Official press room
THE FILM THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE
THE AWAKENING takes place during a global pandemic following Jason and Rebecca who uncover a conspiracy to control the world after Jason's parents suddenly disappear. They attempt to expose the truth in a race against time to save humanity before it's too late. Awakening 1 is designed as a complete standalone feature, while also offering clear franchise potential.
The trailer
Coming soon
EMBARGOED UNTIL 20 OCTOBER 2026
Press releases
Dated announcements for the film, its first public screening, trailer, London premiere and release.
Fri 18 September 2026
Independent conspiracy thriller written by and starring Justin Tinto, with Peter Stormare · Alice Eve · Justin Tinto · Eddie Hall · Steven Berkoff · Julian Glover · with Matt Hookings and Kevin Spacey, launches alongside a free global audience movement.
Read full releaseFri 25 September 2026
A self-financed British feature shot on the stages the majors use, released straight to its audience — and a working model for every film-maker told to wait.
Read full releaseFri 2 October 2026
The independently financed British thriller meets its first audience, with cast on the carpet and a press line the same evening.
Read full releaseTue 20 October 2026
Embargoed until 20 October, 13:00 BST. Exclusive first-look still set available to one outlet per territory.
Read full releaseThu 29 October 2026
A city-wide augmented-reality scavenger hunt runs from Piccadilly to Pinewood, with unseen footage, secret scenes and red-carpet places as the prizes.
Read full releaseThu 5 November 2026
How an independently financed British thriller drew an award-winning ensemble, and where the trilogy goes next.
Read full releaseFri 13 November 2026
Red carpet, full cast line and the thirteen masked men reveal — with a global media package out within thirty minutes of the credits.
Read full releaseFri 20 November 2026
The independently financed thriller reaches its audience worldwide, with the second film of the trilogy already written.
Read full releaseSynopsis
THE AWAKENING takes place during a global pandemic following Jason and Rebecca who uncover a conspiracy to control the world after Jason's parents suddenly disappear. They attempt to expose the truth in a race against time to save humanity before it's too late. Awakening 1 is designed as a complete standalone feature, while also offering clear franchise potential. The Awakening taps into a growing global appetite for stories that explore power, truth, institutional secrecy, and the individual's struggle against hidden systems. In the post pandemic landscape, audiences have shown increased engagement with alternative history thrillers, secret society narratives, technology, AI and surveillance themes, and institutional distrust and moral ambiguity. This shift is evident across cinema, premium television, and streaming, where audiences are actively seeking content that feels provocative, challenging, and reflective of current anxieties without requiring overt political positioning. The Awakening sits at the intersection of conspiracy thriller, action, and cultural curiosity, offering both entertainment value and conversation-driven appeal.
Peter Stormare · Alice Eve · Justin Tinto · Eddie Hall · Steven Berkoff · Julian Glover · with Matt Hookings and Kevin Spacey
Film facts and credits
Creator
Writer · Producer · Executive producer · Jason
Against the odds Justin Tinto wrote, financed, produced, and starred in Awakening, sacrificing time, money, and security to bring a story to life that asks a dangerous question: "What if the world we were taught to believe… was never the truth?" This trilogy was not born inside a studio system. It was forged through personal loss and relentless belief. Like Rocky, it's a climb where most turn back and only obsession reaches the summit. Justin made Awakening because the message changed his life and he believed it could change others. No safety net. No guarantees. Along the way, he built a trusted creative family of producers, technicians, and artists. The result is not a first-time experiment, but a proven foundation.
Reach
Story angles for press
Film / features
Justin Tinto wrote THE AWAKENING, plays its lead, and assembled Peter Stormare, Alice Eve, Kevin Spacey, Eddie Hall and Steven Berkoff around it without a studio greenlight. A story about how an independent trilogy gets built in 2026.
Business / media
Instead of a traditional rollout, the film launches through a community — email list, ambassadors, a cast whose combined reach exceeds 25 million followers. What happens when the movement is the marketing budget.
Culture / opinion
A conspiracy thriller released into a moment of collapsed trust. Interview on why the genre is having a resurgence and how the film handles it responsibly.
Entertainment / interviews
Cast-led feature built from the collaboration angle — each actor on the character that made them sign, from Stormare's Mason to Eve's Rebecca.
Marketing / media
On 29 October the campaign drops a masked-figure transmission that continues the film's fiction into its own promotion. A piece on narrative-native marketing.
Suggested questions
Availability
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