by Dov Kornits
“I am very excited about bringing this small world to the larger world,” said Jonathon Ogilvie upon the announcement that his film will open the 53rd edition of the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) on 25 January 2024. “Head South is an authentic local story with truly international reach, and I can’t wait to share it with audiences. It’s a return to the world of music and ideas – and indeed the place, Ōtautahi Christchurch – that first inspired me to become a screenwriter and director.”
Ogilvie’s audacious last film Lone Wolf, a modern adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Secret Agent, was shot in Melbourne and starred Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Hugo Weaving. His previous feature was 2008’s Tender Hook starring Rose Byrne and Weaving. Two of his short films, Despondent Divorcee (1995) and This Film Is a Dog (1996) were Cannes Film Festival selections.
Head South is set in 1979, schoolboy fantasist Angus (Ed Oxenbould) is drawn into Christchurch’s underground post-punk music scene, forcing him to “…confront self-doubt, the derision of his friends and a family tragedy to acquire an appreciation of true character,” according to the film’s synopsis.
Music from the period, including Toy Love, The Slits, Public Image Ltd, Magazine, The Scavengers, Wire and Lou Reed, feature on the soundtrack, with Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits, Dimmer) as the film’s composer.
Head South is produced by Antje Kulpe and Ogilvie with Emma Slade, Lee Hubber, Gary Phillips, Mark Vennis, and Mat Govoni as executive producers, with Australian based Label to distribute the film in Australia and New Zealand.
