R.T. Thorne’s debut feature 40 ACRES is a post-apocalyptic thriller starring Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson, Till) that premiered at Toronto International Film Festival.

Former soldier Hailey Freeman (Deadwyler) and her family are the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in rural Canada after the first Civil War. The world they live in now has been ravaged by plagues and wars, leaving society in ruins and people fending for themselves. Outside of having to occasionally defend themselves from attackers wanting to take their land, the Freemans are safe, living a life of strict regiment and training. That is, however, until Hailey's eldest son Emanuel (Kataem O'Connor) meets a young woman in the forest beyond the fence, propelling his family into jeopardy as they’re forced to defend their homestead from cannibals trying to seize their resources.