Here’s a novel film idea for a competitive market: write a one-location action-thriller whose lead actor is in virtually every scene.

Shane Weisfeld and Tom Doganoglu set about writing a genre picture, Freezer, that was primed to find financing and an audience.

“We knew we wanted to write a contained thriller, but something low-risk and intriguing for a producer and/or financier – a one-location story with minimal characters, something that can be shot in under 20 days, in any city, a challenging project for a director, and something where the protagonist is in every frame – a juicy actor-bait role,” Weisfeld told Playback.

The result is a feature directed by Mikael Solomon and starring Hostages‘ Dylan McDermott that was shot over 17 days in Edmonton, and then one day of filming in Los Angeles.

Now Freezer is to be released by Anchor Bay Entertainment this month, backed by a North American cable TV and online advertising campaign and a limited theatrical release to build buzz.

The $2.5 million film, which also stars Peter Facinelli and Yuliya Snigir, portrays a man kidnapped and thrown into a walk-in freezer where he struggles for his life to repay $8 million that the Russian mafia is convinced he stole.

The action/thriller is also the first joint script between two long-time Canadian screenwriters.

“We’re solo writers and always have been, but teamed up for one script that had the foundation of an original, unique concept, while also sustaining a story for 90 minutes,” Weisfeld said of his collaboration with Doganoglu.

The release strategy for Freezer is to focus on VOD, making the film available for digital download from Jan. 10, limited theatrical in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, and then full North American-wide DVD/BluRay/VOD from Jan. 21.

Freezer is also slated for upcoming releases in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.