WA feature films Blueback and Sweet As, and ABC drama series Mystery Road: Origin will showcase the Great Southern, Pilbara and Goldfields regions of Western Australia at Toronto International Film Festival 2022.

Screenwest is proud to announce that three Western Australian productions – feature films Blueback and Sweet As, and ABC drama series Mystery Road: Origin – have been officially selected to premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

Blueback, Sweet As and Mystery Road: Origin are three of only five Australian productions selected for TIFF, which is an incredible milestone for Western Australia and reinforces the State as a sought-after filming destination.

With Screenwest and the WA State Government’s recent launch of the $20M WA Production Attraction Incentive, Western Australia’s international exposure at TIFF will shine a light on the diverse and inspiring filming locations on offer across WA, in particular – the Great Southern, Pilbara and Goldfields regions.

Now open for business, the Production Attraction Incentive builds on a range of financial incentives in place to attract world-class productions to the State, including the WA Regional Screen Fund and the WA Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Incentive.

“From the outback to our breathtaking coastline, Western Australia will truly light up the big screen in Toronto. To have a family film, a coming-of-age road movie and a noir detective series representing our State at such a major film festival, which attracts filmmakers and audiences from all around the globe, is tremendously exciting.
Congratulations to the three filmmaking teams!”

Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest CEO.

BLUEBACK

Making its world premiere at TIFF, Blueback is based on the best-selling novel by WA author Tim Winton. Filmed in Bremer Bay on the rugged Great Southern coast of WA, the film follows a young girl, Abby, as she befriends a blue groper, Blueback. A story of friendship, family and the power of one young girl to make a difference, Blueback is directed by Robert Connolly and stars internationally-acclaimed Australian actors Mia Wasikowska, Radha Mitchell and Eric Bana, alongside Western Australians Clarence Ryan and Eddie Baroo.

Blueback is set to hit Australian cinemas on New Year’s Day.

SWEET AS

Sweet As is the debut feature from Nyul Nyul / Yawuru filmmaker Jub Clerc. Described as The Breakfast Club meets the outback, the film follows 16-year-old Murra, who is on the verge of self-destruction. That is, until her policeman uncle secures an unusual lifeline: a “photo-safari for at-risk kids”. Filmed in WA’s Pilbara region, where Jub grew up, Sweet As stars First Nations actors Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Tasma Walton, Mark Coles Smith, Ngaire Pigram, Pedrea Jackson and Chilean-Cuban-Australian actor Carlos Sanson Jr.

Last week, Jub Clerc was awarded a $70,000 cash prize as the inaugural winner of the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award at MIFF 2022, for her outstanding work as the writer and director of Sweet As. 

MYSTERY ROAD: ORIGIN

Filmed in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Coolgardie in WA’s Goldfields, Mystery Road: Origin is a prequel series, following on from two seasons filmed in WA’s Kimberley region. The series explores how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan. Directed by Dylan River, Nyikina actor Mark Coles Smith leads an ensemble cast including Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Henshall, Lisa Flanagan, Clarence Ryan, Kelton Pell and Tuuli Narkle.

Australian audiences can stream all six episodes on ABC iview now.

For further information on the WA Production Attraction Incentive, WA Regional Screen Fund and WA Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Incentive, visit our Incentives page or contact:

Chris Veerhuis, Head of Production
Screenwest
T: +61 8 6169 2118
E: [email protected]