by FilmInk Staff
Haven’t You Done Well Productions (HYDW), founded by Aunty Donna, embarks on its first feature film, CRIME CASTERS – a high-octane crime adventure – set to shoot this month in and around Melbourne.
Directed by award-winning Max Miller (Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café, Optics), written by Scott Limbrick (At Home Alone Together) and produced by Monique Mulcahy, Austin Hayden and Georgia Mappin. CRIME CASTERS follows Claire, a frustrated young journalist whose scheme to produce a true-crime podcast in a small country town is derailed when she witnesses a policeman dumping a body. Pulled into a world of conspiracies and cover-ups, she must face a series of increasingly bizarre events involving sinkholes, UFOlogists, missing podcasters and a dead billionaire – all while managing a perfectionist audio engineer.
Director Max Miller said, “Growing up as a passionate comedy fan and a wannabe filmmaker there has been no bigger dream for me than to direct a comedy feature. CRIME CASTERS is an hilariously wild and fun ride that takes all the experience I’ve had in comedy to the big screen. It’s also a genre and style of film we’ve been missing and we have the perfect team to bring this to life.”
The love child of true-crime podcast culture, small-town mystery, crime caper and action-comedy CRIME CASTERS is produced by Haven’t You Done Well Productions with support from Screen Australia, VicScreen, Ludo Studio and The Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund.
Screen Australia Director of Narrative Content Louise Gough said, “It’s utterly brilliant to see the experienced creative team behind the celebrated comedy export Aunty Donna make the leap from online and television to their debut feature film. With their trademark quirky and unmistakably Australian humour, CRIME CASTERS blends small-town mystery, conspiracy theories and the globally popular true crime genre into a comedy that is sure to entertain audiences both here and around the world.”
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said, “VicScreen is thrilled to support Aunty Donna and the Haven’t You Done Well team as they make the leap from the small screen to the big screen with their first feature film, CRIME CASTERS. It’s a brilliantly funny and gloriously absurd adventure that comedy fans are going to adore. This is exactly the kind of bold, original Victorian storytelling that puts our creative talent on the world stage, and we can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
HYDW has built a reputation for producing bold, anarchic comedy across film, television, online and podcasts, with credits including Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun and Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe. They have also established online platform Grouse House TV as a dedicated home for comedy creators and an important incubator for emerging talent. Now CRIME CASTERS launches that talent and voice onto the big screen. Shooting commences in August with cast to be announced soon.
Production credit: CRIME CASTERS is a Haven’t You Done Well production. Major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with VicScreen. Financed with support from MIFF. Local distribution by Rialto. International sales by Blue Finch Films Releasing.
Image: [clockwise from top left] Georgia Mappin, Austin Hayden, Max Miller, Monique Mulcahy
