by FIlmInk Staff
AACTA, Sanctuary Pictures, Umbrella Entertainment and the Wake in Fright Trust today announced The Harvest, written and directed by emerging filmmaker Darcy Conlan [pictured], as the 2025 recipient of the Wake in Fright Development Initiative. Conlan will receive $30,000 in funding and dedicated development support to take the project toward production.
The Wake in Fright Development Initiative honours the legacy of Wake in Fright by supporting bold new Australian voices in genre storytelling.
A gripping blend of rural horror, cosmic unease and worker tension, The Harvest follows British backpacker Taylor Walsh as she takes a job on a remote Australian fruit farm, in hopes of extending her visa. Despite drought conditions, the farm continues to inexplicably thrive and Taylor soon discovers the presence of a sinister cosmic force. What begins as a fresh start spirals into a nightmarish revelation involving ritual sacrifice, generational trauma and something ancient embedded deep within the land.
Responding to the news of being selected for the initiative, Conlan reflected on how “Years ago, I went to an anniversary screening of ‘Wake in Fright’ that featured a Q+A with director Ted Kotcheff. He spoke about his uncompromising approach to storytelling and the bold cinematic choices he made to capture the mania of ‘the Yabba’. Like so many Aussie filmmakers, ‘Wake in Fright’ has had a big impact on me and has blazed a trail to follow with my own work.
To be selected for this initiative is a bloody honour, and I want to thank the judges, the Wake in Fright Trust, AACTA, Umbrella Entertainment and Sanctuary Pictures for the opportunity.
A shout-out to my partner and my writing friends, who all believed in ‘The Harvest’ and encouraged me to throw my hat in the ring.”
Conlan’s win marks an exciting step for the emerging filmmaker, whose work has already gained attention with the local industry. His 2023 short film Flappy opened the St Kilda Film Festival, won Best Horror Short at Berlin Short Film Festival and Best Short Film at Nocturnal Film Festival. His music videos and commercial work have collected multiple ACS Awards. Conlan’s film, The Drylands, placed in the top 20 for the AACTA Pitch Isolation development initiative and in 2024, he was selected for VicScreen’s Key Production Placement.
Ari Harrison said “The judges’ decision highlights just how confidently realised Darcy’s work already is. The Harvest is atmospheric, imaginative and connected to its Australian setting – the kind of emerging voice this initiative was created to elevate. We look forward to working with Darcy in the next stage of development.”
“We are thrilled to support the next wave of ambitious local talent through this initiative and continue to redefine and celebrate what Australian genre cinema can be. We look forward to tracking the development and successes of Darcy Conlan and The Harvest, and pass on our congratulations for his efforts so far.” – Wake in Fright Trust Chair, Michael Neary
“Darcy appeared on our radar in 2020 as a new voice to watch and we’re excited to see him now smash it with The Harvest. A phenomenal opportunity to work with Ari, Julie and the team to bring The Harvest to life awaits. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Sanctuary Pictures, Umbrella and the Wake in Fright Trust on this incredibly well received and in-demand initiative,” said Ivan Vukusic, AACTA’s Awards and Industry Development Manager.
As part of the prize, The Harvest will receive $30,000 in funding from the Wake in Fright Trust and AACTA, with Sanctuary Pictures providing hands-on development support including script editing, consultant research, pitch materials and marketplace packaging. Umbrella Entertainment will oversee future distribution across Australia and New Zealand, continuing its commitment to elevate homegrown genre cinema to local and international audiences.
Judges for this year’s initiative included Annick Mahnert (Director of Programming at Fantastic Fest; Programmer Sitges Film Festival; Executive Director Frontieres), Jonah Rabb (agent at WME, CAA Media Finance and Searchlight Pictures), and Mitch Stanley (Producer and CEO of No Coincidence Media).
The Wake in Fright Development Initiative was established to nurture emerging Australian writers in the horror and thriller genres, and to foster the next wave of distinct, internationally resonant Australian genre cinema. Its inaugural 2024 recipients were Andrew Dillon and Jon Bell for the upcoming reimagining of Razorback, produced by Sanctuary Pictures.
By backing filmmakers like Conlan, AACTA, Sanctuary Pictures, Umbrella Entertainment and the Wake in Fright Trust continue to build a long-term pipeline of bold, ambitious Australian storytellers.
For more information, visit aacta.org.
