HER WILL BE DONE Directed by Julia Kowalski Opens NYC at The Roxy 09/23/26 VOD 10/02/26

 

Her Will Be Done opens in black screen. The sound of heavy breathing. The seconds pass. A full minute. You become disoriented. The first image is a flame coming to life and then a fire. The fire consumes. Faces are on the other side of the flames.  One of those faces is a young girl.

"My Mother knelt before Satan. The evil was in her."  The camera zooms closer to the girl. "It is inside me too."

This begins the story of Nawojka (Maria Wróbel.) Nawojka as the only woman in the family she cooks for her father and two brothers. She tends to the livestock and other duties on the family farm. She longs to go to school to become a veterinarian and begin her own life on her terms. 

Across the street a new woman has moved in. Her name is Sandra (Roxane Mesquida) Nawojka's nights are filled with torment. Images of the people around her menace her. She is fighting something with every fiber of her being. 

In the morning the family gathers around a sick, dying cow. The land is sprouting thick bulbous mucus. Another night. More torment. 

Maria Wróbel's portrayal of Nawojka is the central force to the story of Her Will Be Done. Maria infuses Nawojka with wide-eyed wonder of being in the presence of Sandra. You can feel her longing for someone and something beyond the confines of the tiny village the family farms sits in. Maria brings great intensity to the nightly torments. Both her physical and spiritual struggles against forces beyond her control. Nawojka's face is often stoic. It in her eyes we feel the pathos of her inner turmoil. As the torment crosses from the metaphysical to real world actions Maria's physicality is compelling and disturbing.

The nights brings agony. The days go on. The farm and the family must be tended to. Nawojka''s brother's wedding brings brief respite. The force that is Sandra crashes the reception. She is chased off. Nawojka follows. Sandra warns her to go back, "I'm going to make a mess." The appeal, the magnetism, the force that is Sandra is far too compelling to walk away from. 

Julia Kowalski's direction is assured and nuanced. Cinematographer Simon Beaufils crafts imagery of a muted sun over pastoral farm lands. The darkness of night is a meaning dark confluence surrounding and enveloping Nawojka's ever-increasing distress. Daniel Kowalski's score accompanies the narrative. The notes gives way to pulsing tones as the narrative intensifies. An electric guitar wails casting strength, determination and purpose.

Fire is destruction. Fire is cleansing. Fire is rebirth. The flames call to Nawojka. The town goes after Sandra. Where do you go when belief becomes mob mentality. Can you be safe when grief ferments into communal violence. 

It is in the denouement of Her Will Be Done that elevates an already compelling folk horror story to something that subverts our expectations.

Her Will Be Done opens at The Roxy in New York City on September, 23, 2026. You can buy tickets here.

tiff26 The People Have Spoken The People's Choice Award and Other Award Winners

 

The People's Choice Midnight Madness Award goes to.....Ladies And Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney directed by Matthew Rankin

The last Sunday of the Toronto International Film Festival always sees the announcing of the awards. It has become synonymous with the kickoff of the fall awards season. It has been well documented the number of time that the tiff People's Choice Award has gone onto to Academy Award nominations. 

The Platform Prize goes to the film Angh directed by Theja Rio

 The International People's Choice Award goes to Elsinore directed by Simon Stone

The People's Choice Documentary Award goes to Darlene Love: I Know Where I Have Been directed by Barry Avrich

And the People's Chice Award of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival goes to.....

La Bola Negra directed by Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi

 

 

FantasticFest 2026 Girl In The Night (Delke noci) Director Luka Marčetić Actor Lara Wolf in Conversation with Robert Aaron Mitchell

 Prior to the Fantastic Fest World Premiere of Girl In The Night I was able to have a conversation with writer & director Luka Marčetić and actor Lara Wolf about all aspects of making their superhero movie in Slovenia. Here is our conversation: 

Luka Marčetić “I am deeply interested in people who are mostly quiet, shy, and to a point enjoy solitary existence. These people often go unnoticed in everyday life, yet they possess a unique strength in their quietness. I always wanted to put them in roles of vulnerable heroes and antiheroes. This is a story about boredom and the search for friendship in very strange circumstances.”

Film Synopsis: The aimless life of a lonely kleptomaniac takes an unexpected turn for the worse when he steals a bicycle from a mysterious girl who spends her nights fighting crime. To cut through the mundanity of his night shifts, Rok keeps himself busy by stealing chocolate bars at the gas station where he works. One night, he meets a mysterious girl with severe bruises on her face. She only appears at night, is all about fighting crime, and claims to possess superpowers. If he wants to meet her again, Rok will have to come up with a cunning plan – so he decides to steal her bike.

Fantastic Fest 2026: Death Has No Master. Directed by Jorge Thielen Armand

 

Death Has No Master has just received it's North American premiere at this years edition of Fantastic Fest. 

