His Father's Son

"His Father's Son", a short film by award winning Director, Iain Appleyard, is a coming of age story focussing on three teenage boys as they journey through life in their small country town.

Anchored in a lush, green, 1980s pre-mobile and social media world, this tale is full of nostalgic glimpses into a much simpler time. Our main character, Emmett, and his two best friends, Jarni and Morris, take us all back to a time of BMX bikes, crazy TV shows, outrageous fashion and raucous haircuts.

In contrast to the serene surroundings Emmett quite often finds himself in, his home and his father are dark and uninviting elements in his life. Throw into the mix a kitten, a cute girl, a slingshot and long buried secrets, you have a recipe for an amazing storytelling experience.  


WHERE ARE WE AT?

“His Father’s Son” has already seen a successful development, pre-production and production period, with a sensational array of cast and crew allowing writer/director Iain Appleyard to see his vision reach reality.


The film is currently in Post-Production, with our GoFundMe campaign designed to allow for distribution of the film.  

For the cast and crew to be recognised, it is extremely important that "His Father's Son" is showcased in multiple national and international film festivals. The entry fees for these festivals becomes very costly due to charges for each submission in each category, i.e Best Actor, Best Director, as well as conversion and delivery charges. 

Making a short film is an expensive process and this is where we need your support! We are looking for donations to go towards film festival entry fees and crew payment. The crew are all industry professionals who volunteered their time and expertise to make this project happen. We would love to repay them for their efforts. 

The success of this project will ensure our ability to produce more short films in the future! 


Producer/Director/Writer - Iain Appleyard 

Based on a true story and my own recollections of growing up in the 80’s I loved the idea of three young complex characters challenged beyond their years, that are individually broken yet unstoppable together.

The idea soon became a reality several drafts later, with the help and continuing support of Ali Roberts, Dan Holliday and backed by a sensational cast and crew.

I was very lucky to find three talented young actors capable of bringing believability to such complicated characters. They were committed and trained for weeks beforehand, visiting uncharted darker areas of life both physically and mentally.

Growing up in the 80’s, I wanted to show new audiences this extraordinary decade. The reactions from the cast and crew were wonderful, cementing my decision. The location was challenging as I had really wanted to show international audiences an alternative Perth. Roleystone was perfect, lush green and full of wonderment.

I hope you enjoy watching our film, and thankyou for supporting the creative industries.

Co-Producer/Actors Manager/Casting - Ali Roberts

Developing Noahs acting career over the past 10 years years has been a rewarding experience, both as an acting coach and manager. He is a dedicated young actor with a bright future ahead. I wanted to produce a short film that would give Noah an opportunity to showcase his talent on an international level. 

Through this opportunity Seamus Harrison, Arjun Kang, Bruce Denny and Olivia Nardini were all cast in supprting roles to bring a unique story to the screen.  

Iain was excited to write and develop a script for Noah having previously worked with him on other projects through the Ali Roberts Studio.

It's been a great process being able to watch 'His Father's Son' progress from the beginning of the script development stage, all the way through to finalising the edit. Having worked with these actors during acting classes and on numerous projects, I knew that they would be well suited to Iain's script and would be able to bring the characters to life. 

All of the crew were extremely dedicated and passionate to their field of work and were all really great to work with.

Director of Photography - Daniel Holliday

Daniel’s passion and commitment to film and cinematography has seen him collaborate with Robert Connolly on his award winning feature film, PAPER PLANES and Denson Baker ACS NZCS on Damian Walsh­Howling’s Lexus Short Film, MESSIAH. 

He works locally to bring story’s to life on the small and big screen and is the Dean of Roleystone Academy of Digital Media.

Daniel is one half of 2D Films, a production company based out of Perth, Western Australia and has developed and produced numerous short films and commercial content for local businesses and musicians.

"Film making requires a level of begging, borrowing, favours and faith to make headway and gather momentum. What we were able to do on “His Fathers Son” was due to blood, sweat and hard work, but more than anything it was because of the ‘family’ we were able to build as our cast and crew.”

