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Film-maker calls on local support

Film-maker calls on local support

While a passionate enthusiast for fine wines, the pursuit of an authentic drop at Southbank’s Wine House has always played second fiddle for film writer and director Grant Scicluna.

For almost seven years, Grant has been crafting a strong passion for wine in Southbank, while working tirelessly behind the scenes towards his dream of producing the perfect movie.

“Wine House is my second passion because I’ve always loved wine as much as I’ve loved film-making,” he said. “I just thought the wine-world was really fantastic.”

“The family that own this business have been fantastic and supportive in allowing me to drop down days if I’m working on a script and pick up more days if I need to, disappear for six weeks if I need to go and shoot a film.”

While he’s well aware of the difficult nature of his industry, Grant’s journey in film has had its fair share of highlights.

On top of writing and directing several of his own short films, the 33-year-old has also been involved in major international films, including Mao’s Last Dancer and Atonement.

Having earned a strong following for his multi-award winning 2012 short film, The Wilding, which earned international acclaim, he is now working on his biggest project yet in hope of realizing that dream.

Alongside long-time producer Jannine Barnes, the pair are currently working on their first Australian feature film, Down River, which tells the story of an 18-year-old, who sets out to find the missing body of a young boy – the boy he was imprisoned for killing.

The project has been funded in part by Screen Australia and the Melbourne International Film Festival’s Premiere Fund, along with the pair’s own personal contribution.

However, as Grant explained, they are now launching a campaign calling on local support to help fill a $40,000 financing gap, in order for the film to go ahead.

“A huge proportion of the budget just disappears on insurance, so hard cash that you can spend on cameras, on actors, sets, etc is really quite small,” he said.

“$40,000 to us is huge, because that to us is real money that we can put towards making a quality film, so it’s really important that we are able to get it.”

Grant said he hoped the opportunity to support an important local film would be enough to help the community rally behind the project, before their August 31 fundraising deadline.

The Crowd Fund system provides donors with special rewards for their support, including credits in the film and tickets to the premiere.  

Readers can support the Down River feature film at www.pozible.com/project/184042

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