Festival Predictions

2019 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: #42. Mirrah Foulkes – Judy and Punch

Published on November 21, 2018

For those who want to get into the Anomalisa mindset, you might want to look out for this number from down under. Actress (Sundance titles Animal Kingdom, Top of the Lake) turned short film director Mirrah Foulkes set her sights on Judy and Punch – a reimagining of the classic puppet show with fellow countrywoman Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman mixing it up. Production took place in April of 2018.

Gist: Set in the fictional town of Seaside, the film follows two puppeteers – the vain but charismatic Punch and his resilient and talented wife Judy (Wasikowska). They attempt to resurrect their show as a means of escaping their decrepit town. Punch and Judy is a puppet play traditionally told with marionettes.

Production Co./Producers: Cherub Pictures’ Michele Bennett, Blue Tongue Films’ Nash Edgerton (Gringo), Vice’s Danny Gabai (Lords of Chaos).

Producer credits go to Michele Bennett, Edgerton and Vice Media’s Danny Gabai.

Prediction: World Dramatic Competition.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). Cornerstone Films (international).

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).