/News 12.12.17

ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER HILARY SWANK IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA FOR I AM MOTHER

Hilary Swank is currently in Adelaide, having recently joined the cast of the highly anticipated sci-fi thriller I Am Mother.

A two-time Oscar® winner for her work in the critically acclaimed Boys Don’t Cry (2000) and Million Dollar Baby (2005), Swank joins rising young actress Clara Rugaard (Good FavourTeen Spirit) in the stylish, thought-provoking feature that brings a dark, electrifying edge to a unique mother-daughter story. With an extensive and elaborate set build in the Heysen-Hicks Set Construction Workshop, I Am Mother is produced by Southern Light Films’ Timothy White and The Penguin Empire’s Kelvin Munro. South Australian producer Anna Vincent is co-producer alongside Michael Lloyd Green.

Based on an original concept by director Grant Sputore and screenwriter Michael Lloyd Green, I Am Mother tells the story of a lonely teenage girl, ‘Daughter’ (Rugaard), who is the first of a new generation of humans raised by ‘Mother’ – a kindly robot designed to repopulate the earth following the extinction of mankind. But their unique bond is threatened when a blood-drenched woman (Swank) inexplicably arrives, calling into question everything Daughter has been told about the outside world – and her Mother’s intentions.

Swank previously starred in Tommy Lee Jones’ critically acclaimed The Homesman, which debuted at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, as well as Freedom WritersConviction, and the international box office hit P.S. I Love You. She was most recently seen in Steven Soderbergh’s comedy Logan Lucky. She will next be seen in Danny Boyle’s television series Trust, starring as Gail Getty, the mother of kidnapped heir John Paul Getty III.

I Am Mother will be Director Grant Sputore’s feature debut, following a run of award-winning commercials. Sputore is joined by Steven Annis as director of photography, whose credits include music videos for Pink, Lorde, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, U2 and commercial work for Apple, Google and Nike.

Hugh Bateup (Cloud AtlasJupiter AscendingSense8The Shallows) leads production design, with costume designer Mariot Kerr (TracksThe Leftovers). The editor is Sean Lahiff (CargoJungle).

Executive producers on the film are Paris Kasidokostas-Latsis, Terry Dougas and Jean-Luc De Fanti from Rhea Films (Good Time, American Made) along with Bryce Menzies, Philip Wade, John Wade and Grant Sputore.

I Am Mother is an Australian production financed by Hercules Film Investments with major investment from Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation in association with Adelaide Film Festival, Screenwest, Lotterywest, Fin VFX, Blockhead and Kojo.

Mister Smith Entertainment is handling international sales, with WME Global’s Graham Taylor overseeing U.S. sales. StudioCanal is handling distribution in Australia and New Zealand. Greg Denning, StudioCanal’s National Sales and Acquisitions Manager said:

“StudioCanal is very proud to be releasing I Am Mother in Australia and New Zealand. The filmmakers have assembled a wonderful team to bring this story to the screen, and we’re thrilled that they’ve now attracted the calibre of Hilary Swank for the pivotal role of Woman. She is the perfect choice, and adds another layer of quality to this smart, refreshingly bold, and riveting sci-thriller.”