Toronto’s Black River Pictures and Sauce Studios have kicked off principal photography on the thriller Hangashore (Ainniseoir).

Shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, the film is written and directed by Justin Oakey of Black River Pictures, who produces with Tania Sarra of Sauce Studios and G. Patrick Condon.

The film stars James Frecheville (Masters of the Air; pictured right), Hera Hilmar (Driving Mum; pictured left) and Stephen Oates (A Small Fortune).

Hangashore is the story of an artist who, haunted by visions, chases the ghost of her father from Iceland to Newfoundland.

The film is made with the support of Telefilm Canada and PictureNL.

“The story for Hangashore has come together over many years while traveling Iceland and Finland and completing other projects,” said Oakey in a statement. “It feels like a wholly organic progression in my career as a filmmaker, as I had been trying to tell atmosphere-heavy stories laced with a lot of cultural cues, with some genre-teasing in there.

“On this one, I’ve skinned away all that naturalism and dug deeper into the genre side of the film. Trying to build an ominous, almost feverish atmosphere – without losing the idiosyncrasies of this place that I want to shine a light on. Hangashore has found a space to live in that balances between bleak and bucolic, romantic and mysterious,” added Oakey.

Images courtesy of Black River Pictures