Denman-shot short film THE STRANGER to screen for community with screening partner Upper Hunter Where There’s a Will
Writer/director Jenny Hicks’ short film The Stranger, which was filmed at Pickering Homestead in Denman, will screen for the community on Saturday 9 April at the Denman Memorial Hall at 3pm and 7pm.
Partnering with Upper Hunter Where There’s a Will (WTAW), proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the organisation to help fund wellbeing initiatives in the local area. A representative from WTAW will also participate in a Q&A after the screening with Hicks.
WTAW works with Upper Hunter schools and the wider community to improve mental health and wellbeing. The organisation focuses on prevention through education, helping to create a mentally fit and flourishing Upper Hunter community.
The Stranger is a psychological noir thriller centred around a stranger that arrives at an isolated farmhouse in the middle of the night seeks to confront prejudices and stigma against people living with mental illness.
Filmed at Pickering Homestead near Denman in the winter of 2020, The Stranger was supported by the PAYCE Foundation and local business including The Royal Hotel, Two Rivers Wines, Coates Hire Muswellbrook, Minemate, Mangoola and the Grapevine Motel.
The award-nominated film, created at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, has screened at film festivals in Australia and internationally, including in competition as part of the prestigious Dendy Awards for Australian Short Film at the 2021 Sydney Film Festival, Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2022, the San Francisco Short Film Festival 2021 and Manchester Film Festival 2022.
The film stars Fiona Press (Pieces of Her, Waiting), Steve Bisley (Mad Max, Doctor Doctor) and Harry Greenwood (Wakefield, Hacksaw Ridge) and was produced by Harriet Dixon-Smith and Nate Heinz.
The film will be screened at Denman Memorial Hall at 3pm and 7pm on April 9. Tickets are $10 and due to Covid restrictions must be purchased in advance here.
Photo right: Director writer Jenny Hicks and Fiona Press (Margaret) on the set of The Stranger. Photographer John Platt
Photo and media release courtesy of Jenny Hicks.