Press release from A Heartbeat Away
International Emmy award winner and acclaimed theatre director Gale Edwards starts shooting today on A Heartbeat Away, a feel good musical comedy and brass bands and rock n’ roll.
Gale Edwards is the multi award winning theatre director of such international hits such as The Boy From Oz and Jesus Christ Superstar, which won her a 2001 International Emmy award. Gales has directed musicals on The West End and Broadway and has received numerous Green Room, Sydney Critics Circle and Helpmann awards for Best Director of productions such as her highly acclaimed Sweeny Todd.
A Heartbeat Away is Gale’s first foray into feature film directing and she is delighted to be involved with a film where the love of music is so integral to the story and journey of the main characters.
"It’s a charming, funny and moving human story with some interesting deeper layers, and the cinematographic possibilities are exciting. The chance to tell this story through the medium of film, with a terrific cast of actors, is an enticing challenge. Music is very close to my own heart. This is a genre I love." Gale Edwards.
The film is about an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father’s marching band just four weeks before a major competition, and boasts an exciting cast including Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Daybreakers, Red Dawn), Sebastian Gregory (Acolytes, Accidents Happen, Beautiful), Williams Zappa (Bootmen, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Warrior), Tammy Macintosh (Better Than Sex) and Colin Friels (Malcolm, The Book of Revelation). The film is produced by Chris Fitchett (Blurred).
A Heartbeat Away is financed by Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, Cutting Edge Pty Ltd and Quickfire Films (UK). Hoyts Distribution will distribute in Australia and New Zealand. Arclight Films is the international sales agent with Gary Hamilton and James Atherton of Arclight Films acting as Executive Producers with Chris Brown of Pictures in Paradise and John Lee of Cutting Edge.
A Heartbeat Away is a Pictures in Paradise presentation in association with Screen Australia and Screen Queensland in association with Quickfire Films and Arclight Films.
Screen Queensland CEO Marueen Barron said A Heartbeat Away was yet another example of the talent Queensland’s screen industry possessed.
"Queensland continues to enjoy success across all levels of the industry and this production is yet another example of this. Screen Queensland is proud to partner the indutsry in delivering exciting projects such as A Heartbeat Away. Maureen Barron.
Filming in Brisbane until the end of March, A Heartbeat Away will release in cinemas in Australia in 2011 through Hoyts Distribution.