Fans of Pro Hart are in for a treat, with a new feature film about the life of the Australian artist in the works.
Philippa Whitfield Pomeranz of Core3 Entertainment today confirmed the first draft of the film (working title Pro) has been completed by writer Richard Burman, with a view to gain production funding in 2014.
“It’s only the first draft script and it’s unreal. It reads like a third draft. We’re pretty close to taking it to market next year,” Whitfield Pomeranz tells IF.
Hart fans have been emerging in support of the film ever since Whitfield Pomeranz started a Pozible campaign with the fundraising goal of $25, 000 for script development earlier this year.
“We did it in an alternative kind of way to fund a screenplay, we went the crowd-funding route and it’s been amazing; the loyal following we’ve got,” she says. “It was so daunting at first, because you’re quite exposed , but now we’ve got Pro Hart fans coming out of the woodwork and the whole town [of Hart’s birthplace Broken Hill] behind us, which has been very empowering.”
The film – which Whitfield Pomeranz stresses is not a documentary – will follow “the extraordinary life of Pro Hart, who was the most Australian of Australian artists but who was rejected by Australian establishment,” she says.
“It’s about mateship, it’s about finding his true passion… it’s about a man who was a miner and then found out he wanted to be a painter, and had the courage to follow his dream.”
Whitfield Pomeranz likens the tone of the script to be “Shine meets The Castle,” and says “It’s a little film that might potentially go big.”
“There’s a great scene with these buxom Broken Hill women in the 60s walking down Main Street, because they used to walk down one end of the street to the other to set their curlers,” she says. “You really get a sense of the place.
“It’s our flip flops and fur coats story.”
Hart’s wife Raylee and son John are in support of the film, which will also explore the enduring love story between Raylee and Pro.
For more information on Pro, visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChasingDragonfliestheExtraordinaryLifeOfProHart