PRESS RELEASE
ScreenWest has announced the 2014 ScreenWest West Coast Visions recipient is writer/director Ben Young with producer Melissa Kelly (Factor30 Films) for Hounds of Love.
“West Coast Visions is unparalleled in Australia. Designed to develop and boost the career of talented Western Australian filmmakers, the initiative provides $750,000 to make a feature film,” ScreenWest’s Rikki Bestall, A/ Chief Executive – Development said.
“Highly competitive, applicants must have a well-developed, budget-savvy and marketable project with a team that can deliver it. Ben and Melissa delivered this and I congratulate them on being awarded this year’s West Coast Visions funding.”
Hounds of Love is the debut feature film for writer/director Ben Young. A thriller, the story centres on a teenager’s psychological battle to win her freedom after being abducted by a serial killer couple. The fictional screenplay draws from a number of true crimes.
Ben Young is an award winning filmmaker who has directed series television, short films, commercials and music videos. He has directed seven short films, of which he wrote six, including Bush Basher starring Gary Sweet and Something Fishy which screened at 36 Australian and international film festivals. He has directed 30 music videos for various artists including Drapht, Emperors, Voltaire Twins, and most recently The John Butler Trio for which his video for Only One has had more than 700,000 hits on YouTube.
Melissa Kelly’s credits include producing feature film Blame (2010) which premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival. It also screened at the Melbourne, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Victoria (Canada) and Fancine (Spain) film festivals.
Ms Bestall commented on the success of ScreenWest’s West Coast Visions initiative.
“West Coast Visions films Blame, These Final Hours and Wasted on the Young have all had great success on the national and international festival stage,” she said.
“These Final Hours, from writer/director Zak Hilditch and producer Liz Kearney, this year became the first Western Australian film to be selected for the internationally prestigious Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. It opens in cinemas Australia-wide on 31 July.”
“Wasted on the Young screened at the Toronto, Pusan (South Korea), Turin, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Stockholm, Munich, Seattle, and South by Southwest (USA) film festivals.”