Written by Kianna Best on Apr 29, 2025. Posted in Awards and Festivals

High-Stakes action Shadow Force premieres at 2025 Atlanta Film Festival

Joe Carnahan’s Shadow Force, starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy, blends emotional stakes with visceral action in a film about love, betrayal, and survival. Slated to premiere at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival ahead of its May 9 release, the thriller features elaborate stunt work filmed across Colombia’s rugged terrain. Go behind the scenes of its daring production and discover how the team pulled off its most ambitious sequences.

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

When Shadow Force premiered at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival this weekend, audiences experienced a gripping blend of explosive action and heartfelt drama. Directed by Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Smokin’ Aces), the film follows Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy), former elite operatives who go rogue to protect their young son from their own deadly unit.

But before the bullets flew onscreen, the film’s crew faced major logistical challenges behind the camera.

Principal photography took place in Colombia, a country chosen for its dynamic landscape — from dense jungles to urban locales — that matched the film’s thematic fusion of isolation and tension. Locations included Bogotá for urban tactical sequences, and remote regions near Medellín and Cali for jungle warfare scenes that required authentic terrain and unpredictable environmental conditions.

Shooting on location brought authenticity, but also hurdles: rugged topography, limited accessibility, and tight local permitting schedules all required nimble planning. Production teams worked with local film offices and Colombian military consultants to ensure both safety and realism.

Carnahan, known for his kinetic direction style, oversaw elaborate set pieces featuring practical effects, pyrotechnics, and hand-to-hand combat choreography. Stunt coordinator Robert Alonzo, who worked on Deadpool and John Wick, led a multinational stunt team that trained cast and stunt doubles in tactical drills weeks before principal photography.

The film employed a “run and gun” style, using shoulder-mounted cameras and drones to create an immersive, visceral feel. A key sequence — an ambush in a jungle clearing — required over 100 crew members, multiple camera units, and explosive rigs hidden in the underbrush, all timed to a single continuous take.

Special attention was given to the emotional stakes of the action. “We weren’t just blowing things up,” said Carnahan in a recent interview. “Every stunt, every hit — it had to come from a place of protecting family.”

Shadow Force is among the most high-profile titles at the 49th Annual Atlanta Film Festival, which started on 24 April and concludes on 4 May. Its screening is expected to draw significant attention ahead of its nationwide 9 May theatrical release.