ABOUT
SYNOPSIS
Nancy visits her daughter in hospital who has just given birth. Tagging along is her 8-year-old Lebanese neighbour, Amirah, who she is babysitting. It is a bittersweet meeting for Nancy, as her new grandchild is about to be taken away, her mother being deemed unfit by the authorities to keep her. In an act of desperation, Nancy makes the decision to steal the baby, fleeing from the hospital with Amirah by her side. Not long after their audacious escape, a pedestrian is involved in a hit and run. Three young men step in to help, unsure if he’ll survive the night. Across eight distinct yet interconnected stories, Nancy’s spontaneous flight sets off a chain of events that brings together complete strangers over the course of one dramatic day.
KEY CREDITS BY CHAPTER
'We, the Spiders'
Directed by Lucy Gaffy
Written by Nisrine Amine
Starring Genevieve Lemon and Mia-Lore Bayeh
'Everything Changes'
Directed by Ana Kokkinos
Written by Matias Bolla
Starring Christian Ravello
'Brotherhood'
Directed by Leah Purcell
Written by Arka Das
Starring Arka Das, Rahel Romahn and Thuso Lekwape
'The Eternal Dance'
Directed by Ana Kokkinos
Written by Bina Bhattacharya
Starring Leah Vandenberg
'The Musician'
Directed by Fadia Abboud
Additional Direction by Ana Kokkinos
Written by Dee Dogan
Starring De Lovan Zandy
'Brother Tom'
Directed by Fadia Abboud and Ana Kokkinos
Written by Tien Tran
Starring Khoi Trinh and Brandon Nguyen
'The Long Shift'
Directed by Julie Kalceff
Written by Vonne Patiag
Starring Christine Milo
'Closing Night'
Directed by Leah Purcell
Written by Claire Cao
Starring Jing-Xuan Chan and Gabrielle Chan
CREATIVE TEAM
WRITERS
DIRECTORS
CREDITS
PRODUCERS
Annabel Davis, Sheila Jayadev and Bree-Anne Sykes
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Blake Ayshford, S. Shakthidharan and Lyn Norfor
ABC EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Sally Riley and Clare Atkins
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Nisrine Amine, Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Arka Das, Dee Dogan and Vonne Patiag
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Tania Lambert ACS
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Roslyn Durnford
COSTUME DESIGNER
Wendy Cork
EDITOR
Martin Connor
CASTING DIRECTOR
Allison Meadows, Mullinars Consultants
LINE PRODUCER
Annalisa Brown
FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Jeremy Grogan
HAIR & MAKEUP SUPERVISOR
Nadine Terens
SOUND DESIGNER
Liam Egan
SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR
Angus Robertson
COMPOSER
Amanda Brown
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Jessie Hildebrand
PRODUCTION COMPANIES
Co-Curious supports writers from underrepresented backgrounds to develop and deliver rich culturally significant stories demonstrating the lived experience of contemporary Australia.
Established in 2018 with the support of Screen Australia and Create NSW, the company has since carved out a reputation as an innovative and collaborative arts company that invests in writers. Our model strives to create two-way learning and deeply embeds writers at the heart of our productions. Our focus is both content development and programs which include workshops, mentorships and placements designed to develop the professional skills of the participants and prepare them for industry careers.
Established in 2009 by Lyn Norfor, Sheila Jayadev and Prue Williams, Emerald Productions is a boutique production company specialising in working with new talent and bringing bold projects to the screen.
Emerald has produced a slate of award-winning films that have screened at numerous international film festivals, won the highest honours at the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals and have been nominated for a number of Australian Academy Awards. Feature film credits include ALI’S WEDDING, a co-production with Matchbox Pictures which picked up awards at Sydney, Melbourne and CinefestOz Film Festivals before being acquired by Netflix, UNDERTOW which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and indie comedy HOT MESS (Netflix). Emerald prides itself on working with some of Australia’s most exciting emerging writers and directors.
THE GREATEST STORIES ARE THE ONES WE TELL TOGETHER
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.