EXCLUSIVE: Upgrade will show first footage in Cannes this week from Penny Lane Is Dead, which has finalised casting and begun production in Adelaide. Screen has obtained an image from the set.
Mia’Kate Russell’s Australian horror thriller features a cast of Tahlee Fereday (Erotic Stories), Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn (Wizards!, Year Of), Alexandra Jensen (Talk To Me), Bailey Spalding (Scrublands, Domina) as Penny Lane, Ben O’Toole (Bloody Hell, Hacksaw Ridge, Detroit), Steve Le Marquand (Beast of War, Vertical Limit), and Fletcher Humphrys (The Stranger, Hounds of Love, Wolf Creek).
The Sanctuary Pictures and Buffalo Media production in association with Cyan Films is financed with major production investment from Screen Australia and produced in association with the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), VicScreen and Adelaide Film Festival.
It was developed with the assistance of SAFC and Umbrella Entertainment, which retains distribution rights for Australia and New Zealand and has closed ties to Sanctuary Pictures.
Penny Lane Is Dead is produced by Julie Ryan (Late Night With The Devil, Hotel Mumbai), Ari Harrison (Talk To Me), and Andre Lima (Maggie May), and Carly Maple (The Fox).
This is the first feature film from Australian production outfit Sanctuary Pictures, which has close ties to Umbrella Entertainment.
The film is described as a wild, blood-soaked descent into love, betrayal and survival, set during a sweltering Australian summer in 1986. It tells the story of a carefree night at a beach house that turns deadly when a prank spirals out of control, leaving three teenage best friends fighting for their lives.
“Finding this cast is incredibly exciting,” said Russell, who directed the award-winning horror shorts Maggie May and Liz Drives, . “Each of these young people brings such raw talent, intensity and fearlessness to the production. They are coming into this project ready to feel everything and be fully immersed in the nostalgia of 80’s Australia.”
Upgrade co-founder Jonathan Kier added, “With its fierce energy, badass female leads, and killer soundtrack, this is a revenge thriller that demands global attention.”
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “The SAFC is thrilled to back South Australian producers Julie Ryan and Carly Maple, and the Penny Lane is Dead team to bring audiences this new and exciting contribution to South Australia’s international reputation for producing some of the world’s boldest and most original horror films.”
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