Patricia Whitton and Angela Swan have been given roles in a new film by Ivan Sen, the director of the Toomelah movie.
Ivan Sen, director of highly acclaimed films Toomelah and Beneath Clouds, is making another film starring young actors from Moree.
The film crew travelled through town to pick up locals Angela Swan and Patricia Whitton last Wednesday ahead of a 10-day filming stint in Winton, QLD.
Sen’s previous films have won a host of awards including the UNESCO Asia Pacific Fim Screen award (Toomelah) and the Berlin Film Festival (Beneath Clouds.
Toomelah was also screened at Cannes Film Festival.
The two girls will play characters in the murder mystery film titled “Mystery Road”.
The film’s plot has been kept under wraps for filming, but marketing manager Jan Van Roey told the Champion the film would revolve around the murder of a schoolgirl.The film will also feature the Connors family who also starred in the Toomelah film.
Angela’s mother Angie Swan said Mr Sen had come to Moree in April looking for locals with a talent for acting who might like to be in the film.
Angela and Patricia both did an audition for Mr Sen which required them to read lines from an interview scene with actor Aaron Peterson (of City Homicide fame) who would also be in the film.
Although she is only 15, Angela said she was not intimidated during the audition.
“I just acted normally. It didn’t really worry me,” she said.
Angela then had to do another audition in June before she was told she had secured the part.
The actors have not yet been told who their characters will be.
Michael Connors, from Toomelah, said Mr Sen had a very relaxed filming style, often allowing the actors to improvise their lines.
He said the young actors had a lot of great experiences ahead of them.
“(Making the film) is enjoyable, and you don’t know what it’s like until you try it. You go to places you’ve never been and see things you’ve never been able to see before.”
A release date for the film is yet to be confirmed.