Classy Hitchcockian horror Casting Kill, made possible through crowdfunding and shot in just six days in central London, has been nominated for Best Independent Film at the National Film Awards 2023.

Produced by Raya Films of London, Casting Kill is an 80-minute feature film shot in central London over Halloween 2021. With limited funds and the lingering threat of a covid shutdown, the team opted to shoot the whole film in only six days.

“The NFA nomination came out of the blue,” says producer/screenwriter, Caroline Spence. “We have no idea how we even came to be on their radar, but needless to say we are thrilled and extremely honoured.”

The National Film Awards, which is celebrating its 9th year and takes place at The Porchester Hall in Bayswater, is “the biggest and most prestigious awards ceremony in the Television & Film industry”.

Director, James Smith, is amazed at the nomination: “We can hardly believe that amid the nominations for big-budget movies and A-list stars including Lily James and Taron Egerton sits our micro-budget feature film!”

The National Film Awards run on a voting system and are now open to the public at www.nationalfilmacademy.org, providing film enthusiasts with the opportunity to have their voices heard by casting votes. The awards show will be broadcast live on VooVix TV on 3rd July 2023.

“Casting Kill resides in a very competitive category at the awards, and is up against other films with much bigger budgets and backing,” explains Caroline, “so with such powerful competition, we need all the help we can get.”

Part satire, part suspense thriller, the story follows Hollywood casting director Arthur Capstone who holds bogus auditions during his sinister ‘casting roadshow’ in which he preys on actors desperate to win their big break.

With its unusual take on horror, Casting Kill is no slasher or gore fest. Like many of Alfred Hitchcock's most renowned productions, it is a collaborative project between UK filmmakers and an American composer, in this case, Shaun Finnegan from New York, who has delivered an award-winning score reminiscent of North By Northwest and Vertigo.

Casting Kill is now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and other major streaming platforms worldwide.