Creatives feed their creativity with the challenge of making great things. For a director, the freedom of and writing and directing their own film is creative super-nutrition. 13CO writer-director, Paul Nevison, is feeding his creativity with an emotionally-charged short film called The Family, and starring Christopher James Baker (Ozark, True Detective, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D).
It’s semi-autobiographical, based on Nevison’s own childhood memories. It explores grief, faith and doubt, as a tight-knit religious family come to terms with the aftermath of the sudden death of the family matriarch and the complex emotions that arise from loss and uncertainty. The short serves as a proof of concept for a feature length film that Nevison currently has in development.
On securing Baker’s involvement Nevison, stated, “I’ve been a huge fan of Christopher’s work in the US and more recently on SBS’s New Gold Mountain and am excited to have him anchor our cast. Chris has a history of playing complex characters and his understated instincts will play well as he embodies the grief-stricken Father in our story, trying to hold together the fraying threads of his family and a faltering faith.”
Baker is now based in Australia after many years in the US, where he is best known for roles in the Emmy award winning Netflix series, Ozark; HBO’s critically acclaimed True Detective, Marvel Universe’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Shades of Blue and DC’s StarGirl.
The actor most recently wrapped production in Australia on the Netflix series, Boy Swallows Universe, and the Stan drama, Prosper, alongside Richard Roxburgh and Rebecca Gibney.
He commented, “It’s been great to be part of several Australian based productions since I’ve been back home. I was really taken by the honesty and poignance of Paul’s script and am really looking forward to the collaboration.”
Co-starring with Baker is 11-year-old talent, Jack LaTorre, whose impressive credits already include Nine Perfect Strangers with Nicole Kidman, Pieces of Her with Toni Collette and David Wenham and the upcoming Amazon series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart with Sigourney Weaver.
Nevison commented, “When I saw Jack’s audition and his incredibly natural and layered performance, I knew he was going to bring the right amount of emotional depth to a character caught on the threshold of childhood and adolescence. I’m really excited for audiences to see the vulnerability he brings to challenging subject matter.”
Rounding out the ensemble cast is veteran character actor, Ron Kelly (Safe Harbour, Joe vs Carol) and another exciting newcomer, Murran Kain (Elvis, Ticket to Paradise).
The film is set to shoot in Brisbane mid-August and will be lensed by awarded LA cinematographer, Bjorn Amundsen, who has a long collaboration with Nevison, that includes all three of his YDA winning films. The Family is produced by Isobel Jones and executive produced by 13CO’s Roy De Giorgio and Charity Downing.
“Paul is a passionate storyteller whose work is evocative and honest – he brings a wealth of experience and critical acclaim in telling stories that compassionately move an audience. The Family is a profound story and we look forward to sharing it with audiences soon,” De Giorgio noted.
