Screenwest’s West Coast Visions funding, which backs debut feature directors from WA, has proven to be one of the country’s most effective talent escalators. From this year onward, Screen Australia will commit an extra $500,000 to the initiative annually. IF talks to recent recipients, the teams behind 'He Ain't Heavy', now in post, and 'Birthright', now fully financed and set to enter production later this year.
WA director Ben Young will bring his US feature 'Where All Light Tends to Go', starring Billy Bob Thornton, Robin Wright, and Hopper Penn, back to his home state for post-production, having wrapped filming in Atlanta, Georgia.
"I feel like one of the lucky ones though. As writer and director, I work from home 90 per cent of the time. I’ve been self-isolating for 15 years and my husband is an introvert."
Perth director Ben Young is attached to direct American sci-fi thriller Extinction, from Good Universe and Mandeville Film.
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of four screen industry events, halted production on Netflix's Clickbait and two major movies, and postponed shooting of two big TV reality shows.
WA director Ben Young's US crime drama 'Devil's Peak' will open this year's Revelation Perth International Film Festival, to be held in July at Luna Cinemas Leederville.
John Sheedy’s ‘Mrs McCutcheon’ and Claire Randall’s ‘Wolfe’ are headed to International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, where they will compete in the children and youth competition.
Australian directors working on productions in the US get far more time, money and resources than they were accustomed to at home.