17 01 2018 - Media release
Go Karts set to rev up WA’s South West
Go Karts director Owen Trevor / Supplied by See Pictures
Screenwest and Screen Australia have announced production investment for family feature film Go Karts, produced by the talented minds at See Pictures. Go Karts will be distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Roadshow Films, who also co-developed the script, and it will be represented internationally by Aqute Media.
Go Karts is an uplifting family film telling the story of a boy who must overcome tremendous odds and his own recklessness to achieve his dream of winning the Australian Go Kart Championship.
Directed by Owen Trevor (Top Gear), Go Karts is written by Steve Worland (Paper Planes) and will be produced by Jamie Hilton (Breath) and Sonia Borella for See Pictures. Executive producers are Joel Pearlman, Michael Pontin, Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman.
Western Australia’s South West region will be the backdrop for Go Karts, which is the next feature film in a long-line of productions made with funding support of the Western Australian Regional Film Fund (WARFF) through Screenwest. Go Karts has also received major production investment from Screen Australia and Screenwest, in association with Create NSW and Spectrum Films.
Alannah MacTiernan, Minister for Regional Development said: “I am delighted that Go Karts will enhance the marketability of Western Australia’s South West as a filming and tourist destination nationally and overseas and will stimulate the South West economy through skills development and employment opportunities.”
David Templeman, Minister for Culture and the Arts added: “This exciting project will contribute to the development of our growing screen industry, create significant job opportunities and lead to another successful year of film productions in Western Australia.”
See Pictures, the creative team of producers behind Go Karts, recently completed the feature film Breath, Simon Baker’s directorial debut, which premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to critical acclaim and will also be released theatrically in Australia by Roadshow Films on 3 May 2018. See Pictures also recently co-produced Stephan Elliot’s Swinging Safari which will also be released theatrically in Australia on 18 January 2018.
Jamie Hilton and Sonia Borella said: “We are excited to be working with the writer of Paper Planes and director of Top Gear on this action-packed family movie set in the world of go karting. We look forward to bringing this original Western Australian story to local and international audiences.”
Owen Trevor said: “I’m so excited to be heading back home to shoot my first feature film after a few years working in the UK, Europe and the US, and especially to be working on the beautiful West Coast with exceptional Australian talent and crew.”
Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest Acting-CEO, commented: “We are thrilled to be supporting another imaginative production from the quality producers at See Pictures.”
“The Go Karts production will rev up the South West thanks to Western Australia’s Regional Film Fund, which has already enabled Ben Elton’s Three Summers and Mystery Road, which is in post-production after shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.”
Sally Caplan, Screen Australia’s Head of Production said: “We are excited to see Owen Trevor return to Australia for his feature film directorial debut, having directed some impressive shorts and following his time in the UK working on Top Gear. We’re also pleased to see Sonia Borella producing her first feature together with Jamie Hilton for See Pictures.”
“Go Karts offers the perfect mix of action, suspense and humour to appeal to a mainstream family audience and we can’t wait to see this West Australian story brought to life on the screen.”
Roadshow CEO Joel Pearlman said: “We’re thrilled to be working closely with a great team to bring this unique film to audiences. We recognise how important it is to see our home-grown stories on screen and we have no doubt Australian parents, grandparents and kids will love Go Karts.”
Go Karts will commence production in the first half of 2018.
Background Information: The $16 million Western Australian Regional Film Fund was introduced on 1 July 2016, funded by Royalties for Regions through the Department of Regional Development and managed by Screenwest.
Media enquiries
Lewis Wright | Marketing, Communications & Partnerships Manager | Screenwest
+61 8 6169 2107 | +61 418 699 261 | [email protected]
Media enquiries
Maddie Walsh | Publicist
+ 61 2 8113 5915 | [email protected]
Ted Rose | Senior Publicist
+ 61 2 8113 1091 | + 61 456 558 679 | ted.rose@screenaustralia.gov.au
All other general/non-media enquiries
Sydney + 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne + 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]