Local film a thriller
le Joel A FORMER Geelong woman’s locally-shot feature directorial debut will be unveiled at the Melbourne International Film Festival this winter.
Festival organisers have confirmed that writer-director Miranda Nation’s Undertow will have its world premiere during the fortnight-long festival in August.
Nation, a former Highton resident, shot the psychological thriller across Geelong and the Surf Coast.
“It’s a really unique part of the world, with that old industrial skyline, with the urban areas, semi-rural landscape and beautiful coastline,” she said of the region.
“Cinematically, it’s a very interesting landscape and I wanted to capture that.”
Undertow is a bold leap into feature-length filmmaking for Nation, whose award-winning shorts Eli the Invincible and Perception have previously screened at the Melbourne festival. The film stars Laura Gordon ( Joe Cinque’s Consolation), Rob Collins ( Glitch, Cleverman) and Olivia DeJonge ( Hiding, The Visit).
The plot revolves around photojournalist Claire, who lost her baby and begins to develop a dangerous obsession with a pregnant young woman Angie. Claire suspects Angie of having an affair with her husband, AFL player and mentor Dan. It’s an obsession that could put both women in danger, but the deeper Claire digs, the more unsettling her discoveries become.
The full film festival program and dates for Undertow will be announced on July 10.