LUCID Kicks-off North American Theatrical Release

Lucid, the Victoria-shot arthouse genre feature, begins it’s theatrical run with screenings in Vancouver, Victoria and Edmonton.

The theatrical runs begins on 29 May 2026. It also includes theatres in Kamloops, Hamilton, Montreal, and Toronto this summer with more dates and locations to be announced. Lucid, which world premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival, had its U.S. debut at Brooklyn Horror, European premiere at Sitges, South American premiere at Fantaspoa and won Best First Canadian Feature at home in Victoria at the Victoria Film Festival this year.

The Lucid screenings kickoff with a special event screening on Friday, May 29th at the VIFF Centre in Vancouver. The cast and crew will be in attendance for a Q&A, there will be costumes, monsters, mayhem and merch. Filmoption will be distributing the film in Canada. Dark Star recently acquired the film for the US with plans for a theatrical and digital release.

Lucid is the debut feature from directors Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall. It follows Mia, an art student who is on the verge of being expelled from school. 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, YAGA), Amber Dandelion, John Luna and Vivian Vanderpuss (RuPaul’s Drag Race) who also designed and wears the hair monster costume.

Deanna Milligan

Deanna Milligan is a veteran Canadian actor from Vancouver, who has 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, Fendall often shoots on 35mm and 16mm.

Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall wrote and directed Lucid. Ramsey Fendal is the cinematrographer and Emmanuuel Foucalt produces. Marta Jaciubek-McKeever is the composer. 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 shot in Victoria, BC and comes with the support of Telefilm Canada and Creative BC.

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