On August 1, 1498 Christopher Columbus would land at the Paria Peninsula in what is now known as Venezuela. He would claim this land - at first he believed it was an island - for Spain. History has noted that Columbus saw the the Kalinago and Arawakan wearing pearl ornaments. This would begin subsequent decades of further Spanish encroachment on this region. For pearls and the continuing of a system Columbus called repartimiento, otherwise known as slavery. Indigenous people were forced to work on the mines, farms of their lands and some people were kidnapped to Spain as slaves. 

In 1922 oil was discovered in Venezuela. 

On January 3, 2026 the Trump administration authorized a predawn raid in Caracas the U.S. military arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Now many months later through dubious deal-making U.S. oil giant Chevron  is expanding oil operations in Venezuela. "Chevron's history in Venezuela spans more than a century, and our expanded position reflects our confidence in the country's deep resource potential." CEO Mike Wirth said in a prepared statement days ago. 

In Jorge Thielen Armand's timely new film Death Has No Master, Caro (Asia Argento) father has recently passed away. Caro travels from Italy to Venezuela with the intention of sell her childhood home. Once she arrives at the plantation mansion she discovers a bunch of people living on the property, lead by Sonia (Dogreika Tovar) who has been subletting rooms to others. 

At first Caro and Sonia come to an understanding that they will co-exist in the mansion. As time passes and it becomes known that Caro is intending to sell the property and thereby displace Sonia her son Maiko who Caro vehemently calls Michael and everyone relying on this space for habitation the tensions begin to flare and serial into violence. 

A direction that struck me as a viewer is at first I was concerned with Caro's well-being. As the film progresses and her true colors and intentions emerge that dynamic shifts for Sonia, Maiko and everyone else. The character of Yoni (Arturo Rodriguez) who worked for Caro's father is there alongside her until he is not. 

I was first struck with the look of the film and could not quite place when the movie was set. As the story progresses we learn that the film is rooted in the present day. I found the look of the film crafted by cinematographer Felipe Guerrero and Jorge was incredible. Not having the film visually look immediately and readily be placed in the present day underlines the centuries of colonial invasion and genocide.  

Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton first used the term "psychic numbing" in 1967 to describe how rescue workers and survivors after the Hiroshima bombing shut off their emotions to cope with overwhelming horror. When large scale tragedies occur such as genocide as we are seeing in Gaza many people cannot comprehend that many people being killed,  injured, maimed or displaced. Death Has No Master succeeds in taking these large scale concepts of colonialism and genocide and placing them in the level of individual actions and repercussions.  

On September 30 in Canada is now known as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A day to reflect upon Canada's systemic violence towards the indigenous people within Canada such as the residential school system which was prevalent well into the 1990s. Canada has a long history of in particular gold mining in Venezuela. At the time of this writing the United States while having Indigenous People's Day is observed in 17 states and D.C. is not a Federal recognized Day. A first step to reconciliation is to formally recognize the past violence towards first peoples. I live in Texas where the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has voted to further white wash Texas history in classrooms.

Perhaps these wealthy nations need to do more to address their global impact and not just within boarders that were drawn by colonizers and labelled, 'home". A film such as Death Has No Master which further draws attention to these issues is very welcomed in our quest for actual reconciliation and not a day of platitudes. 

Here is my interview with director Jorge Thielen Armand:

 

Fantastic Fest 2026: The Ones Who Grieve Les Âmes En Peine Directed by Quarxx

 The Ones Who Grieve, the new film by director Quarxx has received it's world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026. 

The Ones Who Grieve begins with a man working in a wood shop carving masks. He slowly and methodically chips away at the wood. The material begins to lift up and curl and eventually is pulled away. Given enough force, will and persistence the wood yields to the desire of the carver. This process is repeated until the eyes, the mouth form. 

The wood carver is Jacob (Thierry Frémont). Jacob is a very stout, religious man. His faith is unyielding and his guiding force, He is also the patriarch of a family of three, his wife Emilie (Isabelle Anciaux) and his daughter Zélie (Zélie Rixhon). He rules his family with an iron fist. He imparts on his daugheter that of utmost importance is, "The love of God and your family." Jacob is played by Frémont with great intensity as a man who warped faith guides his pathos no matter how far his actions veer from actual scripture. 

In rural 19th century France a disease has taken root among humans. It is called the Black Veil. The person suffering from malady has their eyes become black and they can no longer speak. Jacob has been appointed or self-appointed as the village "masker". He prepares the affected body for death in an effort to save the soul. This involves sewing the eyes and the mouth shut and affixing a wooden mask - the masks he carves - onto the person's head. The person is then taken out into the woods among the animals. The person is not killed because as Jacob says, "Thou shall not kill."

