From Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah) comes Sweet Country, a powerful drama set in the 1920s on the Northern Territory frontier and starring New Zealand talent Sam Neill.
Inspired by real events, Sweet Country is a period western set in Australia’s breathtaking outback. When Aboriginal stockman Sam (Hamilton Morris) kills white station owner Harry March (Ewen Leslie) in self-defence, Sam and his wife Lizzie (Natassia Gorey-Furber) are forced to go on the run.
They are pursued across the outback through glorious but harsh desert country by a posse helped by an Aboriginal tracker. Sergeant Fletcher (Bryan Brown) leads the group, desperate to capture Sam and put him on trial for murder – but Sam is an expert bushman and he has little difficulty outlasting them. Eventually, for the health of his pregnant wife, Sam decides to give himself up. He is put on trial in the courtroom of Judge Taylor (Matt Day). But will justice be served?
Sweet Country has garnered several awards, including the Venice Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform Prize, Best Fiction Feature at the Adelaide Film Festival Audience Awards and Best Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Sweet Country opens in New Zealand cinemas April 12. Rated R16 for violence, sexual violence, offensive language & content that may disturb.