Prince-Wright Productions has wrapped principal photography on the independent feature Before Dawn in Western Australia. The World War I feature film will bring to the big screen the untold story of some of Australia’s greatest military victories. The script, inspired by the real-life diary entries of local ANZACs, was written by Jordon Prince-Wright whose prior credits include the independent and internationally award-winning production Decadent and Depraved (2018). Shot entirely in regional WA, Before Dawn wrapped up last week on a homestead in the mid-West town of Cue, where final scenes of the film were shot in perfect conditions.
The bulk majority of filming took place on 83 acres of land outside of Esperance, with a large-scale set built to replicate the trenches and battlefields of Flanders, Belgium, where the fabled and legend-defining Western Front battles took place in 1917.
Before Dawn is produced and directed by Prince-Wright (25), who shot to prominence when named Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year in 2014 before he wrote, produced and directed the low-budget hit western, The Decadent and Depraved.
An accomplished all-Australian cast has been assembled headed by Levi Miller (Red Dog:True Blue, Pan), Stephen Peacocke (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Me Before You, Home & Away), Travis Jeffery (Unbroken, Pirates of the Caribbean) Ed Oxenbould (Paper Planes), Tim Franklin (Home and Away) and local WA screen legend Myles Pollard (X-Men Origins:Wolverine, Drift, Jasper Jones).
lnitially planned to start shooting in April 2020, production was delayed 12 months due to the industry-wide impact of the covid pandemic. However, the extra time allowed producers to further develop the project and secure additional funding, resulting in a final film that is much grander in scale than originally planned.
A fully independent production, Prince-Wright describes the film as a ‘community project’, underwritten by the incredible support offered from local shires, the Returned Services League, Rotary and the local Lions clubs. Coupled with extensive in-kind support from dozens of West Australian sponsors, the outpouring of support helped bring the ambitious project to reality.
The result is without doubt one of the biggest independent feature films ever produced in WA, with the most recent budget projection expect to land north of $9million upon completion.
The editing process is now underway with post-production expected to begin in WA in early 2022, whilst discussions have also begun with distributors. An initial release date is slated for November 2022.
