Volition UK Premiere at Arrow Films Frightfest 2019
Among the Discovery Screen gems to be uncovered, there's usually a handful of cerebral, mind-bending titles that will give the audience something to ponder for days after. That certainly looks true of The Smith Brothers' Volition, in which a man with the gift of clairvoyance is sent a vision of his own imminent murder.
Synopsis
When you know your world is predetermined, it’s hard to care about your choices. This is true for James Odin. On a rain-soaked night in 1991, two cars collide, leaving all drivers dead on the scene, including the mother of the lone survivor — a child — James Odin. It’s a tragedy. But what’s more tragic is that seven-year-old James foresaw the accident happening two months prior. He tried to prevent it, but who’s going to believe a kid who claims to see the future?
Twenty-plus years later, James is a product of the failed foster care system. Knowing that the events of his future are predestined, he’s getting by, using his ability for petty crime and cheap thrills. But when a pre-sentient vision reveals to him his own imminent murder, James must go on the run. Together with a new friend, Angela, he must change the fate he knows is fixed.
South African director Tony Dean Smith lives in Vancouver where he has honed his craft working as an editor on features, indie-films and TV movies for companies such as NBC, Universal and Syfy. Volition is his debut in the director's chair. His brother, Ryan, is co-writer on the movie having risen through the ranks lending his scriptwriting skills to several Netflix Originals.
The brothers moved from Johannesburg, South Africa to Vancouver, Canada in 1990, where their childhood collaboration began, making short films that Tony would direct, with Ryan acting. As their love-affair with filmmaking developed, they combined their talents to write various short films, television concepts and features films. This led to each of them working as professionals in the film and television industry for the past decade. As part of the creative process bringing Volition to life, they have documented the behind the scenes process in a series of episodes on their website.
On Volition director Tony Dean Smith says:
I have always loved social and cerebral science-fiction, all the way from The Twilight Zone to Black Mirror. What I love about these stories is how they position a character in direct opposition to his/her belief system – forcing them to look at their choice-points in the most creative of ways. I’ve also been fascinated by the existential debate of fate vs. free-will. If we have free-will, do we exercise it? How do we know we aren’t fated to do so?
We hope VOLITION takes the viewers on a mind-bending adventure, allowing all to partake in the choice-points that shape our characters. I also hope that, like the stories that inspired me, this film lingers just a little bit longer... allowing our audience to think about the ideas of fate versus free-will and how the notion that the very thing we think about ourselves (positive or negative) becomes our worldview and therefor, our world. And though this vision may seem fated, there is always time to break free.
Volition Links: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Volition receives its UK premiere on 24th August at 11.10pm in Cineworld Discovery One. For tickets go to: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/tickets.html
Click images to enlarge.
Arrow Films FrightFest, the UK’s biggest genre film festival, runs from Thursday 22nd August to Monday 26th August at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square and the Prince Charles Cinema. The full line up was announced on Thursday July 4th. Festival and day passes go on sale from Saturday July 6th. Tickets for individual films are on sale from Saturday July 20th.
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