River

River

Australian Premiere.

River (Mia Barret) wants to run away from it all, following the tragic death of her mother. But when she falls in with bad boy Marcus (My Brilliant Career’s William McKenna), his insistence on ‘no strings attached’ actually leads the way to a place of hope and healing for both wounded souls.

Director

Zane Borg

Runtime

98 Minutes

Country

Australia

Classification

Unclassified 15+

River is only 16 on the terrible day that steals her mother away. Listlessly going through the motions, her dad (Sal Galofaro) is unable to shake himself out of his grief long enough to give her what she needs. Then Marcus (My Brilliant Career’s William McKenna) skids into her life on his battered bike. He’s a scrapper who holds everyone at arm’s length. Their hook-up under a concrete bridge is far from the stuff of teen romance. But even as he puts up barriers, a chink in his armour allows just enough room for them both to explore what the future might look like. Also featuring Lesbian Space Princess (AFF 2025) and The Pitt star Shabana Azeez alongside Mr Inbetween’s Justin Rosniak, writer-director Zane Borg’s deeply affecting feature is one of the most accomplished Australian films in recent memory, inspired by the loss of their mother. “River is a film for the grieving, for those who feel as lost as I once did, a hand to hold through this strange, motherless existence,” Borg says.

“This is the most beautiful and touching film I have seen in a long time, it absolutely wrecked me. Even if you didn’t lose your mum, it lets you take what you need and sits with you for hours, if not days.”

Letterboxd

Zlín

Film Credits

Director

Zane Borg

Year

2026

Country

Australia

Language

English

Type

Feature Fiction

Program Strand

Australian Independents

Producer

Gabriel Carrubba, Mia Barrett & Zane Borg

Cinematographer

Nyssa Mitchell

Editor

Liam Kelly & Zane Borg

Cast

Justin Rosniak, Luca Sardelis, Mia Barrett, Sal Galofaro, Shabana Azeez & William Mckenna

Music

Marlon Grunden

Film Source

Pancake Originals

Genre

Coming of Age, Drama, Romance & Sexual

Filmmakers in attendance, 24 October

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