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In this episode, Kirsty Stark talks to Samantha Jennings, Producer at Causeway Films - whose credits include Talk to Me, Cargo, Buoyancy and Of An Age.
Sam breaks down the commitment that she and fellow Causeway producer Kristina Ceyton have to nurturing new Australian talent, and supporting them to direct internationally successful feature films.
From the importance of authenticity in storytelling to the common traits amongst the diverse group of feature directors that Causeway has worked with, Sam’s advice is invaluable for anyone looking to build a career as a director in the screen industry.
Key Takeaways:
The importance of building relationships over time
How to approach casting and packaging for features
The ideal budgets for feature films that Causeway will look to take on
The detail to which the directors they work with understand the audiences for their projects
Why proof of concept shorts aren’t always the best pathway to directing features
- Why you should build your own community of collaborators
- Why the Australian industry needs to invest in building our next generation of cinemagoers
Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton co-founded Causeway Films with globally acclaimed THE BABADOOK in 2014, and produced Jennifer Kent’s follow up THE NIGHTINGALE. Causeway has launched many debuts on the global stage over the last decade, including Netflix Original CARGO starring Martin Freeman, Berlinale prize winner BUOYANCY by Rodd Rathjen, and Goran Stolevski’s YOU WON’T BE ALONE, OF AN AGE and HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS, all released by Focus Features. In 2023, Causeway premiered Danny and Michael Philippou’s TALK TO ME at Sundance, which went onto become A24’s highest grossing genre release to date and earn over $140 million international box office. This year saw the release of the Philippous’ sophomore feature BRING HER BACK starring Sally Hawkins, distributed worldwide by A24 and Sony Pictures. Causeway is currently completing Dario Russo’s THE FOX starring Jai Courtenay and Emily Browning, and Adrian Chiarella’s LEVITICUS starring Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen and Mia Wasikowska.
Follow Sam and her work:
Causeway Films: http://www.causewayfilms.com.au
Causeway Films on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/causeway_films
Samantha Jennings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-jennings-89674621/
Samantha Jennings on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1209992
This Deep Dive interview is hosted by Kirsty Stark, and proudly brought to you by CrewHQ & Expanding Media.
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