Kim Mordaunt has been kicking around the Australian indie film-making scene for well over a decade, honing his skills on well-received non feature releases that explore Australia’s immigrant and Indigenous cultures.
Following on from 2007’s Bomb Harvest, that tracked the efforts of a bomb disposal expert doing his best to repair the ravaged countryside of Laos, there is a clear progression from Western Sydney with its multicultural population through to the lands of their origin.
The Rocket is Kim’s first feature release and takes the brave step of stepping off the continent into the jungles of Laos. By engaging local, typically unskilled actors, with the exception of acclaimed Thai/Lao actor Thep Po-ngarm in the role of a damaged but humorous former CIA soldier who plays mentor to a young boy who is apparently inflicted with the ability to cast bad luck upon all those who surround him.
Determined to break the shackles of this so-called ‘curse’ the young hero sets out to prove his worth to those around him. How? By building a giant rocket to enter the most dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival. The story is about triumph over adversity, unconditional love and the growing confidence of youth.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byE542mNjp8&w=560&h=315]
The great news for the director is the reception of The Rocket to date. The film has already won a slew of awards: Best First Feature, the Crystal Bear for Best Feature and the Amnesty International Award at the 2013 Berlinale. At Tribeca, The Rocket picked up another three: Best Narrative Feature, the Audience Award and the Best Actor Award. It’s an incredible starting out for a director’s first feature.
The Rocket premieres at Palace Electric on Thursday 29 August, and is destined to be one of the highlights of the year for Australian film. OutInCanberra has five double passes to be won to join the filmmakers in a special Q&A and preview screening of The Rocket on Monday 19 August at Palace Electric Cinema in NewActon. To win simply tell us via the form on this page: which prize did The Rocket receive at both the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals this year?