Zélie tries to navigate her father's world while finding her own. This is the crux of the film. A battle of wills. Force versus freedom. Time after time in history we have see religious belief used as a cudgel and not as compassion. Jacob is a great many things, his hypocrisy is front and center. 

The violence that Jacob brings to the victims of the black veil, people advancing progress and his own family is visceral. As someone who written about cinema for over two decades and has seen all manners of the destruction of the body - the way Quarxx and his team treat the brutality of Jacob's determination to rule the world as he sees fit is unnerving. I believe one of the highest compliments you can pay a filmmaker is to say that images they have crafted in their film has stayed with you. This is such the case with The Ones Who Grieve. 

Ultimately the film is about systems and the people who wield power within these structures and the people who are navigating these individuals and trying to persevere themselves from such wanton destruction. As Quarxx has said about his lead character, "Zélie is not a passive victim. She is a body and a mind in resistance, even when that resistance is silent, internal, almost invisible."

That being said, defeating a system of oppression and the perpetrators who operate within these constructs may not be so easy to overcome in the end. 

Here is my interview with director Quarx:

 

tiff26 ATONEMENT First Look | Trailer & Key Stills | Directed by Reed Van Dyk

Displaced from their home by U.S. military action during the early days of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family finds refuge with relatives, gathering their three generations together under one roof. But when another bombing erupts nearby, they decide to return to their home across the city. As they navigate the war-torn streets of Baghdad, the family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch and her surviving family members. Anchored by moving, unforgettable performances from Boyd Holbrook, Hiam Abbass, and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness.

FANTASTIC FEST 2026 | DEATH OF A YELLOW BIRD | Trailer | A film by Cody Calahan

 Death of a Yellow Bird is about to have it's world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026. Written and directed by Cody Calahan (Undertone) 

After refusing treatment, a terminally ill man returns to his childhood home searching for closure. While there he discovers, buried in the earth, the family’s long lost VHS camera. Inside the camera he finds a video tape of home movies. But as he watches, something disturbing begins bleeding through the static. And before long, a disembodied voice. At first, he suspects it’s his medication, but soon discovers a lurking presence, turning his isolated childhood home into a waking nightmare. With his days numbered and the hauntings escalating, he must solve a dark family secret before his past consumes him.

Here is the trailer: 

FANTASTIC FEST 2026 THE ONES WHO GREIVE: Director Quarxx in Coversation with Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

The Ones Who Greive is about to premiere in Austin, Texas at this years edition of Fantastic Fest.

Writer & Director Quarxx had a conversation with Robert Aaron Mitchell about the filmmaking process to realize his latest film. Here is that conversation:

Fantastic Fest 2026: Death Has No Master. Director Jorge Thielen Armand in Conversation with Robert Aaron Mitchell

Prior to flying from Italy to Austin for the North American premiere of Death Has No Master Jorge Thielen Armand had a conversation about the film. The challenges in the five year journey to realize the movie, the casting and the work that he and cinematographer Luis Armando Artega did to find the visual language of the film. 

Fanatstic Fest 2026 GODMOTHER First Look Poster and Stills

 Theo and her boyfriend travel to the desert for adventure and a romantic getaway. They meet a couple of friendly retirees. Then everything goes of the rails.

Fantastic Fest 2026 THE SQUIRREL Dir Markus Lehmusruusu Actor Mimosa Willamo in Coversation with Robert Aaron Mitchell

The Squirrel the new film from writer and director Markus Lehmusruusu is set to have it's world premiere at fantastic Fest 2026. I was able to have a conversation with Markus and actor Mimosa Willamo about the journey to bring this story to cinematic life. The Squirrel is also Finland's entry to the Academy Awards for best International Picture. Bonus, my cat Batman makes an appearance.

Fantastic Fest 2026 Girl In The Night (Trailer) Directed by Luka Marčetić

Girl in the Night follows the aimless life of a lonely kleptomaniac (Urban Kuntarič) takes an unexpected turn for the worse when he steals a bicycle from a mysterious girl (Lara Wolf ) who spends her nights fighting crime. To cut through the mundanity of his night shifts, Rok keeps himself busy by stealing chocolate bars at the gas station where he works. One night, he meets a mysterious girl with severe bruises on her face. She only appears at night, is all about fighting crime, and claims to possess superpowers. If he wants to meet her again, Rok will have to come up with a cunning plan – so he decides to steal her bike.

