EXCLUSIVE: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Day of a Lion, the feature directorial debut of the Foscht Twins – Bianca and Dilara – 22-year-old actor-filmmakers from Graz, Austria.
The Foschts wrote, directed and star in the film, described as a psycho-drama set in the late 1950s, about two sisters who reunite at their childhood home after the death of their father, “to uncover forgotten secrets and rip open old wounds. Two women drawn into a game of cat and mouse in the house of a dead man.”
Gravitas plans to release the film digitally and on VOD platforms on August 14, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, DISH and other platforms. Watch the trailer below.
Standing L-R Simone Neviani and Dilara Foscht. Seated: Bianca Foscht.
Courtesy of Alex Law
“Day of a Lion features standout performances from Bianca and Dilara Foscht alongside Simone Neviani,” notes a release, “showcasing the sisters’ remarkable talent as they navigate the complex emotional landscape of their characters… This compelling narrative, inspired by German expressionism and European cinema, is crafted in the style of Kammerspiele, a one-location-set theatrical production that emphasizes character-driven storytelling.”
Day of a Lion premiered at the Wales International Film Festival, winning the Best Foreign Feature Film award. It won seven awards at the Idyllwild International Cinema Fest, including Best International Feature Film, and acting awards for all three cast members — Bianca Foscht (as Wanda), Dilara Foscht (as Dolly), and Simone Neviani (as Geronimo). In addition, the twins won the Best First Time Filmmakers Award at the Montreal International Film Festival.
Dilara Foscht (left) and Bianca Foscht on the set of ‘Day of a Lion’
Courtesy of Ethan Greyson
“As actors first, we are thrilled to have created a film that not only highlights the inside of a collapsing identity through the craft of acting but also resonates with audiences on a deeper level,” Bianca Foscht said in a statement. “This project has been a profound and humbling experience for us, and we are grateful to have found a home for our film with Gravitas Ventures.”
The Foscht Twins are in pre-production on another film they wrote, Oma. Along with Day of a Lion, their credits include the shorts Elevator (2021) and Eve (2020).
“We are like a train; Bianca is the engine, that unstoppably runs on high speed with energy and stamina that could supply a whole football team,” the twins write. “Dilara is the train driver that makes sure the train is not crushing into any rocks along the way, smartly finding the most adventurous track for the Foscht Twins Train to follow.”
Bianca Foscht (left) and Dilara Foscht
Courtesy of Adam Hendershott
The twins trained as dancers, competing on an international level. “While their excitement for competitive sports, competing in dance as well as equestrian tournaments for over 9 years has built the foundation for their hard work, stamina and love for collaboration,” according to their bio, “the sisters grew their filmmaking expertise on the side with creating self-written and performed short films, shot in the Austrian forests and their neighbors’ homes. To prove their point that filmmaking is an outstanding creative process, and can be done with no money, the sisters shot their first ever short film in a hot air balloon, 2000 meters up in the air. After high school graduation the sisters moved to Germany to learn more about the European theater and film scene. After a year of full-time study and work in theater and film in Passau, Munich and Konstanz, Bianca & Dilara decided to move to North America to expand their knowledge and career on the other side of the world.”
Day of a Lion is a production of Foscht Twins Entertainment. Watch the trailer below.
