by FilmInk Staff
Confirmed cast include Emma Leonard, Ryan O’Kane, Brigid Zengeni, Gary Sweet & Jackie Van Beek
Production has begun in Sydney on the feature film SCOBY, directed by Claudia Dzienny (Frisky) and written by the film’s star Emma Leonard (800 Words). Dzienny and Leonard also produce, with Danielle Redford, through their companies Boobytrap Entertainment and Contra Stories.
Starring alongside Emma Leonard are Ryan O’Kane (Mary: The Making of a Princess), Brigid Zengeni (Prosper, Interceptor), Shakira Clanton (Summer Love), Australian acting icon Gary Sweet (The Clearing, Mystery Road), Jackie Van Beek (Audrey, The Breaker Upperers), Johnny Nasser (Thor: Love and Thunder), Michelle Langstone (800 Words, Power Rangers: SPD), Stephen Madsen (Heathers: The Musical), Danny Adcock (The Tourist), Stephen Hunter (Children of the Corn), Jo Turner (The Doctor Blake Mysteries) and Duncan Fellows (Deadloch).
The uproarious film tells the story of Maddie and Leo, an aspirational millennial couple, who, while trying to decide between children and a career, become unwitting custodians of a sentient kombucha strain.
Maslow Entertainment will distribute in Australia and New Zealand. Executive Producers are Maslow’s Marc Wooldridge, Spectrum Entertainment’s Josh Pomeranz, Folklore Sound’s Sam Gain-Emery and Thom Kellar, and Bevan Dally. The film is financed with the assistance of Mind the Gap, Spectrum Films and Folklore Sound.
Key creatives include Director of Photography Calum Riddell and Production Designer Emily Jansz.
Director Claudia Dzienny says: “This project lights me up. Creating SCOBY is a daily joy – funny and cathartic. Emma Leonard’s script hilariously nails the conundrum of career vs family that has plagued me as a new mum. Fear of missing out and totally buggering it up at both ends, mostly. Would I be terrible at it? Would I lose the independence that I had built my career and identity on? Who would I become? My sense of self would be intrinsically linked with my children and partner. That was scary but exciting and something that I had always longed for. I have learned that in motherhood, the only way forward is together. Maybe giving ourselves a chance to relinquish some of that inner lone wolf and lean into a little symbiosis, we can grow happier in unexpected ways.”
Emma Leonard says: “Director Claudia Dzienny and I have been fostering a creative alliance for over a decade, developing projects together and finding our comedic voice. We’ve always had the goal in mind to create the kind of film we want to watch. Scoby is a bold genre-bending relationship comedy from the heart.
“As friends we’ve often found comfort and humour in the vast swathe of conundrums this stage in life presents us with. Our balance of pre-parenthood and new-parenthood perspective has brought genuine nuance to the story throughout our development process together.
“I know we have something special here: an opportunity for our audience to reflect on what really matters delivered in a very cheeky package.”
Maslow Entertainment’s Marc Wooldridge, says: “The combined creativity, energy and enthusiasm of the entire SCOBY team has been completely infectious, and we also absolutely share their passion to bring more fresh, funny and distinctive Aussie comedy back to the big screen where it belongs. We think audiences are going to love this one and can’t wait to help bring it to cinemas around the country next year.”
