“Wraith” the first film to emerge from the slate of Mubina Rattonsey’s Zero Gravity Motion Pictures will shoot in Abu Dhabi in the second half of this year. The English-language horror thriller being directed by Armaan Zorace (“God is Dead”) is to feature a live, Muslim exorcism.
The plot focuses on a couple who hail from Seattle and attempt to settle down in a new town. But the house they find contains an evil presence, obliging them to fight forces from other dimensions.
This is a unique modern ghost story, which the mystery takes us into largely unexplored territory,” director and co-writer Zorace told Variety. “Abu Dhabi is ideal as it is easy and efficient, but also has the nuances of a Middle Eastern country that one cannot easily fabricate.”
“We will film real a Muslim exorcism, as conducted by the head of a Mosque, Our actors will interact with the ceremony,” said Zorace. “We could probably have staged it, but we prefer the authenticity.”
Los Angeles-based Zero Gravity Partners is the parent company of a group that includes film development, production, and post-production companies that are owned and operated by Rattonsey, Rohini Singh and Manmeet Singh. Backed by a $100 million fund, it aims to deliver up to three films per year across a wide range of genres and budget scales.
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At the Berlin Film Festival’s market the company is looking for international distributors and partners. The budget for “Wraith” is in the $5 million range of an efficient Jason Blum genre movie. “For our first film, it is important to start with an example of good story-telling, and a film that also has the potential to be profitable for our partners and production companies,” Rattonsey said.
Other upcoming projects currently underway at Zero Gravity Partners include: “Gamma Man,” a super-hero film about a teenager who acquires supernatural powers when he is exposed to a meteor shower; and “The Aryan Papers,” an epic war-drama about a Polish musician who embarks on a journey in search of her fiancee during WWII.