Six Australian films selected for Toronto International Film Festival

22 08 2018 - Media release Six Australian films selected for Toronto International Film Festival

Dev Patel in Hotel Mumbai

Four features and two short films form the 2018 contingent of Australian titles at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The hotly anticipated Hotel Mumbai starring Armie Hammer, Dev Patel and Tilda Cobham-Hervey, will make its world premiere, whilst the team behind fan-favourite Wyrmwood will debut sci-fi horror Nekrotronic.

TIFF has the power to break Australian titles into the American market, with Sweet Country, Breath and The Dressmaker being recent examples.

Having your premiere at TIFF is not only a tremendous honour, but speaks to the feeling in the industry about a film's creative integrity and the viability of it finding an international audience, said Graeme Mason, CEO Screen Australia. What stands out in this year's selections is the incredible diversity of Australian creators that are represented, from Kiah Roache-Turner and Tristan Roache-Turner (Nekrotronic) who are enjoying an incredible career high, to Anthony Maras (Hotel Mumbai) making his first feature drama, Benjamin Gilmour (Jirga) making his second, plus exciting new names including Imogen Thomas (Emu Runner), Shelley Lauman (Birdie) and recent Palme d Or recipient Charles Williams (All These Creatures). This depth of talent and the highly varied stories they have chosen to tell, is impressive and we as an industry should be incredibly proud.

Hotel Mumbai was filmed in South Australia, with director Anthony Maras noting, So many people from all corners of the world came together to make Hotel Mumbai, and I couldn't dream of a better venue than TIFF for our World Premiere. I hope our film does justice to the stories of all those affected by the Mumbai terror attacks, and I'm so eager for audiences everywhere to experience the extraordinary tales of courage and selflessness that played out in the walls of the iconic Taj Hotel.

The director, writer and producer of Emu Runner Imogen Thomas also reflected on the significance of the TIFF selection for her work; Emu Runner is a film made with and for the Brewarrina community. Many hands and a lot of hard work have been involved in the creation of Emu Runner. The process of making the film has been equally important as the end result. That the film has captured the imagination of the TIFF programmers, is an achievement that everyone that has collaborated on the film can be very proud about. We are delighted to have this opportunity to share this story with the world.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs 6-16 September, 2018.

RESOURCES

For a history of Australia's presence at TIFF click here

For a showcase of this year's Australian TIFF contingent click here

AUSTRALIAN FILMS AT TORONTO 2018 Hotel Mumbai Hotel Mumbai Double Guess Productions Pty Ltd

Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Gary Hamilton, Mike Gabrawy, Julie Ryan, Andrew Ogilvie, Jomon Thomas

Director: Anthony Maras

Writers: John Collee & Anthony Maras

Australian Distributor: Icon

International Sales: Arclight Films International

Synopsis: 26 November 2008. A wave of devastating terror attacks throughout Mumbai catapult the bustling Indian metropolis into chaos. In the heart of the city's tourist district, Jihadist terrorists lay siege to the iconic Taj Palace Hotel, whose guests and staff became trapped in a heroic, days long fight for survival.

Production Credit: Hotel Mumbai is presented by Screen Australia and Xeitgeist Entertainment, in association with the South Australian Film Corporation and Arclight Films, and Adelaide Film Festival, Double Guess and Screenwest.

TIFF: World Premiere, Special Presentations click here for sessions

Australian Premiere: Adelaide Film Festival, October 2018 click here for sessions

Nekrotronic Nekromancer Holdings Pty Ltd

Producers: Tristan Roache-Turner, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum

Director: Kiah Roache-Turner

Writers: Kiah Roache-Turner and Tristan Roache-Turner

Australian Distributor: Entertainment One Films Australia

International Sales: Sierra/Affinity

Synopsis: Nekrotronic is a mind-bending, genre-mashing, sci-fi-horror film funny, scary, thrilling and action-packed, this is a cinematic roller-coaster which traverses the full spectrum of human (and inhuman) emotion.

Production Credit: Nektrotronic is a Nekromancer Holdings production. Principal production investment from Entertainment One and Screen Australia. Financed with support from Create NSW.

TIFF: World Premiere, Midnight Madness click here for sessions

Jirga Felix Media

Executive Producers: Bridget Ikin, David Gross

Producer: John Maynard

Director / Writer: Benjamin Gilmour

Australian Distributor: Footprint Films

International Sales: Felix Media

Synopsis: A moral tale about Mike, a former Australian soldier, who returns to Afghanistan hoping to find the family of a man he killed during the war.

Production Credit: Jirga is a Felix Media production. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Definition Films.

TIFF: International Premiere, Discovery click here for sessions

Emu Runner Imogen Thomas trading as Imogen Thomas Films

Producers: Imogen Thomas, Victor Evatt, Antonia Barnard, John Fink, Gabriel Barber Shipton

Director: Imogen Thomas

Writer: Imogen Thomas

Synopsis: Emu Runner is about the impact a mother's death has on an Indigenous family living in an isolated community. The story is seen through the eyes of Gem, a spirited nine-year-old girl, who deals with grief by forging a bond with a wild emu, a mythical bird of her ancestors. It is a bond she will do anything to keep but one that puts her at odds with a young and inexperienced social worker.

Production Credit: Emu Runner is an Imogen Thomas Films production. Production financed primarily by cro

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