There’s a new king ruling over the festival circuit of late—King Baby, to be exact. Hailing from first-time feature directors and co-writersKit RedstoneandArran Shearing,the darkly comedic indie filmhas been drawing eyes between its appearances at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the New Horizons International Film Festival earlier this year, and now it’s set to make its U.K. premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival later in August. Ahead of its arrival across the pond, Collider can exclusively share that the filmmakers have partnered withKyle Greenbergat Circle Collectiveto expand its DIY campaign throughout the U.S., U.K., and Canada to include new events and a theatrical run.
King BabystarsRenegade Nell’sGraham DicksonandCall the Midwife’sNeil Chinneckas two contemporary men who leave the confines of modern society behind to make their own rules in the ruins of a mountaintop castle as the king and his servant respectively. However, this crushingly unequal power balance gets a shakeup when the king dreams of an enchanting woman and asks his servant to create a mannequin of wood to be his queen. All seems well as they welcome the newest member of their “kingdom,” but the servant soon develops a deep love for his creation, devolving the relationship between the men into a whirlwind of paranoia, emasculation, and even murder. The divisions of power and responsibility between them are completely shaken as the film explores their very different approaches to masculinity.
Redstone and Shearing will be sharing their absurdist comedy as one of six films for the EIFF’s first-ever Midnight Madness program, joining, among others,Fede Álvarez’s much-anticipatedAlien: Romulusand theDemi Moore-led body horror flickThe Substance. The ultimate goal, however, was to bring the film to a wider audience, something they knew was already going to be an uphill battle given their provocative approach. Circle Collective, however, figures to be a key partner in making that a reality, with the directors saying in a statement:
“Even before we shot King Baby we knew we would have to get creative with its release. King Baby’s anti-patriarchy message felt like an urgent companion to the Barbies and Poor Things of the world. King Baby is unashamedly, unavoidably indie: two actors and a mannequin in one location. But those limitations and a tiny budget provided us with a very mischievous framework to hang our satire off. Doesn’t everyone love an underdog? Especially one that’s dripping in provocative naughtiness. Despite the strong start to our festival run, we knew we would have to make a huge push to keep our film from slipping into obscurity. So we’re endlessly excited to partner with Circle Collective to expand on our festival run, plan a theatrical tour, and create some unique moments.”
‘King Baby’ Has Wowed Viewers With Its Provocative Approach to Masculinity
Behind the production ofKing Babyalongside Redstone and Shearing wereFranck Priot,Ye Shu, andMarc Petey. The film is a co-production between the U.K. and France with both the Chimples Pictures and Ghosts City banners attached. Despite being their feature debut as a duo, the directors have impressive resumes to their names. Redstone earned multiple awards for his theatrical writing and directing on his original showsPassengersandTestosteroneamong others, while Shearing has scored accolades for his first film,Forgotten Man, and has credits working in the camera and electrical department on everything fromThe CrowntoStar Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. Reviews have thus far been very positive regarding their big film debut, and they hope to continue catching viewers' attention with its provocative imagery and premise.
King Babyis also just the beginning for the pair. The film kicks off a planned trilogy for Redstone and Shearing that will continue to explore masculinity and normative structures in society through the lens of different genres. Next up in the series is a satirical horror film titledHow Dare Youwhichis currently in pre-production with filming planned for 2025. The final feature, which is currently being written, will be a Western thatexplores the mythological masculinity within the American West, ending it with a revisionist look at identity and patriarchy.
In the meantime,King Babywillmake its U.K. premiere at the EIFF on Monday, August 19 at The Cameo cinema. Check outthe festival’s official websitefor more information on how to participate in the screening. A theatrical release date will come at a later date with help from Circle Collective.
