4 Australian Films To Look Forward To In 2015

Though they may sometimes get lost amongst the glut of Hollywood blockbusters, it is always nice to see a good home-crafted film to be proud of and to give support to the local industry. Here are some of the intriguing works of Aussie cinema set to be released this year.

Paper Planes (January 15)
Director: Robert Connolly (Tim Winton’s The Turning)
Writers: Robert Connolly, Steve Worland
Starring: Sam Worthington, Ed Oxenbould, Deborah Mailman, David Wenham

Dylan (Oxenbould) is a twelve-year-old with a talent for paper plane construction. This new-found proficiency in paper aerodynamics takes him from his rural outback home, first to the Australian championships in Sydney, then the world championships in Japan. His journey leads him to develop and perfect his skills and face fierce competition, striking up a friendship with Kimi – a fellow competitor skilled in origami – along the way.

Manny Lewis (March 5)
Director: Anthony Mir
Writers: Carl Barron, Anthony Mir
Starring: Carl Barron, Leeana Walsman, Roy Billing, Damien Garvey

Carl Barron has an upcoming film! The popular observational comedian will be starring as a fictionalised version of himself in the role of Manny Lewis, a stand-up comedian who is contrastingly shy off-stage. The tagline describes Manny as someone who ‘connects with millions of fans but finds it hard to connect to one person’. That one person in particular is love interest Maria (Leeana Walsman). The film looks to be a quirky rom-com coloured by the goofy yet deadpan Barron worldview, which is an intriguing take on the genre. Let’s hope it stands up to his solo work (pun intended).

Mad Max: Fury Road (May 14)
Director: George Miller (Mad Max franchise, Babe franchise)
Writers: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz

The most anticipated film on this list and the first sequel in thirty years, Fury Road is the fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise. From the internet-breaking trailer the film appears to stay true to the overwhelmingly chaotic spirit of the ’80s films, but visually turned up to eleven. If you haven’t seen this trailer yet, you are in for some goose bumps; a classical score, awe-inspiring theatrical cinematography, explosions, and titanic rolling dust storms in a red wasteland. Tom Hardy tries on an Aussie accent as the titular Max and Charlize Theron co-stars as ‘Furiosa’, a woman on a journey across the desert to return to her homeland. Mad Max: Fury Road looks set to draw in both lovers of the first three films and Mad Max virgins alike.

The Dressmaker (October 1)
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse (Proof)
Writers: Novel by Rosalie Ham, Screenplay by Jocelyn Moorhouse
Starring: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, Sarah Snook, Judy Davis

Kate Winslet is Tilly, a glamorous Parisian dressmaker and Australian expat. She returns to her small rural town in the 1950s to visit her sick mother, but stays to exact revenge upon the townspeople who had her thrown out at the age of ten. There are three big reasons to remember this film even though it won’t arrive on screens for another nine months: the first is Kate-goddamn-Winslet, the second is the fact that Moorhouse’s Proof (1991) is one of the best Melbourne-set and Australian-made films ever, and the third is the fact that The Dressmaker was filmed on location around Melbourne and greater Victoria. It’s always rather exciting to see your home town on the big screen.