Marcin Wrona, whose horror movie Demon had its world premiere last week at the Toronto global Film Festival (TIFF), has died unexpectedly at the age of 42, Polish national film authorities said Saturday. “As the organizers of the festival and at the same time friends of Marcin, we are deeply shocked and saddened by this information”, a statement from the festival read.

At a press conferenceon Saturdaymorning, artistic director of the festival Michał Oleszczyk said that ” we pass on our deepest condolences to his wife and his nearest and dearest.

Wrona had been preparing for the Polish premiere of Demon at the Gdynia Film Festival. It was also going to appear at Fantastic Fest in Austin and the Sitges Film Festival in Catalonia before having a theatrical run in Poland.

The movie “truly marked the emergence of a strong new voice on the world cinema stage”, their statement said. The film touched on Second World War and the Holocaust, painful elements of Poland’s past. He asked for no speculation over Wrona’s death until the police investigation is complete.

Demon brings to life the dybbuk from Jewish folklore – a spirit of a person improperly laid to rest that arises to inhabit a living body.

The final screening for the film is scheduled to take place this evening at 9:15 p.m.at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre.

Fest organizers will shorten Saturday’s awards ceremony as a means of honoring Wrona.

Demon was co-produced by Olga Szymanska, who he had recently married.

Wrona directed two other films prior to “Demon”: 2009’s “Moja Krew” (“My Flesh My Blood”) and 2010’s “Chrzest” (“The Christening“). They had just signed with ICM Partners to sell the film and to break into the US market with future films.