by FilmInk Staff
Survival, Empathy, and Feminine Brutality Collide in a Climate-Ravaged Australia
Independent production company Sneaky Films announces the premiere of BUNNY, a haunting and visceral new Australian feature film premiering at SXSW Sydney. Directed by James Branson and produced by Taylor Thompson, the film is set in the aftermath of a climate-collapsed Australia and follows a young woman who roams the ruins of a world she never got to grow up in. This is a world of old books and B-movies with Bunny now alone, living in a shack she once shared with her father.
BUNNY stars Kate Wilson as Bunny (making her debut), Saxon Cook as The Hitchhiker and Ontrei as The Intruder. Australian Country Music star Andy Gollidge flexes his acting chops to bring to life the role of The Father. The brainchild of writer and director James Branson, this post-apocalyptic psychological thriller includes a twist; with supplies growing scarce, there is nothing left to hunt except other people. What begins as a survival story becomes a meditation on unapologetic self-discovery and feminine brutality. Made with precision and purpose, BUNNY reflects Sneaky Films’ commitment to high-value storytelling, leveraging its lean production model to deliver cinematic results while elevating new voices.
“I was interested in exploring what would happen after the inevitable climate disaster that’s coming our way. How would individuals behave when there’s nothing left and we have to fight for scraps?” said James Branson, writer, director, and co-founder of Sneaky Films. “There are plenty of great films that explore those themes on a large scale, but I thought zooming in to just a few individuals in such a world could be fertile ground for a new take on the genre.”
The feature was filmed in Tallong, NSW, a region once ravaged by the 2020 bushfires, where pyrocumulonimbus “fire clouds” descended on the town. These clouds form in the smoke plumes of large fires, volcanic eruptions, or even nuclear blasts, with their intense heat leaving the Earth scorched. The result was an ideal setting for a post-apocalyptic, traumatised Australia. Other locations included an abandoned power station discovered by the Director’s daughter on an #abandonedplaces search (popular on platforms like TikTok).
“This film is about a young woman who happens to the world rather than the other way around,” said Taylor Thompson, producer and co-founder of Sneaky Films. “As a University of Texas at Austin alum, showcasing BUNNY at SXSW Sydney feels like a full-circle moment. It’s a dream come true to be a part of the SXSW spirit here at home in Sydney, and I am looking forward to sharing BUNNY with audiences craving something raw, genre-bending, and deeply cinematic.”
RAW, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, and the original MAD MAX provided visual and thematic influences for the film. With a distinctly feminist bent, the world of ruin and rebirth explores the haunting question: what remains of humanity after the end? BUNNY combines the stark realism and dreamlike tone of a scavenged B-movie. The film’s original score was composed by James Branson and Ôntrei, with an original track by Andy Golledge.
BUNNY will screen at SXSW Sydney, the Asia-Pacific edition of the renowned South by Southwest Festival running for seven days in October from the 13th. The event blends a technology and innovation conference with festivals for music, screen (film), and games. A screening will be held on Tuesday, October 14 with an encore screening on Friday, October 17 at Palace Central, followed by Q&As with the filmmakers and cast. Additional Q&A screenings are being planned for Friday, November 7 at the Ritz (Randwick) and Friday, November 14 at Lido Cinemas (Melbourne). Tickets available now.
