Paradise City Sales (formerly Memento International) has boarded Warwick Thornton’s “Wolfram: A Sequel to Sweet Country,” following his 2017 movie which won Venice’s special jury prize and Toronto’s Platform prize.
Currently filming in Australia, around Alice Springs, “Wolfram” is a colonial thriller set in the 1930’s, four years after the events of “Sweet Country” and revolving around David Tranter’s Alyawarra family history. It follows three irrepressible kids who escape from their cruel white masters and embark on a journey across the sweet country of central Australia to try and find a safe
home.
The film stars Deborah Mailman (“The New Boy”), Thomas M. Wright (“Sleeping Dogs”), Pedrea
Jackson (“Sweet As”), alongside Errol Shand (“The Clearing”), Joe Bird (“Talk to Me”), John Howard (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), Aidan Du Chiem (“Last Days of the Space Age”), Ferdinand Hoang (“Jasper Jones”), Jason Chong (“Little Monsters”) and Matt Nable (“Riddick”).
Thornton said the story of David Tranter’s family “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,” said the filmmaker.
Paradise City Sales said “Wolfram dives into the western and survival genres, while also delivering a touching family story about companionship and solidarity in a hostile environment.” They added that “Warwick Thornton’s personal connection to the story and his remarkable eye promise a film that will be as entertaining as it is visually stunning.”
David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, who are producing the film at Bunya Productions (“Sweet Country”), said 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.”
“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.”
The cast is completed by Luka May Glynn-Cole (“Dark Place”), Anni Finsterer (“Thou Shalt Not Steal”), Gibson John (“Territory”) and Natassia Gorey Furber (“The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart”).
The movie reteams “Sweet Country” writers, Steven McGregor and David Tranter. Jowsey and Simpkin produced alongside co-producers Drew Bailey (“June Again”) and David Tranter (“Sweet Country”).
Executive Producers are Cecilia Ritchie (“The Drover’s Wife”) and Kurt Royen (“Audrey”).
The film is set in the fictional town of Henry from the original film. The film is working closely with the Arrernte Traditional Owners led by elder Theresa Ellis. The key crew of “Sweet Country” is also back for “Wolfram,” notably the editor Nick Meyers (“Sweet Country”), casting director Anousha Zarkesh (“Sweet Country”) and production design by Michael Leon (“The New Boy”), among others.
“Wolfram: A Sequel to Sweet Country” is backed by Screen Australia in association with Screen Territory and National Indigenous Television, with support from Screen NSW and Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund. Post, digital and visual effects supported by Screen NSW. Dark Matter will distribute the film in Australia.
Thornton’s previous credits also include Cannes Un Certain Regard entry “The New Boy” starring Cate Blanchett” and “Samso and Delilah” which won Cannes Caméra d’Or prize.
“Wolfram” joins Paradise City Sales’ Cannes slate which includes Un Certain Regard-bound “I Only Rest in the Storm” by Pedro Pinho, as well as “Unidentified” by Haifaa Al-Mansour which is in post-production.
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