Against the backdrop of Hollywood awards season, the independent and underground film scene goes on with its own recognitions and competitions. Coming up next on that front is the Berlin Film Festival, and flying the flag of Australian cinema this year will be Warwick Thornton’s “Wolfram,” the successor to his critically acclaimed 2017 film “Sweet Country.”
In his review when the film launched, Variety‘s Guy Lodge said of “Sweet Country”: “The spare, classical chase drama that ensues is seeded with barbed observations on colonialism, cultural erasure and rough justice, kept poetically succinct by Thornton’s lithe, soaring visual storytelling.” The film’s stunning cinematography earned it 22 wins and 29 nominations at industry awards.
Sequels come as a surprise in cases like this, as “Sweet Country,” a western-style story of violence and justice in colonial outback Australia, doesn’t scream sequel in the same way that so many mainstream films do. But yes, “Wolfram” is its successor.
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As the film’s official logline puts it, “Wolfram” is “Inspired by the family stories of Thornton and Tranter and set against the backdrop of the 1930s colonial frontier, when two swaggering outlaws roll into town to strike it rich in the mines, they unleash a wave of cruelty that shatters the community’s fragile balance and leads three irrepressible kids to break free from their white masters – and set off across the “sweet country” of central Australia in search of a safe home.”
“Wolfram” stars Deborah Mailman alongside Erroll Shand, Joe Bird, Thomas M Wright, Matt Nable and Pedrea Jackson, and was produced by Bunya Productions’ Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey. It’s getting its shot at international acclaim when it screens in competition for the 2026 Berlin Film Festival, but Australian audiences will get a chance to watch it not long after.
“Wolfram” releases in Australian theatres on Thursday, April 30.