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Filmmaker Nicholas Gyeney has received top prizes on the global festival circuit for his feature horror/thriller The Activated Man. On September 21st, the Hungarian-American director received the Paramount Premium Award, presented by the Hungarian Hollywood Council, at the inaugural Tony Curtis International Film Festival held in Mátészalka, Hungary; followed by the Best Director and Best Film prizes at Cinema Scares Film Festival in Shelbyville, Indiana; and the Best Horror/Thriller Feature Award at the Glendale International Film Festival, presented my host Mark DeCarlo.

The film’s star-studded cast includes genre icons Tony Todd (Candyman), Sean Young (Blade Runner), and four-time Jason Voorhees, Kane Hodder, alongside Andrew Keegan (10 Things I Hate About You), Vladimir Kulich (Vikings), Sab Shimono (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III), Ivana Rojas (Hulu’s This Fool), and longtime Gyeney collaborator Scott Brown as the villainous ‘Fedora Man.’ 

Drawing on the universal theme of grief with a twist that Gyeney’s work has become noted for, The Activated Man stars Jamie Costa as an everyman who loses his beloved dog. His grief spurs disturbing visions that cause him to wonder if he’s dealing with the usual highs and lows of a painful loss, or if darker forces are preying on his mind.

As Ors Gabriel (Costa) struggles with the grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer, the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors can see. While he questions whether his mind has fractured or if it's actually real, a mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of the city, and Ors becomes haunted by images of a shadowy figure known as ‘The Fedora Man’. Through torments and terror, Ors must face his fears and confront 'The Fedora Man' as he uncovers dark secrets from his past, while finally embracing who he really is, and what he is meant to do.

 

Next screenings are scheduled at Hollywood Horrorfest, Atlanta Horror Film Festival, Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Fest, Birmingham Horror Film Festival, and the Menton Fantastic Film Festival in Southern France.  

The Activated Man first debuted at Dances With Films NYC on December 3, 2023, and has garnered more than 28 festival awards. The film is executive produced by Gyeney’s film company Mirror Images LTD. and produced by Gyeney and Kelsey Aho.

Gyeney also recently unveiled the new innovative poster artwork for the award-winning supernatural thriller The Activated Man, in advance of its next set of film festivals on its already highly successful run. Artist Chris Foster ( http://behance.net/chrisfoster) created the posters based on a design by Gyeney.