Director Daniel Askill’s film hits screens today with trailer cut by Heckler’s Andrew Holmes
Collider director Daniel Askill’s experimental feature film Lunacy is set for release today across Apple and Amazon. Coinciding with the film’s release is a new trailer cut by Heckler lead editor Andrew Holmes.
Filmed on a remote compound in Australia’s ancient Daintree Rainforest and improvised over a three-week period with an ensemble cast, the unscripted project was inspired by Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel and is an expression of Askill’s visually striking work, incorporating themes of the natural world and self, explored through movement and design.
The editing of Lunacy took place at the Heckler studios located in Surry Hills. Askill, alongside his brother Lorin Askill (who served as the lead editor), and Heckler’s Andrew Holmes worked together over a span of three months. Collaborating with the Heckler team, including Jamie Watson who was the lead VFX artist on the film, they meticulously designed and brought to life the immersive world, intricately tied to both the universe and the moon.
Says Jamie Watson, co-founder and executive creative director, Heckler: “Dan’s film language is unique, so when he wanted to improvise the film, we weren’t surprised. It was how we continued the post process, until we all felt we had something right. Dan wanted a ‘natural surreal’ feel, with just the right amount of intrigue so you can watch everything at a constant slow pace. It makes for captivating cinema.”
Says Holmes: “Firstly, it’s not every day you get to work alongside two incredibly talented artists like Lorin and Dan, both of whom possess a unique eye and distinctive perspective on visual storytelling.
“I felt like a creative sponge at times, absorbing and experimenting with their vision. Working on an experimental art film where every scene is improvised and unscripted, meant we had so much fun experimenting. Dan had many interesting ideas and themes to explore, including spirituality, humanity’s disconnect from nature, and a journey of self-discovery spiralling into madness.”
Says Askill: “Heckler and their amazing team were brilliant partners on this project. They handled all the planetary sequences as well as supporting the entire post process.
“Lunacy is a very open-ended project that aims to leave space for the audience to connect with and experience in their own unique way. This ideally leads to a thoughtful reflection on the nature of our true self and our lost connection with nature, ancient wisdom, and the mysteries of the universe.”
The film, which premiered on Shark Island in Sydney late last year, features performances by Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Isabel Lucas, Hunter Page-Lochard, Lily Sullivan, Kirin J Callinan, Priscilla Doueihy and Trevor Jamieson, and music by These New Puritans in combination with original music by Matteo Zingales and additional music by Laurie Anderson, Michael Askill, Tenzin Choegyal, The Church, Steve Reich, Jesse Paris Smith and John Tavener.
Production Companies: Collider, See Pictures, Heckler
Director: Daniel Askill
Written By: Daniel Askill, Lucy Bidwell, Gregory Stern
Produced By: Jamie Hilton, Rachael Ford-Davies, Isabel Stanfield, Olivia Hantken
Executive Producers: Holly Alexander, Will Alexander, Jamie Watson, Catherine Terracini, Sonia Borella
Executive Producers: Daniel Askill, Gregory Stern, Lucy Bidwell, Isabel Lucas
Director of Photography: Stefan Duscio ACS
Editors: Lorin Askill, Andrew Holmes
Featuring Music By: These New Puritans
Original Music: Matteo Zingales
Production Designer: Ruby Mathers
Creative Consultant: Jordan Askill
Costume Designers: Amelia Gebler, Rita Carmody
Hair & Make Up Designer: Jenny Roberts
Cast: (In Order of Appearance)
Isabel Lucas
Bobbi Salvor Menuez
Kirin J Callinan
Hunter Page Lochard
Lily Sullivan
Priscilla Doueihy
Trevor Jamieson