Fizz-e-Motion Picks Up Crime Thriller ‘Locusts’ (EXCLUSIVE)

By Leo Barraclough

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Cannes-based Fizz-e-Motion, headed by Yannick Rudynski and Luke Corradine, has picked up sales rights to Australian crime thriller “Locusts.”

Directed by Heath Davis, the film stars Ben Geurens (“Reign”) and Jessica McNamee (“Meg,” “Battle of the Sexes”), and is produced and written by Angus Watts.

The pic centers on tech entrepreneur Ryan Black, who returns to his remote hometown for his father’s funeral. Old family tensions are reignited as he’s reunited with his wise-cracking ex-con brother. When Ryan becomes the target of an extortion scam at the hands of desperate criminals, he is forced to resort to extreme measures.

The film, which is being distributed in Australia by Bonsai Films, won best film, cinematography, supporting actor (Justin Rosniak) and producer at the Cult Critic Magazine Awards. It screened at the Gold Coast Film Festival and Newport Beach Film Festival.

Fizz-e-Motion’s titles include Swiss drama/comedy “The Edelweiss Revolution,” directed by Frederic Baillif and starring Irene Jacob; “The Inheritance,” a thriller by Chad Barager and Kevin Speckmaier, starring Natalia Ryumina and Nick Wittman; and “Ott Tanak – The Movie,” a documentary about Estonian rally driver Ott Tanak.