- David Vincent Smith's feature film directorial debut starts shooting this month
- He Ain't Heavy inspired by true events
- West Coast Visions Initiative provided $750,000 production funding
Award-winning Western Australian writer/director David Vincent Smith has reunited with Perth-based producer Jess Parker to create a gritty feature film - He Ain't Heavy - inspired by true events.
He Ain't Heavy tells the story of a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction. It's based on Vincent Smith and Parker's previous short film collaboration I'm Not Hurting You, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival and screened at numerous local and international film festivals. The pair also worked together on the short drama Featherweight.
Leila George (Animal Kingdom, The Kid, Mortal Engines) appears in the film alongside her mother - award-winning Australian actor Greta Scacchi (White Mischief, Presumed Innocent, Looking for Alibrandi).
Sam Corlett (The Dry, Vikings: Valhalla, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) is Max, the troubled son and brother at the centre of this tense family drama.
The film begins shooting this month, supported by major investment from Lotterywest and Screenwest through the West Coast Visions Initiative.
As stated by Acting Culture and the Arts Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The McGowan Government is extremely proud of Western Australia's growing screen industry.
"We are committed to investing in high calibre, locally made productions that showcase the very best Western Australian talent.
"The screen industry employs hundreds of people for each production and that is why we are investing in the development of a screen production facility in Malaga."
