Damien Lay to Search for Charles Kingsford Smith

February 09, 2009 15:01

Award winning documentary filmmaker Damien Lay is set to start shooting his first feature film, The Lost Anzac, off the coast of Myanmar on February 18. This feature film, shot entirely on 35mm film, dramatises the life of one of Australia’s greatest heroes and one of the world’s most renowned aviators, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who reportedly went down over the Bay of Bengal in 1935. Set for a theatrical release in 2010, the film will coincide with the 75th anniversary of his disappearance, and features dramatic re-enactments of key events that took place in this area.

Shooting on location, Lay will also be simultaneously leading a full scale search expedition for the missing plane and its two pilots, footage of which will be captured for a separate television documentary special called Final Flight of the Cross.

This expedition is also of special significance, as Lay has received unprecedented cooperation from the government of Myanmar in planning the Joint Myanmar Australian Lady Southern Cross Search Expedition, the largest foreign expedition approved by the Government of the Union of Myanmar.

As Damien Lay’s first theatrical release, The Lost Anzac will make use of dramatised factual story telling to create a unique insight into one of the world’s most revered historical figures. The title refers to Kingsford Smith’s time as an infantry soldier and pilot during WWI, and follows his indomitable ANZAC spirit as he goes on to achieve a record number of ‘firsts’ as a pioneer of aviation.

Contact details:

Location: (Nationwide)

Contact: The Lost Anzac