Hannah Cheesman and Aiken Heart Film's SUCCOR Bows at TIFF20

Aiken Heart Films (Coral Aiken) and The Long Reach Company (Hannah Cheesman) revealed details on their short film, the dark BFF rom-com Succor, which will have its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Succor written and directed by actor-turned-writer/director, Cheesman, stars 2018 TIFF Rising Star Michaela Kurimsky (Firecrackers, A Fire in the Cold Season), 2015 TIFF Rising Star Deragh Campbell (Anne at 13,000 Feet, MS Slavic 7), Farhang Ghajar (The Merry Wives of Windsor, Capture Kill Release) and Ishan Davé (Kim's Convenience, Slasher) and is produced by Coral Aiken, and Hannah Cheesman, with Erik Buckland and Nimble Content (Andrew Lynch and Michael Corbiere) serving as Executive Producers.

Heartbroken after a bad breakup, Angie (Kurimsky) finds comfort in her best friend Abigail (Campbell), who helps her sign up for a dating app. Angie's new online suitor, however, is not what he seems.

In addition to developing the feature film version of Succor, Cheesman and Aiken are adapting a feature film version of the novel Boring Girls, by Toronto writer and musician Sara Taylor, a dark and bloody quest through the heavy metal scene.

"Succor has been a career highlight -- a marriage of creative minds between myself and fellow producer Coral Aiken -- and fearless, thought-provoking performances by Tiff Rising Stars Deragh Campbell and Michaela Kurimsky. Serving perhaps as a cautionary tale, it also paints the portrait of a female friendship and its intimate, yet troubling, intricacies. This short is a fantastic jumping-off point for our forthcoming feature film by the same name," said Cheesman.

Producer Coral Aiken added, "Succor is darkly funny, wry, and chilling. It gets under your skin in the best possible way. Hannah Cheesman is one to watch as a director; she's collaborative, and smart, bold, and funny."

Cinematography by John Ker (Quantom, Adventures in Casting), production design by Cordelia D'Amboise (Hey Lady!), costume design by Mara Zigler (American Woman, Mouthpiece), editing by Lindsay Allikas (Through Black Spruce) with a music score by Alaska B (Through Black Spruce).