Details

Release year: 2020

Storyline

To escape the outback, a young Afghan cameleer falls in with a mysterious bushman on the run with stolen Crown gold.

Top credits

Directors

Roderick MacKay

Writers

Roderick MacKay

Cast

Ahmed Malek — Hanif
Baykali Ganambarr — Woorak
Kaushik Das — Jundah
Noah Skape — Younger Man

See all 36 credits →

Did you know

• Writer-director Roderick MacKay came across Ahmed Malek, a highly regarded actor from Egypt, when searching the internet for Middle Eastern actors. He stumbled upon an Egyptian serial drama in which Malek starred. MacKay said: "Even though I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying, I was totally glued to his performance and felt immediately that I'd found our Hanif. Luckily Malek adored the script and the character of Hanif really resonated with him, even mirroring dimensions in his own life. Malek's commitment to authenticity and plumbing the intellectual and emotional depths of Hanif was truly staggering. Malek is a household name in his homeland of Egypt, and I think this will be the case across the western world very soon."

• The locations with surprising diversity around Mount Magnet in Western Australia were a cinematographer's dream. Director of Photography Mick McDermott said: "There's a whole range of terrains from scrubby bush to dramatic escarpment - everywhere you look there's something beautiful to shoot. But alongside that inherent beauty, there are also environmental factors that can make shooting there very difficult. The ground is very uneven and the heat can be debilitating at times. It can be hard on equipment as well as on people." He added: ''Then there are the dust storms and the flies to contend with. But when we saw the beauty of the place and the performances that we were getting, we pushed all those environmental factors aside. It just looks amazing on camera so accept the challenges while you're there and try to embrace the experience as much as you can."

• The film illuminates the forgotten history of Australia's 'Ghan' cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who opened up the Nation's desert interior, and formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.