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Michael Shanks, a Melbourne-based indie filmmaker behind the body horror film Together, has seen his movie acquired by US production company Neon in a deal understood to be worth US$15-$17 million ($24-27 million) following its premiere to a global audience at the Sundance Film Festival.
Starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, Together follows a couple’s move to the countryside and how a supernatural encounter begins “an extreme transformation of their love, lives and their flesh”. Neon will manage the US distribution of the movie, in addition to international sales rights in Berlin.
Brie and Franco were based in Carlton during filming, with shooting predominantly taking place at Docklands Studios Melbourne. Other filming locations across the state included Olinda, Sassafras, Upwey, Sherbrooke, Port Melbourne, Melbourne’s CBD, Mount Evelyn and Ivanhoe.
The film made its premiere to a global audience on January 26 in the midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in the US state of Utah across Park City, Salt Lake City and the Sundance Resort in Provo.
In an interview with VicScreen, Shanks said he was committed to having the film made in Melbourne alongside his producer Mike Cowap.
“We always wanted Together to be an Australian production. There are financial reasons for that, but I also really liked the idea of making this film in my hometown,” he explained.
“It's true, we do have world-class facilities and world-class crew here…if I'm ever lucky enough to make anything else I'd really try and keep it in Melbourne.”
US production company Tango, media firm Picturestart, and independent film production and sales agency 30WEST - a majority stakeholder in Neon - financed the film.
Supporting the production process, VicScreen offered Shanks assistance through the Victorian Production Fund, in addition to providing detailed VFX sequences produced by UK visual effects company Framestore via the agency’s Victorian Digital Screen Rebate.
The news of Shanks’ success comes one month after it was revealed that Irish actor Liam Neeson would return to Victoria to film action-thriller The Mongoose, with filming taking place across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Backed by VicScreen's Victorian Screen Incentive, the project is expected to generate 453 screen industry jobs and inject more than $19 million into the economy.
Queensland is the filming location of a reimagined version of the 1997 film Anaconda, starring comedic actors Jack Black and Paul Rudd.
Neon has scheduled an August 1 theatrical release of Together in North America.
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