Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman join Anne Hathaway in investing in SailGP by buying Australian team
The investment adds star power to the Australian outfit who have dominated the global sailing championship, winning a trio of titles in four seasons of the high-speed racing series.
SailGP, spruiked as Formula One on water and started in 2019, consists of 12 teams racing at 100km/h in 50-foot catamarans in harbours around the world starting in Perth next January and culminating in a grand final in Abu Dhabi.
Reynolds is already the co-owner of the Wrexham AFC with Hollywood comedic star Ron McElhenney.
The pair bought the club for US$2.5 million in 2021. The club achieved back-to-back promotions from the fifth tier of the English football system and is now worth US$475 million.
'We're incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure,' Jackman and Reynolds said in a statement.
'Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country as well as being an avid fan of sailing.'
The move comes just days after Oscar winner Anne Hathaway sailed into sports ownership, joining a female-led consortium who acquired the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team in what circuit CEO Russell Coutts called 'another significant milestone in SailGP's growth as a league'.
'This is an incredible milestone for us and for our sport,' said Tom Slingsby, who serves as driver, CEO and co-owner of the Flying Roos.
SailGP director Andy Thompson added: 'Today marks a landmark moment not just for the Australia team, but for the trajectory of SailGP globally,' highlighting the 'extraordinary combination of global reach, vision, commercial nous' the Hollywood duo bring.
The newly minted Flying Roos will debut under their star-studded ownership at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7-8, where they aim to defend their position atop the championship leaderboard.
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'We need to laugh together': the case for seeing small films at the cinema
"Long live independent film!" director Sean Baker exclaimed earlier this year after accepting the Academy Award for best picture for Anora. "This is my battle cry: Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen." But what chance of success does a small, quiet, independent film have at the movies in 2025? How does a gently funny comedy or a contemplative drama actually find an audience when cinemas are crammed with noisy special effects-filled blockbusters and streaming services are dropping shiny, star-spangled prestige miniseries every other day? Two tender little heartwarmers, both alike in dignity and delight, opening this week and next are hoping to lure Australians spoiled for in-home screen entertainment options and exhausted by popcorn Hollywood fare out of their couch grooves and back into cinemas. As another blockbuster season of rampaging dinosaurs and spandexed superheroes winds down, the heartfelt Australian family drama Kangaroo Island and the charming British character comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island get their moment to shine. Modestly budgeted but anchored in authentic emotions and filmed in wild and windswept locations on opposite sides of the planet, these are thoughtful stories for grown-ups. And it's not lost on their creators just how precious is the opportunity for their intimate storytelling to come to life on the big screen. "We certainly always wanted it to go there [cinemas] and we put in the effort in the scenery, in the right lenses, to make it a very cinematic experience, especially for a drama, which aren't often, you know, that cinematic," says Kangaroo Island director Timothy David. A bittersweet story of sibling rivalry, Kangaroo Island stars former Home & Away favourite Rebecca Breeds as an actress reluctantly returning from a failed bid for Hollywood fame to her estranged family's home on South Australia's ruggedly beautiful Kangaroo Island. Working with a script by his Canadian actress wife Sally Gifford, David's debut feature film marks a creative homecoming for the former Adelaide boy after 20 years in New York devising high-end international advertising campaigns as Tim Pike through his company Piro. The couple, who have split their time between the US and their own family getaway on Kangaroo Island since 2016, said their "entirely fictional" story of a fractured family brought back together by grief had been a shared "passion". "I think people have turned away a bit from going to the movies but, hopefully, this film will offer them something really different and enjoyable and thought provoking ... that examines bigger, more meaningful questions," David said. Said Gifford of their little film's big philosophical questions: "By middle age, and we're both in our middle age, you start to collect these wounds as you go through life, and how do you deal with that? Life is confusing to live because there is evidence that it's beautiful, but there's just as much evidence that it is horrific. So we wanted to explore that". At what point did Sally as writer hand over her script to Tim as director? Where did the writer's vision end and the director's vision begin? "When does the fighting start and the fun stop, you mean?" Gifford laughed. "No, I knew that it was Tim's baby once we locked a script. And I purposely, when we were shooting, stayed in a different house to Tim on the island. So I remembered that I was no longer the wife giving all my unasked-for opinions." David added: "We were pretty good at staying in our lanes and treating it like the industry does traditionally. She's the boss of the script but then, once we're filming, I have to be the boss of the vision". A small budget giving them just 23 days to shoot 100 scenes created what David described as the "really nice, happy accident" of a filming style that "was 100 per cent real". The spectacular backdrop of Kangaroo Island and its wildlife give the emotionally charged human drama a vivid sense of place. "The island is very much a zoo without fences," David said. "When you're there, you feel like you're an animal amongst animals. And that's because it's not developed. So, man's influence isn't as strong. I wanted to shoot it in a way that felt not just handheld, but it felt like we were always observing." For Australian audiences the mention of the island evokes memories of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 but the couple "wanted to touch on the fires without harping on it". "I did have a local say, 'Thank you for mentioning it, but thank you for not going too deep into it, exploiting it'," David said. Gifford: "We were just wanting it to be as true as possible". The couple hopes that quiet, adult focused, thoughtful little films like theirs will not be squeezed out by Hollywood studio movies and the endless scroll of streaming. "At this point any exposure for a