Independent filmmaker Joy Hopwood has begun 2024 much like she did 2023, taking to the streets of Sydney to film the next feature for Joyhouse Productions.
A year after shooting The Gift That Gives, Hopwood has commenced production on It’s Our Time with a cast led by Peter Thurnwald, Tiana Hogben and Bianca Bradey.
Hogben, known for Thank God You’re Here, plays Emilia Kong, a filmmaker on the verge of being evicted who applies for funding through fictional organisation Film Reach to get her script financed and appease her landlord (Lex Marinos).
Funding officer Shannon Edmunds (Thurnwald) is her only hope, but he soon falls for her best friend, Zoe Chadwick (Bradey), leading them to open a can of worms on their past. The cast also includes Maria Tran.
Hopwood wrote the script and is joined in the creative team by co-producer Erica Long, 1st AD Michael Giglio, editor HaiHa Le, sound designer Lara Cross, and set designer Holly Jane Cohle.
She said her previous film had helped her cast the upcoming title.
“I auditioned Bianca Bradey for The Gift That Gives, and even though she missed out, I still remember her audition and thought she’d be suited for this role,” she said.
“I auditioned Tiana Hogben after watching her on Thank God You are Here. Maria Tran I’ve worked with before on The Gift That Gives. Peter Thurnwald I saw on Xo Kitty who I thought would be suited for the role.”
It comes ahead of a theatrical release for The Gift That Gives, which stars Takaya Honda as Callum Mori, an author who catches the eye of a television presenter but ends up falling for her bookstore owner best friend, with his brother and some hidden love letters soon added to the mix.
The film will debut at Parramatta Riverside Cinema on Sunday, January 14 at 3.30pm, after which there will be a Q&A with the filmmakers.
The venue will host additional screenings until January 27, with the rom-com also being shown at Cinema Nova on Saturday, February 3, and Randwick Ritz on Sunday, February 4.