In light of widespread cinema closures, Shudder has rerouted from their planned Spring release for BLOOD QUANTUM and is excited to spontaneously launch it at a moment in history where it could not be more significant. “We knew the film was important and timely when we acquired it last year, but given recent events, Blood Quantum’s themes of isolation, fear of contagion, and humanity struggling with the ramifications of a global virus have only grown more relevant,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “When a theatrical release became untenable due to the real-world pandemic, we decided to accelerate the launch of Barnaby’s film so it would reach the biggest audience possible.”
The dead are coming back to life outside the isolated Mi’gmaq reserve of Red Crow, except for its Indigenous inhabitants who are immune to the zombie plague. Traylor (Greyeyes), the tribal sheriff, must protect his son’s pregnant girlfriend, apocalyptic refugees, and reserve riffraff from the hordes of walking white corpses.
The film stars Michael Greyeyes (“True Detective”, “Fear the Walking Dead“), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant, The Miseducation of Cameron Post), Kiowa Gordon (The Twilight Saga), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open), Olivia Scriven (“Degrassi: Next Class & The Next Generation”), Revered MMA trainer Stonehorse Lone Goeman, Brandon Oakes (Rhymes For Young Ghouls), William Belleau (“Frontier”, Scalped), Devery Jacobs (“American Gods”, “The Order“, Rhymes For Young Ghouls), and Gary Farmer (Dead Man, Jimmy P).
Jeff Barnaby writes and directs the film. He is a First Nations filmmaker born on the Mi’gmaq reserve, where both BLOOD QUANTUM and his debut feature, the cult-hit Rhymes For Young Ghouls, take place. He is the writer, director, editor, and composer of BLOOD QUANTUM, which opened TIFF’s Midnight Madness program in 2019 to both audience and critical acclaim. His films frequently cast from within the Indigenous community and paint a stark and scathing portrait of post-colonial Indigenous life and culture – in this case, painting it in blood.
BLOOD QUANTUM is produced by Quebec-based production company Prospector Films as well as John Christou & Robert Vroom, and executive produced by Todd Brown, Nate Bolotin, Gabe Scarpelli, Ryan Shoup, Adrian Love and Noah Segal.
- [News] NIGHT SWIM Trailer Reminds Us to Stay Away from Water - November 29, 2023
- [News] Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU Gets Release Date - November 28, 2023
- [News] RAGING GRACE Arrives in Theaters December 1 - November 27, 2023