Early Winter.
Michael Rowe’s Early Winter will have an Australian theatrical run beginning October 13, thanks to Rialto Entertainment.
Early Winter, an Australian-Canadian co-production, follows the middle-aged David, (Paul Doucet) who works as a janitor in a retirement home, as he begins to suspect his younger wife Maya (Suzanne Clement) of having an affair.
Though Early Winter is set in Quebec, writer-director Rowe is said to have drawn on experiences from his former life in Ballarat for the film, particularly scenes depicting life in aged care facilities.
Early Winter won the Venice Days Award at the Venice Film Festival last year and is currently in competition for the upcoming AACTA Awards.
Rowe, who now calls Mexico home, also won the prestigious Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 for his film Leap Year.
“Both Early Winter and Leap Year are exemplars of Michael Rowe’s filmmaking philosophy using his cinematic technique ‘the long take’,” said the film’s Aussie producer Trish Lake.
“It’s an exacting style of directing where there are virtually no edits within each scene of the film, giving Michael’s stories a particularly unique and voyeuristic style.
“The tension and intimacy he achieves with his filmmaking makes for very powerful cinema.”
Rowe is set to conduct Q&A sessions of the film from October 4 in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and Ballarat.
Early Winter was produced by Quebec’s Possibles Média and Queensland's Freshwater Pictures, with post-production completed in Brisbane with the support of Screen Queensland, Screen Australia and the MIFF Premiere Fund.
Producers are Brisbaneâ€based Lake, and Serge Noel, based in Montreal.