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Ghostlight

Directed by Alex Thompson, Kelly O’Sullivan
2023
USA
115 minutes
Unclassified 18+
Book Tickets
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A listless construction worker with no acting experience joins a community production of Romeo and Juliet in this Sundance charmer, featuring a brilliant supporting performance from Dolly De Leon (Triangle of Sadness, SFF 2022).

In this moving ode to art-as-therapy in even the most unlikely and reluctant places, Chicago labourer Dan (a superb Keith Kupferer) is reeling from a tragedy. His inability to articulate his feelings and his flashes of rage are causing trouble at work and home (his wife and daughter are played by Kupferer’s real life family). One day, he stumbles into a local theatre, and before long he’s playing Romeo – despite not even knowing the plot. Unexpectedly, this most lamentable and low-budget production provides him an emotional outlet he’s never had. Dolly De Leon steals scenes as the cranky but kind veteran actor who plays Juliet. Disarmingly low-key and deeply moving, this lovely indie earned raves at Sundance. You’ll want to pack tissues.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.
[Screenwriter Kelly] O’Sullivan has a natural storytelling gift, coupled with a knack for comedy. Here, she takes elements that feature regularly in Sundance Film Festival dramas – grieving families, difficult teens, small-town communities – and rearranges them into a surprising and moving narrative
Peter Debruge, Variety
There’s an appealing naturalness to the project, probably owing to its tight-knit origins: O’Sullivan and Thompson are real-life partners directing a real-life family in their city, Chicago
Adrian Horton, The Guardian

Tickets

Fri 7 Jun
6pm
Hayden Orpheum Cremorne - Cinema 5
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Mon 10 Jun
4pm
State Library of NSW
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Thu 13 Jun
6:15pm
Ritz Randwick - Cinema 5
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Program Strand
Features
Year
2023
Classification
Unclassified 18+
Country
USA
Language
In English
Director
Alex Thompson, Kelly O’Sullivan
Producer
Alex Thompson, Ian Keiser, Pierce Cravens, Chelsea Krant, Alex Wilson, Eddie Linker
Cast
Keith Kupferer, Tara Mullen, Dolly De Leon
Screenwriter
Kelly O'Sullivan
Cinematographer
Luke Dyra
Editor
Mike S. Smith
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Genre
Women Directors, Comedies, Off-Beat, Literary & Adaptations
Company Credits
Australian Distributor: Vendetta Films, Sales Agent: Visit Films
Official Website
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