Joining forces under the banner of Certified Organic Entertainment, Ontario-based prodcos Factory Film Studio and 9 Light Entertainment are partnering up for feature film Deadly Dance Mom, set to go to camera in April.

The companies are treating the film as the pilot project for a long-term joint venture via Certified Organic Entertainment, 9 Light head Pasha Patriki told Playback Daily. Patriki said the partnership will focus on creating TV and straight-to-VOD film projects, though both companies will continue to operate in their individual capacities. While Deadly Dance is a thriller, Patriki said the new company is open to projects from any genre, including horror, comedy and animation.

The script for Deadly Dance was penned by American writer Susan R. Rogers, with Certified Organic purchasing the script in October 2015. Though the story is set in suburban Chicago, the filmmakers felt North Toronto would serve as a good double for the U.S. city. The feature will shoot just north of Toronto, beginning April 11.

Deadly Dance Mom tells the story of two young girls (and best friends) who compete to win a dance scholarship, until one of their moms hatches an evil plan to ensure her daughter’s victory. The film was funded through a combination of a distribution advance from L.A.-based sales agent Vision Films, as well as equity financing from 9 Light, Factory Film and interim financing from Mind Stream Financial.

The film is directed by Paul Lynch (Prom Night) – who Patriki met on the set of The Christmas Switch in 2014 – and stars Canadian Christina Cox (The Chronicles of Riddick) and U.S. actress Beverly Mitchell (7th Heaven). Casting on the project is still underway, with Stephanie Gorin is handling Canadian casting, while Ricki Maslar is leading efforts stateside. The film will be released before the end of 2016, said Patriki, though at this time Certified Organic are still in discussions with distributors.

Patriki’s own project Dumb Luck, produced solely through 9 Light Entertainment, is also currently in the casting phase. WWE wrestler-turned-actor Adam Copeland and Mackenzie Munro (The Borgias, I Declare War and Portrait of a Serial Monogamist) are currently attached to the project.

9 Light is based in Toronto, while Factory Films, which is headed up by Michael Patrick Lilly, is based in Kingston, Ontario.