Gia Elliot’s Take Back The Night will have its world premiere at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival this August. The movie centers on Jane (Emma Fitzpatrick), a victim-turned vigilante. When Jane is violently attacked by a vicious monster, her troubled history creates doubt amongst her friends and family. In turn, Jane begins to question herself and the reality of the encounter. Elliot and co-writer/star Emma Fitzpatrick wrestle with the concept of “what’s real and who decides?” After a journey four years in the making, Take Back The Night will make its big-screen debut this summer and we have an exclusive look at some stills along with some thoughts from writer/director Gia Elliot on this ultimate passion project.
In our modern era of technology and the internet, information and misinformation have the ability to travel instantaneously without much in terms of regulation. Internet trolls have the same access to that rapid transmission and accessibility. Gia Elliot discusses some of the themes weaved into Take Back The Night and the process of bringing it to fruition:
If you are violently attacked by a monster, you can tell your friends, you can tell your family, you can tell your community. You can also tell the Internet, and the Internet brings trolls, and trolls plant seeds of doubt that call into question the foundational reality of your story. But it can also connect you to an army of people who want not only see that same monster – but want to help you fight back. Co-writer and star Emma Fitzpatrick and I were compelled by the theme of ‘what’s real and who decides’ so we set our white-knuckled, riot girl creature feature in the Instagram age and took the protagonist on a mind-bending thrill ride through the grittiest parts of LA.
Making this passion film was a demanding endeavor that was often physically sweaty, bloody and trying but it translates so beautifully into the grounded vibe of such an otherworldly film. We pulled the movie from the earth with a pen knife and a shoelace with tons of help from people who we’re also drawn to the message of Take Back the Night. It’s been four years in the making and we’re thrilled to be having our world premiere at Popcorn Frights this August.
The 7th annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival is taking place in South Florida, August 12th-19th with in-theater and nationwide virtual programming.
Click here to purchase tickets for the World Premiere of Take Back the Night. A portion of all proceeds from the festival will go to benefit those impacted by the building collapse in Surfside, FL.
