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Aussie prison drama to debut in January

George Basha in Convict. 

David Field in Convict. 

The producers of Australian prison drama Convict aim to cash in on the growing trend to stage special screenings with key cast conducting Q&A sessions.

They’re so confident the film will resonate with males aged 18-35, the nationwide release begins in the highly competitive January corridor.

“We’ll be the only Australian film showing on Australia Day,” says executive producer John Tedesco, forgetting Jonathan Teplitzky’s The Railway Man, which bows on Boxing Day and, based on the reviews at the Toronto festival, should have a long run.

Tedesco’s Gold Marquee Films is co-distributing the film with The Backlot Studios. The primary outlet is United Cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and WA.

Pinnacle will release the film on DVD and VOD on April 1, departing from the customary 120-day holdback between theatrical and home entertainment. Tedesco says United’s management has no problem with the shorter window because “they know we need to make money as soon as we can after theatrical.”

Convict is co-directed by George Basha and David Field and scripted and produced by Basha, renewing their collaboration after The Combination. Basha plays a war veteran who is sent to prison where he is brutalized by the warden (Field) but befriended by an Aboriginal man (Richard Green). An encounter with an Arabic drug lord ensues.

The privately-financed film was shot at Parramatta Gaol. Tedesco says the target audience is men aged 18-35 “who want to see a gritty Australian film; that age group has been ignored for a long time.”

The premiere will be at United’s Warriewood cinema on January 20 and it will screen on United’s circuit from January 23. There will be a two-week season at Parramatta’s Riverside theatres from January 21. Bassa and Field will stage Q&As at Narellan, Rockingham in WA and Eldorado in Queensland.

The international sales agent, Galloping Films, screened the film for potential buyers at the American Film Market. Tedesco says he fielding offers from three UK distributors.

Field tells IF he enjoyed co-directing the film with Basha, observing, “”We see films and acting the same way.” He says he’s “very appreciative of the flexibility that United Cinemas has given us.”

Field played a supporting character in David Michod’s Apocalyptic thriller The Rover, with Robert Pattinson, Guy Pearce and Scoot McNairy. He’s just been cast in The Inbetweeners 2, the sequel to the UK hit comedy that featured Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison as gawky teenagers on a disastrous holiday to Crete, inspired by the TV series. He’’ll play the Australian uncle of one of the quartet, Jay (Buckley), whom he describes as a “”disgusting piece of work.”

Field says he wasn’t inclined to take the role until he flew to London to meet the creators and decided they’re fun guys and he wanted to work with them. Shooting starts in Australia this month, then switches to the UK.

  1. The combination was a great flick, at the george cinemas we had field and basha down for a Q&A with others and it was the most successful turnout for an Australian film premiere that I have ever done. It was mostly attributable to those guys knowing and hitting the audience for that film, but of course I will take credit for helping, actually in the form of just comping some mates. Those guys sold nearly 260 seats on a sat arvo at a cinema that didn’t really even have a sign visible from outside. Both those guys were absolute gentleman also and I can’t wait to see this next film as it looks to be themed with just what I like and has guy stuff (the stuff we don’t talk about too much) in it too!! Much respect to both George Basha and fieldsy indeed.

  2. I found this film engrosing from the outset as it was a refreshing change of direction for the australian film industry. Touching on a familiar prison theme this movie delivered on action /authenticity/and much needed story line.I found it enjoyable to finally watch a movie that is almost entirely focused on the story line being unfolded in a prison not just as a few scenes as a prelude to the overall story of a movie which so often occurs these days. This film captured the right mixture of violence and drama as well as a good old revenge theme which could have easily been over done.This is the second movie i have seen from George Basha the first being the Combination which i thought was a reasonably good attempt to project an honest and realistic story of suburban hardships faced by our younger genreation these days George i eagerly await your next project and i suspect it will be an original story line that will take us in another exciting direction.

  3. I was very impressed with Convict i thought this was a genuine attempt to portray a story of life in a prison environment. This story has its begining and ending in a prison which is these days is rarely seen as usually it is just a prelude to a story line.This movie takes us in a new direction for the australian film industry as it touches on life in a harsh invironment and the hardships of the characters involved.I was impressed with the right amount of violence/ drama and good old fashion revenge in this story which could quite easilly have been over done. This is a very believable and exciting journey in which i was wondering what would unfold for Ray as he battles through his quest for freedom. This film has real closure and a positive ending which brought the audience to cheering and applauding the final moments of it. The one last thing i would like to say was the audience was a mixture of all different back grounds and every one reacted exactly the same way when showing George Basha their appreciation. Well done from Boyz from the hood films.

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