By Brendan Swift
The release of feature In Her Skin remains in limbo due to a dispute between the filmmakers and its international distributor about the final cut.
The $7.5 million film was previously called How to Change in 9 Weeks.
The high-profile film, starring Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill, was completed over a year ago before its international distributor, Reliant Pictures International, is believed to have re-cut the film without informing the filmmakers.
However, the film’s producers have stuck by their version, partly due to the pre-condition that the script was approved by the family involved in the true-life saga.
The film is based on the true story of 15-year-old student, Rachel Barber, who went missing in Melbourne in 1999 before being found murdered by former friend Caroline Reid.
The film marks the first feature for writer/director Simone North and was produced by Tony Cavanaugh and Reliant’s Thom Mount. Icon Films has the distribution rights for Australia and New Zealand. Reliant was unable to be contacted.
The Film Finance Corporation (now merged into Screen Australia) made a $3.02 million production investment in the movie in 2006-07. Queensland’s Pacific Film and Television Commission also invested in the film.
Other local films have suffered similar disputes with distributors in recent years including Restraint, which was released in April for a limited cinema run.