Local stars from Occupation film set to come to Gold Coast for Supanova
MOVIE stars from a sci-fi thriller filmed on the Gold Coast are set to meet and greet fans as part of the Supanova pop culture convention.
Gold Coast
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LOCALLY filmed sci-fi thriller feature Occupation has already recouped “a good chunk” of its $4 million budget before it opens in Australian cinemas after securing international distribution deals.
Filmed on the Coast and in northern NSW last year, Occupation was co-produced by director Luke Sparke, Carly Imrie and Carmel Imrie and funded by private investors. Targeted at pop culture fans, the film will be released in cinemas later this year by Pinnacle Films.
And it seems fans can’t wait, with Occupation stars Stephany Jacobsen, Home & Away favourites Dan Ewing and Rhiannon Fish, Charles Mesure (Desperate Housewives), Zachary Garred (General Hospital) and Temuera Morrison set to meet and greet crowds at next weekend’s Supanova Comic Con and Gaming Expo at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The film follows a group of citizen warriors forced to defend the planet after an alien invasion.
Sparke, who also directed Red Billabong (starring Coast star-on-the-rise Jessica Green), secured a terrific ensemble cast for Occupation that also included Roy Billing, Jacqueline McKenzie and Bruce Spence.
The Occupation stars will participate in a Q & A panel and sign autographs at the event on Saturday and Sunday (April 28-29).
Occupation was one of two films Morrison shot on the Coast last year — he plays Arthur Curry’s (Jason Momoa) dad in director James Wan’s highly awaited blockbuster Aquaman.
Byron Bay-based Cumulus VFX was one of three companies that worked on the film’s elaborate visual effects.
Occupation screened at the American Film Market after Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment acquired the international rights — which helped the producers lock in deals with distributors in the US and Asian markets including Japan, China and Vietnam. European deals are tipped to follow after the film screened at the recent European Film Market in Berlin.
Sparke told Inside Film magazine the deals mean the producers have recouped “a good chunk” of the budget.
Originally published as Local stars from Occupation film set to come to Gold Coast for Supanova