It was last year that director Stuart Willis’s critically acclaimed Australian sci-fi indie thriller, Restoration, took to the Nine Network before hitting air waves via Virgin Australia and Sky’s ZONE network and VoD service, STAN, several months later. As of last week, the film now has international representation with Midnight Snack Productions signing a deal with Paris-based sales agent, Rockzeline for its release in other markets.
Restoration clocks in at 50 minutes and will be sold as so, as well as an episodic package ranging from 2 parts at 25 minutes each to 5 at 10 minutes accordingly as per Midnight Snack’s flexible approach for the film’s creative and multiplatform rollout release. The film stars Grant Cartwright and critically-acclaimed actor Craig McLachlan (The Doctor Blake Mysteries) and centers on the story of a man, Oliver Klein, who awakes after a routine backup with his memories restored into a body that is not his own, set in a near-future world where humans have their memories downloaded for backup via a new and dangerous technology.
Nadia Townsend (Brock, City Homicide), Stephen Carracher (Vanished), Rosie Lourde (Starting From Now, Embedded), Elizabeth Nabben (Winners & Losers) and Ailís Logan (Alvin’s Harmonious World of Opposites) round out the cast. The deal was negotiated by Midnight Snack’s own, producer Toby Gibson alongside co-producer Simon de Bruyn for a worldwide release excluding Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, where the film has already secured distribution.
“Rockzeline is proud to include RESTORATION in the top bracket of shows we represent and along with sales in its current format, we hope to develop the show internationally as a premium long form series in the future – such is the impression it left on us,” says Rockzeline co-founder Antoine Disle.
“We look to work with the most exciting up-and-coming filmmakers and the RESTORATION team more than fit that criteria. We are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”
“RESTORATION couldn’t be in better hands for the international market. Rockzeline has keen eye for commercial, innovative and bold content,” says Gibson.
“They clearly understand the value of producing a portfolio of formats and lengths in order to maximise audience potential by providing broadcasters and platforms with greater flexibility as to how they release, particularly for SVOD and digital,” he says.
The film itself earned cinematographer Hugh Turral a Gold Australian Cinematographers Society Award at the Vic/Tas ACS Awards last year. The film’s editor, Cindy Clarkson scored a 2016 Ellie Award nomination from the Australian Screen Editors Guild
