Collider director, Daniel Askill’s experimental feature film, Lunacy, is set for release today across Apple and Amazon. Heckler lead editor, Andrew Holmes, has created the new trailer cut to promote it.
Lunacy is an unscripted project inspired by Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel. It was filmed on a remote compound in Australia’s ancient Daintree Rainforest and improvised over a three-week period with an ensemble cast. This expression of Askill’s visually striking work incorporates themes of the natural world and self, explored through movement and design.
The new trailer cut by Heckler lead editor Andrew Holmes was also released today:
The editing of Lunacy took place at the Heckler studios located in Surry Hills. Holmes worked with Askill and his brother, Lorin Askill (who served as the lead editor) over a span of three months. They also collaborated with the Heckler team, including Jamie Watson who was the lead VFX artist on the film, to design bring to life the immersive world, intricately tied to both the universe and the moon.
Heckler co-founder and executive creative director, Jamie Watson, stated, “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.”
Heckler lead editor, Andrew Holmes, added, “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.”
Collider director, Daniel Askill, commented, “Heckler and its 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, that 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. Music is 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.
Credits:
Production Company: 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
