The lush and serene suburbs of Adelaide are the backdrop for the Australian feature film Beautiful starring Deborra-Lee Furness (Jindabyne, Shame) and Peta Wilson (Superman Returns, La Femme Nikita).
Set in the long hot summer of 1989, Sunshine Hills on the surface appears to be much the same as any other Australian suburb, but within its living rooms and bedrooms many secrets and mysteries are whispered about…
A provocative and haunting tale of the secrets and lies that hide in the underbelly of suburbia, Beautiful is the directorial debut for Dean O’Flaherty, which is based on his own screenplay.
‘Beautiful is very much a film that draws upon all I love about cinema,’ says writer and director, Dean O’Flaherty. This is a tale of suburbia with gritty and integral drama – but also one of fantasy in the same vein as To Kill a Mockingbird and Pan’s Labyrinth. This is a very personal journey influenced by places and people I have known and things I have seen.,
Well known and respected in the international film sales and distribution arena, O’Flaherty launched the art house label Accent Film Entertainment in 2003 before taking on the position of Acquisitions and Marketing Manager for Arclight Films Australia. In 2006 he executive produced 2:37 (2006 Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard). Dean O’Flaherty is now the Vice President of Creative Affairs at Kojo Pictures which is distributing the 2007 Cannes Palm d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days later this month.
The 6 week long shoot brings together a well known ensemble of actors including Australian ex-pat Peta Wilson, Deborah-Lee Furness and Asher Keddie (Love My Way, The Society Murders) as well as Aaron Jeffery (The Interview, McLeod’s Daughters), Socratis Otto (Macbeth, Matrix Reloaded), with fresh faced actors Sebastian Gregory (Acolytes) and Tahyna Tozzi (Blue Water High) playing the driving characters of the story.
Beautiful draws on the experience of Kojo Pictures co-founder Kent Smith ACS (2.37) who is fulfilling the roles of Producer and Cinematographer. Matt Hearn, who produced the genre defying classic Wolf Creek and the soon to be released Rogue, is on board as Executive Producer.
Beautiful is amongst the first projects in the world to use the new Sony F23 CineAlta HD Camera, ‘this has enabled us to shoot HD with the flexibility of film,’ says Smith. ‘We are projecting daily rushes that are exciting to watch, given the superior full resolution images we are seeing.’
[release from Limelight PR]