The Summoning (film)

The Summoning is a Sri Lankan horror short film written and directed by Akash Sunethkumara. It premiered on the 26 October 2018 and was released on YouTube and Vimeo the same Halloween.[1]

The Summoning
Official Poster
Directed byAkash Sunethkumara
Produced by
  • Akash Sunethkumara
  • Stefania Perera
  • Kasun Rathnasiri
Starring
  • Shenic Tissera
  • Stefania Perera
  • Akash Sunethkumara
  • Kasun Rathnasiri
  • Anisha Barakathulla
CinematographyKasun Rathnasiri
Music byRuud Hermans
Production
company
High School Junkies
Release date
  • 26 October 2018 (2018-10-26)
Running time
14 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Premise

Four friends discover an ancient spirit board and conduct a séance, inadvertently summoning something sinister that seeks its own vengeance.

Production

The film was conceived as a quick skit for Halloween by the production team High School Junkies after their previous short EIDETIC was received successfully at film festivals around the world including Raindance Film Festival and the San Diego Comic-Con Independent Film Festival.[2] Shot over four nights in Negombo, Sri Lanka [3] this was the group's fifth attempt at a cinematic production, the film's entire completion time lasted roughly 9 months.[4]

Release

The film premiered at the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka on the 26 October 2018.[5]

Reception

The Sunday Times praised the 14 minute short's cinematic quality as "hauntingly brilliant"[6] having been made on a shoestring budget.

Dimithri Wijesinghe of The Morning wrote that the director and his crew are able to create an idyllic horror atmosphere with some highly impressive framing, to keep you on edge.[4]

The film also became the second Sri Lankan film to be accepted for screening at San Diego Comic-Con's Independent Film Festival in 2019.[7] Harith Wirasinha of Pulse.lk states that when San Diego Comic-Con chooses two Sri Lankan short films to be featured in their film festival "we know that something is up".[8]

References
  1. "Independent horror film 'The Summoning' by High School Junkies to premiere today | FT Online". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  2. "THE SUMMONING | LMD". LMD. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  3. ""The Summoning" – An independent horror film by High School Junkies". Colombo Gazette. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  4. "The Summoning – a testament to clever filmmaking - The Morning - Sri Lanka News". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  5. "'The Summoning' : An independent horror film". Sunday Observer. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  6. "This time it's horror: High School Junkies strike again". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  7. "Sri Lankan filmmaker, Akash Sk's movie, "The Summoning" has been selected to the San Diego Comic-Con Independent Film Festival". Sri Lanka Foundation. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  8. Wirasinha, Harith (2019-07-10). "The Summoning of Some Epic Cinema – High school Junkies and Their Amazing Story". Pulse. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
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