Devolver Digital Films to Release
In the Shadow
A Feature-Length Surrealistic Drama/Horror Film
Directed By Nicole Elmer
Produced By Blue Paper Film Works
• Digital VOD Release: Tuesday, June 17, 2014

A filmmaker traveling in Puerto Rico discovers
the violent curse of a gifted healer.

LOS ANGELES, CA – June 5, 2014 – Blue Paper Film Works is proud to announce the digital VOD release of the disquieting and poetic new film, In the Shadow, through Devolver Digital Films. In the Shadow, directed by Nicole Elmer, is a unique feature-length arthouse horror film that follows Diego, a healer who, exhausted from the demands of his “gift,” lives in isolation in Puerto Rico. His life is disrupted when a young woman arrives and discovers that Diego’s special abilities come with a violent curse, which changes their lives. Notorious cult badass Danny Trejo appears in the film as “The Hermit.” The digital VOD (Video on Demand) release is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, 2014 through Devolver. The film will be available through iTunes, Amazon, PlayStation, Xbox, VUDU, Distrify, Vimeo on Demand, VHX, Google Play, and others. The film is currently available on cable VOD (check your local listings) and on DVD through the film’s site. For additional information, please see www.intheshadowmovie.com.

In the Shadow (Drama/Horror, 2012, 99 min.) –
Exhausted from the demands of his abilities as a healer, Diego (Jorge Sermini) lives in isolation on a small island in his native Puerto Rico. His quiet life is disrupted when Hilary (Michelle Keffer), a documentary filmmaker, arrives to work on a project. Intrigued by Diego’s mystery and the local gossip about him, she tries to get closer to him. He allows her into his life, but as the two become attracted to each other, Hilary discovers that Diego’s “gift” comes with a curse, an uncontrollably violent one that brings painful consequences to their lives. The film was shot on a remote tropical island off the stunning coast of Puerto Rico as well as in Austin, Texas.

“Diego’s story is much like that of Faust and the Devil… Faust, who wants what the stars did not foresee in his future, calls upon greater powers than his own to get what he wants,” explains Director Nicole Elmer, “But then he has to pay the price, later, with his soul.”

Nicole Elmer, Director, Co-Producer, & Co-Writer –
Nicole Elmer has produced, directed, and written several short films and music videos: Killing Ground Hogs, Fire, Wish, and A Music Room, some of which have appeared in film festivals such as Jump Cut, Under the Radar, ACT Lab, Austin Museum of Digital Art, South By Southwest, UMFF, and Cinematexas. Her feature film directorial debut, In the Shadow, appeared in The Anchorage Alaska International Film Festival in 2011 and Cine Las Americas International Film Festival in 2012. She is currently wrapping production on a black comedy, What’s the Use?, and is in development on two other feature projects. Elmer studied acting at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and received a BS in Radio, TV, and Film from the University of Texas at Austin. She was also an electronic musician for a decade, having released several albums for labels such as Mad Monkey, Ant Zen/Hymen, and Planet Mu in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan.

Jorge Sermini, Lead Actor, Co-Producer, & Co-Writer –
Jorge Sermini is a native Puerto Rican and began his career in opera over ten years ago, holding an MA in Opera from The University of Texas at Austin. He has held key roles in opera classics such as La Boheme, Faust, Othello, and made his debut with the Austin Lyric Opera in Lady Macbeth of Mitks. He was Music Coordinator and Composer for the festival award-winning The Ticket. In addition to his musical experience, he has both written for and acted in a number of theater productions (Wirelessless), short films (Post Coital Cigarettes, Death of an Ally), and the coming-of-age feature Anything for Now. His role as “Diego” marks his debut as a lead in a feature and as a producer. He has since gone on to produce and act in another feature, What’s the Use?, a black comedy set in Austin, Texas.

Devolver Digital –
Based in Austin, Texas, Devolver Digital distributes independent video games and guides indie filmmakers through digital distribution and film promotion. Devolver Digital’s outspoken passion for independent games, developers, and fans has earned the company no minor measure of game industry notoriety. With its expansion into film, which was announced at South by Southwest 2013, the company applies that same fiercely creative devotion and digital content expertise to support and celebrate indie filmmakers and projects. Co-Founder and Partner Mike Wilson says his own experience as a filmmaker seeking distribution led him and his partners to expand Devolver Digital into film. That experience has guided the company’s focus on “hand-crafted” strategic partnership and personal attention in distributing the titles on the label to a full range of digital and cable VOD platforms.

In the Shadow

Links –
• Film’s Devolver Page – www.devolverdigital.com/films/view/in-the-shadow
• Official Site – www.intheshadowmovie.com
• Trailer – vimeo.com/19036263
• IMDb – www.imdb.com/title/tt1792086
• Facebook – www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Paper-Film-Works/331069332175

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For more information, photos, a screener, or to schedule an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201, lynn@greengalactic.com.

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“It’s a dazzlingly sunlit nightmare, as poetic as it is disturbing.”

– Mark Savlov, Austin Chronicle

“… a unique blend of drama, horror and surrealism.”

– Gabino Iglesias, Austin Vida

“…stands out in a world of cookie cutter films.”

– Misty Layne, Rogue Cinema

“…far more refreshing than many of its mainstream counterparts.”

– Luke Carrington, Salamander Fiend

“The real tension of this story is derived from the characters and their reactions to these situations.

–  C. Dennis Moore, The Horror Zine