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In what has been described as a "massive coup for the filmmakers and for Western Australia", a psychological thriller shot in the state and starring Hollywood superstar Nicolas Cage has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
Filmed entirely in Western Australia, The Surfer will make its world premiere at the 77th edition of the Festival de Cannes in May.
The Surfer was made possible thanks to the state government’s WA Production Attraction Incentive – an incentive designed to attract high profile, market driven screen productions to the state.
Cage spent several weeks filming with a majority WA crew in Yallingup, known for its iconic beaches, in the South West of WA late last year.
As a Stan Original film in partnership with CinemaPlus who will be releasing the film theatrically in Australia, The Surfer is an Australian/Irish co-production produced by Tea Shop Productions, Arenamedia, Lovely Productions and Gramercy Park Media.
Having its world premiere at Cannes will allow the film to showcase the stunning landscapes and coastline of the South West, as well as the talents of Western Australian crew, to an audience of international screen industry professionals, journalists and festival goers.
"This is a massive coup for the filmmakers and for Western Australia," says Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall.
"The Surfer is the first feature film produced in WA following the launch of the WA Production Attraction Incentive, and to see it selected for the most prestigious film festival in the world is an incredible outcome and achievement.
"Congratulations to WA producer James Grandison, Arenamedia, the cast, crew, creatives and the entire filmmaking team.”
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) and written by Thomas Martin, The Surfer is an intensely unnerving film that sees a man return to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the US. He is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood.
Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates he is brought right to the edge of his sanity and his entire identity is thrown into question.
Joining Cage is an impressive Australian ensemble cast including Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Nicholas Cassim (Mr Inbetween), Miranda Tapsell (The Dry), Alexander Bertrand (Australian Gangster), Justin Rosniak (Last King of the Cross), Rahel Romahn (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Finn Little (Yellowstone) and Charlotte Maggi (Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child on Fire).
The film’s producer, Robert Connolly has been behind a large number of projects in WA including Blueback, Sweet As, Paper Planes, The Turning and These Final Hours.
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