quality film is good exposure," David said. "But it's incredibly hard getting a film like this into cinemas and there's not an economic model that makes this type of venture easy. So the environment of a cinema release, if the film is worthy, is pretty important." Gifford: "I think, too, the humour in the film is much more fun when you're in an audience with a big group of people laughing together." David admits worrying about AI and algorithms formulating "perfect films that just tick boxes". "I don't think there's going to be many films like this ever again ... because part of shooting in the way that I did, with happy accidents happening all over the place and being forced to be cheap and imperfect, helped this story about life being imperfect feel more real." While low-budget indie horror films were having a moment, the movie industry was not interested in adult dramas unless they were "stories about prostitutes that fall in love with Russian mobsters" (like Anora). "That's literally what they're asking for," David said. "But for us it was like, sorry, we're going to make this movie. It's what we want to see. So, if you're feeling like we were, that movies aren't really sticking with you after you leave the theatre, and you're like, 'Oh, there's nothing I want to watch', you've got to go and support these types of films and spread the word. It's really important to tell your friends to see it if you like it." Director James Griffiths says he's "incredibly grateful" that his film, The Ballad of Wallis Island, is screening in cinemas. When Griffiths and long-time performing duo Tom Basden and Tim Key were filming their quirky comedy on the picturesque coast of Carmarthenshire in Wales, they half expected it might be a streaming release. "That's the expectation for a lot of independent movies," he said. "Similar to the old straight to DVD, you kind of imagine that might be its life or its journey." But instead, after winning rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, the sweetly sentimental film is delighting cinema audiences around the world with its big-hearted, feel-good story of an eccentric loner (played by Key) who lures a disbanded folk duo (played by Basden and Carey Mulligan) to his remote island for a private reunion concert, forcing them to confront their past and rekindle their musical chemistry. "That collective feeling of being in a cinema and watching a comedy - there's nothing like it and I think we've potentially forgotten that," Griffiths said. "The horror scene at the moment is kind of healthy, isn't it? Because that's where kids go to get a scare, to get that physical reaction. I remember when I was younger going to see comedies in the cinema and loving that feeling ... you're with other people laughing together and you're riding that wave. We need that - to get together and to laugh together." He credits the film's success to the distribution and marketing of Universal and Focus Features, who championed the project. "People are moved when they're in a cinema," he said. "They might not be moved as much when they're at home, when there's all the other distractions. [At the cinema] you're locked in, aren't you? And the thing I'm interested in is how we're moved together." An expansion of a 2007 short film scripted by Basden and Key and directed by Griffiths, the movie features songs written by Basden and performed with Mulligan as the former folk duo McGwyer Mortimer. "Luckily, Tom is such a talented songwriter and very at home with those kinds of folk songs, so they feel authentic, which is so important for the film," Griffith said. Mulligan, married since 2012 to Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford, lends earthy authenticity too as the calm and contented Nell Mortimer opposite Basden as her uptight former lover and singing partner Herb McGwyer. Deadpan comedian Key's character, Charles, the oddball millionaire superfan desperate to have his all-time favourite musical heroes perform together again, is the funny but melancholy heart of the film. "The Charles character came from Tim's observation about those kinds of people who, like my mum, can walk into a room and just start speaking," Griffith said. "Charles is like the broken tap and he just doesn't stop wittering. Tim does this kind of lovely verbal gymnastics that's actually very poetic and seductive in a way." But the filmmakers knew Charles "had to be irritating to Herb, but not irritating to the audience". "We had to be very careful about how long we spent with just Charles and Herb and Charles being really annoying. Because whether it's the cab driver when you jump in a taxi and get unlucky, or it's your uncle or auntie or my mum, there's a point where you might say this is not fun anymore. It's only really when Nell comes in and enjoys Charles so much that we allow the audience to enjoy Charles ... and she gives us permission to go, actually, this guy is lovely, he's adorable." Key and Basden occasionally "ran amok" with their dry repartee and Key's corny puns. "What they're both really good at is staying in character and improvisation - their chemistry is undeniable," Griffiths said. "But, yes, sometimes I'd have to say 'cut' when the crew would start breaking down. Luckily we had quite a tight schedule. We shot the film in 18 days. And I've worked with them for nearly 20 years so we were quite disciplined about getting what we needed." And yet the first cut of the film ran to two-and-a-half hours. "Yeah, we lost an hour of puns," he laughed. "I think maybe the audience would thank us for that." How the humour intersects with heartbreak provides The Ballad of Wallis Island's unexpected emotional power. "Just like music can take you back to a place or remind you of something and move you to tears, our film will hopefully make you laugh and cry," the British filmmaker said. "If you're invested in these characters, you're invested in the story and there's something relating to these characters that you see in your own life, the comedy is a kind of a stealthy way of accessing those emotions." "Long live independent film!" director Sean Baker exclaimed earlier this year after accepting the Academy Award for best picture for Anora. "This is my battle cry: Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen." But what chance of success does a small, quiet, independent film have at the movies in 2025? How does a gently funny comedy or a contemplative drama actually find an audience when cinemas are crammed with noisy special effects-filled blockbusters and streaming services are dropping shiny, star-spangled prestige miniseries every other day? Two tender little heartwarmers, both alike in dignity and delight, opening this week and next are hoping to lure Australians spoiled for in-home screen entertainment options and exhausted by popcorn Hollywood fare out of their couch grooves and back into cinemas. As another