Stagg Forrest Films Hits AFM With First-Look Video & Five World Premieres, Signaling a Major New Force in Indie Cinema

Stagg Forrest Films debuts new market premieres and first-look footage at AFM 2025.

Stagg Forrest Films is having the kind of year most emerging production companies dream about — not just festival momentum, but true global buzz. The Toronto-based outfit, founded by producers Kate Forrest and Myrthin Stagg, arrived at the American Film Market this week with a confident, ambitious slate, a first-look video showcasing their signature visual style, and three world market premieres already drawing significant buyer attention.

If the festival run leading into AFM is any indication — Sitges, Fantasia, Telluride Horror Show, FilmQuest, the Austin Film Festival, TIFF-adjacent showcases — Stagg Forrest Films is no longer an “up-and-comer.” They’re quickly cementing themselves as one of the most unpredictable, genre-fluid, talent-forward production banners in North America.

“Our focus remains on stories that move people, give people a moment to breathe, to laugh, to feel,” co-founder Myrthin Stagg said ahead of AFM. “If we can offer even a small reprieve in someone’s day, that means everything to us.” It’s a mission statement that reflects the company’s eclectic lineup — romance, horror, psychological thrillers, genre hybrids — all tied together by emotional resonance and strong character work.

At AFM, the company is presenting three new feature titles developed with writer/director Dan Abramovici, who is fresh off an award-winning festival run of his short film Heirlooms. The collaboration has quickly become a defining creative partnership for the company.

The first title, Play It Again, expands Abramovici and Liam Gareau’s Austin Film Festival Jury Award-winning short into a full-length romantic comedy about the messy, funny chaos of second chances. Abramovici, a top 1% Black List writer and Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist, brings that blend of sharp wit and sincerity that feels increasingly rare in the rom-com space.

Next comes The Tethering, a haunting psychological thriller that marks Abramovici’s return to horror after the success of Heirlooms. While unrelated to that film, The Tethering promises a similar blend of emotional depth and unnerving dread — a ghost story built from the inside out.

Rounding out the trio is Contractions, a found-footage occult feature pushing into the darker, more extreme territory of childbirth horror. Its experimental structure already has programmers buzzing and will likely become one of the year’s most debated genre entries.

Heirlooms

The company’s recent hits are also fueling their AFM shine. Heirlooms, co-produced with Boundless Imagination, continues to make noise across major genre showcases — Sitges, Telluride Horror Show, FilmQuest — while taking home Audience Choice at Fantasia and Best Horror at HollyShorts. Abramovici describes it as “a story about unprocessed loss, told through the peeling back of both memory and paint,” and festival crowds have clearly responded.

Leopard

Then there’s Leopard, which made its World Premiere at the Austin Film Festival and stands out as one of the most visually inventive titles in their catalog — blending live-action with animation, wire-fu, and anime-inspired flourishes to tell a heartfelt story about siblings trying to fit in. “It’s small and fantastic all at once,” Abramovici said, which is quickly becoming the unofficial tagline for Stagg Forrest Films itself.

Co-founder Kate Forrest put it simply: “Independent filmmaking matters more than ever. It’s where real voices, risks, and human stories still have space to thrive.” That ethos shows in every part of their slate — big emotions, stylistic daring, and a clear refusal to chase trends or formulas.

AFM often reveals which companies are poised to jump to the next tier. Based on the lineup Stagg Forrest Films brings to the table — spanning romance, horror, experimental occult thrills, and award-winning visual storytelling — this looks like the year the industry stops calling them “emerging” and starts calling them essential.

HMU will keep audiences updated on sales announcements, festival confirmations, and first trailers as Stagg Forrest Films continues expanding its footprint across markets worldwide.