by FilmInk Staff
A promising team of young Australian filmmakers are joining forces on psychological Sea Horror It Calls for You.
The short film is set to shoot later this month, designed as a proof of concept to launch upcoming horror creature feature Clifton Bay onto the international stage.
Produced by Meraki Films (It Will Find You) and co-produced by Sneaky Films (Bunny), filming will commence in Palm Beach, New South Wales, serving as the first cinematic step toward the feature film planned for production in 2027. Mischa Haywood (Bring Her Back, upcoming Dead Eyes) has been cast.
The short and feature written by newly acclaimed horror filmmaker Chris Broadbent will introduce audiences to the chilling coastal horror centred on Sea Siren mythology whilst focusing on mysterious disappearances in a remote Tasmanian town. The feature is already in development with the script completed and is currently drawing significant interest from local Distributors, and International Sales Agents.
Broadbent has recently come off the success of his latest First Nation horror feature It Will Find You (also co-directed by Enzo Tedeschi), which was recently nominated at this year’s prestigious AACTA Awards for Best Indie Feature and Best Hair & Make Up categories. It Will Find You first gained attention as a short film where it was an official selection at the 2024 Sydney Film Festival, the feature film soon followed and in 2025 had its world premiere at CinefestOz as well as being selected at last year’s SXSW Sydney and Brisbane International Film Festival. Plans for cinema release is scheduled across Australia and overseas later this year.
Partnering with Broadbent is up and coming filmmaker and actor Tigran Tovmasian, who will produce and star in the short film. Tovmasian who has also come off the success of his recent award-winning film The Circus Lion, which he wrote, directed and starred in is an official selection of the Oscar qualifying Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose later this year.
The It Calls for You team expands further with filmmaker James Branson, writer and director of horror film Bunny which had its world premiere at SXSW Sydney last year and enjoyed a successful Australian cinema release including screenings at Sydney’s Ritz Cinema. Branson is founder of company Sneaky Films.
The short film will also be co-produced by AWG and ADG nominated Western Sydney filmmaker Ryan Cauchi (Screen Australia’s YouTube & Tik Toks anthology Greystenes), with Cinematography by Casimir Dickson (Suka, It Will Find You). Additional support comes from Daniel Havas, director of Inner West Film Fest Winner Dive and producer of The Circus Lion.
Designed to demonstrate the tone, scale, and cinematic ambition of the feature, It Calls for You aims to accelerate industry momentum as Clifton Bay moves toward financing and production, with the team actively seeking production partners and investment collaborators.
Filming begins later this month in Sydney.
