In the official selection, “Freya” proved unbeatable, taking home the Post-Production Award by PurpleDOG Post worth CAD$10,000 . The same award – and CAD$5,000 – was also given to Forum’s “In the Heart of the South” and Genre Film Lab’s “Alligator.”
Rhona Rees’ “Freya” – currently in development – is set in the future when abortion is completely illegal. Its protagonist, Jade, is tricked into getting pregnant. Caught buying black market abortion pills, she is thrown into a conversion therapy jail for pregnant women.The story has won a pitching competition in 2022 for an AACTA development grant in association with Monster Pictures, with the latter providing a letter of intent for Australian and New Zealand distribution.
Hayley Gray’s “Alligator,” eyeing a 2024 shoot, also takes on some timely issues while focusing on Grace, a cheerleader for the Alligators professional football team, who takes revenge into her own hands following an attempted assault.