Cannes 2009 Market Must: Van Diemen’s Land

I wish I could break my schedule to include one of the two market screenings held for Jonathan Auf Der Heide‘s Van Diemen’s Land. A good friend of IONCINEMA.com showed off the haunting trailer – please watch it here on the official website. I hope that I can catch this film somewhere on the festival circuit – and maybe some company like Magnolia Pictures can pick this up for a modest sum and make a run with it.

1822. Van Diemen’s Land was a dreaded penal settlement, a point of no return at the end of the earth. Its entrance was Macquarie Harbour, also known as “Hell’s Gates.” A work party of eight convicts escape into the beautiful and brutal wilderness. This band of Irish, English and Scottish thieves are intent on freedom but totally unprepared for the hardships awaiting them in this dark and primeval place. Their flight thrusts them into a battle with harshest enemies known to man: the lush yet unforgiving land, and the darkness within their own hearts. As their food runs out and tensions escalate, they find themselves contemplating the unthinkable. God wields an axe and there can be only one survivor. This visually stunning debut by Jonathan auf der Heide is based on the true story of Alexander Pearce, Australia’s most notorious convict, whose story continues to haunt the conscience of Australian history.