Beneath Clouds

Beneath Clouds

DVD cover
Directed by Ivan Sen
Produced by Teresa-Jayne Hanlon
Written by Ivan Sen
Starring Dannielle Hall
Damian Pitt
Music by Ivan Sen
Alister Spence
Cinematography Allan Collins
Edited by Karen Johnson
Release dates
2002
Running time
90 minutes
Country Australia
Language English
Budget A$2.5 million
Box office A $548,416 (Australia)

Beneath Clouds is a 2002 film by Australian director Ivan Sen. It is the feature film debut by the two lead actors. Damian Pitt was approached by Sen on the streets of Moree, New South Wales, and had never acted before. Dannielle Hall was cast through a more traditional method, via an audition tape. Much of the support cast were local residents from Pitt's hometown of Moree.

Plot synopsis

Lena has an absent Irish father she longs to see and an Aboriginal mother she finds disgusting. When she breaks away, she meets up with petty criminal Vaughn who's just escaped from low security prison to reluctantly visit his dying mother. Blonde and light-skinned, Lena remains in denial about her Aboriginal heritage; Vaughn is an angry young man with a grudge against all whites. An uneasy relationship begins to form as they hit the road heading to Sydney, taking them on a journey that's as emotional as it is physical, as revealing as it is desperate.

Initially the two reluctant travelling companions are suspicious and wary of each other, but their journey, mostly by foot and the odd lift, builds an understanding between them. The film follows its creator's (Ivan Sen's) own experiences growing up in Inverell, NSW with an Aboriginal mother and a European father who was not around.

Production

The film was financed by the New South Wales Film Commission and the Australian Film Finance Corporation.

Reception

The Rotten Tomatoes Want-To-See score is currently 79%, but no official approval rating has been announced to this day. Only two film critics have posted reviews on the site, both positive. Urban Cinefile Critics commented "Displaying about equal amounts of naiveté, passion and talent, Beneath Clouds establishes Sen as a filmmaker of considerable potential". Andrew Howe of eCritic.com called it "One of the few feature films to canvass the issues facing the Aboriginal community from an adolescent perspective".

Accolades

Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Awards
(2003 AFI Awards)
Best Film Teresa-Jayne Hanlon Nominated
Best Direction Ivan Sen Won
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Dannielle Hall Nominated
Best Cinematography Allan Collins Won
Best Original Music Score Alister Spence Nominated
Ivan Sen Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival First Movie Award Won
Golden Berlin Bear Nominated
New Talent Award Dannielle Hall Won
FCCA Awards Best Female Actor Nominated
Best Director Ivan Sen Nominated
Best Cinematography Allan Collins Nominated
Best Music Score Alister Spence Nominated
Ivan Sen Nominated
Inside Film Awards Best Direction Won
Best Actress Dannielle Hall Nominated
Best Cinematography Allan Collins Won
Best Editing Karen Johnson Nominated

Box office

Beneath Clouds grossed $548,416 at the box office in Australia.[1]

See also

References

External links

Beneath Clouds at the Internet Movie Database

Beneath Clouds at Anything Oz or New Zealand film and television web site.

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