Half, the Malayalam vampire action thriller produced by Fragrant Nature Film Creations, will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness category this September.
Directed by Samjad and written by Praveen Viswanath and Samjad, Half stars Ranjith Sajeev, Aiswarya Raj, Abbas and Amala Paul, and is produced by Anne Sajeev and Sajeev P.K. The film brings together road action, revenge and vampire mythology in a story centred on two halfblooded vampires.
The film will be presented and distributed in Hindi across North India by Excel Entertainment in association with AA Films, marking Excel Entertainment's first collaboration with the Malayalam film industry.
Ritesh Sidhwani, Co-Founder of Excel Entertainment, said, “I've always been excited by films that dare to be different, and Half stood out from the very first viewing. It has a unique cinematic voice and a strong creative vision. I'm delighted to support its theatrical journey and look forward to audiences discovering this remarkable film on the big screen.”
Farhan Akhtar, Co-Founder of Excel Entertainment, said, “There's something raw and visceral in Samjad's presentation that really got my attention. It grabs you by the intestines and just doesn't let go. Absolutely thrilled to be on board and take this film to the audience.”
Anne Sajeev, Producer at Fragrant Nature Film Creations, reflected on the film's journey from inception to its international premiere, saying, “Every film begins with a dream, but only a few are fortunate enough to find an audience beyond where they were born. From the moment we believed in Half, we knew we were backing a bold new world, one that felt fresh, unexpected and full of possibilities. Seeing it evolve into a film now premiering on the world stage at TIFF is both deeply rewarding and humbling. I am especially happy to see our director, Samjad, make his debut on the global stage through this film. We are proud to have Excel Entertainment and AA Films on board, sharing our belief in Half and partnering with us to bring it to audiences across India and beyond. We hope Half resonates with audiences everywhere and that this is just the beginning of its journey.”
Samjad, Director and Co-writer of Half, said, “Half approaches vampire lore through a lens of pure grit and real time intensity, completely bypassing slow motion to keep the experience visceral. It's an absolute honour to be selected for TIFF, and I'm deeply proud to represent Indian cinema on a global stage with Fragrant Nature Film Creations and my producers Anne Sajeev and Sajeev P K, who built this project alongside me. We are really happy to give audiences this experience on the big screen together with Excel Entertainment, who is presenting the film for us in India.”
Half marks the second collaboration between Fragrant Nature Film Creations and the creative team of Samjad and Praveen Viswanath, following their 2024 mystery film Golam, which starred Ranjith Sajeev and Dileesh Pothan.
Action choreographer Very Tri Yulisman, known for his work on The Raid 2 and The Night Comes for Us, trained Ranjith Sajeev and Aiswarya Raj for several months to perform their own stunts and action sequences. Members of Yulisman's team were also involved in the action thriller The Furious. Half does not feature slow motion action sequences.
Shot over 117 days across locations including Rajasthan, the hill stations of Kerala and the snowy terrains of Kazakhstan, Half is conceived as a Pan-Indian cinematic experience and is set to release in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada.
The technical team includes editor Mahesh Bhuvanend, production designer Mohandas, cinematographer Pappinu, composer Midhun Mukundan and sound designer Vishnu Govind. Fragrant Nature Film Creations previously produced Pranayam, and has also acquired Indian distribution rights for Josephine and Little Amélie or the Character of Rain. Half's international and domestic theatrical release dates will be announced at a later date.
Also Read: Dharma Productions’ Kill to premiere at Midnight Madness section of TIFF 2023
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