“Sound of Silence,” a gothic horror feature telling the true story of mass-murdering nuns in Greece, is hitting the AFM.

Playtime, a Vuelta Group company, has boarded international sales on the elevated genre project which starts filming on location in Greece this week. “Sound of Silence” marks the second feature of Joyce A. Nashawati following her acclaimed debut film “Blind Sun” that played at Toronto and Sitges.

Rising actors Millie Brady (“I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning”) and Elsa Lekakou (“Killerwood”) are leading the cast. It will mainly shoot in English with some Greek dialogue.

Pan Cinéma, a sister company to Playtime which is also part of Vuelta Group, is producing with Giant Steps Production. Co-producers are Anti-Worlds in U.K., Blonde Audiovisual in Greece, and Abbout Productions in Lebanon.

The prestige key crew includes cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg, whose credits include the Marion Cotillard movie “The Ice Tower” and France’s 2024 Oscar entry “The Taste of Things,” and music composer Fatima Al Qadiri, who is behind the haunting soundtrack of Francois Ozon’s “The Stranger” and Mati Diop’s Cannes prizewinning “Atlantics.”

Set in the 1970’s Greece, “Sound of Silence” is inspired by the story of Abbess Mariam Soulakioti, believed to be 20th century’s most prolific female mass murderer. “Alice, a young American traveller,
camps on a secluded beach with fellow hippies while Cristina, works in the only tavern nearby.
One night, the hippie camp gets raided by the local police. The girls escape the raid but Cristina
is wounded and they need to find refuge. The nearest shelter is a remote monastery. But what
awaits them inside is no sanctuary—only a death cult led by a ruthless Abbess,” the synopsis reads.

“‘Sound of Silence’ is one of those scripts that sends you chills down the spine, and as you turn the pages, you think to yourself, ‘I can’t believe this actually happened!’ For genre fans, this will be a must see around the world,” said Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, Playtime’s co-CEO.

Nashawati said she “was impressed when my screenwriter brought me the true story of Mariam Soulakioti, an Abbess who ‘purified’ more than 300 followers through brutal rituals.”

The director pointed out the monastery was located just an hour away from the seaside town where she grew up in Greece. “I’m hoping to take the audience on an intense emotional ride as they watch two
idealistic young girls journey through an upturned world,” she said.

“Sound of Silence” marks Pan Cinema’s first venture into horror, Pan Cinema’s producer Thomas Jacquey said. “I’m thrilled to present Driven by Joyce’s razor-sharp direction, this fierce and haunting script is coming to life through a bold cast, promising a wild gothic survival, as visually striking as
it is terrifying,” continued Jacquey, whose “ambition” is “to make this film a new cult horror classic.” Pan Cinema’s notable credits include “In the Land of Arto” and “Perfect Nanny.”

Playtime is having a robust presence at the AFM with Mark Ruffalo’s next project, ‘Santo Subito!,’ a Vatican thriller based on a true story that will be directed by Bertrand Bonello; and “Indiana and the Otters’ Legend,” a family adventure film from Mai Juin Production, the outfit behind “Mia and the White Lion.” With two Vuelta companies partnering on “Sound of Silence,” the project underscores the European studio’s synergies and one-stop-shop approach.

Brady is represented by Independent Talent Group.