Debut feature from writer-director Nick Annas, 19, produced by Deadhouse Films with worldwide sales by Blue Finch Films and domestic distribution by Umbrella Entertainment
BALI, INDONESIA, June 2026
Viking Sunset Studios, Bali’s premier international film production hub, today announced its investment in Crashout, a darkly comic Gen-Z thriller written and directed by Nick Annas and produced by Helen Tuck and Enzo Tedeschi at Deadhouse Films. The film stars Catherine Laga’aia in her first major role following Disney’s upcoming live-action Moana, alongside Joe Bird (A24’s Talk to Me) and newcomer Evelyn Sims. Blue Finch Films handles worldwide sales rights outside Australia and New Zealand. Umbrella Entertainment holds domestic theatrical distribution.
About the Film
Crashout follows three high school graduates whose celebratory road trip spirals into tragedy. When an accident leaves one of their friends dead, the three remaining teens, panicked and terrified of the consequences, decide to stage a found footage film to rewrite the night and save their futures. The darkly comic satirical thriller explores themes of self-preservation and narrative control through a contemporary youth perspective.
The Filmmaker
Nick Annas, now 19, wrote Crashout at 17, mostly in his childhood bedroom and the back of high school classrooms. At 14, his screenplay Herschel made him a finalist for the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, and the ScreenCraft Feature Fellowship, establishing him early as an exceptional writing talent. Annas has since signed with Anonymous Content and is currently in post-production on Crashout as his debut feature.
The Cast
Catherine Laga’aia stars as the lead. A Sydney-based actor of Samoan heritage, Laga’aia is set to headline Disney’s live-action Moana, due July 10, 2026. Crashout is her first announced role following that project. Joe Bird, whose recent credits include A24’s Talk to Me, Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus acquired by Neon following its Sundance premiere, and Warwick Thornton’s Wolfram, screened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, co-stars alongside newcomer Evelyn Sims.
Production and Distribution
Crashout is produced by Helen Tuck and Enzo Tedeschi at Deadhouse Films, which recently received two AACTA nominations. Executive producers are Deanne Weir of WeirAnderson Films and Bobby Romia and Tianna Roberts of Atypical Originals. Casting is by Stephanie Pringle and Alison Fowler of Chicken and Chips Casting. Blue Finch Films handles worldwide sales outside Australia and New Zealand. Umbrella Entertainment holds domestic theatrical distribution. Production took place in NSW, Australia.
Statement from Viking Sunset Studios
“Nick Annas wrote this script before he had any reason to believe anyone would make it, because he needed to write it. That is the kind of creative necessity that tends to produce work that lasts. Add Catherine Lagaaia, Joe Bird, and the Deadhouse Films team to that foundation, and you have a project that is very difficult to say no to. We are proud to be investors in Crashout and proud to be making our first investment in Australian cinema with a film this bold.”
Bo H. Holmgreen, Founder and CEO, Viking Sunset Studios
About Deadhouse Films
Deadhouse Films is an Australian production company founded by Helen Tuck and Enzo Tedeschi, with two recent AACTA nominations. The company is committed to bold, genre-driven independent filmmaking.
About Viking Sunset Studios
Viking Sunset Studios is Bali’s premier full-service film production partner, headquartered at Beraban Beach, Tabanan, Bali, with offices in Sanur, Denpasar, and North Carolina, USA. The studio operates Southeast Asia’s largest indoor green screen soundstage alongside a one-hectare beachfront backlot. Recent investments include The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters, selected for the Cannes Film Festival Immersive Competition 2026, and Bandit, having its World Premiere at the 29th Dances With Films LA Film Festival. For more information, visit www.vikingsunsetstudios.com.
Media Contact
Viking Sunset Studios
Tabanan Campus: Beraban Beach, Selemadeg Timur, Tabanan, Bali 82162
Sanur Office: Jl. Danau Tamblingan No. 53, Sanur, Denpasar, Bali 80228
Phone / WhatsApp: +62 819 9111 4445
Email: info@vikingsunsetstudios.com
