Australian mystery-drama “Anno 2020” has secured a global distribution deal with US-based streaming platform Fawesome TV, marking a major milestone for the ultra-low-budget feature after a successful festival and theatrical run.
The film – shot for just US$6,000 (AU$9,000) – has defied expectations typically associated with “no-budget” productions, a notoriously difficult category in which filmmakers must rely heavily on resourcefulness and creative problem-solving rather than financial backing.
The streaming deal follows a series of sold-out red carpet screenings across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in 2024, alongside a strong international festival circuit that saw the film pick up accolades including Best Experimental Film at the Titan International Film Festival.
Written and directed by Australian-New Zealand filmmaker James Morcan, who adapted the project from his own novel, “Anno 2020” is now available to stream globally via Fawesome TV.
“I’m delighted that Fawesome TV are distributing our one-of-a-kind and truly epic movie to the world,” Morcan said. “Fawesome are a great American streaming service to be associated with for this film – and hopefully for future movies my associates and I have in the works.”
Owned by Future Today Inc., Fawesome TV has expanded its reach significantly in recent years, now available in over 75 million US households and distributed across connected TV platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio and LG.
The film’s editor and director of photography, Sydney-based Simon Carter, said the ongoing recognition is a testament to the team’s unconventional approach. “Our production is not a commercial one in the strictest sense. It’s more of a throwback to when movies were often made for art’s sake alone,” Carter said. “It’s fitting that one of the awards ‘Anno 2020’ won was Best Experimental Film… that award is reflective of the pioneering filmmaking and storytelling techniques we used.”
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Despite its modest budget, “Anno 2020” was filmed across 17 cities worldwide during Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, which presented significant logistical challenges for the independent team. Carter said completing the project required a mix of innovation and persistence.
“It’s been really tough without a budget… so many times it seemed impossible to ever finish it, let alone release it,” he said. “In the end it came down to our ability to pioneer new filming methods as well as some serious hard yakka.”
The film’s international cast features actors from Australia, the US and China, including Erin Connor (“Occupation: Rainfall”), Greg Poppleton (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), Brett Partridge (“Water Rats”), Audrey Nitschke (“Wolf Like Me”), Kevin Scott Allen (“American Primeval”), Sheila Ball (“Assault on VA-33”), La Rivers (“Equal Standard”), Crystal J. Huang (“Dark Feathers”) and Jessica Castello (“Oildale”).
Described as a global narrative weaving together interconnected characters seeking redemption, truth and justice amid the upheaval of 2020, the film also reflects its creator’s intent to explore controversial and widely debated topics surrounding the pandemic era.
“For my directorial debut, I wanted to cover the contentious handling of the Covid-19 lockdowns… Given the lack of freedom of speech in the arts at the time, it seemed obvious no financiers or distributors would back our production before filming commenced,” he said. “However, because we had the courage to cover explosive topics… we may ultimately end up with something quite commercial. After all, timing is everything in the film industry.”
Production company MoneyShot Productions says further distribution announcements for “Anno 2020” are expected in the coming months.