Eric Abrefa Joins Cast of Calvin Demba’s The Animals

Eric Kofi Abrefa, the acclaimed British actor has joined the cast of The Animals, the second short film written and directed by Calvin Demba (Supacell), in an exclusive announcement first reported by Variety.

Eric stars alongside George MacKay (1917, Rose of Nevada), Louisa Harland (Derry Girls, Renegade Nell), and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Megalopolis). He plays the role of John in the darkly comic short, which was produced by Tuli Litvak and executive produced by BAFTA winners Mouktar Mohammed and Sheila Nortley (both of Supacell), alongside Demba and Harland.

The Animals centres on Miles (MacKay), a man grappling with feelings of emasculation and emotional impotence in his relationship with Remona (Harland). An opportunity to reclaim his sense of self emerges after another man’s act of heroism during a violent home invasion but as events spiral, Miles is forced to confront the destructive masculine ideals driving him.

Demba has described the film as a satirical look at gender stereotypes and the performative nature of masculinity in modern relationships: “It pokes fun at modern relationships and the ways we unconsciously perform gender roles within them, exploring the gap between who we are and who we feel we should be. Tonally, the film is darkly comic, but the violence never feels slapstick.”

Shot earlier in 2026 on 16mm by cinematographer Ebba Hult and edited by Mdhamiri Á Nkemi, the short is already generating strong industry interest. It will begin its festival run at a major BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying event (with its world premiere confirmed at the 70th BFI London Film Festival in October 2026). Demba is also in early development with the BFI to expand the short into a feature.