AUSSIE GEM CEDAR BOYS AVAILABLE TO VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE

“I had a producer on board who wanted to turn the script into something else. They had ideas about turning it into a thriller or a romance. I just wanted to keep the crux of the story: it’s about three boys, and their dreams and aspirations.”

Released in cinemas back in 2009, Cedar Boys was a film way ahead of its time. A canny, from-the-streets look at the grown Australian children of immigrants from The Middle East, the film marked an assured writing and directing debut of Serhat Caradee. Though now more prevalent on Australian TV and movie screens, back in 2009, the tough, gritty, highly multicultural world of Sydney’s western suburbs was one left largely unexplored, which makes Cedar Boys even more powerful and relevant when it comes to Australian cinema.

Cedar Boys tracks three longtime friends of Middle Eastern heritage from Sydney’s west: Tarek (Les Chantery), Sam (Waddah Sari) and Nabil (Buddy Dannoun). As they enter adulthood, each follows a different path. Tarek is a mechanic, Sam is a small-time drug dealer, and Nabil works for his family’s cleaning business. When the latter spots a possible top-tier drug operation in one of the buildings that he cleans, he convinces Tarek to help him case the joint in the hope of pulling off a perfect crime that’ll allow them to move beyond their inevitable stations in life. This scenario parallels Tarek’s burgeoning romance with Amie (Rachael Taylor), a girl from the other side of the tracks, and his relationship with his brother (Bren Foster), locked away in prison for a life of crime that he deeply regrets.

Also starring Martin Henderson (Virgin River), Dan Mor (Airlock, Alien Arrival) and Daniel Amalm (Underbelly), Cedar Boys has been unavailable to Australian audiences since 2012. Now available to screen on all major digital-on-demand platforms for the first time, Cedar Boys is one of the best Australian films you’ve never seen. The time is now to immerse yourself in a truly underrated Aussie gem.