The second season of Lakeside Animation’s horror anthology series Red Iron Road will launch with the world premiere of “In The Heat” at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France (June 1-17). The crime thriller tale is the only Canadian project selected for the TV Films competition, where it will compete with titles from major players such as Netflix’s Agent Elvis, The Sandman and ONI: Thunder Gods Tale, and HBO Max’s Scavengers Reign.
The episode is the second short film produced in collaboration with Look Mom! Productions, and helmed by the award-winning team of director Sam Chou and writer Ellery Vandooyeweert. They previously collaborated on festival favorite “VRDLK: Family of Vurdulak.” The season one episode premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2022, and since then has garnered a dozen festival awards worldwide.
Red Iron Road is created by Aljosha Klimov and Iouri Stepanov, produced by Lakeside Animation and Studio Metrafilms Moldova. The first season features six episodes based on the works of famous European authors. The “In The Heat” episode was adapted from the short story of the same name, by the “Russian queen of horror,” Anna Starobinets.
“In The Heat” is a gripping 17-minute animated thriller that defies genre conventions. The story begins with investigators interrogating a man disguised as Santa Claus over a heinous crime. As the plot unfolds, the detectives become increasingly absorbed in the case, realizing that the outcome is intertwined with their own past experiences. The situation becomes more intricate and twisted (and horrific) as the investigators embark on a shocking journey that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
“We are thrilled to see our continued collaboration with Sam, Ellery and the team at Look Mom! has been recognized by Annecy. Sam and Ellery are wonderfully talented and richly deserve this honor. We are all excited to share this story with the festival audience this June,” commented Lakeside CEO & Executive Producer Stepanov.
Chou, Creative Director of Development for Look Mom! Productions, said, “Being selected for the Annecy Film Festival is an absolute honor and a career highlight. Competing with the best in animation on television is a surreal experience. It’s a lifelong dream that I have worked hard for in my career, and being recognized by Annecy is a humbling achievement.”
Red Iron Road has circled the globe as episodes have premiered at film festivals around the world. Since its premiere last year, episodes have screened in festivals including Toronto After Dark, Lusca Fantastic Film Fest (Puerto Rico), FilmQuest (Utah), Rojo Sangre Horror Film Festival (Buenos Aires), New York City Horror Film Festival, Tokyo Anime Awards, Nevermore Film Festival (North Carolina) and several others, with over 14 awards and recognitions to date.
Lakeside Animation’s Stepanov and Chief Content Officer Aron Dunn will be in attendance at Annecy to discuss the Red Iron Road series and the studio’s slate of projects in development.
Look Mom! Productions’ Managing Director Josh Bowen and episode director Chou will also be in attendance at Annecy.
