THE GIRL IN THE RIVER - TALKING TO STAR DEVON SAWA and WRITER/DIRECTOR BRANDO BENETTON

A crime thriller set in Mississippi is unpacked in the new drama, The Girl In The River.

After twin teenage sisters are abducted from a remote Mississippi town, one girl's body is recovered from the Mississippi River while her twin remains missing.

Veteran criminologist Alan Kramer (Devon Sawa) is brought in to assist local authorities. Working alongside relentless Police Captain Erica Graysmith (Tiffany Haddish) and partnering with brilliant but untested profiler Amelia Pembrock (Maggie Grace), Kramer realizes they are dealing with a calculating, meticulous predator who plans every move with surgical accuracy.

As the case sparks a media frenzy and suspicion spreads across the town, Kramer and Pembrock must crawl inside the killer's mind to find the surviving twin before time runs out.

The film also stars Maggie Grace, Emmy-Winner Tiffany Haddish and Emmy-Nominee Ralph Macchio, and will release on digital and in theaters on September 4.

Devon Sawa has endeared himself to audiences for years, most recently starring in Screen Gems’ HEART EYES (dir. Josh Ruben). He will soon be seen in Tim Federle’s new Disney+ series COVEN ACADEMY, and THE GIRL IN THE RIVER opposite Maggie Grace and Tiffany Haddish. Devon was a fan favorite on the Syfy series CHUCKY alongside Jennifer Tilly, and Jean Smart hand-picked Devon to play her hunky love interest on HACKS for HBO. Prior to that Devon starred opposite Sylvester Stallone and Dave Bautista in ESCAPE PLAN: THE EXTRACTORS, opposite John Travolta in THEFANATIC, and opposite Guy Pearce in DISTURBING THE PEACE. Devon also recently appeared in IFC’s critically acclaimed HUNTER HUNTER and THIEVES HIGHWAY opposite Aaron Eckhart.

 Born in Vancouver, Canada, Sawa is an industry veteran who started out as a child actor in CASPER, NOW AND THEN, and LITTLE GIANTS. He soon became a household name after starring in the iconic horror franchise FINAL DESTINATION as well as cult favorites IDLE HANDS and SLC PUNK. He reprised his iconic SLC PUNK role in the sequel PUNK'S DEAD, much to the delight of the original film’s fans.

Brando Benetton, makes his feeature directorial debut with, The Girl In The River. He is an Italian filmmaker whose writing and directing work spans both Europe and the United States. While attending Ithaca College, he was named by Variety in 2015 as one of the nation's “110 Students to Watch” in film. He later earned his MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Over the course of his career, Benetton has directed award-winning TV pilots, feature films and large-scale live stunt shows for major European theme parks. Among his notable works is NIGHTFIRE, which he co-wrote, produced, and directed — a throwback spy thriller featuring an international cast led by Emmy nominee Dylan Baker. Filmed entirely in Italy, the project combines ambitious practical stunt work with a classic espionage sensibility. Following its nomination for Best Independent Pilot (Drama) at SeriesFest 2020, NIGHTFIRE premiered on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

I spoke with star Devon Sawa and Writer/Director Brando Benetton about the film.