FANS ALREADY ABUZZ OVER FILM
LOCALLY filmed sci-fi thriller feature Occupation has already recouped “a good chunk” of its $4 million budget before it opens in Australian cinemas, after securing international distribution deals.
Filmed on the Coast and in northern NSW last year, Occupation was co-produced by director Luke Sparke, Carly Imrie and Carmel Imrie and funded by private investors.
Targeted at pop-culture fans, the film will be released in cinemas later this year by Pinnacle Films. And it seems fans can’t wait, with Occupation stars Stephany Jacobsen, Home & Away favourites Dan Ewing and Rhiannon Fish, Charles Mesure (Desperate Housewives), Zachary Garred (General Hospital) and Temuera Morrison set to meet and greet crowds at next weekend’s Supanova Comic Con and Gaming Expo at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The film follows a group of citizen warriors forced to defend the planet after an alien invasion.
Occupation screened at the American Film Market after Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment acquired the international rights – which helped the producers lock in deals with distributors in the US and Asian markets.
European deals are tipped to follow.
Sparke told Inside Film magazine the deals mean the producers have recouped “a good chunk” of the budget.