News

Megan Riakos was nominated for a 2021 Australian Directors’ Guild Award for her work on the Shudder Original series Deadhouse Dark. Megan wrote and directed Episode 2: No Pain No Gain starring Gemma Bird Matheson (Content).

Hemlock & Cedar Films presents the Screen Workshop Series funded by City of Sydney. Six workshops will be held over the coming months on filmmaking and working in the genre space, particularly around women in film.

On International Women’s Day, Hemlock & Cedar Films presented Whispering Loudly – Female Voices in Contemporary Genre Filmmaking panel and networking event with the filmmakers behind Australia’s first all-women horror anthology Dark Whispers – Volume 1.

Megan Riakos is the guest speaker on the latest episode of The Short Film Pod, a fun and informative podcast about short filmmaking hosted by writer/director Jacobie Gray and producer Leonie Marsh.

Next month, Shudder will release an anthology of six interconnected horror films Deadhouse Dark. It’s inspired by recent social, cultural, and online phenomena and is written and directed by Megan Riakos, Enzo Tedeschi, Rachele Wiggins, Rosie Lourde, Denai Gracie and Joshua Long.

After almost four years with Women in Film & Television (WIFT), Megan Riakos, the driving force behind the nationalisation of the organisation in 2018, will depart the board this month to focus on her slate of projects as an independent producer with Hemlock & Cedar Films.

Filmmaker Megan Riakos talks to SBS Movies about her horror anthology 'Dark Whispers Volume 1' which features 10 short films directed by Australian women. It has landed at SBS On Demand for International Women's Day.

An International Women's Day op-ed article by Megan Riakos on how she was drawn to the horror genre and creating Australia's first all women horror anthology Dark Whispers - Volume 1.

An op-ed article by Megan Riakos on how she navigated releasing her indie horror anthology Dark Whispers - Volume 1 amid a pandemic.

This clever coven of Australian filmmakers knows spooky, scary and stylish when they see it. Briony Kidd, Isabel Peppard, Donna McRae, Katrina Irawati Graham and Megan Riakos send us their recommendations.

Join a comprehensive masterclass series where several of Australia’s leading directors, teach acting for camera, an online exploration where the actor will discover and learn through script analysis, character breakdown, exercises and how to develop an insightful and detailed approach on acting for the camera.

The impact of COVID-19 is having far reaching effects on the entire world and no one industry is immune to the fallout, however freelancers and casual workers (including independent filmmakers) are the canaries in the coal mine.

Deadhouse Dark, will be the nation’s only entry in the globally recognised Short Form Competition at this year’s CANNESERIES which takes place from March 27 to April 1 in Cannes, France.

Eleven thoughtful and unique stories from australian female horror directors, along with a wonderful wrap-around story, result in a must see film.

A shining example of horror anthology film done right. Woven intricately together with the thematic thread of grief, love, and moving on, dark whispers asks us to peek behind the curtains of loss and face what we see there, even when it shocks us.

#52FilmsByWomen, the brainchild of Women In Film LA (WIFLA), is a fun way to bring attention to the many talented female filmmakers around the world, and a great way to spark a creative and interactive conversation. I took the pledge to watch #52FilmsByWomen in a year and this was my list!

The bottom line: A Solid Debut…The vineyards of New South Wales form the backdrop for Crushed, a scenically staged murder mystery involving pervasively internecine family dynamics.

A behind the scenes look into the makings of an indie mystery thriller.