World Film Report Australia: Oranges and Sunshine, Red Hill, Animal Kingdom

Australian Film Scene – Local

Principal photography has just been completed on Jim Loach’s debut feature Oranges and Sunshine starring Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham. The film follows the story of a social worker from Nottingham who uncovers a scandal involving the organised deportation of children in care from the UK to Australia.

Troy Nixey’s Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is currently in post-production – the pic was shot in Victoria. Produced by Guillermo Del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth fame, the feature follows the story of a young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend who discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own. The film will star Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes in lead roles. Whoever buys Miramax Films will end up with the title.

Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival took place at The Domain in Sydney on the 21st of February with Abe Forsythe’s film Shock taking out the major prize. Celebrity judges for the event included Elijah Wood (who is in town for the Happy Feet sequel, Toni Collette, Michael & Peter Spierig (Director & Writers Daybreakers), and David Michôd.

Australian Film Scene – Abroad

There has been a great reaction to Australian films across international film festivals including Rotterdam, Berlin and Sundance over the past two months. A foursome of titles were screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam including 2009 AFI Best Film/Cannes’ Camera D’or winner Samson and Delilah, Richard Lowenstein’s 1986 feature Dogs in Space, Kyle Evans’ short animation film Lovely Girl, and Granaz Moussavi’s dramatic My Tehran For Sale. 

Franswa Sharl, the Hannah Hillard directed short film won the Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film, awarded by the Children’s Jury Generation Kplus. The Berlin jury said, “We couldn’t help laughing when we saw this charming and funny story based on a true story. Nonstop fun! For a moment we forgot the world around us. The actors were simply great.” Franswa Sharl is about a 12-year-old boy who reinvents himself as a French girl while on a family holiday in Fiji so he can enter a competition, much to his father’s dismay.

Screening in Berlin (and Sundance) was Rachel Perkins’ musical comedy Bran Nue Dae, Rima Tamou’s short film Fist Contact, and the eagerly anticipated western Red Hill from Patrick Hughes. 

David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom (see group pic above) took out the World Cinema Jury Prize in the Dramatic category at the Sundance Film Festival. The film follows the story of seventeen year-old as he navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and of the detective who thinks he can save him. Starring Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn and Joel Edgerton the film wowed audiences and is due in cinemas in June 2010. Ariel Kleiman’s beautifully photographed Young Love – a short film in the Hungarian language and featuring some odd creatures won over audiences for its quirkiness (visit official site) as it was also a winner receiving an Honorable Mention in Short Filmaking. Mark Lewis’ documentary Cane Toads: The Conquest rounds out the quartet of Australian films featuring at Sundance.

Richard Keep is our Australian film correspondent.