by FilmInk Staff
“Two Ugly People is a modern addition to the doomed romance canon, exploring desire and identity in a new way,” says writer/director Peter Skinner, whose last short film Lost Boy won Best Short at the 2021 St Kilda Film Festival. “I’ve always been fascinated by the different pieces of ourselves we share with the world, and parts we keep in the shadows. What we keep shadowed reveals the closest version of our truest selves, and these are the versions of our characters we uncover.”
Starring Lost Boy‘s Michael Sheasby (The Nightingale) and newcomer Cato Ayyar as strangers who meet by chance in a motel, but as the film goes on, the audience is asked to question if their meeting was actually by chance. Described as a mystery laden romantic drama, Two Ugly People also stars Ben Oxenbould, Di Adams and Chaydon Jay.
Two Ugly People is the debut feature from Seymour Pictures, founded by Skinner, actor/producer Julia Gardella and writer/director Orla Doyle, whose short film Snakes and Ladders, starring Julia Gardell and Cato Ayyar is nearing completion.
“Seymour Pictures was born from a restlessness and frustration with the barriers that we and our collaborators were coming up against trying to emerge into the Australian industry. Seymour is about creating opportunities for filmmakers and creating fresh, daring, and independent work,” said [from left, below] Gardella, Skinner and Doyle in a statement.
Also on board for Two Ugly People are producer Dinusha Ratnaweera (The Pretend One), cinematographer Adric Watson (All These Creatures) and production designer Laura Anna Lucas (Hector Malot: The Last Day Of The Year), with casting by Danny Long Casting and post production via Xenon Post.
