Uncork’d Entertainment is off to a new start this week announcing the U.S release of debut director Jason Raftopoulos’s West Of Sunshine. The Aussie crime thriller opens January 18 in select theaters followed by an VoD release on January 22.
A captivating social-realist story, the celebrated film – hot from an outstanding response, complete with standing ovation, at the Venice Film Festival – tells of a father who has less than a day to pay back a gambling debt, while looking after his young son.
Featuring powerful performances from Damian Hill (“The Leftovers”), Ty Perham, Arthur Angel (Red Dog), Kat Stewart (“Underbelly”), Eliza D’Souza (Predestination) and Kaarin Fairfax (“Picnic at Hanging Rock”), Welcome to Sunshine is a “nigh-perfect slice of inner city Australian cinema” (Filmink) that befittingly finds its home alongside Aussie crime drama classics like Chopper and Two Hands.
Separated from his family and caught in a cycle of gambling and debt, Jim has less than a day to repay a violent loan shark. His day is turned upside down when he must look after his young son. Jim’s relationship with his son is tested as his plans to pay back the loan fail. When his last desperate effort to repay the debt puts his son’s life at risk, he must make a choice between his past and a second chance at life.