blockbuster season of rampaging dinosaurs and spandexed superheroes winds down, the heartfelt Australian family drama Kangaroo Island and the charming British character comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island get their moment to shine. Modestly budgeted but anchored in authentic emotions and filmed in wild and windswept locations on opposite sides of the planet, these are thoughtful stories for grown-ups. And it's not lost on their creators just how precious is the opportunity for their intimate storytelling to come to life on the big screen. "We certainly always wanted it to go there [cinemas] and we put in the effort in the scenery, in the right lenses, to make it a very cinematic experience, especially for a drama, which aren't often, you know, that cinematic," says Kangaroo Island director Timothy David. A bittersweet story of sibling rivalry, Kangaroo Island stars former Home & Away favourite Rebecca Breeds as an actress reluctantly returning from a failed bid for Hollywood fame to her estranged family's home on South Australia's ruggedly beautiful Kangaroo Island. Working with a script by his Canadian actress wife Sally Gifford, David's debut feature film marks a creative homecoming for the former Adelaide boy after 20 years in New York devising high-end international advertising campaigns as Tim Pike through his company Piro. The couple, who have split their time between the US and their own family getaway on Kangaroo Island since 2016, said their "entirely fictional" story of a fractured family brought back together by grief had been a shared "passion". "I think people have turned away a bit from going to the movies but, hopefully, this film will offer them something really different and enjoyable and thought provoking ... that examines bigger, more meaningful questions," David said. Said Gifford of their little film's big philosophical questions: "By middle age, and we're both in our middle age, you start to collect these wounds as you go through life, and how do you deal with that? Life is confusing to live because there is evidence that it's beautiful, but there's just as much evidence that it is horrific. So we wanted to explore that". At what point did Sally as writer hand over her script to Tim as director? Where did the writer's vision end and the director's vision begin? "When does the fighting start and the fun stop, you mean?" Gifford laughed. "No, I knew that it was Tim's baby once we locked a script. And I purposely, when we were shooting, stayed in a different house to Tim on the island. So I remembered that I was no longer the wife giving all my unasked-for opinions." David added: "We were pretty good at staying in our lanes and treating it like the industry does traditionally. She's the boss of the script but then, once we're filming, I have to be the boss of the vision". A small budget giving them just 23 days to shoot 100 scenes created what David described as the "really nice, happy accident" of a filming style that "was 100 per cent real". The spectacular backdrop of Kangaroo Island and its wildlife give the emotionally charged human drama a vivid sense of place. "The island is very much a zoo without fences," David said. "When you're there, you feel like you're an animal amongst animals. And that's because it's not developed. So, man's influence isn't as strong. I wanted to shoot it in a way that felt not just handheld, but it felt like we were always observing." For Australian audiences the mention of the island evokes memories of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 but the couple "wanted to touch on the fires without harping on it". "I did have a local say, 'Thank you for mentioning it, but thank you for not going too deep into it, exploiting it'," David said. Gifford: "We were just wanting it to be as true as possible". The couple hopes that quiet, adult focused, thoughtful little films like theirs will not be squeezed out by Hollywood studio movies and the endless scroll of streaming. "At this point any exposure for a quality film is good exposure," David said. "But it's incredibly hard getting a film like this into cinemas and there's not an economic model that makes this type of venture easy. So the environment of a cinema release, if the film is worthy, is pretty important." Gifford: "I think, too, the humour in the film is much more fun when you're in an audience with a big group of people laughing together." David admits worrying about AI and algorithms formulating "perfect films that just tick boxes". "I don't think there's going to be many films like this ever again ... because part of shooting in the way that I did, with happy accidents happening all over the place and being forced to be cheap and imperfect, helped this story about life being imperfect feel more real." While low-budget indie horror films were having a moment, the movie industry was not interested in adult dramas unless they were "stories about prostitutes that fall in love with Russian mobsters" (like Anora). "That's literally what they're asking for," David said. "But for us it was like, sorry, we're going to make this movie. It's what we want to see. So, if you're feeling like we were, that movies aren't really sticking with you after you leave the theatre, and you're like, 'Oh, there's nothing I want to watch', you've got to go and support these types of films and spread the word. It's really important to tell your friends to see it if you like it." Director James Griffiths says he's "incredibly grateful" that his film, The Ballad of Wallis Island, is screening in cinemas. When Griffiths and long-time performing duo Tom Basden and Tim Key were filming their quirky comedy on the picturesque coast of Carmarthenshire in Wales, they half expected it might be a streaming release. "That's the expectation for a lot of independent movies," he said. "Similar to the old straight to DVD, you kind of imagine that might be its life or its journey." But instead, after winning rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, the sweetly sentimental film is delighting cinema audiences around the world with its big-hearted, feel-good story of an eccentric loner (played by Key) who lures a disbanded folk duo (played by Basden and Carey Mulligan) to his remote island for a private reunion concert, forcing them to confront their past and rekindle their musical chemistry. "That collective feeling of being in a cinema and watching a comedy - there's nothing like it and I think we've potentially forgotten that," Griffiths said. "The horror scene at the moment is kind of healthy, isn't it? Because that's where kids go to get a scare, to get that physical reaction. I remember when I was younger going to see comedies in the cinema and loving that feeling ... you're with other people laughing together and you're riding that wave. We need that - to get together and to laugh together." He credits the film's