BANSHEES RIDGE

Director's Statement

Banshees Ridge stems from the traditions of Gothic Literature in our Australian Colonial History, which continues to be relevant as our country reflects on the atrocities of its past. Many of our landscapes including creeks and deserts are named after the massacres, violent deaths, or inexplicable disappearances, a constant reminder of the intolerable trauma & separation from homeland. When researching ghost stories that remain in our outback communities, a re-occurring theme of Banshees emerged. We were blessed to be brought to film on the sacred sights by the traditional Indigenous owners, Guwa-Koa People. In collaboration with the Winton Council, we shot in the outback town which is 14 hours drive from the nearest major city. Combining high fantasy with the very real gothic horror of the Australian settlement, the film follows a bushranger who is equipped to hunt down Corruptions - monsters the Irish call “Banshees”. Historically in Australia, Bushrangers (like Ned Kelly) are outlaws, and such is the case in this world as corruption are seeded in the arrogance of the government and authoritative institutions of the British Colonisers. In our film, as with a lot of Australian history, Bushrangers become an outlaw force of redemption. 

Corruptions, as we see in institutions, are unseen, and in our film are intangible demonic-like monsters that are spawned from injustice or trauma. 

Taking inspiration from films like Peter Weirs “Picnic at Hanging Rock” & Jennifer Kent’s “The Nightingale” the process of shooting this film in remote locations relied on a nimble cast & crew that allowed us to visit these harsh but mystic Australian landscapes.