HEMLOCK & CEDAR FILMS IS A SYDNEY BASED PRODUCTION COMPANY THAT FOCUSES ON FEMALE LED, CHARACTER DRIVEN GENRE FILMS FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES.

Established by award winning writer, director and producer Megan Riakos, Hemlock & Cedar Films recently released its first feature Crushed, a mystery thriller set in the beautiful Australian wine region of Mudgee. Crushed screened at a number of festivals including Montreal World Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival and Napa Valley Film Festival before completing a successful limited theatrical release in Australia. CRUSHED received great responses in both Australian and US Media outlets, with The Australian newspaper calling Crushed “a tense, bloody mystery thriller”, Dread Central noting its “beautiful cinematography and exceptional performances” while The Hollywood Reporter labelled Crushed “A solid debut.”

Hemlock & Cedar’s latest project, Australia’s first horror Anthology Dark Whispers Volume 1 was selected for festivals across the world including at Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in Silicon Valley, Seattle International Film Festival, Berlin Final Girls Film Festival, Cinefest Oz Film Festival in Western Australia and Monster Fest in Melbourne in Sydney. Bringing a distinctly feminine vibe to the horror anthology genre, it has been hailed by Killer Horror Critic as “A shining example of horror anthology film done right…” and Screen Hub calling it “bursting with ideas and energetic visual approaches”.

Hemlock & Cedar has several projects in development including the mystery period film The Last Reprieve which was awarded the Grand Prize in the Greater Philadelphia Screenplay competition and survival thriller Hidden Valley. The company also offers screen workshops for actors and filmmakers, speaking appearances on filmmaking and gender equality, development and consulting services.

Hemlock & Cedar Films takes its name from Hemlock, the state tree of Pennsylvania and the Lebanese Cedar, the national tree of Lebanon, reflecting the roots of Megan’s family heritage while also embodying the stories that resonate with the company – ones that explore at its root, what it means to be human.