success to the distribution and marketing of Universal and Focus Features, who championed the project. "People are moved when they're in a cinema," he said. "They might not be moved as much when they're at home, when there's all the other distractions. [At the cinema] you're locked in, aren't you? And the thing I'm interested in is how we're moved together." An expansion of a 2007 short film scripted by Basden and Key and directed by Griffiths, the movie features songs written by Basden and performed with Mulligan as the former folk duo McGwyer Mortimer. "Luckily, Tom is such a talented songwriter and very at home with those kinds of folk songs, so they feel authentic, which is so important for the film," Griffith said. Mulligan, married since 2012 to Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford, lends earthy authenticity too as the calm and contented Nell Mortimer opposite Basden as her uptight former lover and singing partner Herb McGwyer. Deadpan comedian Key's character, Charles, the oddball millionaire superfan desperate to have his all-time favourite musical heroes perform together again, is the funny but melancholy heart of the film. "The Charles character came from Tim's observation about those kinds of people who, like my mum, can walk into a room and just start speaking," Griffith said. "Charles is like the broken tap and he just doesn't stop wittering. Tim does this kind of lovely verbal gymnastics that's actually very poetic and seductive in a way." But the filmmakers knew Charles "had to be irritating to Herb, but not irritating to the audience". "We had to be very careful about how long we spent with just Charles and Herb and Charles being really annoying. Because whether it's the cab driver when you jump in a taxi and get unlucky, or it's your uncle or auntie or my mum, there's a point where you might say this is not fun anymore. It's only really when Nell comes in and enjoys Charles so much that we allow the audience to enjoy Charles ... and she gives us permission to go, actually, this guy is lovely, he's adorable." Key and Basden occasionally "ran amok" with their dry repartee and Key's corny puns. "What they're both really good at is staying in character and improvisation - their chemistry is undeniable," Griffiths said. "But, yes, sometimes I'd have to say 'cut' when the crew would start breaking down. Luckily we had quite a tight schedule. We shot the film in 18 days. And I've worked with them for nearly 20 years so we were quite disciplined about getting what we needed." And yet the first cut of the film ran to two-and-a-half hours. "Yeah, we lost an hour of puns," he laughed. "I think maybe the audience would thank us for that." How the humour intersects with heartbreak provides The Ballad of Wallis Island's unexpected emotional power. "Just like music can take you back to a place or remind you of something and move you to tears, our film will hopefully make you laugh and cry," the British filmmaker said. "If you're invested in these characters, you're invested in the story and there's something relating to these characters that you see in your own life, the comedy is a kind of a stealthy way of accessing those emotions." "Long live independent film!" director Sean Baker exclaimed earlier this year after accepting the Academy Award for best picture for Anora. "This is my battle cry: Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen." But what chance of success does a small, quiet, independent film have at the movies in 2025? How does a gently funny comedy or a contemplative drama actually find an audience when cinemas are crammed with noisy special effects-filled blockbusters and streaming services are dropping shiny, star-spangled prestige miniseries every other day? Two tender little heartwarmers, both alike in dignity and delight, opening this week and next are hoping to lure Australians spoiled for in-home screen entertainment options and exhausted by popcorn Hollywood fare out of their couch grooves and back into cinemas. As another blockbuster season of rampaging dinosaurs and spandexed superheroes winds down, the heartfelt Australian family drama Kangaroo Island and the charming British character comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island get their moment to shine. Modestly budgeted but anchored in authentic emotions and filmed in wild and windswept locations on opposite sides of the planet, these are thoughtful stories for grown-ups. And it's not lost on their creators just how precious is the opportunity for their intimate storytelling to come to life on the big screen. "We certainly always wanted it to go there [cinemas] and we put in the effort in the scenery, in the right lenses, to make it a very cinematic experience, especially for a drama, which aren't often, you know, that cinematic," says Kangaroo Island director Timothy David. A bittersweet story of sibling rivalry, Kangaroo Island stars former Home & Away favourite Rebecca Breeds as an actress reluctantly returning from a failed bid for Hollywood fame to her estranged family's home on South Australia's ruggedly beautiful Kangaroo Island. Working with a script by his Canadian actress wife Sally Gifford, David's debut feature film marks a creative homecoming for the former Adelaide boy after 20 years in New York devising high-end international advertising campaigns as Tim Pike through his company Piro. The couple, who have split their time between the US and their own family getaway on Kangaroo Island since 2016, said their "entirely fictional" story of a fractured family brought back together by grief had been a shared "passion". "I think people have turned away a bit from going to the movies but, hopefully, this film will offer them something really different and enjoyable and thought provoking ... that examines bigger, more meaningful questions," David said. Said Gifford of their little film's big philosophical questions: "By middle age, and we're both in our middle age, you start to collect these wounds as you go through life, and how do you deal with that? Life is confusing to live because there is evidence that it's beautiful, but there's just as much evidence that it is horrific. So we wanted to explore that". At what point did Sally as writer hand over her script to Tim as director? Where did the writer's vision end and the director's vision begin? "When does the fighting start and the fun stop, you mean?" Gifford laughed. "No, I knew that it was Tim's baby once we locked a script. And I purposely, when we were shooting, stayed in a different house to Tim on the island. So I remembered that I was no longer the wife giving all my unasked-for opinions." David added: "We were pretty good at staying in our lanes and treating it like the industry does traditionally. She's the boss of the script but then, once we're filming, I have to be the boss of the vision". A small budget giving them just 23 