PRESS RELEASE
Award-winning Western Australian writer/director David Vincent Smith brings a personal story to the big screen with his feature film directorial debut HE AIN’T HEAVY set to commence shooting Monday 23 January in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs, with major production investment from Screenwest and Lotterywest.
Inspired by true events, the film follows a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction.
Having recently wrapped filming on Alfonso Cuaron’s upcoming limited series for Apple TV+, DISCLAIMER, and set to appear next in Patricia Arquette’s feature directorial debut GONZO GIRL, Leila George (ANIMAL KINGDOM, THE KID, MORTAL ENGINES) appears opposite her mother – award-winning Australian stage and screen actress Greta Scacchi (WHITE MISCHIEF, PRESUMED INNOCENT, LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI) – as mother/daughter, Bev and Jade, in HE AIN’T HEAVY.
Sam Corlett (THE DRY, VIKINGS: VALHALLA, CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA) assumes the role of Max, the troubled son/brother at the centre of this tense family drama. Corlett can be seen in the second season of the global hit Netflix series VIKINGS: VALHALLA which debuted among the top ten streaming titles across the platform for the second consecutive year, and is now streaming worldwide.
HE AIN’T HEAVY was born from the proof of concept short I’M NOT HURTING YOU, which premiered at Sydney Film Festival and screened at numerous local and international film festivals including Flickerfest and Austin Film Festival.
Produced by Jess Parker of Perth-based No Labels Films, a long-time collaborator with David Vincent Smith having previously produced his short films I’M NOT HURTING YOU and FEATHERWEIGHT, HE AIN’T HEAVY marks the formidable pair’s first foray into feature filmmaking, with multiple long form screen projects currently in development.
Jonathan Page’s Bonsai Films will distribute HE AIN’T HEAVY in select cinemas across Australia, with Page also assuming an Executive Producer role.
“HE AIN’T HEAVY provides a canvas to interrogate a real-world dilemma many families wrestle with – the price we are prepared to pay for love; a question without a simple answer,” says writer/director David Vincent Smith.
“I’m thrilled to be collaborating with such wonderful talent for my directing debut and humbled by the commitment they’ve already shown to the project,” Vincent Smith concludes.
Producer Jess Parker echoes that sentiment, stating “having Leila perform alongside her mother is something very special to us. Leila, Greta and Sam bring such an honest and personal connection to our story, portraying a family whose desperation to hold onto each other has left visible claw marks.”
Jess Parker and David Vincent Smith were the 2021 recipients of Screenwest’s West Coast Visions Initiative, with HE AIN’T HEAVY receiving $750,000 production funding.
Commenting on the upcoming production, Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall says “we’re thrilled to see HE AIN’T HEAVY enter principal photography next week, kicking off what looks to be a bumper year of production here in WA. David and Jess are an incredibly talented team and we’re pleased to be supporting them as they bring their debut feature to life.”
