Red Dog director Stenders gets funding for Vietnam War drama Long Tan
Kriv Stenders, the director of 2011 box-office hit Red Dog, and Oscar winner Emile Sherman are among 15 feature projects selected for financial support in the latest $360,000 round of Screen Australia funding.
Red Dog was named Australia’s favourite film at last year’s Mumbrella Awards.
Long Tan producer Walsh
Stenders will direct Long Tan, the long term project of producer and former special forces soldier Martin Walsh. Actor Sam Worthington’s name has previously been attached to the project,which focuses on the battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War.
Eh? Has someone posted an old article in error? The Battle of Long Tan (narrated by Sam Worthington) already exists, and has for some time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gUSq7pxux4
And it’s already excellent, FWIW.
Hi Circling Sharks,
The Long Tan documentary was a previous project worked on by Martin Walsh.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Oh, sorry. It just seemed to make little sense that you’d make a documentary about the exact same topic as a recent (and very good) documentary, and also have it narrated by the same guy. Good luck to him I guess, although unless the ending changes and the NVA win that battle, I’m struggling to see what’s being added. Of course, I’ve not seen a script, but it does feel a bit like tap dancing on the head of pin, doesn’t it? Or is that just me?
Circling Sharks – yes it’s just you. This film is a fact-based drama, no a documentary, and SW is attached to star in it. The clue is that it’s to be directed by Kriv Stenders, a drama director
Thanks for your kind feedback on my doco ‘circling sharks’ and for the clarification Tim.
Yes, I made the Battle of Long Tan documentary but it has always been part of a broader plan to generate awareness of the story among newer generations and reinvigorate the older generations as a foundation for our full length feature film. Marketing of Australian films usually leaves something to be desired and we’ve spent the past 6 years building awareness and interest – something which didn’t exist prior to 2006.
The doco was timed for the 40th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan and to help get the veterans medals upgraded to their original citations.
We made it for The History Channel which does have a very limited audience in Australia and New Zealand and I’ve also been gradually growing the audience internationally via YouTube. Every person I meet professionally or privately has still not seen the documentary and almost everyone who has seen it says they want to see a movie version of the story.
A movie is a very different beast to a documentary and with the creative team and ensemble cast we are assembling along with a brilliant script, it is going to be something very special – something we haven’t seen in over 30 years!
More news soon…..
thanks Martin… it was a great documentary…. so really looking forward to seeing a dramatic telling of the story on the big screen… hopefully it will be spectacular…
Congrats martin – i know its been a long journey – looking forward to it!