World Premiere Of Blind Panic To Honour Late Director Mark Willis At Terror-Fi Film Festival

Blind Panic, the debut feature film from late director Mark Willis, will make its world premiere at the Terror-Fi Film Festival in Wellington on 31 October 2025.

The crime thriller, marked by Willis’ distinct creative vision and completed prior to his untimely death in May 2023, will also screen in Auckland and Christchurch before receiving international distribution.

Funded by a grassroots Kickstarter campaign and shot over an intensive 21-day schedule, Blind Panic tells the story of a blind woman who befriends an ex-con – unaware that he is on home detention with a target on his back. She finds herself caught up in his past and hiding in plain sight of a sadistic crime lord.

“This is a movie with ups and downs like no other,” says co-writer and producer Matthew Mawkes. “While the film is marked by a profound tragedy, it’s important to note that a cut was signed off by Mark before his death.”

“The movie has got Mark’s fingerprints all over it – it’s a thrill ride, but also a suburban drama big on heart and filled with his wonderful sense of humour.”

The film stars high-profile New Zealand actors Erroll Shand (Our Flag Means Death, Sweet Tooth, The Clearing) and Jodie Hillock (Far North, The Gulf, Pike River), alongside international talent Simon Phillips (FUBAR, The Witcher, What Lurks Beneath).

“Years of hard slog, including a number of pick-ups, went into turning our movie into a true crime thriller,” Mawkes adds. “While dedicated to Mark’s memory, it is also thanks to the belief of our early Kickstarter supporters that this movie ever happened at all – along with the hard work of many, often working for little or no money.”

With the support of Wellington’s post-production community, Blind Panic is a cinematic experience designed for the big screen. Audiences are encouraged to attend the Terror-Fi screenings and celebrate the legacy of a filmmaker whose work continues to resonate.

Tickets are available at https://terrorfifest.com

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