Jessica Mauboy is set to return to the screen for the first time since The Sapphires in Tanith Glynn-Maloney’s Windcatcher, which has begun production in Victoria.
Announced in June, the Stan/Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) co-commission will star newcomer Lennox Monaghan as Percy Boy, a fast and resourceful Aboriginal boy who bands together with Keithy Cobb and Daisy Hawkins to take the local school sports day title away from the hands of grade five bullies “Wolf Pack,”.
But as Percy Boy trains with the help of his friends, he discovers his supernatural ability to see Lost Souls – a gift passed down from his grandfather. In the face of adversity, Percy Boy must lean on his friends, family, and community to overcome his fears, prove his resilience, and become a force to be reckoned with.
Joining Mauboy and Monaghan in the cast are Max Turner, Coco Greenstone, Kelton Pell, Pia Miranda, Ngali Shaw and Lisa Maza.
Written by Boyd Quakawoot, Windcatcher is being produced by Unless Pictures’ Meg O’Connell and Every Cloud Productions’ Drew Grove. Bernadette O’Mahony is executive producing for the ACTF, alongside Stan’s Cailah Scobie, Donna Chang and Rachel Okine. Casting was overseen by Nathan Lloyd.
In a statement, O’Connell and Grove said Monaghan was a clear stand-out to play Percy Boy.
“We did a nationwide call-out for Percy Boy,” they said.
“160 kids applied and we found the perfect person to play him. When Lennox told his mates he had to run a 100M race in the film they said ‘That’s exactly like you!’.
“Our lead child actors are thrilled to be trained by dramaturg Greg Saunders; and we’re thrilled to be working with some of the most compassionate and competent crew around, here in Victoria.”
Windcatcher is the first title to come under Stan and the ACTF’s feature film partnership and has major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with VicScreen. The project was developed with investment from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland.
The ACTF will handle worldwide distribution.