‘Animals’.
Adelaide Film Festival will hold pop up screenings of Top End Wedding and Animals in early April, marking each film’s official Australian premiere.
Both films – which each made their world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January to critical acclaim – were made with the support of the Adelaide Film Festival investment fund. Each will premiere with a red carpet gala screening and after party, with a screening and Q&A the following day.
Adelaide Film Festival CEO and creative director Mat Kesting said: “Adelaide Film Festival is thrilled to present the Australian premieres of Sophie Hyde’s Animals and Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, giving audiences the chance to be among the first in the world to see these fine works. Diverse in their nature, both films are immensely compelling and entertaining films we encourage Adelaide audiences to embrace at the ADL Film Fest April POP UP.”
Top End Wedding co-writer and star Miranda Tapsell, actor Huw Higginson and director Wayne Blair will walk the red carpet, with additional guests still to be announced. The film follows engaged Adelaide couple, Lauren (Tapsell) and and Ned (Gwilym Lee), who have just ten days to find Lauren’s mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the remote far north of Australia, reunite her parents and pull off their dream wedding. It also stars Kerry Fox, Ursula Yovich, Shari Sebbens, Huw Higginson, Elaine Crombie and Dalara Williams. Top End Wedding was produced by Goalpost Picture’s Rosemary Blight and Kylie du Fresne for Goalpost Pictures and Kojo’s Kate Croser.
Croser said: “After such a wonderful audience reaction to Top End Wedding at Sundance, it’s fantastic to have our Australian premiere in Adelaide where we shot the opening of the film. Most of our key crew are also from Adelaide.”
Blight said: “Adelaide Film Festival have been a wonderful partner with us on Top End Wedding and we are very grateful for their continued support for the film.”
An Australian/Irish co-production, from Closer Productions and Vico Films, Animals stars Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat as two flatmates whose decade long friendship is strained when one falls in love and begins to question what is really hindering her aspirations. Based on the novel by Emma Jane Unsworth (who wrote the screenplay), the film is South Australian director Sophie Hyde’s follow up to her debut, 52 Tuesdays. It was produced by Sarah Brocklehurst, Rebecca Summerton, Cormac Fox and Hyde.
Hyde said: “I’m so excited to show Animals at home. We had a wild time shooting the film in Dublin and a dedicated, focused time squirrelling away in post in SA. It was a huge pleasure to show the film at Sundance and now to be part of a pop up event for the Adelaide Film Festival who have supported all of our major projects and have been wonderful creative partners. We also love a home town crowd.”
ADL FILM FEST POP UP EVENT – SCHEDULE:
FRI 5 APRIL
6.30pm ANIMALS – Australian Premiere + Gala After Party
SAT 6 APRIL
3.15pm ANIMALS – Q&A screening
6.30pm TOP END WEDDING – Australian Premiere + Gala After Party
SUN 7 APRIL
2.00pm TOP END WEDDING – Q&A screening