Vampire film In The Blood is set to shoot in late 2017 after receiving production funding from Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation.
Produced by Trevor Blainey (Noise, Cut Snake) and written by Nigel Karikari, the film will tell the story of Selina, a vampire who returns to a remote farmstead to destroy the last vestiges of her humanity – her long abandoned son.
Victoria Cocks, who wrote and directed web series Wastelander Panda, will make her feature directing debut.
“Genre is what I love and what I feel most passionate about as a director," she said. "Finding a script that is able to combine that with both a great dramatic premise and great characters you genuinely care about in equal measure is something I will never say no to taking on."
Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason called Cocks and Karikari "exciting new talents" and said the feature could make for "a fantastic calling card".
"In The Blood will provide them and producer Trevor Blainey with the opportunity to work on a project that we hope will have broad appeal not only here, but internationally.”
SAFC CEO Annabelle Sheehan called Cocks a "truly innovative filmmaker."
"Her success with the online drama series Wastelander Panda established her as a director with a unique vision. We celebrate her launching her feature film career with In The Blood, and are proud to be supporting a South Australian director."
Produced by Retro Active Films, In The Blood will commence pre-production in August 2017.
Umbrella is distributing in Australia and New Zealand, with international sales being handled by Embankment.