French actress Emmanuelle Béart cast in My Mistress to shoot late January on the Gold Coast
French actress Emmanuelle Béart has been added to the cast of Australian film My Mistress alongside Harrison Gilbertson and Rachael Blake ahead of shooting later this month on the Gold Coast.
The film received Screen Australia funding in November. It’s directed by Stephen Lance and written by Top of the Lake’s Gerard Lee with production by Bran Nue Dae’s Robyn Kershaw and distributed by Transmission Films.
The announcement:
Internationally acclaimed French actress Emmanuelle Béart (A Heart in Winter, Nathalie, Manon of the Spring, Mission: Impossible) will join one of Australia’s rising international stars, AFI Award‐winning Harrison Gilbertson (U.S. independent film Haunt – in the title role opposite Jacki Weaver, Accidents Happen, Blessed, Beneath Hill 60, Conspiracy 365) and AFI Award‐winning actress Rachael Blake (Sleeping Beauty, Lantana, Hawke) in the seductive and touching new film My Mistress.
What starts as a beautiful and strangely innocent affair between a vulnerable teenage romantic and a French S&M mistress, soon becomes more dangerous in My Mistress, an unconventional and provocative love story.
The film will be directed by Stephen Lance, an award‐winning short film (Yolk, Eustice Solves a Problem), music video (Powderfinger, Washington, Silverchair) and commercials director, from a script he developed with writer Gerard Lee (Sweetie, All Men Are Liars, Top of the Lake). Leanne Tonkes of Mini Studios (Dog with Electric Collar, White Lines, Mittens) and Steve Kearney will produce the contemporary drama. Robyn Kershaw (Bran Nue Dae, Looking for Alibrandi) is on board as executive producer.
A renowned crew has been assembled to help bring Lance’s unique voice and sophisticated visual style to life, including cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson (Shine, The Sessions, Little Women, Oscar and Lucinda), Academy Award®‐nominated editor Jill Bilcock (Moulin Rouge, Red Dog, Elizabeth, Romeo + Juliet), and Academy Award®‐winning costume designer Angus Strathie (Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom).
“It’s important that my first film give audiences an artistic experience that is both visually and emotionally exciting, and I couldn’t be happier with the world‐class calibre of cast and crew who are joining us on this amazing journey,” said Lance. “Emmanuelle is a fearless actress who has portrayed so many incredible women. Her emotional complexity is perfect for this role. Equally, Harrison is such a brilliant actor with an already impressive career, and he’ll bring something special to this film,” he added.
Producer Tonkes said, “We’re blessed to have such immense support from our production and investment partners, many of whom have assisted us for well over a decade. It’s a testament of their belief in us, and our shared vision for this beautiful story. I’m sure this opportunity will enable us to significantly advance a slate of films we’ve both been working on for many years.”Transmission Films Managing Director Andrew Mackie said, “We are excited to be supporting the debut feature of Stephen Lance, a director we’ve been tracking for many years. We pride ourselves on distributing groundbreaking and distinctive Australian films and with the wealth of talented creatives on board for My Mistress we know the result will be something special.”
Shooting is set to commence later this month on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
My Mistress will be produced with financial support from Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, Film Victoria, the Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund, and Soundfirm.
Transmission Films will distribute the film locally, with international sales being handled by LevelK.
Source: Transmission Films press release
