Co-productions, tricky for Australians

Although co-productions are “tricky”, producer Liz Watts says she is confident that her new project Amnesia, set for a Johannesburg shoot, will be made with “great partners”.

“There is not an official treaty yet, but it is supposedly next on the list, and there is still opportunity -if the treaty isn’t finalised once we’ve financed- to do the production under a MoU,” Watts told Encore.

The producer is working on Amnesia, a project that was accepted into this year’s Aurora script development program. Set in contemporary Johannesburg, Amnesia tells the story of a white Jewish family and the people who work for them grasping for clarity in a society of confused morals, uncertain emotions and violence.

“[Writer/director] Tony Krawitz lived in South Africa until he was about 18 years, and he has written this story based around a teenager and his family in Johannesburg. The Australian elements in the film are Tony and myself, the post-production in Sydney, and maybe some cast members.