Signe Baumane’s animated feature ‘Karmic Knot’ announces star-studded cast
Skwigly
The Marriage Project, the production company behind the new animated feature Karmic Knot has announced a star-studded cast, bringing together some of Hollywood and Broadway’s most celebrated talents. Leading the ensemble is Tony- Award-nominated Broadway and film star Patrick Wilson, known for his roles in The Conjuring series and Insidious, who joins an illustrious group of actors including Dagmara Dominczyk (Succession, The Lost Daughter), Gracie Lawrence (lead singer of the band Lawrence), Emma Kenney (The Connors, Shameless), Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe), and Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Stranger Things).
Karmic Knot (Image: The Marriage Project)
Written and directed by visionary filmmaker Signe Baumane (Rocks In My Pockets, My Love Affair With Marriage), Karmic Knot tells the epic tale of a tight-knit family trying to survive in the Soviet-occupied Latvia from the 1970s to early 1990s. The family bargains, compromises, and ingeniously builds their own world, insular from the political reality. When the Soviet Union starts to collapse and shatters their world, the family aspires to rebuild it even more insular than before. One family member, however, has ambitions.
ABOUT THE CAST
- Patrick Wilson stars as Ansis, the husband and father who uses his civil engineer’s mind to keep Chaos out of his family’s house. Wilson’s versatility as an actor, from his stage performances in The Phantom of the Opera and The Full Monty (Tony Nomination) to his acclaimed film work, makes him the perfect fit for this pivotal role.
- Dagmara Dominczyk, who voiced the lead role of Zelma in Baumane’s My Love Affair With Marriage, plays Vizma, the wife and mother of the family, who has strength to hold it together even as her closest ally betrays her.
- In addition to upcoming tours of Europe and Australia with Lawrence, her band, Gracie Lawrence will be making her Broadway debut this spring as Connie Francis in the Bobby Darin musical Just In Time. In Karmic Knot she is the voice of Ragne, the youngest daughter of the family, who harbors a most unprofitable dream.
- Emma Kenney has the vast experience of navigating complex family dynamics in 240 collective episodes of The Conners and Shameless. In Karmic Knot Emma plays Zinta, the bossy older daughter, whose smart mind and ambitions are confronted by an oppressive government and sorcery.
- Stephen Lang earned worldwide recognition with his intense performances in Avatar and Don’t Breathe. Lang brings his formidable experience to the role of Victors, Vizma’s father, whose patriarchal views inflict deep wounds.
- Matthew Modine, who played Bo in Baumane’s My Love Affair With Marriage is known for his commanding presence on film, TV and the stage. He voices Imants, Ansis’ older brother, who sets the story off by lending Ansis 10,000 rubles under one condition. Thirty-eight top New York and Latvian theater actors voice the supporting characters.
I’m incredibly excited to work with such a talented cast on Karmic Knot. Each actor brought depth and authenticity to their character, and the animation will elevate their performances in ways that traditional live action simply can’t capture. This is a deeply emotional story about the complexities of family, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.
-Signe Baumane (Director)
The animation for Karmic Knot is being created by the Latvian film production company Studio Locomotive and Brooklyn-based The Marriage Project, both known for producing Baumane’s previous award-winning animated feature My Love Affair With Marriage.
Karmic Knot is a mixture of drama, comedy and horror. It is the first foray into horror for director Baumane. The film will employ a variety of animation techniques including stop motion, traditional animation and CGI 3D.
Karmic Knot is set for release in 2028. Stay tuned for more updates, trailers, and special behind-the-scenes content in the coming months.
Signe Baumane is a Latvian born, Brooklyn-based independent filmmaker, artist, writer, and animator. She has made 17 award-winning animated shorts. Her first animated feature Rocks In My Pockets (2014) screened at over 130 international festivals and opened theatrically in the U.S. through Zeitgeist Films. Signe’s second animated feature My Love Affair With Marriage (2022) premiered at Tribeca Festival, screened at 110 festivals, winning 25 awards, and was released theatrically in North America through 8Above. Signe is a Guggenheim Fellow and has a degree in Philosophy from Moscow State University.