By Travis Johnson
Yolngu Boy director Stephen Johnson and writer Chris Anastassiades will reunite for High Ground, a “a high-stakes frontier Western” that has just been greenlit by Screen Australia, in association with Screen Territory and Film Victoria.
Produced by David Jowsey (Sweet Country, Goldstone), Maggie Miles (Paper Planes, The Turning), Yothu Yindi co-founder and Rirratjiŋu Clanaenior elder Witiyana Marika, and Greer Simpkin (Sweet Country, Mystery Road), the film is set in the 1930s and is inspired by actual events. As the official precis tells us, “In a remote corner of a wild country a bloody war rages. Travis is a bounty hunter with one last hope of redemption. Djumbatj is a young Indigenous man trying to save the last of his family. Together they embark on a manhunt, which unravels a secret that ultimately pits them against each other.”
Stephen Johnson explains, “High Ground was conceived as a story that would challenge accepted notions of the settlement of Australia. Faced with the myth of terra nullius our aim with the film is to present a different perspective on how this country was made. The approach was always to make a genre film, a rollercoaster action thriller that delivers as an entertaining story first and foremost.
“I grew up in the Northern Territory and I am delighted to be returning to Arnhem Land and Kakadu to shoot High Ground,” he adds. “I love this country and its people. The epic stone escarpments and vast floodplains provide a stunning backdrop to our tale that goes to the heart of the Australia story.”
Producer David Jowsey said: “We are incredibly excited to be filming High Ground in Kakadu and Arnhem Land. The landscape is incredible and the Traditional Owners have embraced the story. High Ground will be an action adventure and a powerful creation story for Australia.”
Casting will be announced later this year, with filming set to commence in 2018 in Western Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, while post-production is slated for Victoria.
