Feature Film AFIN 191
THE COST
Directed by 
Matthew Holmes
AFIN 2023 Winner
- 2023
- 1h 48m
-
Australia - English
- MA15+
- Drama
- Thriller
Stills
2 frames
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Credits
Produced by
Synopsis
Intent on dispensing their own brutal form of justice, two ordinary men abduct a felon who committed a horrific crime many years before.
Director's Statement
For me, 'The Cost' was a way to explore humanity's instinctual reaction to meet violence with more violence and ask the age-old question - what is justice? Where is the moral line - and what happens when one crosses it? In movies, revenge is mostly depicted as a positive or a cathartic act; I wanted to deliver a film that explored the true emotional and mental consequences of vigilante justice, one that will have the audience questioning their own moral stance on this issue long after the credits roll.
What makes this one special
- Nominated in 2 AFIN categoriesBest Australian Actor · Best Feature Film
From the Judges
From the Judges
A drama built around a moral dilemma that quietly tests the audience's own conscience, this feature drew praise for the sureness of its opening and its patient build of suspense. The panel found the performances powerful, holding the weight of the choices at the story's centre. It struck them as a film they would happily pay to see.
Director's Biography
Matthew Holmes Director
Matthew Holmes is a multi award-winning Australian director, writer and producer who started his career in 1995 a stop-motion animator, sculptor and story-board artist working on hundreds of TVCs and award-winning short films at Adelaide's prestigious animation company Anifex Pty Ltd. His self-financed feature debut 'Twin Rivers' was completed in 2007, finding a home on Foxtel. His sophomore feature 'The Legend of Ben Hall' was release in 2016, which started as a hugely successful crowd-funded short before launching into production as a feature, with fellow Australian director Greg Mclean (Wolf Creek, Jungle) joining as Executive Producer. The film has since garnered multiple international awards and has been released in 22 countries, earning critical & audience praise for his engaging characters and highly authentic recreation of the history. Matthew's third independent feature film 'The Cost' was completed in late-2022. He is now a freelance director residing in Melbourne, Victoria. Matthew has multiple features in various stages of development including the crime thriller 'Impasse', a contemplative drama 'The Vault', a mystery thriller 'Mortality', a psychological horror 'BlackJack', the creature-feature 'Territorial', a bold re-imagining of the Greek mythology tale 'Jason and the Argonauts' and a 4-season original series titled 'The Bushrangers'.
Trailer
Fuller cast & crew
- Nadia Fragnito Kelly
- Mark Redpath Sgt. Leseberg
- Calt Spiker Megan
- Sotiris Tzelios Harry
Adam Willson Mike - Axel Jager Cameron
- Eleni Modinos Station Barista
Steve Sammut Station Attendant - Ella Hill-Cotter Lucy
- Sophie Stewart Mia
Editor
- Edward Tresize
Executive Producer
- Ross Angelo
Adam La Rosa - Joshua Little
- Alexander Moss
- Rohan Muggleton
Director of Photography
- Cable Williams
Production Design
- Lufan Shi
Producer
- Michael Ager
- Kurt Royan
Music
- Ronnie Minder
Writer
- Gregory Moss
Details and imagery from The Movie Database This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
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THE COST was Winner of Best Australian Actor and a Nominee for Best Australian Actor and Best Feature Film at the AFIN International Film Festival 2023, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.
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