PRINCIPLE CAST

Noah D'Annunzio as EMMETT


Emmett is a tough misunderstood 15y old, with a violent history and tainted past. Looked down upon by the town, he is constantly challenged by the way people think of him based on his association with his deadbeat father.

Noah D'Annunzio is a Perth born actor with a dedicated passion towards the craft of acting. He has worked as a professional actor from the young age of 6 years old where he booked his first professional job in a Red Rooster TV commercial. Noah was cast in his first Feature Film "Paper Planes" where he thoroughly enjoyed his experience and the opportunity to work with Director Robert Connolly. 

Arjun Kang as JARNI 


Jarni is a cheeky 15y old ethnic boy, struggling with adolescence and acceptance of his heritage by those that don’t understand it. He is the mischief-maker of the group, but also the cement that holds it together.

Malaysian born, Arjun Kang has always had an interest in acting and once he moved to Australia, he dedicated himself to acting classes at the Ali Roberts Studio. Arjun has professional experience in theatre and has performed in a number of productions including "Fantastic Mr Fox" by Box of Delights Malaysio and "Captain Everything" written by Pete Malicki and performed at the Short+Sweet Festival Malaysia.

Seamus Harrison as MORRIS


Morris is a kind-hearted 14y old with delayed social skills, and severe sensory issues. He is teased and ridiculed by his peers, but loved and respected by all that get to know him. He is the innocent voice of reason in the group and a reminder of how we should really behave.

Seamus Harrison discovered his passion for singing and acting in 2012 after auditioning for a school musical and it wasn't long before he successfully got the professional role of Jeremy Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

In 2013, Seamus fell in love with screen acting when he played the roles of Horn Rim in the feature film Paper Planes. His hard work and dedication to the field has paid off and during the 2015 Ali Roberts Studio Acting Tour, Seamus was signed with a US Agent in Los Angeles and New York. 

Supporting characters include Lucy played by Olivia Nardini, Bruce played by Bruce Denny, young Emmett played by Christian Gillies and Mr T played by Leronardo Silva.

CREW


Producer: Iain Appleyard 
Co-Producer: Ali Roberts 

Director: Iain Appleyard 
1st Assistant Director: Adam Graveley 

Director of Photography: Daniel Holliday 
1st AC: Tobiyaez Haynes 
2nd AC: Rhys Jones 

Gaffer: David Duong
Best Boy: Balazs Kajsa 
Assistant Electrics: Campbell Hink
Lighting Consultant: Dion Borrett 

Production Design: Jessica Holliday
Makeup/Costume: Stephanie Davis 

Sound: Alex Blocher & Gavin Repton

Unit/Behind the Scenes: Liang Xu 

Casting Director: Ali Roberts 

Location Consultant: Bob Hart 

Production Assistant: Isaac Holliday


LOCATIONS

"His Fathers Son" was filmed in the lush, green bush surrounds of Roleystone in the West Australian Perth Hills. Located near the world renowned Araluen Botanical Gardens, these settings provided a stunning backdrop for these adventurous boys to ride through and explore.


Other examples of effective location based story telling included the use of creative production design to reclaim an unused shopfront and a dilapidated wood shed, creating a genuine 1980s setting for the film.

Having access to many unseen and interesting aspects of the Perth landscape makes “His Father’s Son” a truly unique West Australian short film.


Roleystone community also played a large part in the production of the film, with welcoming local location consultant Bob Hart, more than happy to open up his home and support the film and its many crew.

Visit our Facebook page!

HOW THE FUNDS WILL BE USED 

"His Father's Son" has successfully finished filming and we are currently in the Post Production stage and nearing completion. The GoFundMe campaign is designed to help with the distribution of the film into as many local and international film festivals as possible. 

This vital stage of the story telling process is a costly procedure and your support will allow this world-wide-festival-run to occur.  

Your donations will also allow the Producers to pay back the 20+ crew for their out of pocket expenses on the production.