New Australian drama Snowtown, the debut feature film of director Justin Kurzel and producers Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw for Warp Films Australia, launched its official trailer yesterday. Thanks to Madman Entertainment, we are able to take a look at it here.
Snowtown is a powerful psychological drama set in Adelaide’s northern suburbs and based on the real crimes of Australia’s worst serial killer, John Bunting. It explores the relationship between 16-year-old Jamie Vlassakis, who found his father figure and mentor in John Bunting. It is the examination of a community and questions how and why events such as Snowtown occur.
The film was the hot topic of conversation at the 2011 BigPond Adelaide Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature.
The Australian cast includes Australian cast including Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall and Louise Harris.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6DmfOT2EtI&w=520
The moody and atmospheric trailer looks to be an exciting debut from Justin Kurzel, and comes with a screenplay from Shaun Grant (TV’s Killing Time). It’s a logical progression from the exploitation genre that we have done so often in recent years, and suburban angst films that perhaps keep audiences at arm’s length.
It is no secret that Australian films have struggled to find an audience locally, with even some of the more obvious entries of Griff the Invisible and Wasted on the Young making disappointing returns at the box office. Hopefully the BAFF Audience Award for Best Feature will be an indicator of how audiences will receive it at the box office when it is released later this year.
Snowtown is released on 19 May 2011 in Australia by Madman Entertainment.
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