Bloodwood, the upcoming psychological thriller set in the Peruvian Amazon, will be partly filmed in Kenya, producer Lisanne Marks Canty confirmed exclusively to Sinema Focus at the Cannes Film Festival.
Canty confirmed that principal photography for Bloodwood will begin in Peru between June and July, with filming in Kenya scheduled for September 2026. The Kenyan leg of production will take place at Loirien, a sanctuary in the Maasai Mara.
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According to Canty, positioning Bloodwood as an impact-driven project is central to the film.
The film was first announced by Variety at the start of the Cannes Film Festival.
Bloodwood follows Jake, a man haunted by his past who travels deep into the Amazon to track down the trafficker responsible for his wife’s death. But as his search leads him further into an unforgiving jungle, reality begins to blur and the hunter slowly becomes the hunted, forcing him to confront the guilt he came to bury.
Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), Michelle Hurd (Lethal Weapon) and Henry Ian Cusick (Scandal) are attached to lead Bloodwood, alongside Johnny Sanchez, Hada Vanessa Hutchinson and Joseph Jaquinto.
Robert Menzies (House at the End of the Street) will make his feature directorial debut from an original screenplay he also wrote.
Menzies was previously attached to Red Card, another project centred on human trafficking that was set to film in Kenya’s Maasai Mara in 2026.
Bloodwood is produced by Menzies, Anjul Nigam (Crown Vic), Jordan Gianneschi and Jacob Rice for J2 Productions, Carmelo Chimera (Unarmed) in association with Act One Media, and Canty (Maserati: The Brothers) from Harrington Legacy Media.
Executive producers include James Norrie, Syed Ali Saeed, Sanchez, Brian Landever and Jaquinto.
The film is supported by the Ayahuasca Foundation and Camino Verde, and was developed with guidance informed by Shipibo traditions of the Amazon rainforest, with an emphasis on cultural respect and authenticity.
Essential Film Group is handling worldwide sales.
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