Fawzia Mirza, the award-winning filmmaker behind The Queen of My Dreams, has been signed on to helm ‘Bhoot’, an English-language South Asian paranormal thriller from Toronto-based Champ & Pepper and multi-hyphenate creator Dana Abraham.
The film has been written by Abraham, who also co-stars and is known for his work on Orphan Black: Echoes. Bhoot is targeting a production start in autumn 2026, with casting announcements expected to be rolled out over the coming year. The project also marks Champ & Pepper’s first major step into original film production, following its work as a marketing agency on global campaigns for major studio releases.
Bhoot follows Aru Saha, a young South Asian woman dealing with grief, guilt and generational pressure, who arrives in a seemingly idyllic town with her brother Das and their parents. The town, however, hides a supernatural secret rooted in South Asian folklore. The film is described as a psychological horror that combines emotional family drama with genre-driven elements.
Abraham is producing the film through his Red Hill Creative banner, alongside Champ & Pepper’s Jeff Pestell and Glenn Karpel. Ella Wahlstedt of Quarterlife Pictures also serves as a producer, having developed the screenplay with Abraham from its earliest stages.
Speaking about the project, Abraham said the film explores internal hauntings, including inherited guilt and buried grief, and described Mirza as an ideal creative partner. He added that her voice, vision and commitment to authentic South Asian storytelling would help shape a project that is bold, frightening and emotionally resonant, while Champ & Pepper’s extensive experience in global marketing would support a strategic rollout well ahead of production.
Mirza made her feature directorial debut with The Queen of My Dreams, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at SXSW, among numerous other festivals, before receiving a theatrical release. The film has since earned a GLAAD Award nomination for outstanding feature, two Canadian Screen Awards and the Directors Guild of Canada award for best feature, along with several other honours.
Commenting on her involvement, Mirza said she had been actively searching for a genre or thriller project to direct, describing horror as a form as visceral as comedy and as emotionally evocative as romance. She said Abraham’s script delivered strongly on feeling, making the decision to come on board an easy one.
Champ & Pepper president Jeff Pestell said the company was excited to expand its role from content creation and marketing into development and production, calling the move a natural progression. He added that partnering with Abraham and Red Hill Creative on Bhoot, and securing a director of Mirza’s calibre, made the project particularly exciting.
Featuring a fully South Asian principal cast, Bhoot is being positioned for strategic partnerships with studios and streaming platforms across North America and international markets, beginning in 2027.