Kastle Films has completed the new Australian independent feature, The Horseman. Made on a modest budget, the revenge-thriller began shooting in Brisbane in late 2006 and features the talents of an all Queensland cast & crew.
The film explores vengeance through the eyes of a father, Christian (Peter Marshall) grieving over the suspicious death of his daughter and the dark fantasies we all dream up. As he travels through rural Queensland to investigate, he picks up Alice, a young runaway played by newcomer Caroline Marohasy. An awkward bond develops, but as Christian begins to piece together the crime, an ugly truth is revealed and the death toll begins to rise.
26 year-old writer/director, Steven Kastrissios sings high praises for the cast & crew which features both industry veterans and newcomers; “I can’t think of any other Aussie film that delivers the sort of gritty fight scenes our team has put together.” Stunt Co-ordinator Chris Anderson, veteran of such blockbusters as King Kong and Pitch Black lent his services to the humble production, ensuring the fight scenes designed by the first-time director would translate safely and effectively.
“I’ve never had a budget of more then a few thousand dollars to work with, so I’m used to working with nothing”, says Kastrissios. With the aid of a 10BA tax certificate, the director raised the funds through his family by using his own house as collateral. “If we had waited another year, we’d never have been able to raise the money because of the removal of 10BA”.
Exploring the material with an unflinching honesty is what attracted a strong cast led by Marshall, whose performance so far has won the approval of his toughest critic, “my wife tells me it’s my best acting in 20 years!” says Marshall.
Kastrissios wrote the screenplay in 2005 and shot an award winning short film adapted from the script. By late 2006 production began on the four-week shoot with post-production filling out most of 2007. “So far the response has been great. Our test audiences have been crying, cheering and utterly disturbed. With the right distributor, the film has an exciting future ahead”, concludes Kastrissios. The filmmakers are now seeking distribution.
Visit the website www.kastlefilms.com to view the trailer, ‘making of’ featurette and more.
[Released by Kastle Films Pty Ltd.]