Downriver (film)

Downriver
Directed by Grant Scicluna
Produced by Jannine Barnes
Screenplay by Grant Scicluna
Starring
Music by Lawrence English
Cinematography László Baranyai
Edited by Anthony Cox
Release dates
  • 7 August 2015 (2015-08-07) (MIFF)
Running time
 99 mins
Country Australia
Language English

Downriver is a 2015 Australian film funded by Screen Australia,[1] Film Victoria[2] and Melbourne International Film Festival,[3] produced by Happening Films.[4] It is writer-director Grant Scicluna's feature debut.[5] The main cast includes Robert Taylor, Kerry Fox, Helen Morse and Reef Ireland. It is described as a mystery drama in which a teenage killer returns to uncover dark truths in his quest to find a missing body.[6]

Plot

The chilling story about a teenager, James, who serves time for drowning a little boy when he was a child, although the body was never found. In an attempt to right all wrongs and uncover the truth, James takes dangerous risks to find redemption and return the missing body to the grieving mother.[7]

Cast

The film has an ensemble cast featuring:

Production

Filming

Filming began and completed in late 2014 in Warrandyte.[10]

Short film

Downriver extends from Scicluna's short film The Wilding which won the Iris Prize in 2012[11] which was developed through Screen Australia's Springboard production funding[12] and features Reef Ireland in the lead role.[13]

Release and reception

Premiere

The film had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) on 7 August 2015[14] amid much hype[15][16] and sold out all three sessions in several days, MIFF released a fourth encore screening due to ticket demand.[17] Downriver's international premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival on 15 September 2015.[18] It will be released theatrically in Australia 2016.[19]

Critical response

Downriver received many positive reviews from critics on its Australian premiere with Ali Schnabel from The Age describing it as "brutal, gritty and unflinching...populated with real characters"[20] while Laura Henderson from The Conversation said it was "a tangled, tense and mercurial work...a visually stunning piece, with superb performances and an utterly gripping story".[21]

Accolades

Year Festival Award Recipient(s) Result
2015 Screen Producers Australia Awards[22] Best Feature Film Production Happening Films Nominated
2015 MiFo LGBT Film Festival Best Feature Film (Jury Prize) Grant Scicluna Won
2015 Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actor Reef Ireland Nominated

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MEDIA RELEASES 2014: SCREEN AUSTRALIA INVESTS IN 12 DIVERSE PROJECTS ACROSS FILM, TELEVISION AND MULTIPLATFORM". Screen Australia. Retrieved 30 Dec 2014.
  2. ↑ "Three feature films including ‘Downriver’ to benefit from Film Victoria funding". Cinema Australia. Retrieved 30 Dec 2014.
  3. ↑ "Short Cuts: Australian film industry news". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Downriver". Happening Films. Retrieved 30 Dec 2014.
  5. ↑ "‘Downriver’ Casts Helen Morse & Robert Taylor". FilmInk. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "PremFundPublicSLATEbackgR24e" (PDF). MIFF Industry. Retrieved 30 Dec 2014.
  7. ↑ "Plot Summary". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 30 Dec 2014.
  8. ↑ "Kerry Fox teaches directors about actors in Melbourne International Film Festival masterclass". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  9. ↑ "Rare screen role for Helen Morse". IF. Retrieved 30 Dec 2014.
  10. ↑ "Warrandyte locations to feature heavily in new Australian film". The Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Gay Australian Film Claims World Prize". Star Observer. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Short films to springboard emerging careers of three filmmaking teams". Brisvanni Radio 1701AM. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Screen Australia backs Blue Dog, Downriver". Screen Daily. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Downriver To World Premiere @ MIFF + New Trailer!". The Low Down Under. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  15. ↑ "Top 10 Picks of MIFF 2015". The Urban Spoon. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  16. ↑ "MIFF 2015: the movies you have to see this year". The New Daily. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  17. ↑ "Downriver Sells Out At MIFF – Extra Session Added!". The Low Down Under. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  18. ↑ "TIFF 2015 REVIEW: DOWNRIVER". Toronto Film Scene. Retrieved 23 Sep 2015.
  19. ↑ "Editor Anthony Cox & Director Grant Scicluna Go Downriver To Talk About Their Upcoming Film". Big Gay Picture Show. Retrieved 9 Aug 2015.
  20. ↑ "MIFF 2015 critics campus: Downriver". The Age. Retrieved 14 Aug 2015.
  21. ↑ "Going against the flow in Grant Scicluna’s debut feature film Downriver". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 Aug 2015.
  22. ↑ "SPA Awards finalists announced". Inside Film. Retrieved 23 September 2015.

External links

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