Blue Harbor Entertainment has acquired all US rights to Timothy David’s directorial debut Kangaroo Island, which was recognized in four categories by the Australian Film Critics Association, including Best Picture.
The Australian film also ranked among the country’s top 10 box office grossers last year.
The distributor plans to release the title in theaters on April 24th, starting with a screening at the Angelica Film Center in Manhattan.
David’s first feature film was nominated for Australian Film Critics Circle Awards in categories including Best Actress (Rebecca Breeds), Best Supporting Actress (Adelaide Clemens) and Original Score (Ariel Marx). The filmmaker won Best First Director at the Montreal Independent Film Festival and Best Australian Director at the London Directors Awards.
Brees plays a Hollywood actor whose career struggles lead him to return to his home island in Australia. There, unresolved family conflicts arising from romantic entanglements await her. Recognized as a top destination for 2024 by Lonely Planet and ranked 7th on the New York Times’ 2023 travel list, this location in South Australia offers a coastal setting. Tourism Australia has named one of Australia’s beaches the best in the country.
Sally Gifford wrote the screenplay. The ensemble includes Brees, known for “Clarice,” as well as “Rectify” actor Clemens, “Packed to the Rafters” actor Eric Thomson, “Peter Allen” star Joel Jackson, and “Bad Boy Bubby” star Nicholas Hope. Produced by Peter Hanlon, David and Bettina Hamilton, Daniel Rosenberg and Leona Cichon.
After bowing at the closing night presentation of the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival, the film toured the film festival circuit with stops at Chelsea (where the event also closed), Seattle International (where it made it to the international feature semi-finals), Barcelona Asian Film Festival, Chicago International’s Summer Program, and the Gold Coast Film Festival.
The title, whose local theatrical run in Australia preceded a strong streaming performance, rose to No. 2 on Netflix’s local charts and remained in the top 10 for three weeks.
“This film doesn’t follow trends or strive for a uniform style. We allowed the tone to change to suit the story itself. That freedom creates something honest, reflecting all of life’s bumps, discomforts, and beautiful moments,” David said.
“From the moment we saw Kangaroo Island, we were completely drawn in by its emotional honesty and careful yet deeply affecting storytelling,” Blue Harbor Entertainment said in a statement. “The performances are incredibly captivating, the film is beautifully composed against a stunning natural canvas, and the final result is deeply moving. It stayed with us long after the credits rolled. Supporting filmmakers around the world and bringing their stories to American audiences is at our core, and ‘Kangaroo Island’ is exactly the kind of human story with global resonance that we are proud to champion.”
Amanda Sherwin, Mike Messina and Seth Needle pilot Blue Harbor. Blue Harbor is scheduled for the theatrical bow of Sundance Prize winner “Ricky” and “Storm Rider: The Legend of Hammerhead” in March. The company’s releases last year included the romantic comedy “A Nice Indian Boy” starring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff, “Audrey’s Children” starring Natalie Dormer, “Lily” starring Patricia Clarkson, the sci-fi feature “Star People” starring Kat Canning, and the soccer documentary “Love Ya Bum!”
The trio launched Blue Harbor in 2023 to handle the theatrical, digital, TV and home video distribution of independent films. Pirro has worked in Hollywood, New York and Australia, serving as a producer on projects and working in features, television and advertising.
