‘Binding Eva’ Bound for Tubi FrightFest for World Premiere

A desperate flight through the Forest of Dean becomes something far stranger in Binding Eva, a supernatural thriller that traps its central characters inside a landscape where every path seems to lead back to the same impossible choice. The feature debut from award-winning filmmaker Conscian Morgan will receive its world premiere in Tubi FrightFest‘s First Blood strand this August.

Ryan Ralph Gerrard stars as Felix, a small-time smuggler whose latest job ends in disaster. After a deal goes wrong, he kidnaps a mother, Katarina, and her young daughter Eva, forcing them into the ancient woodland as he attempts to evade capture. But the deeper they travel into the forest, the less the terrain seems to obey ordinary rules. Trails begin looping back on themselves, reality starts to fracture, and an unseen presence appears to know far more about Felix than he is willing to admit.

When Katarina disappears, Felix is left alone with the silent Eva, a child he never intended to protect. What follows is described as both a supernatural thriller and a meditation on redemption, as the unlikely bond between captor and child forces Felix to confront a life shaped by selfish decisions and violence. Catherine Deevy and Darcey Wood complete the principal cast, with the latter making her feature film debut.

Morgan wrote, directed and produced Binding Eva alongside producer and production designer Britt Kuipers, with the film largely self-financed and shot across eight weeks in the Forest of Dean. Rather than bringing a traditional-sized production into the woodland, the filmmakers opted for a crew of just four during many of the exterior sequences, allowing cinematographer Haridas Stewart to work with natural light and follow performances through the landscape instead of relying on conventional blocking.

The setting itself appears to play an equally significant role. Morgan has said the Forest of Dean was chosen because it already possessed the folklore and atmosphere the story required, while the production team constructed key locations, including the Witch’s cabin, to feel as though they had emerged naturally from the woodland rather than been placed within it. Elsewhere, composer Sadowski’s score draws on double bass, cello and piano, with recurring musical themes reflecting the changing relationship between Felix and Eva.

Before making his feature debut, Morgan spent more than a decade working as a producer before turning to directing. His award-winning short NZU collected international recognition, including Best International Short Film at AFRIFF, and Binding Eva represents his first full-length project behind the camera.

Binding Eva receives its world premiere in the First Blood strand at Tubi FrightFest on Saturday, 29 August 2026 at 8.45pm. For tickets, visit: frightfest2026

Binding Eva trailer

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