The state's film industry will be up in lights when the Adelaide Film Festival Goes to Cannes showcase is held at Cannes Marché du Film on Friday 17 May.
The event, organised by the Adelaide Film Festival, will support attendance of a delegation of 10 South Australian filmmakers, including two First Nations filmmakers supported by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).
Adelaide Film Festival Goes to Cannes is aimed at connecting South Australian creators and producers with the global filmmaking market and to promote South Australia as a creative centre of independent filmmaking.
The showcase will preview five feature film projects, each presented by their South Australian filmmakers: animated comedy Lesbian Space Princess, family drama Kangaroo Island, inspirational mother-daughter story With or Without You, and documentaries The Iron Winter and Mockbuster.
The event will shine an international spotlight on South Australia’s thriving screen sector, highlighting the State Government support for the industry through the AFF Investment Fund (AFFIF) as well as the SAFC Screen Production Fund and industry development programs.
Since the establishment of the SAFC as Australia’s first screen agency in 1972, the State Government has supported the development and production of more than 500 South Australian feature films, TV series, documentaries, shorts, VR projects and video games, many of which have been screened at acclaimed festivals and won prestigious awards across the globe.
Since 2003, State Government support has also included the AFFIF, which has assisted the realisation of more than 150 productions. These have included 86 South Australian films jointly funded by the SAFC, such as Cannes prize winners Charlie’s Country, Snowtown and Ten Canoes, as well as Talk to Me, Hotel Mumbai, and many other culturally significant titles.
Adelaide Film Festival CEO & Creative Director Mat Kesting said it was a "fantastic line-up of films and an impressive delegation of filmmakers" being showcased at the Marché du Film.
“Development and support for the filmmaking community is a critical part of Adelaide Film Festival’s strategy and this exciting collaboration will see the festival leverage its extensive networks and strong relationship with Cannes to connect Australian filmmakers to the global market and showcase South Australia as a centre of creative endeavour," he said.
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “This exciting showcase will highlight South Australian filmmakers and their work on the international stage and support South Australian directors and producers to connect the global market."
"We are pleased to directly fund the participation of two First Nations South Australian filmmakers in AFF’s Cannes delegation, as part of the SAFC’s ongoing commitment to boosting and developing South Australian First Nations screen talent.”
The five South Australian film works in progress that will be highlighted at the Adelaide Film Festival Goes to Cannes showcase are:
Kangaroo Island (director Timothy Piper) - This film tells the story of Lou Wells who has hit rock bottom after a promising start to a career in Hollywood. Broke and aimless, she reluctantly accepts a ticket from her estranged father to go home to Kangaroo Island, where drama unfolds when Lou learns her father is terminally ill and her born-again sister has plans to act against his final wishes. Production supported by the SAFC and AFF.
Lesbian Space Princess (directors Emma Hough-Hobbs and Leela Varghese) - An anxious space princess is propelled from her sheltered existence into a daring quest to rescue her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend from the enigmatic 'Straight White Maliens' in this mesmerising feature animation. Production supported by the SAFC, AFF and Screen Australia's Film Lab: New Voices initiative.
Mockbuster (director Anthony Frith) - The Asylum is a US-based production company responsible for producing 'mockbusters' - low budget films created to exploit the publicity of upcoming major releases. The Asylum has agreed to let Anthony, whose once-promising career has dwindled into a souless corporate grind, direct a mockbuster in Australia. With only a small budget and six-day shoot, Anthony must deliver 90 minutes of usable footage towards his debut feature.
The Iron Winter (director Kasimir Burgess) - For four months, two young friends battle Mongolia's deadliest winter on record to keep 2000 horses alive - and preserve an ancient way of life - in the Tsakhir Valley. They were given the daunting responsibility after increasing environmental pressure forced the abrupt ending five years earlier of herders protecting their horses from arctic storms by amassing a giant winter herd and nominating their bravest young men to protect it. That was until elders vowed to revive the most sacred practice. Supported with development funding from the SAFC.
With or Without You (director Kelly Schilling) - After Chloe's ex-boyfriend torches her caravan and everything in it, the 26-year-old finds herself on an unexpected road trip with her alcoholic mother and a mysterious West African called Dale, who's determined to make a better life for himself. As the three embark on the road trip, the journey, filled with misconceptions, misunderstandings and miscommunications, leads to the realisation that facing your fears is your first step to freedom. Production supported by the SAFC and AFF.
These five works will compete for the inaugural Goes to Cannes Award to be handed out on May 20, with the recipient to receive a minimum guarantee of €10,000 ($10,700) towards their project.
The 10 South Australian screen creatives participating in the AFF x Cannes delegation are: writer/director Leela Varghese, producer/director Timothy Piper, writer/director Kelly Schilling, writer/producer Sandy Cameron, producer Ben Golotta, producer Lisa Scott, writer/director Matt Vesely, writer/director Travis Akbar, producer Nara Wilson and filmmaker Josh Trevorrow.
For more information visit Adelaide Film Festival Goes to Cannes.
