PREVIEW: Crude Awakenings (2026 Film) - Starring Django Chan-Reeves

Preview by Jon Donnis

The oil industry has long provided fertile ground for stories about greed, corruption and the price of ambition, and Crude Awakenings looks set to take a sharply satirical approach to the subject.

Directed by Omri Dayan, this British drama follows ambitious PR strategist Ava Rice, played by Django Chan-Reeves, who lands a potentially career-changing position at a notorious energy conglomerate. The promise of wealth and professional success proves difficult to resist, but her new role soon forces her to confront the moral compromises that come with it.

Ava's world takes a disturbing turn when a mysterious sickness begins spreading throughout the firm. What initially appears to be the perfect opportunity begins to expose a much darker reality, leaving Ava caught between her ambitions, her conscience and concerns for her own health.

Chan-Reeves, known for The End of the F***ing World and Industry, leads a cast that also includes Gary Fannin and Doug Colling. Together, they inhabit a corporate world where appearances matter, ambition comes at a cost and doing the right thing may prove considerably harder than turning a blind eye.

With its combination of environmental concerns, corporate corruption and dark wit, Crude Awakenings looks to offer more than a straightforward warning about the oil industry. At its centre is a character faced with a deeply personal choice over just how much she is willing to sacrifice for success.

Crude Awakenings arrives on digital on 24 August from Reel2Reel Films.

Apple TV

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PREVIEW: Trapped (2025 Film) - A Raw and Unflinching British Drama Arrives This November

Preview by Jon Donnis

Powerful and uncompromising, Trapped tells the story of Raye, a woman caught in an abusive relationship, fighting for freedom and survival. The film follows her desperate struggle to escape, while laying bare the far-reaching damage caused by violence and control. Premiering at Genesis Cinema in London on 8 November 2025, Trapped will be available to rent or buy from Amazon Prime, Google Play, and iTunes from 17 November 2025.

The film boasts a striking ensemble cast led by Gina Jones, joined by Shane McCormick, Craig Fairbrass, Geoff Bell, Simon Manyonda, Eddie Webber, Josh Witcher, Calum MacNab, Lottie Lewis, Kadeem Ramsay, Miguella Charley, Aimée Hills, Karen Seacombe, Byron Gibson, Tom Gordon, Tom Padley, and James Hicks. The film is directed by Roland Manookian, best known for Castle in the Sky and Eastenders.

Behind the scenes, Trapped marks a key collaboration between Shane McCormick's new company, Move Mountains Production, and actor, writer, and producer Josh Witcher. The screenplay, penned by Manookian, expands on an original story by Witcher.

Echoing the emotional depth and realism of Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth, Trapped explores the corrosive effects of domestic abuse and the toll it takes on everyone caught within its orbit. It's a grounded, character-driven drama that looks set to challenge, unsettle, and move audiences in equal measure.

Trapped premieres 8 November at Genesis Cinema, London, before its digital release on 17 November 2025.