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RENO, Nev., July 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Winvest Group Limited (OTC: WNLV) ("Winvest"), an investment holding company with diverse media and entertainment portfolios, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary IQI Media is producing a live action horror feature film titled Billie Black. IQI Media has an exclusive option agreement with the film’s screenwriter and first-time director, Nick Reiber.
Other key team members for Billie Black include several talented individuals who worked on the sci-fi thriller Alien Code, the last feature film produced by IQI Media Founder and Winvest Chief Strategy Officer Khiow Hui Lim. They include: Lisa Higuchi, who will serve as a Producer as well as the Production Supervisor; Hugo Villasenor, who will serve as the Special Makeup Artist; and the skilled casting team at Morman Boling Casting.
In addition, James Mills (Unknown: The Last Pyramid) will be the Director of Photography; Devon Mathis (Westworld) has signed on as Virtual Art Director and 2nd unit Director of Photography; the legendary Lasky Productions will be handling stunt coordination, craft services, and location scouting services; and Immortal Masks, led by industry veterans Andrew and Michelle Freeman and George Frangadakis, will supervise a team of Effects Artists and incorporate their premium silicone masks, sleeves, and body suits into their custom creature designs for the film.
Anticipated to have a MPAA PG-13 rating, Billie Black is about a woman whose paranormal abilities always felt like a curse growing up. But now, following the death of her husband, she spends her days banishing unwanted ghosts…for a fee. Her few remaining friends—and her beloved husband’s ghost—all disapprove of her dangerous profession, and for good reason. As she ventures in the seedier corners of the paranormal world, she discovers new evils that not only threaten her life, but also her dearly departed husband’s soul.
“Billie Black is a story about love, loss, and the difficult act of letting go, all told from the perspective of a character literally haunted by her past,” said writer/director Nick Reiber, who is known for his web series Mild Mannered and the action/horror short film No Touching, which has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube. “What makes it different is that it expands on the genre of hauntings and ghosts and is as invested in its characters as it is in providing chills and scares. I am delighted to work with IQI Media to bring a one-of-a-kind horror heroine like Billie to life.”
Another aspect that sets Billie Black apart would be the producers’ plans to leverage cutting-edge virtual production technology. Combining CGI, AR, motion capture, and other advanced techniques, this approach is poised to reduce post-production visual effects costs by nearly 80% and allow the production to go from inception to completion in an estimated 10 months or less. Pre-production will last four months, principal photography—scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, California—will last roughly 30 days, and post-production will last three months, according to the preliminary production schedule.