Girl In The Night will have it's world premiere at Fantastic Fest September 20. Here is the trailer:

Fantastic Fest 2026: The Squirrel (Trailer) Directed by Markus Lehmusruusu

 

In the far future, in a sterile world without nature or animals, Pasi (Miro Lopperi), a lonely designer of synthetic pets, unexpectedly discovers the last surviving squirrel. He decides to defy the rules and keep it alive, but things don’t go quite according to plan: the squirrel gets depressed, Pasi falls in love, and his carefully controlled life begins to unravel. The Squirrel is Finland's Official Entry for the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film. Here is the trailer:

tiff26 Midnight Madness: Three Films On My Radar

Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival is a program that means the world to me for both professional and personal reasons. The anticipation of a premiere at midnight is worth the price of a ticket alone. The buzz and excitment as the theater begins to fill up with people is palable. Programmer Peter Kuplowsky once again as searched the globe for the state of genre cinema. Here are three movies I'm anticipating. 

River directed by Jashua Giuliano

A corner stone of the program is the feature debut by filmmakers. Opening this years slate of movies is River written and directed by Joshua Giuliano. River is a movie that is anchored in the slasher genre while taking the beats of the genre and crafting entirely new movements and subverting expectations. 

 

Vintage Violence directed by Eugene Kotlyarenk. (The Code, Spree) Two distinct cultural worlds collide, violence ensues. Tiff midnight movies has seen copious amounts of blood cover the movie screen.Vintage Violence is set to unleash even more blood and gore upon the audience. 

Kick On directed by Nick Kozakis. As Alex says in A Clockwork Orange, "fancy, a bit of the old ultra-violence" Kick On delivers on the violence. Peter Kuplowsky mentions the Alfred Molina "drug deal gone bad" scene in Boogie Nights, which I consider one of the best scenes in American Cinema. Sign me up!

tiff26 IDDA Directed by Irene Dionisio (Platform) First Look. Toronto International Film Festival 2026

 

First-look image has been released for IDDA, the sophomore narrative feature from rising Italian filmmaker Irene Dionisio (Pawn Street), following today’s announcement of the film’s world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform Competition. Starring two of Italy’s top emerging actresses, Tecla Insolia (The Art of Joy) and Romana Maggiora Vergano (There’s Still Tomorrow), the film follows childhood friends Adele and Sofia, now in their thirties, whose lifelong bond is challenged during a journey hiking up the eerie volcanic landscapes of Sicily’s Mount Etna.

 

Irene Dionisio is an Italian filmmaker and visual artist whose work was screened at majorfestivals, including Venice Critics’ Week, Visions du Réel and Festival dei Popoli. She receivedthe Solinas Prize, France’s SCAM Prize, and Jury Prize at Tehran’s Cinema Verité for herfeature documentary SHORES (2015). Dionisio's first narrative feature PAWN STREET (2017)premiered at Venice Critics’ Week. It was nominated for the David di Donatello & Globo d’Oroawards for Best Debut, winning the Silver Ribbon for Best Screenplay. Her video installationswere exhibited internationally, from Venice'S Palazzo Grassi to OCAT Shanghai. Dionisio wasthe artistic director of Turin's historic LGBTQI film festival Lovers for three years.

COYOTE TEETH: Teaser Trailer. The New Movie by Award-Winning Filmmaker Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

Here is the the teaser trailer for Robert Arron Mitchell's new movie, Coyote Teeth. The movie is currebtly being submitted to film festivals.

COYOTE TEETH: Teaser Poster Reveal. The New Film From Award-Winning Filmmaker Robert Aaron Mitchell

Here is the teaser poster reveal for my new film which wrapped principal photography on June 29, 2026. Post-production work has been on-going throughout the production phase of this movie. I have begun to submit the movie to film festivals. Here is the official IMDb page: Link Here

 

DIRECTOR STATEMENT 

My name is Robert Aaron Mitchell, and for the past year, I have been crafting this cinematic experience. First and foremost, the movie should speak for itself, or I have failed as a filmmaker. That being said, perhaps a little context is not a bad thing. 

I live in Dilley, Texas, which is a small town in South Texas that is the location of one of the largest detention centers in the United States of America. Its primary purpose is to incarcerate families. As of this writing on June 13, 2026, over five hundred babies have been imprisoned here. This place is run by the for-profit corporation Core Civic. The Orwellian name of this place is the South Texas Family Residential Center. In actuality, it is a concentration camp to enrich shareholders. I live next door to this monstrosity. 

I think a lot about evil. I also think about a phrase that is uttered many times, “This is not us.” These four words negate a 250-year history of the United States of America. This is us. We live, operate, and benefit from the machine and systems of cruelty of this country. 

My motivation in crafting this cinematic experience was my attempt to stay sane so I can assist people who are being devastated by the United States of America, so I can continue to decolonize my mind as well as continue the work of dismantling the systems of cruelty I live in. I am a lifelong student of Midnight Movies, and with all earnestness, I have done my best to craft a film worthy to be called weird. The movie is ultimately about complicity.