Here’s why ‘Killbird’ should be your next indie film obsession
Our new indie movie obsession is Joe Zanetti’s debut feature Killbird, which premiered at 2019 Dances with Films this June. It’s a high-intensity thriller and y’all are going to fall in love with it.
Joe Zanetti has us all rapt by his conspiracy thriller Killbird with its intriguing political twist that makes the narrative feel like this imaginary action could have actually happened.
“It’s a film that gives the viewer a punch to the gut,” says Director, Co-writer, and Coproducer Joe Zanetti. “It’s meant to shock; it’s meant to raise questions: what is truth? Where is individual agency in our times, and who can we trust?”
Starring Elysia Rotaru (Arrow, Supernatural), Stephen Lobo (Continuum, Smallville), Aaron Douglas (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Imposters, Battlestar Galactica) and Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Man of Steel)
After assisting in the search for a missing birdwatching group, Taylor Crane (Elysia Rotaru) comes across a remote cabin where she meets Riad Bishara (Stephen Lobo), a recluse supposedly on the run from the CIA.
Paranoid and seemingly unstable, Riad soon concludes that Taylor is a government agent and holds her captive. As she struggles to escape, Taylor comes across a prisoner in the cabin and uncovers what appears to be a deadly cat-and-mouse game between U.S. government agencies.
Riad also learns that she may well be working against him as a CIA plant. Their lives depend on uncovering the truth about each other before it’s too late.
The Los Angeles creative Joe Zanetti is thrilled to bring his first feature film, Killbird, to the public. Previous to working on Killbird, Zanetti produced and directed a number of critically acclaimed short films, including The Chase and The Slumber Party, which showcased at the Atlantic Film Festival.
Zanetti was also selected for the JETS program at EFM in 2018 and a Praxis Centre Screenwriting Lab in 2010, and has worked as a production executive at East of Doheny and Aurora Productions.
Zanetti managed film slates and supervised production on the PBS documentary Grey Gardens: From East Hampton to Broadway and has a number of feature films in development, including Lex Talionis (Samaco Films & Synergetic Distribution) and HAX and Relapse (Earth Orbit Productions & Frozen Fish Productions).
When he is not producing film, Zanetti produces video games. He has worked with companies such as Scopely, Capcom, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. on next-gen products including the hit Warner Bros. title Batman: Arkham Origins and Star Trek: Fleet Command.
Zanetti describes: “As a proud independent filmmaker, I am so thrilled to premiere Killbird at Dances With Films. I worked with such a dedicated Canadian cast and crew who were willing to jump on my crazy rollercoaster ride to create an ambitious conspiracy thriller on such a low budget.
“Killbird rips the band-aid off intense and timely subject matter and fundamentally says that in the midst of escapist distraction, it is our duty to pay attention.”
“Joe Zanetti delivers a sharp and thrilling feature film directorial debut, making him one to watch. Killbird challenges you to think past what is on the surface and realise that things are not always as they seem.”
—Movie Critical
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