days to shoot 100 scenes created what David described as the "really nice, happy accident" of a filming style that "was 100 per cent real". The spectacular backdrop of Kangaroo Island and its wildlife give the emotionally charged human drama a vivid sense of place. "The island is very much a zoo without fences," David said. "When you're there, you feel like you're an animal amongst animals. And that's because it's not developed. So, man's influence isn't as strong. I wanted to shoot it in a way that felt not just handheld, but it felt like we were always observing." For Australian audiences the mention of the island evokes memories of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 but the couple "wanted to touch on the fires without harping on it". "I did have a local say, 'Thank you for mentioning it, but thank you for not going too deep into it, exploiting it'," David said. Gifford: "We were just wanting it to be as true as possible". The couple hopes that quiet, adult focused, thoughtful little films like theirs will not be squeezed out by Hollywood studio movies and the endless scroll of streaming. "At this point any exposure for a quality film is good exposure," David said. "But it's incredibly hard getting a film like this into cinemas and there's not an economic model that makes this type of venture easy. So the environment of a cinema release, if the film is worthy, is pretty important." Gifford: "I think, too, the humour in the film is much more fun when you're in an audience with a big group of people laughing together." David admits worrying about AI and algorithms formulating "perfect films that just tick boxes". "I don't think there's going to be many films like this ever again ... because part of shooting in the way that I did, with happy accidents happening all over the place and being forced to be cheap and imperfect, helped this story about life being imperfect feel more real." While low-budget indie horror films were having a moment, the movie industry was not interested in adult dramas unless they were "stories about prostitutes that fall in love with Russian mobsters" (like Anora). "That's literally what they're asking for," David said. "But for us it was like, sorry, we're going to make this movie. It's what we want to see. So, if you're feeling like we were, that movies aren't really sticking with you after you leave the theatre, and you're like, 'Oh, there's nothing I want to watch', you've got to go and support these types of films and spread the word. It's really important to tell your friends to see it if you like it." Director James Griffiths says he's "incredibly grateful" that his film, The Ballad of Wallis Island, is screening in cinemas. When Griffiths and long-time performing duo Tom Basden and Tim Key were filming their quirky comedy on the picturesque coast of Carmarthenshire in Wales, they half expected it might be a streaming release. "That's the expectation for a lot of independent movies," he said. "Similar to the old straight to DVD, you kind of imagine that might be its life or its journey." But instead, after winning rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, the sweetly sentimental film is delighting cinema audiences around the world with its big-hearted, feel-good story of an eccentric loner (played by Key) who lures a disbanded folk duo (played by Basden and Carey Mulligan) to his remote island for a private reunion concert, forcing them to confront their past and rekindle their musical chemistry. "That collective feeling of being in a cinema and watching a comedy - there's nothing like it and I think we've potentially forgotten that," Griffiths said. "The horror scene at the moment is kind of healthy, isn't it? Because that's where kids go to get a scare, to get that physical reaction. I remember when I was younger going to see comedies in the cinema and loving that feeling ... you're with other people laughing together and you're riding that wave. We need that - to get together and to laugh together." He credits the film's success to the distribution and marketing of Universal and Focus Features, who championed the project. "People are moved when they're in a cinema," he said. "They might not be moved as much when they're at home, when there's all the other distractions. [At the cinema] you're locked in, aren't you? And the thing I'm interested in is how we're moved together." An expansion of a 2007 short film scripted by Basden and Key and directed by Griffiths, the movie features songs written by Basden and performed with Mulligan as the former folk duo McGwyer Mortimer. "Luckily, Tom is such a talented songwriter and very at home with those kinds of folk songs, so they feel authentic, which is so important for the film," Griffith said. Mulligan, married since 2012 to Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford, lends earthy authenticity too as the calm and contented Nell Mortimer opposite Basden as her uptight former lover and singing partner Herb McGwyer. Deadpan comedian Key's character, Charles, the oddball millionaire superfan desperate to have his all-time favourite musical heroes perform together again, is the funny but melancholy heart of the film. "The Charles character came from Tim's observation about those kinds of people who, like my mum, can walk into a room and just start speaking," Griffith said. "Charles is like the broken tap and he just doesn't stop wittering. Tim does this kind of lovely verbal gymnastics that's actually very poetic and seductive in a way." But the filmmakers knew Charles "had to be irritating to Herb, but not irritating to the audience". "We had to be very careful about how long we spent with just Charles and Herb and Charles being really annoying. Because whether it's the cab driver when you jump in a taxi and get unlucky, or it's your uncle or auntie or my mum, there's a point where you might say this is not fun anymore. It's only really when Nell comes in and enjoys Charles so much that we allow the audience to enjoy Charles ... and she gives us permission to go, actually, this guy is lovely, he's adorable." Key and Basden occasionally "ran amok" with their dry repartee and Key's corny puns. "What they're both really good at is staying in character and improvisation - their chemistry is undeniable," Griffiths said. "But, yes, sometimes I'd have to say 'cut' when the crew would start breaking down. Luckily we had quite a tight schedule. We shot the film in 18 days. And I've worked with them for nearly 20 years so we were quite disciplined about getting what we needed." And yet the first cut of the film ran to two-and-a-half hours. "Yeah, we lost an hour of puns," he laughed. "I think maybe the audience would thank us for that." How the humour intersects with heartbreak provides The Ballad of Wallis Island's unexpected emotional power. "Just like music can take you back to a place or remind you of something and