The film In the Fire, edited by Union’s Marco Perez, had its world premiere at the 69th Taormina Film Festival on June 24.
The supernatural thriller stars Aquaman and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom’s Amber Heard and was directed by Conor Allyn. The premiere took place at the historic Teatro Antico di Taormina in Sicily, Italy. The festival has a prestigious history and has hosted premieres of renowned films such as La Dolce Vita, The Godfather, Braveheart, Mission Impossible, and Inglourious Basterds.
In the Fire is set in the 1890s and follows the story of a pioneering psychiatrist played by Heard. She arrives at a farm in Colombia to treat a disturbed child amid accusations that the child is the devil. As she delves deeper into the case, the events become increasingly sinister, and she must race against time to save the child from the wrath of the community and potentially himself. Watch a clip from the film below:
REELated:
Perez, the editor of the film, collaborated closely with director Conor Allyn to capture the reserved and graceful atmosphere of the Victorian era while conveying the underlying emotions. The film explores the conflict between science and superstition, with each character bringing their own biases to the situation.
The post-production process was described as smooth and creatively satisfying, with Perez refining and strengthening the structure of the film alongside co-writers/producers Silvio Muraglia and Pascal Borno. The team expressed their satisfaction with the final cut and praised Perez’s knowledge, creativity, and audience-oriented perspective.
The premiere at the Taormina Film Festival marked Perez’s first time watching the completed film with an audience. The experience was especially significant as it took five years to bring the project to fruition. Perez is known for his commercial work, including the MAX launch campaign Not Just One You featuring Jason Momoa, Issa Rae, Chip and Joanna Gaines, and others.
Currently, Perez is working on a LEGO project directed by Ellen Kuras and has completed the editing for The Paradox Effect, a feature film produced by ILBE and directed by Scott Weintrob. In the Fire is set to be released by US distributor Saban Films in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Taormina Film Festival, taking place from June 23 to July 1, 2023, is a highly anticipated event in Sicily, Italy.
