SLEEPER FILMS TEAMS UP WITH BETA CINEMA FOR ANTONIA CAMPBELL- HUGHES’ BODY-THRILLER DIAMOND SHITTER

Beta Cinema has announced its collaboration with Sleeper Films on Antonia Campbell-Hughes’ upcoming thriller DIAMOND SHITTER and will launch pre-sales at the Berlinale & EFM. Written by the filmmaker and actor whose directing debut It Is In Us All premiered to critical acclaim at SXSW in 2022, the film boasts a stellar international cast, featuring Raffey Cassidy, Eva Green, Ben Whishaw, and Alessandro Nivola, with Antonia also taking a supporting role.

The story unfolds against the backdrop of the affluent ex-pat community in Geneva. Young intern Nollaig ignites a darkly visceral shift within the privileged home of her host family when she steals their precious diamonds – absorbing them into her body – in the process unmasking the deeper truths beneath their glittering privilege.

Antonia Campbell-Hughes states, “In a time of emotional fatigue, we crave the beauty of justice. This film is a primal howl, a white-knuckle ride that explores the devastating fragility of the human condition. I wish to reinstate hope, to reassess what constitutes value and worth in our ricocheting society. I have found a truly thrilling cast to bring to life this searing piece, written from lived experience, which has driven me for over a decade.”

Producer Rory Gilmartin states, “It Is In Us All is such a striking debut, heralding Antonia as a truly unique film-making voice. DIAMOND SHITTER is a natural next cinematic step, visceral and thought-provoking, a film of propulsion and purpose that we can’t wait to bring to life.”

Thorsten Ritter of Beta Cinema states, "Antonia Campbell-Hughes' DIAMOND SHITTER is a bold, hugely timely, fast-paced thriller that embraces body-horror genre tropes while transcending them. The directorial vision is palpable on every page of the script. An impressive work of an auteur, yet crafted for a broad, genre-savvy audience and we can’t wait to present it at EFM.”

Antonia Campbell-Hughes is an acclaimed actor and film-maker. Antonia’s debut feature It Is In Us All (2022), a haunting exploration of masculinity garnered multiple awards, including the Extraordinary Cinematic Vision award at SXSW. Critical reaction marked Antonia as an exciting original voice to watch. Antonia is the recipient of the European Film Promotion Actor Award (2012) and the EFP Director Award (2022). 

As an actor, Antonia is best known for the portrayal of Natascha Kampusch in the Sherry Hormann/Michael Ballhaus biopic 3096 Days (2013) and lead roles in Jane Campion's Bright Star (2009), Cannes-premiere The Other Side of Sleep (2011), the BAFTA-winning Kelly + Victor (2012), Netflix series Black Doves, and the title role in psychological thriller Cordelia (2019).
 
Raffey Cassidy, cast as the enigmatic Nollaig, has earned critical plaudits for roles in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux (2018). Cassidy currently stars in a pivotal role in Corbet’s The Brutalist alongside Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, and Felicity Jones. 

BAFTA-winning actress Eva Green stars as Helen, Nollaig’s host mother. Renowned throughout the world for her role as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006), Green’s central performances in titles such as the recent Three Musketeers (2023) and Proxima (2019) have garnered huge acclaim.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest screen and stage actors of his generation, Ben Whishaw (The Lobster, Women Talking, Black Doves) will take on the role of Nollaig's mentor Nigel and fresh from his recent indelible and critically acclaimed performances in Almodovar’s The Room Next Door and Brady Corbet’s Oscar-lauded The Brutalist, Alessandro Nivola is cast as the host father David.

The film is produced by Sleeper Films, the company run by Rory Gilmartin (Christy, Herself, Calm With Horses), Lee Magiday (In The Shadows, The Favourite, The Lobster), and Wilf Varvill in coproduction with the UK’s Smoke Puppy, and with Max Karli and Pauline Gygax of Geneva based Rita Productions (La Ligne, Continental Drift (South), My Life As a Courgette). The film is an Irish-Swiss-UK coproduction supported by Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland, the Swiss Federal office of Culture/FOC, RTS/SSR SRG, Cinéforom and Praesens. The screenplay was developed with support from the BFI and Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland. Currently in preproduction, principal photography will take place in Switzerland and Ireland.

Raffey Cassidy is represented by UTA, Conway van Gelder Grant, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Eva Green is represented by UTA and Chalcot Square Arts and Media Management.  Alessandro Nivola is represented by UTA, Tavistock Wood Management, Range Media Partners, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Ben Whishaw is represented by Hamilton Hodell and CAA. Antonia Campbell-Hughes is represented by United Agents, Entertainment 360 and The Artists Partnership.

Beta Cinema is handling international sales with UTA Independent Film Group repping North American rights and will initiate pre-sales at Berlin.