by FilmInk Staff
Leonie Whyman (Mystery Road, Deadloch) completes the cast as director Jye Currie prepares to roll cameras on his third feature on 6 October in the Hunter Valley.
One of Australia’s most recognisable online stars is stepping onto the big screen. Green Frog Productions today announced that Zara Tate, one half of the hugely popular father-daughter duo Ben & Zara, will make her feature narrative debut in Jye Currie’s Before You Leave, starring opposite two of the most celebrated performers in Australian screen history, Gary Sweet and Marta Dusseldorp.
Rounding out the cast is Leonie Whyman, acclaimed for her work in Mystery Road and Deadloch.
The third feature from writer-director Jye Currie, following his critically acclaimed The Promise, and co-written with Edward Vassie, the film begins principal photography in the coming week, with cameras rolling on Tuesday 6 October on location in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
FROM MILLIONS OF SCREENS TO THE CINEMA SCREEN
Zara Tate is already known to a vast audience through Ben & Zara, the father-daughter duo whose content has built a large and devoted following. For millions of viewers, Zara’s warmth, timing and honesty on camera have made her a familiar and trusted presence. Her debut comes in the company of true industry veterans. Gary Sweet and Marta Dusseldorp have spent decades shaping Australian film and television, and sharing the screen with them sets a remarkable benchmark for a first feature.
A CAST OF ACCLAIM
Leonie Whyman joins the ensemble after acclaimed turns in Mystery Road and Deadloch, two of the most celebrated Australian series of recent years. Alongside Sweet, who plays Vietnam War veteran Dusty, and Dusseldorp, who plays social worker Rose, she completes a cast built on authenticity, depth and truth.
A STORY NO ONE COULD WALK AWAY FROM
From the moment Jye Currie’s script began to circulate, Before You Leave drew people in. Cast, crew and partners came on board without hesitation, each responding to the honesty of the story, Currie’s clear vision, and the chance to tell it with real care. For a fully independent production, that level of commitment has been the engine of the film. Every person attached to the project has said yes for the same reason: the story.
Before You Leave was written from the outset around a single, deliberate constraint: the entire story unfolds in one location. Currie and Vassie set themselves the challenge of conveying the full weight of war — its trauma, its devastation, and the way it ripples through families.
The result is a darker, character-driven drama built on heartfelt and honest moments that will resonate with Australian and international audiences alike. There are no special effects and no spectacle, just a powerful story, exceptional performances, and carefully crafted filmmaking.
THE VISION OF JYE CURRIE
Before You Leave is the most personal and ambitious work yet from Jye Currie, one of the most distinctive independent voices in Australian cinema. Having earned widespread critical acclaim with The Promise, Currie has built a reputation for bold, character-driven storytelling and for achieving exceptional production quality entirely on his own terms.
The film has been years in the making for Currie. Shaped by his travels through 90 countries and first-hand encounters with the aftermath of conflict, it is a story he has carried with him for a long time.
With Before You Leave, he brings that experience home, directing an ensemble of veteran and emerging talent in an intimate, uncompromising examination of what war leaves behind.
“I’m telling this story because, after travelling through 90 countries and seeing the impact of conflict and devastation first-hand, I wanted to distil that weight into a simple, contained drama,” said writer-director Jye Currie. “Essentially, it’s two people in one location, so the audience feels the ripples of war through their relationship. It feels universal, but intimate, and that’s what I’m drawn to tell.”
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT, BUILT FOR THE WORLD STAGE
Before You Leave is a fully independent production. It has received no funding from screen agencies, studios or government bodies — a significant achievement for Green Frog Productions, and a statement about what Australian filmmakers can accomplish on their own terms. The film joins a growing wave of independently made features, including recent breakout Obsession, that are proving bold storytelling and a committed team can reach audiences worldwide without traditional backing. By returning to the fundamentals of cinema — story, performance and image — Currie and his team are setting out to create a film of international calibre, with ambitions firmly set on the global festival and awards stage.
THE LOOK OF BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Before You Leave is being made for cinema. The film reunites Currie with Director of Photography Bailey Watts, who shot both of Currie’s previous features, Beat and The Promise. Across those films the pair have developed a shared visual language and a close creative shorthand, and their third collaboration sees that partnership at its most ambitious.
The production will be captured on Blackmagic Design’s latest 12K cinema cameras, with New Magic coming on board as a production supporter on behalf of Blackmagic Design. The support builds on a long-standing relationship with Blackmagic: Currie and Watts shot their previous features on Blackmagic cameras, and Watts has embraced the full Blackmagic ecosystem. For Before You Leave, he has worked directly with Blackmagic and the film’s colourist to create custom LUTs designed to pair with the camera, shaping a considered, cohesive image that carries from set through to the final grade. It is a history of trust that made the collaboration a natural fit. Leading Australian industry suppliers CR Kennedy and Lemac have also joined to support the production.
FROM FESTIVALS TO CINEMAS TO STREAMING
Stan Australia has secured streaming rights to Before You Leave, with the film set to reach Australian audiences in 2027. Green Frog Productions is now seeking national and international distribution, with its sights set on premiering at major international film festivals ahead of a theatrical release, before the film arrives on Stan.
CAST & CREW
Director Jye Currie
Writers Jye Currie & Edward Vassie
Starring Gary Sweet, Marta Dusseldorp, Zara Tate, Leonie Whyman
Director of Photography Bailey Watts
Producers Jye Currie, Alex Mangano
Production Company Green Frog Productions
Production Support New Magic (on behalf of Blackmagic Design), CR Kennedy, Lemac
Streaming Partner Stan Australia (2027)
Filming Location Hunter Valley, NSW
Cameras Roll Tuesday 6 October 2026
