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Elliot Cowan,

Indie UK Sci-Fi Film Narcopolis Gets US Distribution & a new trailer - INDEPENDENT SPOTLIGHT

I have been keeping an eye out for Narcopolis, the film formerly known as Dreck, and my anticipation for it has been steadily growing since I heard the premise of this plucky low key production - seemingly drawing inspiration from Blade Runner. My interest was piqued by the talent involved that includes Jonathan Pryce and James Callis. Subsequently the lead of Narcopolis, Elliot Cowan has blown me away in his powerful and engaging performance as the head of the Medici family in David S. Goyer's Da Vinci's Demons.

So I'm chuffed to see that Narcopolis has just cracked a distribution deal and one step closer to been seen on screen.

Narcopolis Teaser Poster

UK and Canada rights acquired for Justin Trefgarne’s futuristic sci-fi crime thriller NARCOPOLIS
XYZ and Raven Banner board US and International Sales.

Narcopolis Elliot Cowan as Frank Grieves

Narcopolis In the near future, Frank Grieves is a new breed of police officer working in a city where all recreational drugs are legal. When he is taken off a case involving an unidentified corpse, he discovers that legalization has come at a price. Director: Justin Trefgarne Writers: Justin Trefgarne Stars: Elliot Cowan, Elodie Yung, Jonathan Pryce RELATED Shooting on indie Sci-Fi thriller Narcopolis complete Andrew Hewitt to score indie Sci-fi film Narcopolis

Altitude Film Distribution has acquired UK rights and Mongrel Media has acquired Canadian rights to NARCOPOLIS, the debut feature of writer/director Justin Trefgarne. The film stars Jonathan Pryce (Ronin, Pirates of the Caribbean), Elliot Cowan (Hammer Of The Gods, Da Vinci’s Demons), Elodie Yung (GI Joe: Retaliation, Gods Of Egypt) and Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey).


The Mongrel deal was negotiated on behalf of the producers by Nate Bolotin of LA-based XYZ Films who is handling US Sales, and Andrew Frank of Mongrel Media.  Raven Banner’s James Fler is representing the film for International Sales.


NARCOPOLIS is a fast thriller set in a futuristic city where the manufacture and use of all recreational drugs is legal. An elite unit, created by an over-stretched police force, works to keep the black market dealers off the streets and the licensed drug companies rich. When Frank Grieves (Cowan), police officer and former addict, is called to investigate an unidentifiable corpse, he finds himself pulled into a world infected with corruption and in which the only person he can rely on is himself.


Justin Trefgarne, a Screen International Star of Tomorrow, cut his teeth as a story editor at Working Title Films and has gone on to write screenplays for leading producers including Ruby Films, Ridley Scott Associates and FilmFour.



Financed and produced in the UK 100% independently using techniques more common in the world of internet start-ups, NARCOPOLIS is produced by Eldar Tuvey and Trefgarne through their innovative production company TSquared Films. The producers deliberately pursued a unique ‘stealth’ approach for NARCOPOLIS, keeping the production under wraps in an effort to ensure the creative freedom necessary to realize Trefgarne's vision.  An Internet entrepreneur, Tuvey is also the founder of a mobile security business in San Francisco. TSquared Films has a slate of projects in active development, all looking to build on and refine the experience they had making NARCOPOLIS.

The cast includes rising star talent alongside industry veterans, including Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), Cosima Shaw (V For Vendetta, Molly Gaisford (Unborn), Adam Sims (Band Of Brothers), Josef Altin (Les Misérables), Gethin Anthony (Game of Thrones) and Nicky Henson (Syriana),  James Callis (Battlestar Galactica).

Narcopolis Jonathan Pryce as Sidorov

Hamish Moseley, Head of Distribution for Altitude Film Distribution says,

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be releasing Justin Trefgarne’s debut feature in the UK and Ireland. Justin is clearly a major talent with an exciting career ahead of him and NARCOPOLIS is exactly the kind of intelligent, thrilling and commercial filmmaking that gets us excited at Altitude.”

Writer/Director Trefgarne, says,

“I wanted my debut to have scale to match the kinds of films that inspire me like Blade Runner and District 9. With the legalisation debate currently raging it felt apposite to imagine a world where this was a reality and then play havoc with the consequences.

But with no track record to speak of, conventional funding sources rightly thought we were mad to attempt such an ambitious production.  Eldar and  I decided from an early stage to take a renegade approach, combining guerrilla film techniques with blockbuster ambition."

Narcopolis Jonathan Pryce & Elliot Cowan

For more information head over to: http://www.narcopolisthemovie.com/index.html

The Establishing Shot: INDIE UK SCI-FI FILM NARCOPOLIS GETS US DISTRIBUTION - INDEPENDENT SPOTLIGHT