Press release from SAFC
The South Australian Film Corporation is pleased to announce that Prodigy Movies’ latest feature film Road Train will commence shooting in South Australia next Monday 11 May.
Hot up and coming actors starring in the film are Adelaide-raised Xavier Samuel (Newcastle, The Loved Ones), Bob Morley (Home & Away, The Strip), Georgina Haig (Underbelly) and Sophie Lowe (Beautiful Kate, Blessed).
Road Train is the feature debut of acclaimed commercial and shorts director Dean Francis from a script by Clive Hopkins. Produced by Michael Robertson (Black Water and upcoming The Reef), the film will shoot for three weeks in the Flinders Ranges area of South Australia, followed by two weeks in Adelaide.
In Road Train, four young friends on an outback camping adventure are menaced by a mysterious road train which they soon discover has no driver, and terror ensues.
Road Train is financed by Screen Australia, the South Australian Film Corporation and CPF Films. Polyphony Entertainment will distribute the film in Australia/NZ and Santa Monica-based sales and distribution company Lightning Entertainment has acquired sales rep rights for the rest of the world, with plans to introduce the project to international distributors at the upcoming Cannes Market, with plans to show footage at the American Film Market later in the year.
Director Dean Francis is a graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School with an impressive list of award winning genre-based short films. His teaming with Robertson continues the producer’s approach to working successfully with first–time writers and directors.
Michael Robertson’s most recent film, Black Water, a low-budget croc-horror thriller, is one of the few recent Aussie films to return profits to its investors. The film sold to 76 countries around the world and had a successful theatrical run in territories such as UK, Ireland, Poland, Mexico, Malaysia and Australia.
SAFC CEO Richard Harris said, “we are delighted to have Road Train here as our first major production of the year. These are challenging times for the industry worldwide, but locally things are looking good and we are continuing to move forward – full steam ahead!”