move you to tears, our film will hopefully make you laugh and cry," the British filmmaker said. "If you're invested in these characters, you're invested in the story and there's something relating to these characters that you see in your own life, the comedy is a kind of a stealthy way of accessing those emotions." "Long live independent film!" director Sean Baker exclaimed earlier this year after accepting the Academy Award for best picture for Anora. "This is my battle cry: Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen." But what chance of success does a small, quiet, independent film have at the movies in 2025? How does a gently funny comedy or a contemplative drama actually find an audience when cinemas are crammed with noisy special effects-filled blockbusters and streaming services are dropping shiny, star-spangled prestige miniseries every other day? Two tender little heartwarmers, both alike in dignity and delight, opening this week and next are hoping to lure Australians spoiled for in-home screen entertainment options and exhausted by popcorn Hollywood fare out of their couch grooves and back into cinemas. As another blockbuster season of rampaging dinosaurs and spandexed superheroes winds down, the heartfelt Australian family drama Kangaroo Island and the charming British character comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island get their moment to shine. Modestly budgeted but anchored in authentic emotions and filmed in wild and windswept locations on opposite sides of the planet, these are thoughtful stories for grown-ups. And it's not lost on their creators just how precious is the opportunity for their intimate storytelling to come to life on the big screen. "We certainly always wanted it to go there [cinemas] and we put in the effort in the scenery, in the right lenses, to make it a very cinematic experience, especially for a drama, which aren't often, you know, that cinematic," says Kangaroo Island director Timothy David. A bittersweet story of sibling rivalry, Kangaroo Island stars former Home & Away favourite Rebecca Breeds as an actress reluctantly returning from a failed bid for Hollywood fame to her estranged family's home on South Australia's ruggedly beautiful Kangaroo Island. Working with a script by his Canadian actress wife Sally Gifford, David's debut feature film marks a creative homecoming for the former Adelaide boy after 20 years in New York devising high-end international advertising campaigns as Tim Pike through his company Piro. The couple, who have split their time between the US and their own family getaway on Kangaroo Island since 2016, said their "entirely fictional" story of a fractured family brought back together by grief had been a shared "passion". "I think people have turned away a bit from going to the movies but, hopefully, this film will offer them something really different and enjoyable and thought provoking ... that examines bigger, more meaningful questions," David said. Said Gifford of their little film's big philosophical questions: "By middle age, and we're both in our middle age, you start to collect these wounds as you go through life, and how do you deal with that? Life is confusing to live because there is evidence that it's beautiful, but there's just as much evidence that it is horrific. So we wanted to explore that". At what point did Sally as writer hand over her script to Tim as director? Where did the writer's vision end and the director's vision begin? "When does the fighting start and the fun stop, you mean?" Gifford laughed. "No, I knew that it was Tim's baby once we locked a script. And I purposely, when we were shooting, stayed in a different house to Tim on the island. So I remembered that I was no longer the wife giving all my unasked-for opinions." David added: "We were pretty good at staying in our lanes and treating it like the industry does traditionally. She's the boss of the script but then, once we're filming, I have to be the boss of the vision". A small budget giving them just 23 days to shoot 100 scenes created what David described as the "really nice, happy accident" of a filming style that "was 100 per cent real". The spectacular backdrop of Kangaroo Island and its wildlife give the emotionally charged human drama a vivid sense of place. "The island is very much a zoo without fences," David said. "When you're there, you feel like you're an animal amongst animals. And that's because it's not developed. So, man's influence isn't as strong. I wanted to shoot it in a way that felt not just handheld, but it felt like we were always observing." For Australian audiences the mention of the island evokes memories of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 but the couple "wanted to touch on the fires without harping on it". "I did have a local say, 'Thank you for mentioning it, but thank you for not going too deep into it, exploiting it'," David said. Gifford: "We were just wanting it to be as true as possible". The couple hopes that quiet, adult focused, thoughtful little films like theirs will not be squeezed out by Hollywood studio movies and the endless scroll of streaming. "At this point any exposure for a quality film is good exposure," David said. "But it's incredibly hard getting a film like this into cinemas and there's not an economic model that makes this type of venture easy. So the environment of a cinema release, if the film is worthy, is pretty important." Gifford: "I think, too, the humour in the film is much more fun when you're in an audience with a big group of people laughing together." David admits worrying about AI and algorithms formulating "perfect films that just tick boxes". "I don't think there's going to be many films like this ever again ... because part of shooting in the way that I did, with happy accidents happening all over the place and being forced to be cheap and imperfect, helped this story about life being imperfect feel more real." While low-budget indie horror films were having a moment, the movie industry was not interested in adult dramas unless they were "stories about prostitutes that fall in love with Russian mobsters" (like Anora). "That's literally what they're asking for," David said. "But for us it was like, sorry, we're going to make this movie. It's what we want to see. So, if you're feeling like we were, that movies aren't really sticking with you after you leave the theatre, and you're like, 'Oh, there's nothing I want to watch', you've got to go and support these types of films and spread the word. It's really important to tell your friends to see it if you like it." Director James Griffiths says he's "incredibly grateful" that his film, The Ballad of Wallis Island, is screening in cinemas. When Griffiths and long-time performing duo Tom Basden and Tim Key were filming their quirky comedy on the picturesque coast of Carmarthenshire in Wales, they half expected it might