‘The Summoning’ to be screened at San Diego Comic-Con

The Summoning, a production by High School Junkies directed by Akash Sk, has been selected for screening at the San Diego Comic-Con’s International Independent Film Festival. This feat marks the second time a Sri Lankan film was showcased at the San Diego Comic-Con and the team’s second consecutive film to be accepted to the festival.

The Summoning tells the story of four friends (Shenic, Kasun, Akash and Stefania) who discover a séance table and summon a sinister presence (Anisha) with darker motives against one of the friends. The film is guaranteed to keep viewers at the edge of their seats. As a very tight knit project, production involved all four members of the core team in front and behind the camera, and highlighted a stellar performance by newcomer Anisha Barakathulla as the entity.

Produced on a meagre budget and shot over four nights, the film succeeded in securing screenings at multiple festivals since its online release last October. Earlier this year, the film was also presented at the Cyprus Comic-Con and at Mostra Espantomania in Brazil.

The San Diego Comic-Con is the largest geek and pop culture-related festival in the world, which involves an attendance of over 130,000 people. Catering to high demand and crowd interaction, the event is booked out months in advance. With High School Junkies’ significant accomplishment with this production, The Summoning will screen under the Horror/Suspense category, competing with films from multiple other countries.