Gravitas Ventures has picked up worldwide rights for the thriller “Call of the Wolf,” R.D. Womack II’s thesis project for the New York Film Academy, Variety has learned exclusively.

Gravitas has set a Feb. 7 VOD/DVD release date for “Call of the Wolf,” the story of two kidnapped and trapped strangers who must survive the brutal onslaught of winter and are forced to play a deadly game of survival to outsmart their kidnapper — a sniper calling himself “Wolf.”

“‘Call of The Wolf’ really stood out to us among a sea of submissions,” said Dan Fisher, director of acquisitions for Gravitas. “We really appreciated the quality of the filmmaking and the gradual reveal of the story, and we are excited to release across our multiple platform partners.”

Womack filmed in his home state of Wyoming in the Medicine Bow Mountains. He retained the U.S. theatrical rights and is planning a limited regional theatrical release in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah in 2017.

Womack said he is influenced by the works of Paul Thomas Anderson, Stanley Kubrick, director Steve McQueen, Terrence Malik, and Darren Aronofsky. “For Call of the Wolf, I was moved to create a slower paced film; a character driven piece, part thriller, part drama,” he added.

Womack cast Aleksander Ristic and Cynthia Bravo to play the parts of the victims. He previously worked with Ristic on the shorts “Mimi’s Misadventure” and “Imperial Odyssey: Questions of War.”

Womack has been the lead creative editor at Tiny Hero Inc. and worked on marketing campaigns for Disney, Lionsgate, Marvel, and ABC. He also produced the shorts “A Father’s Love” and “Chippy.”

Womack is in pre-production through his Womack Film Works on an untitled suspense/drama with Ristic starring in a story of a man locked in a standoff with the police.

See the trailer for “Call of the Wolf” below.