be a streaming release. "That's the expectation for a lot of independent movies," he said. "Similar to the old straight to DVD, you kind of imagine that might be its life or its journey." But instead, after winning rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, the sweetly sentimental film is delighting cinema audiences around the world with its big-hearted, feel-good story of an eccentric loner (played by Key) who lures a disbanded folk duo (played by Basden and Carey Mulligan) to his remote island for a private reunion concert, forcing them to confront their past and rekindle their musical chemistry. "That collective feeling of being in a cinema and watching a comedy - there's nothing like it and I think we've potentially forgotten that," Griffiths said. "The horror scene at the moment is kind of healthy, isn't it? Because that's where kids go to get a scare, to get that physical reaction. I remember when I was younger going to see comedies in the cinema and loving that feeling ... you're with other people laughing together and you're riding that wave. We need that - to get together and to laugh together." He credits the film's success to the distribution and marketing of Universal and Focus Features, who championed the project. "People are moved when they're in a cinema," he said. "They might not be moved as much when they're at home, when there's all the other distractions. [At the cinema] you're locked in, aren't you? And the thing I'm interested in is how we're moved together." An expansion of a 2007 short film scripted by Basden and Key and directed by Griffiths, the movie features songs written by Basden and performed with Mulligan as the former folk duo McGwyer Mortimer. "Luckily, Tom is such a talented songwriter and very at home with those kinds of folk songs, so they feel authentic, which is so important for the film," Griffith said. Mulligan, married since 2012 to Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford, lends earthy authenticity too as the calm and contented Nell Mortimer opposite Basden as her uptight former lover and singing partner Herb McGwyer. Deadpan comedian Key's character, Charles, the oddball millionaire superfan desperate to have his all-time favourite musical heroes perform together again, is the funny but melancholy heart of the film. "The Charles character came from Tim's observation about those kinds of people who, like my mum, can walk into a room and just start speaking," Griffith said. "Charles is like the broken tap and he just doesn't stop wittering. Tim does this kind of lovely verbal gymnastics that's actually very poetic and seductive in a way." But the filmmakers knew Charles "had to be irritating to Herb, but not irritating to the audience". "We had to be very careful about how long we spent with just Charles and Herb and Charles being really annoying. Because whether it's the cab driver when you jump in a taxi and get unlucky, or it's your uncle or auntie or my mum, there's a point where you might say this is not fun anymore. It's only really when Nell comes in and enjoys Charles so much that we allow the audience to enjoy Charles ... and she gives us permission to go, actually, this guy is lovely, he's adorable." Key and Basden occasionally "ran amok" with their dry repartee and Key's corny puns. "What they're both really good at is staying in character and improvisation - their chemistry is undeniable," Griffiths said. "But, yes, sometimes I'd have to say 'cut' when the crew would start breaking down. Luckily we had quite a tight schedule. We shot the film in 18 days. And I've worked with them for nearly 20 years so we were quite disciplined about getting what we needed." And yet the first cut of the film ran to two-and-a-half hours. "Yeah, we lost an hour of puns," he laughed. "I think maybe the audience would thank us for that." How the humour intersects with heartbreak provides The Ballad of Wallis Island's unexpected emotional power. "Just like music can take you back to a place or remind you of something and move you to tears, our film will hopefully make you laugh and cry," the British filmmaker said. "If you're invested in these characters, you're invested in the story and there's something relating to these characters that you see in your own life, the comedy is a kind of a stealthy way of accessing those emotions."
The Advertiser
16 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Mad Max adds extra grunt to outback music festival
Mad Max fans dressed in leg braces, studded leather, masks and goggles are heading to Australia's biggest outback music festival for a post-apocalyptic-themed tribute to the Oscar-winning movie franchise. One of the highlights of the three-day Mundi Mundi Bash, the Mad Max themed dress-up gathering and competition sees punters - and the event's promoter Greg Donovan - channel their favourite characters from the iconic George Miller films, complete with burned-out cars. Open to all ages, the Mundi Mundi Bash is staged on Belmont Station, 9km north of Silverton and 35km from Broken Hill, NSW, and has become an annual pilgrimage for many. "We're officially at full capacity," Donovan says of the BYO, dog-friendly music and camping event, which swings into action on Thursday. The 2025 bash will celebrate its Mad Max heritage on Saturday with themed activities that reference Furiosa - the latest instalment of George Miller's franchise, which was filmed on the festival grounds. "We have an awesome line-up, but in many ways, the incredible landscape is the real headliner," Donovan says. "When you pair that with our iconic Aussie artists and give people the chance to camp under stars in the middle of nowhere - that's where the magic happens." Some 6000 vehicles and almost 15,000 punters converge on the plains to create the event's pop-up city - known as Mundiville - which Donovan says has a population "close to the size of Broken Hill itself". "The whole town has embraced us and each year our festival goers have more to experience in the region with businesses organising special activities and promotions in town pre and post the bash," he says. It appears the NSW government agrees - it has sealed the last 2.5 km of road into the station in time for the 2025 event. The bash will be the last dance for one of the festival's most popular traditions - the Nutbush Dance World Record Attempt, which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Melbourne musician Mick Thomas will open the bash's main stage performances on Thursday before evening sets by Kasey Chambers and The Angels. Friday's program includes shows by Birds of Tokyo and Missy Higgins and Iota's Ziggy - 50 Years of Bowie tribute, while Kate Ceberano, The Cat Empire and Hoodoo Gurus top the bill on Saturday. The Mundi Mundi Bash runs from Thursday to Saturday. Mad Max fans dressed in leg braces, studded leather, masks and goggles are heading to Australia's biggest