Kimchi Western ‘Mash Ville,’ Polish Giallo ‘Dead by Dawn’ and Absurdist Sci-Fi ‘The Black Hole’ Join Chroma’s 2026 Slate (EXCLUSIVE)

By Naman Ramachandran | Variety

MASH VILLE

Genre distribution label Chroma has acquired North American rights to a trio of international features including “Mash Ville,” described as a whiskey-soaked kimchi western that earned its director best director honors at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

The South Korean title will be Chroma’s first release from the package, dropping digitally on Jan. 23, followed by Poland’s “Dead by Dawn” and Estonia’s “The Black Hole.”

Director Wook Hwang’s “Mash Ville” is a kimchi western following nine individuals and one corpse whose conflicting objectives lead to escalating chaos in what Chroma describes as “Coen Brothers meets Tarantino.” The film earned Hwang the best director award at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Writer-director Dawid Torrone’s “Dead by Dawn” represents a rare giallo entry from Poland, delivering theatrical horror through stylized visuals. After its world premiere at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, the feature played Morbido Fest, Screamfest and Grimmfest, earning a special mention for best cinematography at the latter.

Moonika Siimets’ “The Black Hole” presents an absurdist, arthouse approach to sci-fi through its triptych structure following a small Estonian community dealing with extraterrestrials, a giant spider and an Austrian in breeches after a black hole materializes inside a lilac bush. Following its Fantastic Fest 2024 premiere, the film collected awards at Les Utopiales in France, the Sognielettrici Electricdreams International Film Festival in Milan, the Warsaw International Film Festival, goEast in Germany, the UnderGround Film Festival in Calgary and the European Film Festival Palić in Serbia.

Chroma negotiated the deals with The Coven for “Dead by Dawn,” EST Media for “Mash Ville” and The Reel Suspects for “The Black Hole.”

“Part of what fuels Chroma’s passion for genre cinema is how powerfully it transcends language. These three international films grabbed us immediately – they’re gripping, entertaining, and wildly inventive in ways that will resonate instantly with genre fans, proving that the best, wildest ideas cross boundaries and cultures,” said Ahbra Perry, VP of Chroma. “A blood-curdling scream sounds the same in any language, and ‘Dead By Dawn,’ ‘The Black Hole,’ and ‘Mash Ville’ push that universality to thrilling extremes. Adding these titles to the Chroma slate reflects exactly the kind of exciting, high-impact global storytelling we’re committed to releasing in 2026.”

Launched in 2025, Chroma operates as a U.S.-based distribution label focused on science fiction and horror content. The company functions under Narrative Distribution, part of the Narrative portfolio of companies, delivering titles across streaming platforms, transactional storefronts, broadcast channels, DVD retailers and airlines.