Radragon, the indie production company based in Slovenia, has announced that Black Mandala has picked up its award-winning English-language film The Whirlpool for distribution in a deal during EFM. The all rights deal covers the USA/Canada, UK/Ireland and German-speaking territories, with the deal brokered by World Vision Entertainment.

Aimed at women aged between 16 and 35, the 95-minute psychological horror film takes inspiration from mystical Slavic tales and gruesome gothic rituals. The Whirlpool tells the story of a woman who is unable to stand up for herself and seeks help from shamans, ancient spirits, and occult rituals. Set in the middle of the unknown forest, the film delves into the darkness that comes from within and deals with themes of womanhood, abuse and the long history of oppression.

The distribution deal with Black Mandala follows the film’s success at various festivals including nominations for the Grand Prix at the Vienna Independent Film Festival, Best Horror Film at Stockholm Film Festival, Best Cinematography at the Sensei Filmfest Tokyo and Best Foreign Film at the World Film Geek Awards.

The Whirlpool was directed by Denis Kruchkov, who has directed numerous music videos and theatre shows including Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, Claudio Monteverdi’s opera at the Theatre Du Chatelet. The director of photography was award-winning cinematographer Hayk Kirakosyan who is a member of the Guild of Cinematographers in Turkey.

Olga Loyanich, script writer and producer of The Whirlpool says, “Despite recent movements such as #MeToo, to this day many women are afraid to fully exercise their rights. Psychology explains that the centuries-old oppressive status of women, which is transmitted from generation to generation as a norm and routine, could cause this phenomenon – so we made this film as a manifestation against abuse, to show young and old women alike that they don’t have to suffer and to get their power back.”