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Exclusive: ‘RIFT,’ Created Entirely in Unreal Engine, to Debut at SPARK ANIMATION Festival

Watch the trailer for HaZ Dulull’s new animated feature film, produced with support from an Epic MegaGrant, which follows a young boy held captive who can tap into multi-dimensions across space and time; the festival runs October 27-30 - the career fair set for November 12.

Today, Spark Computer Graphics Society (Spark CG Society) and UK-based animation studio HaZimation announced the debut of RIFT, a film animated entirely in Unreal Engine. The in-person world premiere will take place at the 2022 SPARK ANIMATION Festival, Saturday, October 29 at 7:30 pm PT, followed by a Q&A with producer/director HaZ Dulull and producer Paula Crickard.

The film follows Max, a young boy held captive in a research facility, who uses his ability to create rifts in the fabric of spacetime and across parallel universes, searching for the one where he is rescued by his brother Leon, a former marine. However, with multiple attempts ending in Leon’s death, the strain begins to take its toll on both brothers. When Max discovers his captors are using his power against him, he realizes he must stop focusing on how the story ends and rewrite the story from the beginning.

The cast includes BAFTA award-winning actor Jane Perry (Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman, Returnal), Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead), and Cade Tropeano (Black Bird).

Written by Stavros Pamballis, the film is directed and produced by Hasraf ‘HaZ’ Dulull (Fast Layne, The Beyond, 2036 Origin Unknown) and produced by Paula Crickard (Jolt, The Protege). Yariv Lerner (Rambo - Last Blood, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard), Amy Gardner (Identicals), and Jason Potter are executive producers. The film’s colorist is Vanessa Taylor (The Northman).

In a statement, HaZ Dulull said, “We are pleased to announce that RIFT will have its world premiere at SPARK ANIMATION. RIFT is a tour de force rollercoaster ride of big and intense action, with edge-of-the-seat thrills and emotionally charged moments as the story pulls the audiences into the mind-bending multi-universe. There’s no doubt that adult animation is a space that is constantly growing, and we’re proud to be able to contribute and showcase our work within the genre.”

HaZimation received an Epic Games’ Epic MegaGrant, which helped support the project’s development.

The good folks at HaZimation have shared the film’s trailer with AWN to give our readers a special sneak peek:

2022 SPARK ANIMATION Festival runs in-person October 27-30, with the in-person conference running October 29-30. The online festival runs October 27-30, and the career fair takes place November 12. Tickets are available here.

Source: Spark CG Society

Debbie Diamond Sarto's picture

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.