Follow South Australia’s blazing film trail
A string of movies filmed on location in South Australia are set to hit our screens this year.Upcoming movies include:
- The Boys Are Back - starring Clive Owen, directed by Scott (Shine) Hicks
- Last Ride - starring Hugo Weaving
- Beautiful Kate - starring Bryan Brown, directed by Rachel (The Thorn Birds) Ward
- Closed For Winter - starring Natalie Imbruglia
- Under The Sea 3D - narrated by Jim Carrey
South Australia's rich and varied landscape is proving the natural choice for an increasing number of film producers. Scott Hicks' latest production, The Boys Are Back, stars Academy Award-nominated British actor Clive Owen and was shot in over 33 locations throughout South Australia from the beaches of the Fleurieu Peninsula to the vineyards of the Adelaide Hills. This is the first time that Adelaide-based Hicks has filmed locally since Oscar-winning Shine, which gained international acclaim.
Commenting on the film, Hicks said "Adelaide has been my home since I came to Australia as a teenager. I've always been inspired by South Australia, by its natural beauty and variety of landscape and environment."
Hugo Weaving, star of the Matrix series and the 1994 movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert, will soon be appearing on our screens in Last Ride. Weaving spent seven weeks on a constantly-moving 5,500 kilometre shoot across some of South Australia's most remote locations for this gritty father-son road movie.
Other films due for release in 2009 include Beautiful Kate written and directed by British-born Rachel Ward (The Thorn Birds) and starring her husband Bryan Brown (seen mostly recently in Australia). This powerful family drama, based on a novel by American writer Newton Thornburg, was shot around the Flinders Ranges and Adelaide.
Singer and TV actress, Natalie Imbruglia, takes on her first leading role in Closed for Winter based on Georgia Blain's acclaimed Australian novel. The film premiered at Adelaide's Film Festival in February, attended by Imbruglia who commented: "I loved making the film Closed for Winter in Adelaide. The locations such as Henley Beach and Semaphore reminded me of my childhood on the beaches of the central coast in New South Wales."
South Australia's sea life recently starred in Under the Sea 3D, a major new IMAX 3D film produced by Warner Brothers and narrated by Jim Carrey. The Eyre Peninsula took centre stage with aquatic stars including South Australia's great white sharks, giant cuttlefish, leafy sea dragons and Australian sea lions.
Over the years, other films shot in South Australia have included Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Terence Stamp); Mad Max and Gallipoli (Mel Gibson); Picnic at Hanging Rock (dir. Peter Weir); Breaker Morant (Edward Woodward); Holy Smoke (Kate Winslet and Harvey Kietel) and December Boys (Daniel Radcliffe).
This year's movie crop comes hot on the heels of Baz Luhrmann's Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. According to Neil Saunders, the South Australian Tourism Commission's UK-based Marketing Manager, Luhrmann gained inspiration for the pivotal droving scene in the movie whilst taking part in The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive in 2005. Visitors to South Australia are invited to herd cattle by day under the expert eyes of real life drovers, while dining and sleeping in tented camps. Announcing the next dates, Friday 30 July - Sunday 29 August 2010, the South Australian Tourism Commission has dubbed this the "the ultimate Australian tourism experience".
Audley Travel (audleytravel.com), the Australian specialist, can arrange a bespoke trip to South Australia incorporating some of these stunning film locations. A three-week itinerary including international flights (economy), car hire, character accommodation and some small group tours starts from £3,200 per person.