Filmoption International announced today that Dark Star Pictures has boarded the genre feature LUCID ahead of the film’s theatrical release. Dark Star will handle distribution in the U.S. market with plans for a theatrical and digital release. LUCID, which world premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2025, had its U.S. debut at Brooklyn Horror and premiered in Europe at Sitges and Noam Faenza, is set for a theatrical release in Canada on May 29, 2026. Filmoption boarded the film last fall as Canadian Distributor.

LUCID, from directors Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall,  follows Mia, an art student who is on the verge of being expelled from school, as she finds her last hope for combating her creative block in a magical lucid dreaming elixir. Awakening her creativity, the potion also unleashes a number of dark monsters that inhabit her subconscious, one of which is her mother, who appears transformed into a hairy monster that Mia is forced to confront. A dreamlike and surreal universe shot in 35 mm and Super 8, LUCID is a trippy 90s art-punk genre film starring Caitlin Acken Taylor (Pistol), Georgia Acken (The Sacrifice Game, Under the Bridge), Amber Dandelion, John Luna and Vivian Vanderpuss (RuPaul’s Drag Race) who also designed and wears the hair monster costume. 

“LUCID is exactly the kind of daring, genre-bending filmmaking we love championing at Dark Star – it’s visually hypnotic, emotionally raw, and unapologetically weird in all the right ways,” says Dark Star President Michael Repsch. “We’re excited to help introduce this unforgettable film to U.S. audiences.”

Deanna Milligan is a veteran Canadian actor with dozens of film and television credits, as a director she is known for her visceral, emotionally charged storytelling rooted in the beautiful grotesque. Her collaborator, co-director and co-writer Ramsey Fendall is a cinematographer and visual artist whose credits include Seymour and Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy, who often shoots on 35mm and 16mm. 

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have found an ideal US home for LUCID with Dark Star Pics!” says Anne-Julie Lalande, Distribution & Sales Manager at Filmoption. “This distributor has consistently demonstrated their commitment to championing innovative independent cinema with genuine passion and expertise. We’re confident that Dark Star’s proven track record of supporting distinctive voices makes them the perfect partner to bring Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall’s remarkable debut feature to audiences who will love it.”

LUCID was written and directed by Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall, cinematography by Ramsey Fendall, produced by Emanuel Foucault and composed by Marta Jaciubek-McKeever. It was announced earlier this year that acclaimed genre producer Peter Phok (Pearl) boarded the film as an executive producer ahead of the European Film Market. LUCID, which evolved from a short film of the same name, features the musical talents of Marta Jaciubek-McKeever (Fan Death), James Wollam (Tears for Fears) and world renowned guitarist Ayla Tesler Mabe (formerly of the band Calpurnia). 

LUCID was shot in Victoria, BC and was made possible through the support of Telefilm Canada and Creative BC.