When the US producers of Angel of Mine chose Melbourne-born director Kim Farrant to helm the remake of French film, L’Empreinte de l’ange and Australian screenwriter Luke Davies to rewrite the script for Australia, the next logical step was to look at filming it where it was set.

Enter Australian Producer Su Armstrong (Good Will Hunting) and Film Victoria’s Location and Production Services team.

Armstrong believed that Angel of Mine could be shot in any urban setting, almost anywhere in the world, but when considering Australia, she always felt that Melbourne was the top choice.

“It is a multicultural city and has a distinct European flavour which I thought would suit the tale.”

“Melbourne is a beautiful landscape to shoot in and if offered all the different aspects we needed to create the world in this film,” agreed Farrant.

Director Kim Farrant

Starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Luke Evans (The Girl on the Train) and Australians Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge), the psychological thriller tells the story of a grieving mother who becomes obsessed with another woman’s daughter after she comes to believe that girl is her own dead daughter.

The script called for a range of wealthy areas with big homes, beautiful gardens and parks, and schools, as well as more modest apartments and suburban streets, and Film Victoria delivered location packages to Armstrong and Farrant which really hit the mark.

“Film Victoria were tremendously helpful in providing all sorts of locations to scout and explore. And once it was decided that we would film in Melbourne, their knowledgeable staff and resources were wonderful as we had a tight pre-production period and a really tight 27-day schedule,” said Farrant. 

Known for its beautiful light and seasonal characteristics, Melbourne also influenced the look and palette of the film.

“Melbourne definitely gave the film a distinct look. We hoped to be filming in summer but we ended up filming in autumn. This actually gave the film a great look particularly with the changing autumnal colours, and a much softer light than Melbourne’s more northern relatives,” said Armstrong.

“Shooting in autumn heading into winter provided a beautiful sensuality of colour and texture,” added Farrant.

Victoria’s crew are internationally renowned for their professionalism and can-do approach, and Farrant certainly found this to be true on the set of Angel of Mine.

“Our predominantly Victorian crew were wonderful, very experienced and down to earth. The Victorian cast were also sublime and I loved their talent and no fuss attitude,” she said. 

Director Kim Farrant

For the international cast members, Melbourne was the ultimate host with its outstanding food and wine scene and world-class cultural and sporting events.

“Melbourne is such an easy city to navigate. People are friendly and accommodating, and the food and culture is amazing, so having international stars, it was easy to entertain them,” said Farrant.

Produced by Brian Etting, Josh Etting and Su Armstrong, Angel of Mine premiered at the 2019 Melbourne International Film Festival and will open on August 30 in North America and on September 5 in Australia.

Film Victoria assisted Angel of Mine with location and production services, and supported the film through its assigned Production Investment program.

For more information on Victoria’s filming locations and production and incentives programs contact:

Joe Brinkmann
Manager, Production Attraction & Support
[email protected]
www.film.vic.gov.au