WATERVILLE — The Ghost Trap has been selected as the Centerpiece Film for the 2024 Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), set to take place July 12-21, 2024. The Ghost Trap, which is based on the novel of the same name by Maine author and screenwriter K. Stephens, makes its Maine premiere, followed by a Q&A with cast and crew on July 17, 2024, at 7 p.m.. with an encore performance on July 20, 2024, at 6 p.m. Click here for tickets and more information.

The new, elevated dramatic thriller stars Zak Steiner (White Men Can’t Jump, Euphoria,), Greer Grammer (Frasier, Awkward, Deadly Illusions), Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill, The White Lotus), and Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, Westworld). The cast is further bolstered by Taylor Takahashi (Boogie) Maine residents Xander Berkeley (The Terminator franchise, Shanghai Noon, Apollo 13), and Sarah Clarke (Twilight), as well as Billy Wirth (The Lost Boys).

The producers for The Ghost Trap include Peter A. Couture, Simon Fawcett, Larry Mortorff, Greer Grammer, Zak Steiner, James Khanlarian, and Maine locals K. Stephens Cheri Savage, and Ryan Post. The Ghost Trap is James Khanlarian’s feature directorial debut.

The Ghost Trap features young lobsterman (Steiner) who is forced to choose between right and wrong when his girlfriend (Grammer) suffers a traumatic head injury after being swept off his boat by a rogue wave. Meanwhile, a rival lobstering family sabotages his gear, sparking a deadly trap war. Hook plays the alluring first mate on a schooner named Happy who challenges his loyalties and Ogg plays the antagonistic patriarch of the Eugley family.

The movie’s central premise, about the lives of lobstermen, is a topic Stephens has covered extensively as a journalist for the last 30 years. Her Spruce Head lobstermen friends, Ryan Post, Cheri Savage, and Dan Merriam, assisted as script consultants, location scouts, and captaining boats for shots.

“In a general sense, lobstermen are territorial and justifiably suspicious of any outsider who asks too many questions about their business,” said director/producer James Khanlarian. “As expected, a bunch of Hollywood filmmakers coming into the small town of Rockland, Maine to do a film about lobstermen was not met with enthusiasm. Once we showed that we were going to treat the profession with respect and portray the real virtues of lobstermen, we quickly gained the full support of the lobstering community. It was such a joy to film in Maine, where the scenery and landscape create the perfect natural setting, and to have worked with such an incredibly talented cast and crew, many from Maine. I think the entire cast wanted to move there by the end of production.”

“We are excited to screen The Ghost Trap for its Maine premiere as the Centerpiece film of the 27th Maine International Film Festival,” said Mike Perreault, executive director of the Maine Film Center. “Welcoming these talented filmmakers embodies our core mission of highlighting, supporting, and celebrating made-in-Maine film productions.”

“This movie is not about saving the world from giant monsters, zombies, or nuclear war,” said producer Couture. “It’s about people like you and me doing real work, making mistakes and facing the challenges before them.”

"A ghost trap is a lobsterman's wire trap that has been cut off at the surface and is lost and forgotten at the bottom," said Stephens. "Thanks to the producers and to my Maine lobstermen friends who believed in the book and backed me up every step of the way, this film is gorgeous and gritty, featuring a culture that people rarely get to see.”

THE GHOST TRAP had its world festival premiere at the 2024 RiverRun International Film Festival and has been selected as the opening film for the 2024 Valley Film Festival, with three Maine film festivals scheduled, including Maine International Film Festival, Vacationland, and Maine Outdoor Film Festival.

Steiner is best known for his role in the hit series Euphoria as Aaron Jacobs. He can also be seen in supporting roles in White Men Can’t Jump on Hulu and A Hollywood Christmas on HBO Max.

Grammer is best known for her role as Lissa Miller in the long-running and critically acclaimed MTV series, Awkward. Most recently she produced and starred in the hit Netflix film, Deadly Illusions alongside Kristin Davis and Dermont Mulroney. Deadly Illusions went on to globally hold the #1 spot on the streaming platform.

Hook recently found her first leading role in Netflix’s series First Kill, based on V.E. Schwab’s short story, which launched her into the spotlight. She stars in the eight-episode drama series as Juliette, a vampire who falls into forbidden love with the vampire slayer, Calliope (Imani Lewis). Hook is currently filming the third season of The White Lotus for HBO Max.

Ogg currently appears in BBC’s new critically acclaimed TV show Boiling Point, based on the hit film starring Stephen Graham. Ogg is best known for playing Simon in AMC’s The Walking Dead, Rebus in HBO’s Westworld, Sobchak in another AMC hit, Better Call Saul, Pike in TNT’s Snowpiercer, and he also played Captain Howard in Apple TV’s movie, Emancipation. Ogg has a global notoriety for his role as Trevor in the video game GTA V.

Steiner and Hook are represented by Gersh and Luber Roklin Entertainment.

Grammer is represented by Stagecoach Entertainment and Innovative Artists.

Khanlarian is represented by Barry Krost Management.

About Khanlarian Entertainment

We make films that we would want to watch. Khanlarian Entertainment is an NC-based film company with additional offices in Los Angeles. Its independent feature films focus on under-the-radar themes and subcultures that tell bold stories and resonate with the grittier side of life while mining the beauty underneath. For more information, please visit www.khanlarianentertainment.com
 

About MIFF

Founded in 1998, the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is a project of the Maine Film Center. The 10 days of the festival showcase nearly 100 films, representing the best of American independent and international cinema, and spotlight some of Maine and New England’s most exciting and innovative filmmakers. For more information, please visit https://miff.org.