Deborah Mailman toplines the cast of Warwick Thornton’s Wolfram, the sequel to his acclaimed 2017 film Sweet Country, now shooting in Alice Springs.
The film reunites the same core creative team, including writers Steven McGregor and David Tranter and producers David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin of Bunya Productions.
Whereas Sweet Country was a film about justice, Wolfram is – per the synopsis – about family. Set four years after the events of the first instalment, against the backdrop of the 1930s colonial frontier, it pulls from another thread of Tranter’s Alyawarra family history, told from the perspective of the women and children.
Deborah Mailman will star as matriarch Pansy, with the story following three irrepressible kids on the run from their cruel white masters, journeying across the sweet country of central Australia to find a safe home.
Thomas M. Wright will reprise his role as Mick Kennedy, while Pedrea Jackson will star as the now 18-year-old Philomac. Other returning cast include Luka May Glynn-Cole as Olive, Anni Finsterer who played Nell, Gibson John in the role of Archie and Natassia Gorey Furber as Lizzie.
Joining the cast are Errol Shand, Joe Bird, John Howard, Aidan Du Chiem, Ferdinand Hoang, Jason Chong and Matt Nable.
“David Tranter’s family story is also my family’s story,” said Thornton. “My great grandmother and her daughters worked the Hatches Creek mines for whitefellas. Now a truth will come and it’s called Wolfram.”
Drew Bailey will serve as co-producer alongside Tranter, with Cecilia Ritchie and Kurt Royan executive producers. The film is also working closely with the Arrernte Traditional Owners, led by elder Theresa Ellis.
In addition to directing, Thornton will lens the film, working alongside frequent collaborators editor Nick Meyers, casting director Anousha Zarkesh, production designer Michael Leon, costume designer Heather Wallace, and hair and makeup designer John Logue.
Following the shoot, post-production will take place in NSW.
Screen Australia provided major production investment for the film, in association with Screen Territory, NITV, Screen NSW and the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund.
Sweet Country premiered in the Venice Film Festival in 2017, where it won the Special Jury Prize. It was the first of a long list of accolades for the film, including the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film, and seven AACTAs, including Best Film. It played in more than 50 festivals, and sold to 70 territories around the world.
Bunya first flagged a sequel was in the works to IF back in 2019, though in 2020, Thornton said he would not direct it; clearly he changed his mind.
“The truth-telling legacy of Sweet Country had a profound impact on audiences all around the world, and we cannot wait to tell more of this family’s frontier experiences as we delve back into its world,” said Jowsey and Simpkin in a joint statement.
“The unparalleled directorial stewardship of Warwick Thornton will bring to life the exquisite and psychologically affecting portraits of the characters created in David Tranter and Stephen McGregor’s script.”
Bunya’s distribution arm, Dark Matter, will handle the ANZ release of Wolfram: A Sequel to Sweet Country, while Paradise City Sales (formerly Memento International) will introduce the film to buyers at Cannes later this month.