Blue Harbor Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to “Kangaroo Island,” Timothy David’s directorial debut that received recognition from the Film Critics Circle of Australia with four nods including best film.
The Australian production also ranked among the country’s 10 highest-grossing releases last year.
The distributor will launch the title theatrically April 24, beginning with a run at Manhattan’s Angelika Film Center.
David’s first feature competed for Film Critics Circle of Australia honors in categories including lead actress (Rebecca Breeds), supporting actress (Adelaide Clemens) and original score (Ariel Marx). The filmmaker also won recognition at the Montreal Independent Film Festival for first-time directors and earned best Australian director honors at the London Director Awards.
Breeds portrays a Hollywood performer whose career struggles prompt a return to her Australian island home, where unresolved family conflicts stemming from a romantic entanglement await her. The South Australian location, recognized by Lonely Planet as a 2024 top destination and ranked seventh on The New York Times’ 2023 travel list, provides the coastal setting. Tourism Australia designates one of its beaches as the nation’s finest.
Sally Gifford penned the screenplay. The ensemble includes Breeds, known for “Clarice,” alongside “Rectify” actor Clemens, Erik Thomson from “Packed to the Rafters,” Joel Jackson from “Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door,” and Nicholas Hope, who appeared in “Bad Boy Bubby.” Peter Hanlon, David, Bettina Hamilton, Daniel Rosenberg and Leona Cichon produced.
After bowing as the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival’s closing night presentation, the film traveled the festival circuit with stops at Chelsea (where it also closed the event), Seattle International (advancing to the international feature semi-finals), Asian Film Festival Barcelona, Chicago International’s summer program and Gold Coast Film Festival.
The title’s local theatrical run in Australia preceded a strong streaming performance, where it climbed to the No. 2 position on Netflix’s local chart and maintained a top 10 presence for three weeks.
“This film doesn’t follow trend or even pursue a unified style. The tone was allowed to shift with the story itself. That freedom creates something honest – reflecting life in all its uneven, uncomfortable, and beautiful moments,” David said.
“From the moment we saw ‘Kangaroo Island,’ we were completely drawn in by its emotional honesty and measured yet deeply affecting storytelling,” Blue Harbor Entertainment said in a statement. “The performances are incredibly engaging, the film is beautifully composed against a stunning natural canvas and ultimately very moving – it stayed with us long after the credits rolled. Supporting filmmakers from around the world and bringing their stories to U.S. audiences is central to who we are, and ‘Kangaroo Island’ is exactly the kind of globally resonant, human story we are proud to champion.”
Amanda Sherwin, Mike Messina and Seth Needle steer Blue Harbor, which has March theatrical bows planned for Sundance winner “Ricky” and “Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead.” Last year’s releases from the company included romantic comedy “A Nice Indian Boy” starring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff, “Audrey’s Children” starring Natalie Dormer, “Lilly” starring Patricia Clarkson, sci-fi entry “Star People” starring Kat Cunning and football doc “Luv Ya Bum!”
The trio launched Blue Harbor in 2023 to handle theatrical, digital, TV and home video distribution for independent films. Piro, operating across Hollywood, New York and Australia, served as producer on the project and works in features, television and advertising.