Lightning Entertainment adds Soto's Needle to EFM slate

Needle stars Michael Dorman as a college student whose closest friends are killed in a series of horrifying accidents related to a machine he inherits from his father. The 18^th Century machine was built by an engineer who followed the occult and is indestructible. Director and co-writer John V Soto told ScreenDaily hopes will create the opportunity for a sequel.

It is the second film privately financed by Soto and his producer wife Deidre Kitcher, principally using Western Australian investors.

Richard Guardian, Lightning co-president, signed the deal this week but has been maintaining dialogue with Soto since sending him some script notes on Needle last year. Richard Sheffield’s distribution outfit Polyphony has Australian and New Zealand rights.

Lightning will screen a sales promo of Needle at EFM and the film at Cannes, alongside Andrew Traucki’s shark attack picture The Reef, which is currently in post-production.

The sales company also has Dean Francis’ Road Train and Jonathan Hensleigh’s The Irishman, both of which will also have its market premiere at EFM. Road Train is about four young friends being run off the road in the outback; while Hensleigh’s feature is based on the true story of an Irish thug and stars stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio and Val Kilmer.