Principal photography is underway in Broken Hill on Last Cab to Darwin, Jeremy Sims’ road movie drama starring Michael Caton and dual Oscar®-nominee Jacki Weaver.
Michael Caton plays Rex, a cab driver who, when told he doesn’t have long to live, sets out on an epic journey from Broken Hill to Darwin in a bid to die on his own terms. Along the way he discovers that before you can end your life you have to live it, and to live it you have to share it.
Writer Reg Cribb (Bran Nue Dae, AFI-nominated for Last Train to Freo) and Jeremy Sims have co-written the screenplay for ‘Last Cab to Darwin’, which was inspired by the stories of Max Bell and Bob Dent, amongst others. Bell was a terminally ill cab driver who drove 3,000 km from his home in Broken Hill to Darwin in the early 1990s hoping to take advantage of the Northern Territory's voluntary euthanasia laws. Dent was the first Australian to die from a legal, voluntary lethal injection in the Northern Territory in 1996. Sims says the character of Rex is original, but was inspired by elements of Max Bell and Bob Dent’s experiences.
Jacki Weaver plays the character of Dr Farmer, a Northern Territory doctor who ministers to Rex.
Ningali Lawford-Wolf (Bran Nue Dae, Rabbit Proof Fence) plays Polly, an Aboriginal woman who is Rex’s neighbour and occasional lover, in a role which Cribbs and Sims wrote specifically for her.
Australian-born UK-based actress Emma Hamilton, best known for her role as Anne Stanhope in The Tudors, and who most recently played The Queen in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s critically acclaimed Richard II with David Tennant, plays an English backpacker and former nurse who joins Rex for part of the long drive to Darwin.
Mark Coles Smith (Around the Block, The Gods of Wheat Street, Hard Rock Medical) plays Tilly, a young Aboriginal man from Oodnadatta whose life has gone off the rails. Tilly is befriended by Rex and also joins him on the journey.
‘Last Cab to Darwin’ also features John Howard, David Field, Leah Purcell, Alan Dukes, Brendan Cowell, Andrew Ryan, Glenn Hazeldine, Bruce Carter, Elliott Weston and Kelly Butler.
The stunning central Australian outback is also an important character in the film. ‘Last Cab to Darwin’ will shoot in Broken Hill for just over two weeks and then head to South Australia to shoot in Marree, William Creek, Oodnadatta and Marla before heading to Alice Springs, Barrow Creek, Tennant Creek, Daly Waters and Katherine. The seven-week shoot will conclude in Darwin in late June.
“Reg and I have been honing this script for over five years, with the support and encouragement of the Development team at Screen Australia. Watching it come to life now, with this incredible cast and crew, is exciting and rewarding for all of us”, says Sims.
‘Last Cab to Darwin’ is a Pork Chop Production with Last Cab Productions, with funding from Screen Australia, Screen NSW, South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Territory, the Northern Territory Government and various private investors.
Ned Lander and Edward Simpson are Executive Producers. Greg Duffy, Lisa Duff and Jeremy Sims are Producers.
The film will be distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Icon Film Distribution and is slated for release in 2015. CEO of Icon Film Distribution, Greg Hughes, commented: “Icon is always excited to be associated with bringing great Australian stories to the screen including such a high calibre production as Last Cab to Darwin.”
International rights will be handled by Paris-based Films Distribution and Berlin-based Films Boutique.
Ed Kuepper will write the soundtrack music, working with Mark Beckhaus and Sound Designer Simon Lister and their team at Nylon Studios.
The stellar crew on ‘Last Cab to Darwin’ also includes: Steve Arnold (Disgrace, Red Obsession) – Director of Photography; Clayton Jauncey (Beneath Hill 60, Kill Me Three Times) – Production Designer; Kirsty McGregor (Animal Kingdom, Beneath Hill 60) – Casting Director; Steve Andrews (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The English Patient) – First Assistant Director; Marcus D’Arcy (Babe, Tomorrow, When the War Began) – Editor; Jane Johnston (Life after Beth, Stealth) – Costume Designer; Beverley Freeman (Charlie’s Country, Ten Canoes) – Hair and Make-up Designer and Sally Clarke (Wolf Creek 2, Beautiful Kate) – Production Manager.
Website: http://www.lastcab.com.au
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