Adelaide
November 2-3, 2024
Adelaide Showground
The directorial debut of AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter and author Maria Lewis will have its Australian premiere at the forthcoming Supanova Comic Con & Gaming in Sydney (17-18 June).
Although better known for her work as the best-selling author of over 11 novels, Lewis directed, wrote and produced The House That Hungers, which was filmed in Adelaide last year in conjunction with We Made A Thing Studios.
It stars Kimie Tsukakoshi (Great White, Bureau of Magical Things) as a young woman who finds herself trapped inside a house that devours all life, leaving her to rely on her wits and cunning to survive.
“The House That Hungers is dark, sexy, a little bit camp and very – dare I say it – cathartic,” Tsukakoshi said.
“I’ve always had a taste for horror with a bit of spice and I had admired Maria’s work for some time, so I jumped at the chance to combine the two.”
The short film is based on Lewis’ Ditmar and Aurealis Award-nominated horror short story of the same name and features the debut film score of ARIA Award-winner Amunda (Operator Please, Bossy Love).
“Horror as a genre historically has always centred women as the victims or the ones horror happens to,” Lewis said.
“With The House That Hungers on the page, I wanted to subvert that idea and with the short film, go even further by spotlighting the talent of incredible female artists.
“Like Kimie, whose performance carries the entire film, and Amunda, whose score bridges the Promising Young Woman meets The Invisible Man vibe we were going for.
“I started out my career as an author on the Supanova circuit getting to meet passionate pop culture fans and readers, so it feels very special and full circle to have my directorial debut playing there.”
The House That Hungers will premiere at Supanova Sydney on Sunday, 18 June at 4pm as part of their Showcase Australia programming. Following the screening, Lewis and Tsukakoshi will take part in an in-conversation about the short, hosted by One Heat Minute’s Blake Howard.
The premiere continues a busy year for Lewis, who has three novels publishing globally across 2023 including Mockingbird: Strike Out for comic book giant Marvel, Melbourne-based slasher The Graveyard Shift, and the hotly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Daughter Of No One.
Supanova has been Australia’s preeminent pop culture destination for over 20 years, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans annually with events across the country in major cities including Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Melbourne.
Featuring everything from cosplay competitions to musical performances, creative master classes to wrestling tournaments, and hundreds of unique market stalls, the forthcoming tour also includes celebrity guests such as Alyssa Milano (Charmed, Commando, Fear) and Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth “Bitsie” Tulloch.
Credits: Official poster by Jess Hohaia.