The Nightingale to show at Sundance Film Festival
Period thriller The Nightingale is winning international acclaim while showcasing Tasmania to the world.
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REGIONAL Tasmania is set to take centre stage at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.
The Nightingale, which was filmed mostly in Tasmania, has been named as one of six Australian films to screen at the Sundance Film Festival in the US in January.
To make the feature film, the main street of Oatlands was transformed into a movie set last year, when filming of the thriller injected $4.5 million into the local economy.
Arts Minister Elise Archer said the international recognition of the film confirmed Tasmania as a “go-to” destination.
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“I am delighted that The Nightingale, which was mainly shot in Tasmania, has been selected for the prestigious Sundance Film Festival,” she said.
The film had its premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival earlier this year, where it won a special Jury Prize – considered the festival’s second place award. Written and directed by Jennifer Kent, the film is set in 1825 and follows the story of a young female convict who witnesses a brutal act of violence against her family and is bent on revenge.
She enlists the help of an Aboriginal tracker to chase a British officer through the Tasmanian wilderness.
Oatlands was selected as a backdrop for the period film because of its authentic heritage buildings.
Southern Midlands Mayor Alex Green said it was great to see the town gain such recognition.
“We have done a lot to preserve the streetscape and the ambience of the colonial town,” he said.
Ms Archer said the State Government, which invested $250,000 into production of The Nightingale, was a strong supporter of Tasmania’s screen industry sector.
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The production employed 79 Tasmanian cast and crew, and two members of Tasmania’s Aboriginal community, Jim Everett and Theresa Sainty, were among those employed. As well as Oatlands, filming was carried out in the Central Highlands and around the lakeside town of Miena and Waddamana.
One of film’s international actors, star of The Hunger Games movies Sam Claflin, posted several stunning Tasmanian scenes on his Instagram account.
Originally published as The Nightingale to show at Sundance Film Festival
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