West

The explosion in low-budget Australian filmmaking is going to be the big news this year, and West, the second feature funded by the Australian Film Commission’s Indivision Lab, is your opportunity to get in on the ground floor. This hard-edged drama, set in the suburban badlands west of Sydney, takes an unflinching look at the lack of choices available to young people and the resulting aggression and frustration. Two inseparable cousins, Pete and Gerry, dream of something better, but their relationship is tested and their lives changed dramatically when they both fall in love with the same girl. West is the eagerly anticipated first feature for writer/director Daniel Krige, who has cut his teeth on television drama after having short films nominated for BAFTA and AFI Awards. Khan Chittenden ( Blue Water High, The Caterpillar Wish) and Nathan Phillips ( Wolf Creek, Australian Rules) head an ensemble cast which includes David Field ( The Oyster Farmer, Tom White) and Anthony Hayes (AFI Award nominee, Best Supporting Actor for Look Both Ways, Suburban Mayhem).

Daniel Krige, Matthew Reeder, Anne Robinson and Gillian Alexy are Guests of the Festival

Every filmmaker has their baby, the film they simply have to make. The film that is closest to their heart, the film they have lived. For me, that film is West.

Daniel Krige