Intro
Media release
Photo: Minister Templeman, Carolyn Turnbull from Tourism WA, Producer James Grandison from Arenamedia, Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest CEO on the set of The Surfer. Photograph by David Dare Parker
The film, starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, has been filmed in Yallingup and saw 150 Western Australians employed as cast, crew and extras.
As well as the employment boost, the production resulted in more than $4.85 million being spent in WA.
The Surfer is a Stan Original Film, in partnership with CinemaPlus, who will be releasing the film theatrically in Australia. The film sees an impressive Australian ensemble cast join Nicolas Cage: Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Nicholas Cassim (Mr Inbetween), Miranda Tapsell (The Dry), Alexander Bertrand (Australian Gangster), Justin Rosniak (Last King of the Cross), Rahel Romahn (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Finn Little (Yellowstone), and Charlotte Maggi (Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child on Fire).
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) and written by Thomas Martin, it is an Australian/Irish co-production by Tea Shop Productions, Arenamedia, Lovely Productions and Gramercy Park Media with support from Screenwest through the WA Production Attraction Incentive
The film’s producer Robert Connolly has been behind a large number of projects in WA including Blueback, Sweet As, Paper Planes, The Turning and These Final Hours.
In The Surfer, when a man returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the U.S. he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates he is brought right to the edge of his sanity and his entire identity is thrown into question.
Having Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage in WA is a coup in itself, resulting in national and international media coverage of our great state. On top of that, audiences all over the world – and movie makers – will get to see Western Australia on the big screen again.
Locally there has been employment and economic benefits with 150 Western Australians employed as cast, crew and extras, and qualifying WA expenditure of $4,851,825.
All in all, this is a great outcome and return on investment for the financial support provided by the State Government through the Production Attraction Incentive via Screenwest.
Photo: Nicolas Cage in a scene from The Surfer. Photograph by Radek Ladczuk.
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