Catalyst Studios and Seismic Releasing have announced a nationwide U.S. theatrical release for the psychological horror drama Broken Bird. The film, directed by Joanne Mitchell and starring Rebecca Calder and James Fleet, will arrive in theaters on April 24, 2026.
Written by Dominic Brunt, Tracey Sheals, and Mitchell, Broken Bird is based on Mitchell’s earlier short film Sybil. The feature is produced by Zoe Stewart alongside Holly Levow, Mark Pennell, and Paul Kampf. The cast also includes Jay Taylor, Sacharissa Claxton, and Robyn Rainsford.
The story follows Sybil, a lonely mortician portrayed by Calder, who longs for connection and belonging. As grief and desire begin to intertwine, her search for intimacy leads to increasingly unsettling behavior.
Calder recently appeared in The Conjuring: Last Rites, portraying Janet Smurl, and has also been seen in Kandahar alongside Gerard Butler and Memory with Liam Neeson. Fleet’s recent credits include Operation Mincemeat, Scream of the Wolf, Bridgerton, and The Devil’s Hour.
Broken Bird marks the debut feature from director Joanne Mitchell, whose work often focuses on character-driven storytelling within gothic drama and horror. The film premiered as the opening selection at London’s FrightFest and later screened at the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival. It was also nominated for the Emerging Raven Award at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, while Calder received the Best Actor award at the Independent European Film Festival for her performance as Sybil.
The project is one of six films developed by Catalyst Studios as part of its initiative to support female-led stories from women directors and producers. Executive Lead and Co-Founder Holly Levow noted that the film reflects the studio’s focus on character-centered genre filmmaking.
With its theatrical release approaching this spring, Broken Bird will bring Mitchell’s psychological horror drama to audiences nationwide.
