11 02 2015 - Media release
Four Australian screen projects heading to SXSW
Four Australian screen projects will be showcased at the 22nd South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, next month. Feature film The Little Death, two short films, Happy with Bear and Followers, plus the Cronulla Riots: The Day That Shocked the Nation media experience will feature at the festival.
Fiona Cameron, Screen Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “It is a great coup for these projects to be heading to the vibrant and mammoth SXSW, which is considered to be one of the most influential and selective festivals in the world celebrating all things hip and cool. Every year millions of people wait to hear about the next big thing to lift-off from the festival. It is known to push the envelope with edgy content making it the perfect fit for projects like The Little Death. SXSW recognises original and ground breaking content like the Cronulla Riots online project – which delivers important content through innovative form.”
Edgy comedy The Little Death thrilled audiences with its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and will be sure to amuse audiences with its Narrative Spotlight screening at SXSW. Writer/director Josh Lawson’s sizzling and sometimes shocking screenplay weaves together a story that explores a range of sexual fetishes and the repercussions that come with sharing them. A warm-hearted depiction of the secret lives of five suburban couples living in Sydney, the film stars Josh Lawson alongside Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman and Kate Mulvany. It will have a mid-2015 US release through Magnolia Pictures.
Short film Happy with Bear from writer/director Yianni Warnock and producer Charles Williams will have its world premiere at the festival screening in the Narrative Shorts section. The film is about a Singaporean exchange student who deals with her inner turmoil by vicariously living through her online persona.
Direct from its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, short film Followers will screen at SXSW in the Narrative Shorts section. The Australian/UK dark-comedy drama is about an elderly woman who sees a vision of Jesus by way of a young African man at her swimming class, and befriends him, believing God has sent him to free her from the loneliness. The short film was written and directed by Tim Marshall and produced by Christina Radburn and Grant Vidgen. Marshall partly funded the film with the money he received as the Iris Prize–winner for his short, Gorilla.
Winner of three Australian Interactive Media Industry Association awards and a Walkley award, Cronulla Riots: The Day That Shocked the Nation is a finalist in the running for the SXSW Interactive Innovation Award for Visual Media Experience. The interactive experience was created by Northern Pictures and SBS Online to offer audiences access to first-hand stories through the perspective of those who were there and serves as a springboard to explore the themes that fuelled the infamous Cronulla Riots. The Visual Media Experience award is presented for content creation and delivery that moves beyond passive viewership by providing a more immersive and engaging entertainment experience. This is the third SXSW nomination for SBS Online in the last four years.
Over 550 Australian delegates have registered to attend SXSW 2015 to date. SXSW will run 13–22 March 2015 in Austin, Texas.
sxsw.com
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
THE LITTLE DEATH
US premiere
Ticket to Ride
Writer/Director Josh Lawson
Producers Jamie Hilton, Matt Reeder, Michael Petroni
Executive Producers Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, Josh Pomeranz, Viv Scanu, Stephen Boyle
Cast Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Patrick Brammall, Kate Box, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, TJ Power, Erin James
International Sales LevelK
Australian Distributor Entertainment One
Synopsis The Little Death, which marks the arrival of Australian writer/director Josh Lawson, is both an edgy sex comedy and a warm-hearted depiction of the secret lives of five suburban couples living in Sydney. Lawson’s searing and sometimes shocking screenplay weaves together a story that explores a range of sexual fetishes and the repercussions that come with sharing them. Featuring an ensemble of breakthrough talent.
NARRATIVE SHORTS
FOLLOWERS
aSymmetry Film / Christina Radburn / The Festivals Company
Writer/Director Tim Marshall
Producers Christina Radburn, Grant Vidgen
Executive Producers Berwyn Rowlands
International Sales Christina Radburn, Grant Vidgen
US Sales Christina Radburn, Grant Vidgen
Synopsis When an elderly woman sees a vision of Jesus on the shorts of a young African man at her swimming class, she befriends him, believing God has sent him to free her from her loneliness. Followers is a dark-comedy drama about faith and loneliness, and how the two intertwine.
HAPPY WITH BEAR
World premiere
Dasein Productions & Simpatico Films
Writer/Director Yianni Warnock
Producer Charles Williams
International Sales Yianni Warnock
US Sales Yianni Warnock
Australian Distributor Yianni Warnock
Synopsis A Singaporean exchange student struggles with her inner turmoil by vicariously living through her online persona.
INTERACTIVE INNOVATION AWARD FINALIST: VISUAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE
CRONULLA RIOTS: THE DAY THAT SHOCKED THE NATION
Northern Pictures
Director Jaya Balendra
Producers Northern Pictures, SBS Online
International Sales Northern Pictures
Australian Distributor Northern Pictures
Synopsis Cronulla Riots: The Day That Shocked the Nation investigates simmering tensions between groups of white Australians and Lebanese Australians that led to racially motivated violence at Sydney’s Cronulla beach one hot day in December 2005. Fuelled by sensational media reports, the riots and retaliation unleashed a series of confused ideas about identity, belonging and what it means to be Australian. The story of the Cronulla Riots brings together the testimony of those who participated in or were affected by the riots and subsequent retaliation.
Media enquiries
Annaliese Zuzarte T: 02 8113 5833; M: 0404 877 887
annaliese.zuzarte@screenaustralia.gov.au