by FilmInk Staff
Australian Arthouse Horror-Comedy “Break A Leg” Set For World Premiere at SXSW Sydney on October 16
The Australian independent feature Break A Leg has been officially selected to premiere at SXSW Sydney 2025, screening on October 16 at Palace Central.
Written by and starring Kaitlyn Boyé (Home and Away, The Furies) and Brendan Kelly (Broken Pieces, Dying Art), Break A Leg is a quirky arthouse horror comedy that follows Patrick Flynn, an aspiring actor (emphasis on aspiring), as he arrives for the audition of his career… Only to find himself locked inside the theatre alongside fellow auditionee and disgraced former child star, Molly McGrath.
With no sign of the director, the two are forced to confront ego, identity, and their own unravelling psyches. A sharp, self-aware exploration of the artist’s burden within the entertainment industry, Break A Leg blurs the line between comedy and tragedy, reality and illusion, much like the theatre itself.
“Break A Leg is about the duality of the artist, playing with the tension between creation and validation.” says writer, director and co-actor Kaitlyn Boyé, making her feature directorial debut. “The horror comes from what we become when we feed these illusions that we build. The ways in which we exploit and eat each other alive. The film starts as an audition and becomes a breakdown… or maybe the other way around.”
Shot entirely on location at The Q Theatre in Canberra, Break A Leg embraces the theatre form both visually and tonally, transforming a single location into a psychological maze. The film was produced with the support of The Q through Q The Locals, and features cinematography by Miguel Gallagher (Theatre Of The Dead, Fragments)
Boyé, who recently won Best Screenplay at the Canberra Short Film Festival and Best Mid-Length Film at the Sydney Women’s International Film Festival for Straight On ’Til Mourning, brings her distinctive voice to the feature space with a meta ride through ambition, delusion, and the messy magic of making art.
On the process, co-star and co-writer Brendan Kelly shares “storytelling is what I find the most comfortable part of film, there was never a dull moment of doubt when writing or acting. It always felt cohesive and meaningful. No matter the part of the process, there has always been fun, laughing, panic, support and a way forward.”
“Break A Leg captures that struggle every artist knows too well: fighting to create while navigating systems built to control what gets made and who gets heard. The film comes from the courage to make something real without waiting for permission.” says lead producer Bianca K. Nuñez. “Indie filmmaking is how we take the power back.”
The SXSW Sydney selection marks a major milestone for the filmmaking duo and the Canberra film community, following a grassroots journey of independent production and post production fundraising through the Australian Cultural Fund.
Break A Leg will screen as part of the Official Selection at SXSW Sydney 2025 on October 16 at Palace Central, and will feature a live Q&A with the filmmakers.
Tickets here
Follow the film’s journey on Instagram @breakalegfilm.
