Warwick Thornton begins production on Wolfram, the sequel to Sweet Country

Renowned Central Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton has begun production on Wolfram, a highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s Sweet Country.

Warwick Thornton on the set of his new film Wolfram. Photo: Dylan River.

Renowned Central Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton has begun production on Wolfram, a highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s Sweet Country.

Set some four years after the events of Sweet Country, the film takes the perspective of the women and children of the family, anchored by matriarch Pansy, played by Deborah Mailman (Kangaroo, The New Boy, Total Control).

The character of Philomac, now aged 18, will be played by rising Territory star Pedrea Jackson.

Jackson grew up in Elliott and has appeared in feature films Blueback and Sweet As, and television series MaveriX, Robbie Hood, and High Country.

The script was also written by Territorians Steven McGregor and David Tranter.

The story draws on Tranter’s Alyawarra family history – a story Warwick Thornton said “is also my family’s story”.

“My great grandmother and her daughters worked the Hatches Creek mines for whitefellas. Now a truth will come and it’s called Wolfram,” he said.

Wolfram will film on the same location near Alice Springs, on Ooraminna Station, where the sets for the fictional town of Henry from the original film still stand.

Sam Neill as landowner Fred Smith with Shanika Cole as Lucy in a scene from Thornton’s 2017 film Sweet Country.

Director of Screen Territory Jennie Hughes said the major screen production was secured for the NT through the Territory government’s Screen Territory Production Fund with a $700,000 investment.

“The production of Wolfram is set to inject $2.85m of direct spend back into the Northern Territory economy across employment, and goods and services during its filming period, with over 173 Territorians engaged in cast and crew roles,” she said.

“Major screen productions such as Wolfram, deliver real economic benefits for Territory businesses, help grow our local screen sector, and shine a global spotlight on the Northern Territory’s unrivalled landscapes and rich culture.”

Producers David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin said their company, Bunya Productions, was “so excited to be back in production in the Northern Territory”.

“The truth-telling legacy of Sweet Country had a profound impact on audiences all around the world, and we cannot wait to tell more of this family’s frontier experiences as we delve back into its world,” they said in a joint statement.

“The unparalleled directorial stewardship of Warwick Thornton will bring to life the exquisite and psychologically affecting portraits of the characters created in David Tranter and Stephen McGregor’s script.”

Originally published as Warwick Thornton begins production on Wolfram, the sequel to Sweet Country