Bitter & Twisted, an independently produced and financed Australian feature film will have its World premiere at the prestigious 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, New York.
Written and directed by newcomer Christopher Weekes and Produced by Bridget Callow, Bitter & Twisted will screen in the festival’s Discovery Program which is designed to unearth new talent from across the globe.
Self financed by Weekes, this deeply personal multi-narrative drama was shot on Super 16mm in the southern shires of Sydney. On the strength of the screenplay, Weekes and Callow were able to attract the significant Australian talent of: Noni Hazlehurst (Little Fish); Steve Rodgers (The Bank); Leeanna Walsman (One Perfect Day, $9.99); Matthew Newton (My Mother Frank); Gary Sweet (The Tracker), and Rhys Muldoon (Danny Deckchair).
Hazlehurst, on hearing the news spoke about her decision to take on a project with an untested team. “I loved the script – and the idea of working with a young director/producer team on something that meant so much to them was exciting. I don’t care whether a film has a big budget or a small budget, I just want to work on good films and this was just a fantastic script,” she said.
Weekes and Callow who were only 24 when the film was shot, are thrilled to be travelling with their key collaborators, Cinematographer Sam Collins and Editor Simon Wright to the Big Apple for the World Premiere, where the film will have several screenings at Tribeca.
The team also worked closely with their International Sales Agent and Executive Producer, Michael Favelle of Odin’s Eye Entertainment who first spotted the film’s potential in post-production and has been intimately involved in the process ever since. According to Favelle, Weekes is an “extraordinary talent and he is truly a director to watch in the future.”
Bitter & Twisted is a multi-narrative drama of longing and loss, starting with the death of a young man and flashing forward three years to assess the toll it took on all those around him.
Odin’s Eye Entertainment is handling worldwide sales.
[release from Odin’s Eye Entertainment]