New Short Film QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD is Headed to Film Festivals

Nic Altobelli of Naltobel productions, along with James Mattagne, Moheb Jindran and Ellie Cameron-Smith have announced that the psychological ghost story short film, Queen of the Underworld, from actor turned writer/director, Stephanie Izsak (Consumer, a Leo Award Winning film and a winner of the 2022 Stage 32 International Short Film Contest) is now ready for the festival circuit.

Queen of the Underworld stars Morgan Taylor Campbell (The Imperfects, Cruel Instruction, Gregoire, Sadie's Last Days on Earth), Bennett Taylor (Prey, Arrow) and Tahina Awan (The Vigil). It is produced by Nic Altobelli (CFC Alumni, My Roommate Ahriman, Consumer), and executive produced by Altobelli and James Mattagne (Lowlifes, Polymorphia, ZIP), with Moheb Jindran (Tango Mañanero, High End Dying, Cuello) and Ellie Cameron-Smith (Thank You, Hellmark) serving as co-producers.

Newly widowed Kate begins experiencing sleep paralysis. As the episodes intensify, Kate finds herself harboring a deepening suspicion: is this more than a sleep condition? After learning that various cultures believe sleep paralysis to be a bridge between the living and the dead, Kate's determination to unravel the mystery deepens. Are her ghosts real… or all in her head?

“I wrote Queen of the Underworld mid-pandemic and newly in love. I couldn't stop thinking about how destabilizing it would be to lose my partner at such an isolating moment. The film explores that search for inner fortitude after life has bent things sideways. It's also a love letter to the scary coming-of-age films I grew up with - Return to Oz, The Goonies, Labyrinth - which managed to tell heartfelt stories of self-discovery while making things genuinely terrifying,” said writer/director, Stephanie Izsak.

“Stephanie and I are frequent collaborators so when she approached me with the concept for Queen of the Underworld, naturally I was excited to have an excuse to work together on something again. Once I read the script, I knew this would be a special project and it has been an incredible creative endeavor for us from early development to delivery. This film is highly reflective of me as a producer and the types of films Naltobel Productions has on its slate. We are thrilled to present this film to the world and continue to be part of the evolution of genre filmmaking,” said lead producer Nic Altobelli.

Cinematography by Robert Zawistowski (Consumer, Bags, Drone Corpse Aviator {music video for Archspire}), production design by Scott Phelan (NarcoLeap, Murphy's Law), costume design by Tina Tam (Never Broken, Tales from the 501st) and editing by Kyle Sanborn (Diablo, Cloud Striker).

Queen of the Underworld acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.