Cargo
Short description
Cargo is set in Australia during a pandemic that turns the infected into zombies. Andy, a father, is bitten while trying to protect his infant daughter, Rosie, and he has roughly two days before he loses himself. With his wife gone, he sets out across the countryside to find someone who will take care of the baby, and his search brings him into contact with an Aboriginal community and a young girl named Thoomi.
The film is directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, who also wrote the screenplay, and it is based on their earlier short film of the same name. It was produced by Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings and Russell Ackerman. Martin Freeman plays Andy, with Simone Landers as Thoomi, Anthony Hayes as Vic, Susie Porter as Kay, Caren Pistorius as Lorraine and Kris McQuade as Etta.
Released in 2017, Cargo runs 105 minutes and blends drama, horror and thriller elements. On IMDb it holds a 6.3 rating from about 52,000 votes, while on TMDB it has a 6.4 from roughly 1,900 votes. A critics' score of 7.2 from 74 reviews places it somewhat higher with reviewers than with general audiences.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on a short film of the same name from 2013, which garnered almost 13 million views on YouTube.
- During the five weeks of filming in Australia, the weather conditions in the country were arguably some of the worst in the last hundred years – floods, power outages, torrential rains, and even a small cyclone occurred. Surprisingly, all of this had no effect on the filming schedule, and not a single shooting day was lost.
- Actress Simone Landers specifically learned local dialects for the role of Tumi.
- Throughout the making of the film, there were active consultations with representatives of the Indigenous Australian communities. John Bell served as a consultant to director and screenwriter Yolanda Ramke on the script, helping her to navigate nuances and details, avoid stereotypes, and ensure the authenticity of the dialogue. It was thanks to his consultations that the central theme of the film was revealed – the gap between the world of modern Western civilization and the traditional culture of Australia's original inhabitants.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
