/News 01.02.18

GO KARTS SET TO REV UP IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Family feature film Go Karts, produced by the talented minds at See Pictures, will use Western Australia’s South West region as a backdrop, starting production in the first half of 2018. 

This is not the first-time a major production has gone to the region to utilise its diverse landscapes and cityscapes. The South West is one of Western Australia’s premiere film friendly regions with Jasper Jones and Drift paving the way.

Go Karts is an uplifting family film telling the story of a boy who must overcome tremendous odds and his own recklessness to achieve his dream of winning the Australian Go Kart Championship.

Directed by Owen Trevor (Top Gear), Go Karts is written by Steve Worland (Paper Planes) and will be produced by Jamie Hilton (Breath) and Sonia Borella for See Pictures. Executive Producers are Joel Pearlman, Michael Pontin, Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman.

Go Karts will be distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Roadshow Films, who also co-developed the script, and it will be represented internationally by Aqute Media.

Go Karts is the next feature film in a long line of productions made with funding support of the Western Australian Regional Film Fund (WARFF) through Screenwest.

Go Karts has also received major production investment from Screen Australia and Screenwest in association with Create NSW and Spectrum Films.

See Pictures recently completed the feature film Breath, Simon Baker’s directorial debut, which premiered this year at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to critical acclaim and will also be released theatrically in Australia by Roadshow Films on 3 May 2018.  See Pictures also recently co-produced Stephan Elliot’s Swinging Safari which will also be released theatrically in Australia on 18 January 2018.

Jamie Hilton and Sonia Borella said, “We are excited to be working with the writer of Paper Planes and director of Top Gear on this action-packed family movie set in the world of go karting.  We look forward to bringing this original Western Australian story to local and international audiences.”

Owen Trevor said, “I’m so excited to be heading back home to shoot my first feature film after a few years working in the UK, Europe and the US, and especially to be working on the beautiful West Coast with exceptional Australian talent and crew.”

Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest Acting-CEO, commented “We are thrilled to be supporting another imaginative production from the quality producers at See Pictures.”

“The Go Karts production will rev up the South West thanks to Western Australia’s Regional Film Fund, which has already enabled Ben Elton’s feature Three Summers, and TV drama series Mystery Road which is in post-production after shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.”

The $16 million Western Australian Regional Film Fund was introduced on 1 July 2016, funded by Royalties for Regions through the Department of Regional Development and managed by Screenwest.

To learn more about filming in Western Australia and the incentives available, visit www.filminwesternaustralia.com.au

Image caption: Photo of Steve Worland (left) and Owen Trevor (right).