Clare (Aisling Franciosi) is a young Irish convict who chases Hawkins (Sam Claflin) a repugnant British Officer across the Tasmanian wilderness in an act of revenge. Hawkins and some of his men have perpetrated unthinkable horrors upon Clare and her young family.

Clare enlists the help of Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), an Aboriginal tracker to aid in her quest. During their journey they learn to respect each other as they witness horrible savagery foisted upon the native Aboriginals by the white settlers. This is accomplished in a very unflinching way.

Writer/director Jennifer Kent follows up her film The Babadook with an amazingly powerful work that is unafraid to take sides and show the atrocities carried out on both the Aboriginal and convict populations of that period. While it is at times incredibly challenging to watch, it provides a great reward for those that are up to the task.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/transmissionfilms

A powerful and beautifully crafted Australian story, THE NIGHTINGALE has received critical acclaim and captivated audiences around the world. The film premiered at Venice Film Festival 2018, where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize and Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Performer, before screening at Sundance Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival London and has been selected to screen at the upcoming Melbourne International Film Festival. The highly anticipated second feature film from Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), THE NIGHTINGALE releases nationally on August 29, 2019.

Written and Directed by Jennifer Kent, THE NIGHTINGALE is a meditation on the consequences of violence and the price of seeking vengeance. Set during the colonisation of Australia in 1825, the film follows Clare (Aisling Franciosi) as she chases a British officer (Sam Claflin) through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

THE NIGHTINGALE features momentous performances by Aisling Franciosi (The Fall, Game of Thrones) and Sam Claflin (Their Finest, Me Before You), alongside Australian’s Baykali Ganambarr (in his first performance onscreen), Michael Sheasby (Hacksaw Ridge), Damon Herriman (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Justified), Harry Greenwood (Hacksaw Ridge) and Ewen Leslie (Sweet Country, Top Of The Lake).

Jennifer will be appearing at preview Q&A screenings in Sydney at Dendy Newtown and Chauvel Cinema on Sunday 18th August and Monday 19th August, in Melbourne at Cinema Nova on Tuesday 20th August and returning to Tasmania, where the film was shot, for a Q&A screening at the State Cinema on Wednesday 21st August. Full details and tickets are below.

Jennifer graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and worked extensively in theatre, film and TV as an actor, before undertaking a directing apprenticeship on Dogville, directed by Lars von Trier in 2002. In 2010, Jennifer completed the script program at the Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam, where she developed her feature film The Babadook. The Babadook screened at Sundance Film Festival in January 2014 to critical and audience acclaim, and has won over 50 international and domestic awards.

THE NIGHTINGALE will release in cinemas nationally on August 29, 2019.

Q&A Screening Details
Sydney:
Sunday 18th August at 6pm
Dendy Newtown Q&A Preview Screening
261-263 King St, Newtown NSW
Tickets on sale here: www.dendy.com.au

Monday 19th August at 6.30pm
Chauvel Cinema Q&A Preview Screening
249 Oxford St, Paddington NSW
Tickets on sale here: www.palacecinemas.com.au

Melbourne:
Tuesday 20th August at 6.15pm
Cinema Nova Q&A Preview Screening
380 Lygon St, Carlton VIC
Tickets on sale here: www.cinemanova.com.au

Hobart:
Wednesday 21st August at 6.30pm
State Cinema Q&A Preview Screening
375 Elizabeth St, North Hobart TAS
Tickets on sale soon: www.statecinema.com.au