A girl and boy. Brother and sister. Living in poverty and neglect. Lost in the woods. They see a house, rush toward it… it is magical. Full of good food, soft sheets, love and care. But in this house, danger lurks. And all they have is each other. The Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel takes a modern, neorealistic twist in H&G.
Danishka Esterhazy is an award-winning director whose work spans horror, thriller, and action cinema. Recognized for her precise visual style and strong narrative voice, she has established a career defined by both critical acclaim and audience appeal. Her debut feature, Black Field, a gothic prairie thriller, earned the Amazon Video Award at Sundance and introduced her as a significant new talent. She followed with Level 16, a dystopian thriller that premiered at Fantastic Fest. Esterhazy has directed several high-profile reimaginings in the horror genre, including The Banana Splits Movie (2019) and Slumber Party Massacre (2021). The latter received wide critical recognition, including a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was praised for its feminist approach to established genre conventions. Her work in action cinema includes Sniper: The Last Stand, produced for Sony Pictures. The film highlighted her command of firearms-based sequences, tactical staging, and close collaboration with stunt teams. For this project, she received a nomination from the Directors Guild of Canada for Best Direction. Esterhazy continues to build on this expertise, integrating rigorous stunt choreography and weapons handling into her directing practice. Her films have screened at more than fifty international festivals. She is the recipient of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction and has also been recognized by the Directors Guild of Canada. A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors Lab and an alumna of Women in the Director’s Chair, she has consistently worked to advance the presence of women in genre filmmaking.
