Deaf writer/director Ted Evans is making his chilling feature debut with Retreat, having its world premiere at the 50th Toronto Internat
Deaf writer/director Ted Evans is making his chilling feature debut with Retreat, having its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.
Ahead of its Saturday premiere in the Discovery section, Deadline has an exclusive clip from the British thriller, which features an all-deaf cast as the residents of Chilmark, a society of people that has chosen to live separately from the hearing world.
When Eva arrives at Chilmark, she is looking to escape her aged life and reframe her identity. Upon arriving, Eva befriends Matt who has lived at Chilmark since he was a child and as she starts to shed the damage caused by the outside world, she triggers a need in Matt to experience life on the outside. As Eva finds a fresh home and community, Matt pleads with Mia, Chilmark’s leader, to be allowed to travel. When he is denied, Matt begins his own journey of discovery and the secrets behind Chilmark lead him to question everything about himself and his community.
“In this scene Eva finds out more about how and when Matt arrived at Chilmark,” says Evans of the clip. “When a visual alarm goes off, without explanation, her peers leap into action and take her down into the basement to hide. As Eva starts to panic and attempts to escape, Matt helps to calm her down.”
Starring Sophie Stone, Anne Zander, James Boyle and Ace Mahbaz, Retreat is adapted from Evans’ 2013 tiny of the same name.
‘Retreat’
XYZ Films
Evans added, “I wrote this story for me and my friends, so it was imperative we cast the film from within the community. These are wonderful actors who brought so much inner life to their roles and I couldn’t imagine making this film without them.”
Producers include Michelle Stein, Jen Monks, Alex Usborne, Luciana Riso and Adelina Bichis.
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