follows three people as they are plagued by a water spirit known as RÀN. The Haunting of the Lady-Jane is set to star horror icon Helene Udy, of 1981’s My Bloody Valentine. Udy’s extensive film and TV credits include The Dead Zone, Cagney & Lacey, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
After a disturbing incident left Lily emotionally scarred and estranged from her parents she decides to begin her life again. Now a socially aware writer on female empowerment, she decides to tour the country with Zara, whose journey of self-identity has led her to fully explore life. Lily met Zara through her blog, they decide to become travel companions. They see a chance to travel on a barge on the English canals ‘The Lady Jane’. Accepting an offer of a free passage up the British canals, Lily and Zara find themselves isolated with Willard, a religiously obsessed hulking man whose past is murkier than the canal waters. The threesome’s journey upriver becomes increasingly bizarre and dangerous as Willard’s fascination with canal ghosts’ surfaces, and the spirit known as ‘RÀN’ torments them on their journey.
The Haunting of the Lady-Jane is written and directed by award winning film maker Kemal Yildirim, who says, “The film’s original screenplay blends the traditional folklore ghost story with modern day themes of identity and the new female journey. Setting the project in rural England was a conscious choice. Taking inspiration from classic British literature, in particular M.R James, Vernon Lee and the 1989 production of the ‘Woman in Black’. Our story will focus on the folkloric elements of the British countryside whilst bringing a fresh new horror icon to the screen, making the audience feel the dread of the spirit RÀN.”
Writer/director Kemal Yildirim has over twenty years of film and TV experience and was deemed one of the “world’s most innovative and talented contemporary filmmakers” after winning the Van Gogh Award for Cinematic Vision at the Amsterdam Film Festival in 2012. Starting out as an actor and quickly gravitating to directing, Kemal’s career has continued with award winning shorts and feature length productions. Kemal’s short film Rose was screened at the Cannes out of competition section, before being developed into an award winning feature length film and receiving a worldwide release. Kemal then Co-produced and starred in the multi award winning feature film Malady, before going on to deliver a multi award winning short film Saudade. Once again, this short film garnered interest for the feature length adaptation Wastelands, which is currently touring festivals. In just a few short months, Wastelands has already picked up 6 awards and played at over 15 festivals worldwide.
The Haunting of the Lady-Jane is scheduled to start shooting in October 2021 with a planned release by end of 2022. The film’s creative team have already secured half of their projected budget, and are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to bring the budget closer to where it needs to be, with various levels of pledges offering unique rewards at every level. Click here to find out more and pledge or donate your support.
Look out for an upcoming interview on We Are Cult with Kemal Yildrim, later this month, and look out for further updates on the film’s progress.
#Hauntingfilm links:
- https://twitter.com/HauntingFilm
- https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntingOfTheLadyJane
- Kickstarter page: http://kck.st/2Nvs8xG
❉ ‘The Haunting of the Lady-Jane’ is scheduled to start shooting in October 2021 with a planned release by end of 2022. Click here to find out more and pledge or donate your support.
❉ News source: Kemikal Films © 2021.
