EXCLUSIVE: Vorteks, the genre label of Dubai-based sales agency Cercamon, has acquired international rights outside North America for Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty’s horror satire Grind.

The acquisition comes hot on the heels of the movie’s buzzy debut in the Midnighter section of SXSW last month.

Digging into the anxieties of the modern workplace, Grind revolves around four interconnected characters: a worker at a multi-level marketing business, a food delivery driver, a content moderator, and coffee shop staffer navigating the perils of unionizing at a familiar-feeling brand.

Deadline’s Damon Wise praised the film in his SXSW review for its “ingenious” tackling of the gig economy.

‘Grind has a very fluid structure, using its premise as a linking device rather than a theme, breaking things up into disparate chapters… the structure is built to absorb it, creating a believable world, with recurring characters and in-jokes that keep the wildly divergent plot on track,” he wrote.

Vorteks launched last year with the aim of handling up to eight titles a year across genres including horror, thriller, sci-fi, action, and fantasy films.

“Vorteks was launched to bring unique voices working in genre to the international stage,” commented David Kwok, Partner, Acquisitions & Sales at Vorteks.

“Brea and Ed’s singular vision definitely fits into what we are building. They have crafted an ambitious film that perfectly blends dark humor and horror that, though outrageous at times, manages to be relatable for many of us in this day and age.”

Grant and Dougherty co-directed and co-wrote the film. It is a production of Squirrel Park and Chelsea Stardust, who also co-directs. The executive producers are Chris Alender, Dave Smith, Grant, Dougherty, and Tarek Kutrieh.

The cast features Christopher Marquette, Vinny Thomas, Aubrey Shea, Jessika Van, Rob Huebel, and Barbara Crampton. Yellow Veil Pictures is handling North American sales.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Vorteks and bring our labor of love to international audiences,” said Grant and Dougherty. “We believe it is a film that resonates with anyone who has felt crushed by the system, and we can’t wait for more people to connect with it.”