By Travis Johnson
Top End Wedding, a new feature film co-written by and starring Miranda Tapsell (The Sapphires, Secret City) is set to go into production in Adelaide later this month, before moving to the Northern Territory.
The film, which reunites Tapsell with her Sapphires director, Wayne Blair, tells the story of successful Sydney lawyer Lauren (Tapsell) and her fiancée Ned (Gwilym Lee – Bohemian Rhapsody, Jamestown, The Hollow Crown). “Engaged and in love, Lauren and Ned have just 10 days to find Lauren’s mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the Northern Territory, reunite her parents and pull off their dream Top End Wedding. As the couple travel through the Top End including Darwin, Katherine, Kakadu and the Tiwi Islands they find fulfilment for their own personal journeys through the wild beauty of the NT’s landscapes and the unbeatable charm of the NT’s characters that they meet along the way.”
Joining the lead duo are Kerry Fox (Bright Star, Cloud Street), Ursula Yovich (The Code, Around The Block, Australia), Shari Sebbens (Thor: Ragnarok, The Sapphires, Redfern Now), Huw Higginson (Janet King, A Place To Call Home, The Bill) and Elaine Crombie (Top of The Lake, Redfern Now, Black Comedy).
Director Wayne Blair enthused, “I’ve enjoyed career highlights collaborating with Goalpost and couldn’t be prouder to be at the helm of this love letter to the Northern Territory. With an exceptional script balancing humour with heritage, we are excited to welcome the cast and crew to our backyard, and embark on this journey to deliver a rollicking good time for a worldwide audience.”
Producer Rosemary Blight, who also worked on The Sapphires, said, “This is a project brimming with rich, raw and hilarious characters and an indelible Australian setting. Wayne is the perfect filmmaker to bring Joshua and Miranda’s script to screen and take audiences on a funny, heart-warming ride while honouring the connection to country the film’s characters seek with the highest of integrity. We look forward to working with eOne to bring this film to audiences.”
Top End Wedding is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. Wonderful! It ticks all the boxes for me.