Renaissance man (writer, producer, director, editor, etc) Miles Maker will make his feature film directorial debut with a BDSM-themed erotic psychological thriller, aptly titled Safeword.
Maker optioned rights to the Zoe Mavroudi-penned script earlier this year, and has attracted top-rising indie producers Nekisa Cooper (Pariah) and Diane Houslin (Yelling To The Sky) to shepherd the production, with German sales company Atlas International shopping the project at the American Film Market (AFM), which kicked off in Los Angeles this week.
Safeword tells a dicey tale of a renowned piano virtuoso who conquers debilitating performance anxiety, when she pursues a dangerous, submissive affair with a stranger who is sharply skilled at erotic knife-play.
With name actors currently circling the project – although no official casting news yet – Maker’s tentative plans are to start principal photography during the first half of 2014.
Ahead of that eventual production launch, Maker shot a no-budget teaser of Safeword in New York, a month ago, providing viewers with a glimpse at the film’s proposed pace and tone, which is now available online, and embedded below.
The popularity and success of 50 Shades Of Grey (itself soon to be a major motion picture) appears to have inspired a *new* public fascination and interest in BDSM – the acronym for a form of sexual activity that can include bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and masochism, providing a sexually supercharged eroticism that BDSM sexual encounters can elicit.
So I’ve heard.
It’s a world this writer is entirely unfamiliar with, but I’m certainly intrigued by Safeword’s premise, and seeming collision of worlds.
Given the aforementioned *new* general interest in BDSM, as it seems to now have gone much more mainstream (although maybe it already had, and I just haven’t been paying attention), it would appear that this is a project perfectly-timed.
Scribe Zoe Mavroudi’s many accolades include: Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Workshop selection, Best Feature Screenplay 2013 Berlin Independent Film Festival, 2nd Place 2012 London Film Awards, Honorable Mention 2012 Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.
Watch the 60-second teaser below:
