by FilmInk Staff
Boss Cat will star Olivia Hargroder, Penny Downie (Downton Abbey, The Crown) and Julia Savage (Blaze), and will shoot in NSW’s The Blue Mountains.
“I am thrilled to be returning home to Australia to be part of this beautiful film,” said Downie, best known for The Crown and Downton Abbey. “Genevieve’s script captured me instantly, and I can’t wait to be part of bringing this story to life.”
According to a press release, “Boss Cat is the story of 23-year-old Sonja, a woman with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), who, after her mother dies, campaigns against the plans of her estranged grandmother to sell the family home and send her away. In order to galvanize the support she needs, Sonja must first channel an explosive temper into something more positive…Krump dance.”
In 2008, Genevieve Clay Smith co-founded female, disability led, not for profit filmmaking social enterprise Bus Stop Films, and alongside co-founder Eleanor Winkler won Tropfest with short film Be My Brother the following year.
Clay Smith has since directed numerous other shorts and series. Boss Cat will be produced by Deanne Weir, Eleanor Winkler and Bus Stop’s COO/Head of Screen Dianna La Grassa, with executive producers Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM, Nathan Basha, and Mandela Mathia and co-producer Michele Turnure-Salleo of Feracious Entertainment.
According to the press release, “Boss Cat will offer an end-to-end inclusive production pathway, creating distinctive on-screen and production roles for multiple young adults with disabilities. A tailored workplace program will be developed to enhance disability employment on the film, considering a candidate’s areas of interest, current skills, previous on-set experience and access requirements. Participants will then be placed in corresponding departments to work and learn, being mentored by the professional crew members.”
“I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has championed Boss Cat and helped bring this story to life,” said Genevieve Clay Smith. “It’s a joy to collaborate with an extraordinary team of powerful, diverse women to elevate Bus Stop Films’ inclusive filmmaking to a feature film scale. I hope this film stirs hearts, shifts perspectives, and reshapes what people believe is possible for individuals with disability.”
The production has received philanthropic support and investment from key partners including the Summer Foundation, Sherry-Hogan Trust, The Snow Foundation, Nelson Meers Foundation and Mary-Ann Lopez.
