David Gannon and Freya Callaghan have logged on to David Ward’s Lenore, with the pair taking on online personas in the psychological thriller, currently in post-production.
Told across one evening, the story follows Max (Nicholas Jaquinot), a loner filmmaker obsessed with the titular online performance artist (Ruby Duncan), whose adoring fans fall in and out of love with her persona and outrageous evolution. Max questions his reality, as he is led down the rabbit hole.
Samuel Macdonald, Caithlin O’Loghlin, and Scott MacKenzie are also in the cast.
Ward, who makes his feature directorial debut with the film, co-wrote the screenplay with Josie Hoss and produces alongside Madeline French and Riley Sugars. The independently financed micro-budget project was filmed at various locations in the Brunswick area last year.
Gannon, whose credits include Spreadsheet, City Homicide, and Rush, will play opinionated conservative Russel Fawkner, with Callaghan, known for playing young Emily Watson in the Netflix production True Spirit, inhabiting crazed streamer RavenFreak93.
Gannon said he was eager to become involved after seeing a test screening of the film.
“First of all, it is remarkable what they have been able to achieve with the budget constants, and secondly, the story they are looking to tell is all too relevant for our current day and age,” he said.
“I initially saw my role of Russel Fawkner as an American, Ben Shapiro-type character, but as we started to entertain the idea of him being Australian, it seemed to suit the film more. We have plenty of opinionated conservative spokespeople in our backyard fuelling fires, why not shine a light on that and the harm it can cause too?”
For Callaghan, tapping into the world of excessive fandom held appeal.
“I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of Lenore and work with David Ward and Riley Sugars,” she said.
“Without giving too much away . . . I loved the idea of my crazy character and had great fun with the audition piece. I loved being able to openly play with this obsessed person.”
The filmmakers and producers are in conversation with distributors regarding the film, which they hope to submit to festivals early next year.