Australian feature film We Bury the Dead has begun production today, confirmed Screenwest and Screen Australia in an announcement.
The film, described as a ‘survival thriller’, features Australian actors Brenton Thwaites and Mark Coles Smith alongside Daisy Ridley, known best for playing Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Directed by Zak Hilditch (These Final Hours, 1922), the film follows Ava (Ridley), who searches for her missing husband amidst a military experiment fallout, but becomes entangled in a supernatural mystery as the corpses she handles start displaying signs of life.
Filming will span Albany and the Great Southern region of Western Australia over the next five weeks.
We Bury the Dead is produced by Kelvin Munro and Grant Sputore of The Penguin Empire, Ross Dinerstein of Campfire Studios, and Joshua Harris and Mark Fasano of Gramercy Park Media. Funding for the project has been secured from various sources, including Screen Australia, Screenwest, and the WA Regional Screen Fund.
We Bury the Dead marks Hilditch’s fourth feature film, with his most recent being the Netflix horror film Rattlesnake (2019).
Read: Australian film & TV projects in production in 2024
Screen Australia Director of Content, Grainne Brunsdon, expressed excitement over the project, praising the ensemble cast and Hilditch’s visionary direction.
‘Congratulations to the We Bury the Dead team on kicking off production in the beautiful Great Southern region!’ said CEO of Screenwest, Rikki Lea Bestall. ‘2024 is well and truly shaping up to be a huge year for scripted production in Western Australia, and we look forward to seeing our talented, hardworking WA creatives and crew deliver this exciting thriller to audiences worldwide’.
From the set, director Zak Hilditch shared his enthusiasm: ‘It’s so exciting to finally get cameras rolling here in Albany, which is proving to not only be an incredible backdrop for our film but a great place to work. The local community has opened their doors – literally and metaphorically – to welcome us and our incredible cast. With Daisy and now Brenton and Mark, we’ve got an incredible roster of talent to bring this story to life’.
We Bury the Dead does not yet have a release date. Stay tuned for more updates.
