27° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND
by Jonathan auf der Heide
Country: Australia
Year: 2009
Duration: 104'


VAN DIEMEN’S LAND
In 1822, Van Diemen’s Land, present-day Tasmania, was a British penal colony. Eight prisoners manage to escape from the guards and find themselves surrounded by unknown and unexplored nature. The Englishman Robert Greenhill promises to lead them to safety through that remote terrain but Alexander Pearce, an Irishman, doesn’t trust his companions, who are overcome by hunger and fatigue. It soon becomes clear that survival is the only law in that impenetrable forest and that whoever doesn’t want to be killed has to be the first to kill.

“The relationship between nature and violence is what fascinates me about the true story of Alexander Pearce. I’ve approached Pearce as though he could be any one of us, who like Dante, descends through the circles of hell into a heart of darkness. I hope that the film not only explores Australia’s dark colonial past, but it also questions our own instinctual nature.”

Biography

film director

Jonathan auf der Heide

Jonathan auf der Heide (Tasmania, Australia) grew up in Tasmania, where the story of the convict Alexander Pearce and his comrades is very popular. Jonathan has long held the ambition to bring Pearce’s story to the screen and embarked on studies at the VCA School of Film and Television (University of Melbourne) to develop the necessary skills. His VCA graduating film, Hell’s Gates (2007), was a preview to this feature. He worked on Paul Cox’s latest film, Salvation (2008), as the assistant editor. An experienced actor, Jonathan has performed with many companies, including the Melbourne Theatre Company, Arena Theatre, Jigsaw, and Terrapin Puppet Theatre.

FILMOGRAFIA

filmografia/filmography
Incase (cm, 2001), Skeletons (cm, 2005), Gristle (cm, 2005), Sailor Boy (cm, 2006), Four Legs in the Morning (cm, 2006), Hell’s Gates (cm, 2007), Van Diemen’s Land (2009).

Cast

& Credits

regia, coproduttore/director, coproducer
Jonathan auf der Heide
sceneggiatura/screenplay
Jonathan auf der Heide, Oscar Redding
fotografia/cinematography
Ellery Ryan
montaggio/film editing
Cindy Clarkson
scenografia, costumi/production design, costume design
Leanne Caruana
musica/music
Jethro Woodward
suono/sound
Peter Palankay
interpreti e personaggi/cast and characters
Jason Glover (il tenente/Lieutenant), Thomas Wright (Thomas Bodenham), Paul Ashcroft (Matthew Travers), Arthur Angel (Robert Greenhill), Mark Winter (Alexander Dalton), Oscar Redding (Alexander Pearce), Greg Stone (William Kennerly), John Francis Howard (Edward Brown), Torquil Neilson (John Mather)
produttore/producer
Maggie Miles
produzione/production
Noise & Light Film
vendita all’estero/world sales
Bavaria Film International

TFF

prizes

HOLDEN AWARD 2009

Mention

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