Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus Premieres to Great Reviews at Sundance

Huge congratulations to Adrian Chiarella, whose debut feature Leviticus has just premiered in the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to strong early acclaim.

Produced by Causeway Films, Leviticus is a bold and haunting queer horror that follows two teenage boys, Naim (Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), whose first love turns deadly after a brutal conversion-therapy ritual leaves them stalked by a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most – each other.

Working with Adrian on Leviticus was client Nick Fenton, who served as the film’s editor.

Early reviews describe Leviticus as:

“A smart and surprisingly romantic debut feature… In many increasingly overcrowded fields, Leviticus stands tall. ★★★★ ” The Guardian

“A stylish, urgent allegory.” The Hollywood Reporter

“Leviticus is a perfect debut, and exactly the kind of horror gem you hope to find at film festivals. ★★★★★ ” Out Magazine

“Phenomenally entertaining.” IndieWire (Grade: B+)

Prior to Leviticus, Adrian won an AWGIE Award for his episode “Walking Gambit” for SBS’s Erotic Stories, directed episodes of Five Bedrooms, and wrote and directed award-winning short films including Black Lips and Dwarf Planet.