outback music festival for a post-apocalyptic-themed tribute to the Oscar-winning movie franchise. One of the highlights of the three-day Mundi Mundi Bash, the Mad Max themed dress-up gathering and competition sees punters - and the event's promoter Greg Donovan - channel their favourite characters from the iconic George Miller films, complete with burned-out cars. Open to all ages, the Mundi Mundi Bash is staged on Belmont Station, 9km north of Silverton and 35km from Broken Hill, NSW, and has become an annual pilgrimage for many. "We're officially at full capacity," Donovan says of the BYO, dog-friendly music and camping event, which swings into action on Thursday. The 2025 bash will celebrate its Mad Max heritage on Saturday with themed activities that reference Furiosa - the latest instalment of George Miller's franchise, which was filmed on the festival grounds. "We have an awesome line-up, but in many ways, the incredible landscape is the real headliner," Donovan says. "When you pair that with our iconic Aussie artists and give people the chance to camp under stars in the middle of nowhere - that's where the magic happens." Some 6000 vehicles and almost 15,000 punters converge on the plains to create the event's pop-up city - known as Mundiville - which Donovan says has a population "close to the size of Broken Hill itself". "The whole town has embraced us and each year our festival goers have more to experience in the region with businesses organising special activities and promotions in town pre and post the bash," he says. It appears the NSW government agrees - it has sealed the last 2.5 km of road into the station in time for the 2025 event. The bash will be the last dance for one of the festival's most popular traditions - the Nutbush Dance World Record Attempt, which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Melbourne musician Mick Thomas will open the bash's main stage performances on Thursday before evening sets by Kasey Chambers and The Angels. Friday's program includes shows by Birds of Tokyo and Missy Higgins and Iota's Ziggy - 50 Years of Bowie tribute, while Kate Ceberano, The Cat Empire and Hoodoo Gurus top the bill on Saturday. The Mundi Mundi Bash runs from Thursday to Saturday. Mad Max fans dressed in leg braces, studded leather, masks and goggles are heading to Australia's biggest outback music festival for a post-apocalyptic-themed tribute to the Oscar-winning movie franchise. One of the highlights of the three-day Mundi Mundi Bash, the Mad Max themed dress-up gathering and competition sees punters - and the event's promoter Greg Donovan - channel their favourite characters from the iconic George Miller films, complete with burned-out cars. Open to all ages, the Mundi Mundi Bash is staged on Belmont Station, 9km north of Silverton and 35km from Broken Hill, NSW, and has become an annual pilgrimage for many. "We're officially at full capacity," Donovan says of the BYO, dog-friendly music and camping event, which swings into action on Thursday. The 2025 bash will celebrate its Mad Max heritage on Saturday with themed activities that reference Furiosa - the latest instalment of George Miller's franchise, which was filmed on the festival grounds. "We have an awesome line-up, but in many ways, the incredible landscape is the real headliner," Donovan says. "When you pair that with our iconic Aussie artists and give people the chance to camp under stars in the middle of nowhere - that's where the magic happens." Some 6000 vehicles and almost 15,000 punters converge on the plains to create the event's pop-up city - known as Mundiville - which Donovan says has a population "close to the size of Broken Hill itself". "The whole town has embraced us and each year our festival goers have more to experience in the region with businesses organising special activities and promotions in town pre and post the bash," he says. It appears the NSW government agrees - it has sealed the last 2.5 km of road into the station in time for the 2025 event. The bash will be the last dance for one of the festival's most popular traditions - the Nutbush Dance World Record Attempt, which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Melbourne musician Mick Thomas will open the bash's main stage performances on Thursday before evening sets by Kasey Chambers and The Angels. Friday's program includes shows by Birds of Tokyo and Missy Higgins and Iota's Ziggy - 50 Years of Bowie tribute, while Kate Ceberano, The Cat Empire and Hoodoo Gurus top the bill on Saturday. The Mundi Mundi Bash runs from Thursday to Saturday. Mad Max fans dressed in leg braces, studded leather, masks and goggles are heading to Australia's biggest outback music festival for a post-apocalyptic-themed tribute to the Oscar-winning movie franchise. One of the highlights of the three-day Mundi Mundi Bash, the Mad Max themed dress-up gathering and competition sees punters - and the event's promoter Greg Donovan - channel their favourite characters from the iconic George Miller films, complete with burned-out cars. Open to all ages, the Mundi Mundi Bash is staged on Belmont Station, 9km north of Silverton and 35km from Broken Hill, NSW, and has become an annual pilgrimage for many. "We're officially at full capacity," Donovan says of the BYO, dog-friendly music and camping event, which swings into action on Thursday. The 2025 bash will celebrate its Mad Max heritage on Saturday with themed activities that reference Furiosa - the latest instalment of George Miller's franchise, which was filmed on the festival grounds. "We have an awesome line-up, but in many ways, the incredible landscape is the real headliner," Donovan says. "When you pair that with our iconic Aussie artists and give people the chance to camp under stars in the middle of nowhere - that's where the magic happens." Some 6000 vehicles and almost 15,000 punters converge on the plains to create the event's pop-up city - known as Mundiville - which Donovan says has a population "close to the size of Broken Hill itself". "The whole town has embraced us and each year our festival goers have more to experience in the region with businesses organising special activities and promotions in town pre and post the bash," he says. It appears the NSW government agrees - it has sealed the last 2.5 km of road into the station in time for the 2025 event. The bash will be the last dance for one of the festival's most popular traditions - the Nutbush Dance World Record Attempt, which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Melbourne musician Mick Thomas will open the bash's main stage performances on Thursday before evening sets by Kasey Chambers and The Angels. Friday's program includes shows by Birds of Tokyo and Missy Higgins and Iota's Ziggy - 50 Years of Bowie tribute, while Kate Ceberano, The Cat Empire and Hoodoo Gurus top the bill on Saturday. The Mundi Mundi Bash runs from Thursday to Saturday.
