Windcatcher inspires at Australian Parliament House

The cinema at Australian Parliament House was filled with laughter at a special advance screening of the new family film Windcatcher, hosted by The Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke and ACTF Chair Helen Silver.

Australian screen icons Kelton Pell and Pia Miranda were joined by their young cast mates Max Turner and Coco Greenstone, who were relatively unknown to guests at the pre-screening reception but emerged from the theatre as stars. Following the film, it was heartwarming to see Coco (Daisy) and Max (Keithy) surrounded by Canberra school children eagerly requesting photographs and autographs with the young actors, who were equally excited to be recognized.

Parents, grandparents and children alike were delighted by Windcatcher, with the sounds of laughter filling the Parliament House cinema as the film screened, and many guests drying their eyes as they emerged afterwards.

Windcatcher follows the unlikely friendship between Percy Boy, newcomer Keithy Cobb and the spirited Daisy Hawkins, as they band together to take the local school sports day title from a group of grade five bullies in their small country town. As Percy Boy trains with the help of his mates, he discovers his supernatural ability to see Lost Souls – a gift passed down from his grandfather. Percy Boy must overcome his fears, prove his resilience and become a force to be reckoned with.

From writer Boyd Quakawoot, director Tanith Glynn-Maloney and produced by Meg O’Connell and Drew Grove, Windcatcher features a talented cast which includes award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Jessica Mauboy – her first film since The Sapphires 12 years ago – and new talent Lennox Monaghan in the title role.

In his speech, Minister for the Arts Tony Burke highlighted the vital role locally made children’s screen content plays in our lives.

“Sometimes when we talk about Australian stories we talk about the big, grand stories, the big, dramatic stories that deal with huge cultural moments in Australian history… the stories that you’ll see today are the stories that we need to hear. Because from a child’s perspective, the big event in your life is dealing with the bully at school. The big event in your year is the school athletics carnival. They’re the big moments, and to have stories that speak to that means that people grow up in Australia always seeing themselves and knowing that their story is worth telling. The Australian Children’s Television Foundation has always been dedicated to that.

“The last few years, children’s content has fallen off a cliff since changes in the obligation rules… I want people to spend their whole lives growing up in Australia knowing that their own experience and their own story matters. You can have that on a whole lot of different art forms, but if it’s not there on the screen, then people can miss the other messages. Screen is the great equalizer. No matter where you are, in different ways you are going to have access to it, and people need to know their story is worth telling. People need to know that when they look at a screen, that from time to time they see themselves.”

Director Tanith Glynn-Maloney said: “Representation on screen matters… It’s really hard to get films like this up. That’s why these partnerships – the Stan and ACTF partnership – are so important, because it does give us the opportunity to give Australian kids the access to long form storytelling, and so for the future of Australian storytelling, thank you.”

In Mamamia, Tara Watson wrote: “This is the kind of coming-of-age tale that many of us were raised on, in the ilk of Stand By Me, My Girl or Now and Then, but told through an Australian lens… The result is a loveable family film that is a heartwarming celebration of friendship and embracing our heritage. Windcatcher will make you want to hold a family movie night.”

Windcatcher is now streaming exclusively on Stan.

From Unless Pictures and Every Cloud Productions (Eternus Group Company), the Stan Original Film Windcatcher is produced by Meg O’Connell (Upright S2, Retrograde) and Drew Grove (Stan Original Films A Sunburnt Christmas and Christmas Ransom). Executive produced by Bernadette O’Mahony for ACTF, and Cailah Scobie, Donna Chang, and Rachel Okine for Stan. Major production investment from Screen Australia and ACTF in association with VicScreen, the Post Lounge, and Stan. Developed with the support of the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland. ACTF will handle worldwide distribution.