Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music will have its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as part of the Special Presentations program.
Dirt Music is a Western Australian Regional Film Funded production filmed across Western Australia in October 2018. It features locations such as Cape Leveque and surrounds in Bardi Jawi country in the Kimberley region, Noongar country in Perth and in the Esperance-Goldfields region in Western Australia.
Producers Finola Dwyer of Wildgaze Films and Angie Fielder of Aquarius Films said, “We are extremely proud that Dirt Music will have its world premiere as a Special Presentation screening at TIFF. The Western Australian landscape looms large as a character in the film and it’s a privilege to share these rarely seen locations with the world. Many Western Australians worked on the film – cast, crew, creatives – and we are excited that their work will be presented to the world at such a prestigious festival.”
Screenwest CEO Willie Rowe said, “It’s terrific to see a Western Australia film taking the global stage, especially through such a coveted program such as TIFF’s. Screenwest are very proud to have supported the production; we know international audiences will be in awe of our natural landscapes’ wonders and beauty.”
TIFF said the “stunning landscape of Western Australia is the backdrop for an impassioned tale of love and grief in Gregor Jordan’s adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Tim Winton, starring Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Hedlund, and David Wenham.”
In Dirt Music, Macdonald plays Georgie, a sometime sailor, diver and nurse who is stranded in a remote fishing town with Jim (Wenham), a man she doesn’t love, and his young sons whose dead mother she can never replace.
A reckless moment leads Georgie to an intense, sexually charged affair with Lu Fox (Hedlund), an enigmatic loner, musician and poacher who is traumatised by a tragic accident from his past.
When Lu retreats into the wilderness, Georgie embarks on a journey to bring him back with the unlikely help of Jim, who is determined to right wrongs from his own past.
The cast also includes:
· Julia Stone, one half of the sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone in her film debut, as Sal
· George Mason as Darkie
· Chris Haywood as Georgie’s father Warwick
· Dan Wyllie as Rusty
· Aaron Pedersen as Beaver
Dirt Music is a Wildgaze Films and Aquarius Films production with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Film4. It was financed with support from the Western Australian Regional Film Fund (WARFF) and Screenwest with Ingenious Media.
Dirt Music will have its Australian cinematic release in 2020, distributed by Universal Pictures on behalf of Focus Features.
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