By Dov Kornits
Aussie writer, director and producer Mitchell Law makes his big screen debut with the youth comedy drama Juvenescence, which follows four Aussie high-school students navigating their final days before graduation.
When it comes to rude, raucous teen flicks, Australia is sorely lacking. Debut feature filmmaker Mitchell Law is now set to redress the balance with Juvenescence, an adolescent comedy set around Sydney’s beaches. Featuring a mix of young up-and-comers (Massimo Di Napoli, Dominic Cutrone, Max Mohr, Jonah Nethercott) and trusty old hands (Jonny Pasvolsky, Peter Phelps, Denise Roberts, and Felix Williamson, who also co-scripts) – all behaving very, very badly – the amusingly naughty Juvenescence tracks the last days of school for a group of friends…and their equally adrift parents and teachers.
How did all roads lead to you making an almost two-hour long feature film as your first effort at directing? Or is it? Tell us more.
“With no film school training other than completing The Advanced Diploma Of Screen Acting at Screenwise, I had done approximately three years’ worth of short films as an actor and 1st AD before commencing. I was very meticulous in observing the directors, DOPs, logistics, operations and complications of a film shoot. From there, I had the confidence to execute shoot days and mitigate risk with an excellent cast and crew. I owe it to watching excellent films my mum introduced me to as a kid.”
How did you prepare for the gigantic task of directing your first feature film, with a bunch of experienced cast and crew? Were there certain participants who supported you in particular?
“There was a long pre-production process which mainly involved ensuring that the script was bulletproof. This included edit after edit, then eventually bringing on script editor Felix Williamson to cut it down and polish it. Having a plethora of actors to choose from; casting incredible, hungry young actors with a mix of veteran Australian actors was a blessing. I broke the script down into shoot locations and days and shot everything we needed block by block at each location (about eighteen in total across 28 shoot days). We commenced production in April 2024 and wrapped at least 90% of production by December. We shot the remaining 10% whilst post-production commenced in January 2025, before premiering in September 2026 in Sydney at The Randwick Ritz, and being selected for our first film festival, The 42nd Boston Film Festival. I had incredible support from the veteran actors such as Jonny Pasvolsky, Felix Williamson and Denise Roberts, as well as key creatives like Simon Watts (DOP and editor), Michael Chace and Talia Rowley. We filmed at a lot of friends’ houses, which we were very grateful for. The love and support along the journey from people who shared the same Juvenescence goal was incredible.”
How was the film financed?
“The film was self-funded.”
Is it biographical at all, and if so, how?
“Juvenescence touches on various adolescent themes, mainly dominated by fiction but it includes some life experiences I could draw upon. Graduating from high school is an almost universal experience in Australia, and there are many plotlines to explore that everyone can relate to. I won’t get into specifics of what is fiction and what is real experiences…the main writing recipe was raising the stakes for each character.”
What are some of your film’s forebears/inspirations?
“I grew up with comedies like American Pie, Superbad, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Inbetweeners. I then injected Australian culture and humour in there, with similar tones to Puberty Blues. I saw and was part of other feature films being made around me and I wanted to make one of my own.”
What are your hopes for the film in the future?
“I hope that Australian audiences (and overseas audiences) give this film the chance it has earned. The Aussie Superbad/American Pie with comedic, wholesome and heartfelt moments. It was created through nothing other than passion and the hard work of the cast and crew members. It encapsulates a very Australian experience of entering adulthood, and rediscovering your youth. It can be rare to see beautiful Sydney on the big screen in an independent context, so why not give an Australian story a chance? I also hope it gives some of these young actors and creatives a leg up in this competitive industry.”
Do you think that Australian audiences will enjoy the film, and why?
“Juvenescence recently premiered at The Randwick Ritz with over 600 guests smiling, laughing and crying from start to finish. It earned a ten-minute standing ovation. We were beyond proud and fulfilled to entertain our very first audience, and hope it’s a reflection of what future Australian and overseas audiences can experience too.”
Look out for more on Juvenescence.
