First mainstream film to focus on Eastern mythological folklore.
By Deepak Chitnis
The supernatural thriller Jinn, which is written and directed by Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad, is set to release next spring on April 4th, 2014.
Jinn is an ancient concept of ghost-type entities that have to do with creation myths in parts of the Eastern Hemisphere.
According to the synopsis provided in the Exxodus Pictures and Freestyle Releasing press release:
“In the beginning, three were created. Man made of clay. Angels made of light. And a third made of fire. For centuries, stories of angels and men have captured the imagination and been etched into history crossing all boundaries of culture, religion and time. These two races have dominated the landscape of modern mythology, shrouding the evidence that a third was ever created. This third race, born of smokeless fire, was named the jinn. Modern man has all but forgotten this third race ever existed. It is time for him to remember.”
The film — which is purportedly the first to introduce “Eastern mythological folklore [to] Western audiences,” according to a press release put out earlier today by the film’s production company — has been produced by Ahmad, Benjamin Dresser, and Alan Noel Vega. It stars Dominic Rains (Flight 93), Serinda Swan (USA’s “Graceland”), Ray Park (Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace), Faran Tahir (Iron Man) and William Atherton (Die Hard). The executive producers on the film, working on behalf of Exxodus Pictures, are Richard Mandell, Najam Syed and Shahid Syed.
Jinn began filming in March 2010. A special car called “The Firebreather” was created specifically for this film, and received a gala unveiling in Detroit in February of 2010.
“The Exxodus team and I are very excited to be releasing Jinn to the world,” said Ahmad about the distribution deal that will give his film a wide release in North America next year. “We have a tremendous responsibility to live up to the collective imagination of the people that already know about the jinn as well as revealing the concept to those who have never heard of it. Freestyle Releasing is the perfect partner as they have had many successes in the genre and we feel they understand the originality of the concept.”
Exxodus Pictures is a Detroit-based production company, while Freestyle Releasing is an independent film distribution company that has backed some of the most creatively and commercially successful independent films of the past few years, such as The Illusionist, Me and Orson Welles, and An American Haunting.