Fauzia Mirza, the award-winning director of Queen of My Dreams, has been tapped to direct Bhoot, an English-language South Asian supernatural thriller from Toronto-based Champ & Pepper and multi-hyphenate Dana Abraham.
The film, written by and co-starring Abraham (Orphan Black: Echoes), is expected to begin production in fall 2026, with casting announcements expected in the new year. This project marks Champ & Pepper’s first serious foray into original film production, a marketing agency known for handling global campaigns for major studio releases.
“Bhoot” follows Al Saha, a young South Asian woman who struggles with grief, guilt, and generational pressures. Al Saha, along with his brother Das and their parents, arrive in a seemingly perfect town that hides supernatural secrets drawn from South Asian folklore. Psychological horror aims to blend emotional family drama and genre elements.
Abraham is producing under the Red Hill Creative banner alongside Champ & Pepper’s Jeff Pestel and Glenn Karpel. Quarterlife Pictures’ Ella Wahlstead also serves as a producer and has been developing the script with Abraham from the beginning.
“‘Bhoot’ is about what plagues us inside: the guilt we inherit, the grief we bury, and the courage it takes to confront both,” Abraham said. “Fauzia’s addition has elevated this film in ways I could never have imagined. Her voice, vision and authenticity in championing South Asian stories make her the perfect filmmaking partner to help Champ & Pepper and I build something bold, scary and emotionally resonant. With their decades of global marketing experience and deep relationships with studios, we are strategically preparing for release long before the cameras roll.”
Mirza’s feature directorial debut, The Queen of My Dreams, had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and was screened at SXSW, among dozens of other film festivals, before its theatrical release. The film was recently nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Feature, won two Canadian Film Awards, won a Directors Guild of Canada Award for Best Feature, and more.
The director recently wrapped production on the Tubi and Webtoon Productions feature “Kissing Is the Easy Part,” and will return to direct Season 2 of Hulu’s comedy series “Deli Boys.”
“I was looking for a genre/thriller project to direct. Horror is as visceral as comedy. It’s as exciting as love. It’s as real as romance. The genre is all about emotions. Dana’s script expresses all of those emotions. It was an easy ‘yes!’,” Mirza said.
“Champ & Pepper is excited to continue evolving our film support through our content creation and marketing-first strategy,” added Champ & Pepper President Pestel. “Moving into development and production is a natural next step for us and we are excited to partner with Dana and Red Hill on ‘Bhoot. Having a director like Fauzia on board makes it even more thrilling. ”
Abraham is currently in production on the sports comedy series Strikers, which is scheduled to begin filming this spring. He has written, produced and starred in three feature films.
Featuring an all-South Asian core cast, ‘Bhoot’ is positioned for a strategic partnership between the studio and streamer across North America and international markets starting in 2027.
Mr. Mirza is represented by IAG, Mr. Alexander Stegmaier and Mr. Granderson de Rocher.
