Lincoln Younes Down Under

Lincoln Younes Down Under

Cast: Lincoln Younes, Damon Herriman, David Field, Rahel Romahn, Michael Denkha, Alexander England, Harriet Dyer
Director: Abe Forsythe
Genre: Black Comedy
Running Time: 94 minutes

Synopsis: A black comedy set during the aftermath of the Cronulla riots, Down Under is the story of two carloads of hotheads from both sides of the fight destined to collide.

Sincere, though misguided, intent gives way to farcical ineptitude as this hilarious yet poignant story of ignorance, fear and kebab-cravings unfolds, and what was meant to be a retaliation mission turns into something neither side could have imagined.

From writer-director Abe Forsythe and starring an impressive Australian cast led by Lincoln Younes, Damon Herriman and Rahel Romahn.

Down Under
Release Date: August 11th, 2016

About The Production

A black comedy set during the aftermath of the Cronulla riots, Down Under is the story of two carloads of hotheads from both sides of the fight destined to collide.

Down Under was filmed over six weeks in early 2015, the feature stars Lincoln Younes (Hiding, Love Child Season 2), Rahel Romahn (Underbelly: The Golden Mile, The Combination), Michael Denkha (The Combination, Stealth), Fayssal Bazzi (Crownies, Cedar Boys), Alexander England (Gods of Egypt, Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story), Damon Herriman (The Water Diviner, The Little Death, Justified), Justin Rosniak (Animal Kingdom), Harriet Dyer (Love Child, Janet King) and introduces Christopher Bunton. It also features Josh McConville, Dylan Young, Christiaan Van Vuuren, Anthony Taufa along with Marshall Napier (The Water Horse, Babe) and David Field (Last Cab To Darwin, The Rover, Chopper).

A black comedy set during the aftermath of the Cronulla riots, Down Under is the story of two carloads of hotheads from both sides of the fight destined to collide. Sincere, though misguided, intent gives way to farcical ineptitude as this hilarious yet poignant story of ignorance, fear and kebab-cravings unfolds, and what was meant to be a retaliation mission turns into something neither side could have imagined.

Deliberately provocative and confronting racism head on, writer-director Abe Forsythe takes a balanced look at the ridiculous side of a serious subject.

Presented by Screen Australia, Down Under is a Wild Eddie Production, in association with El Guapo Films and Emu Creek Pictures, produced in conjunction with STUDIOCANAL, written and directed by Abe Forsythe, produced by Jodi Matterson and executive produced by Greg McLean.

Writer and director Abe Forsythe said: 'By tackling the subject matter contained in this film, my aim is to provoke a reaction not usually found in comedy. All my favourite comedies are tragedies and what happened to our national identity on the day of the Cronulla riots was a tragedy. I can't wait for people to follow the characters and the world my cast and crew have helped me build. It's not that different from the world we currently live in."

Producer Jodi Matterson said: 'As we approach the ten year anniversary of the Cronulla riots, we have just completed shooting what we hope to be a funny, confronting and ultimately poignant film. This story is about how ignorance and bad decisions can quickly spiral out of control, with tragic consequences for both sides."

About The Story

A black comedy set during the aftermath of the Cronulla riots, Down Under is the story of two carloads of hotheads from both sides of the fight destined to collide. Sincere, though misguided, intent gives way to farcical ineptitude as this hilarious yet poignant story of ignorance, fear and kebab-cravings unfolds, and what was meant to be a retaliation mission turns into something neither side could have imagined.

Born and bred in the western Sydney suburb of Lakemba from immigrant parents, Hassim (Lincoln Younes) studies hard and avoids trouble at all costs. A proud Muslim, Hassim believes that he is more than just his religion. Having not heard from his younger brother since the riot, Hassim is coaxed into joining a retaliation mission to the Shire. This mission is led by his estranged, drug dealing friend, Nick (Rahel Romahn), who can't think of a better way of reuniting their friendship than getting into a car and exacting revenge.

Shit Stick (Alexander England) is a fourth generation -Cronulla-ite', which pretty much makes him Shire royalty. A pacifist by nature, he could have done something with his life before he hid behind a cloud of bong smoke. Because he is the only one in his group who owns a car, he is convinced to change his plans from a Lord of the Rings trilogy marathon with his Down Syndrome cousin, Evan (Christopher Bunton), to patrolling the Shire against -wogs' by self appointed ringleader Jason (Damon Herriman). Along for the ride is Ditch (Justin Rosniak), a guy covered with Aussie pride -tough stickers' of his hero Ned Kelly. Along the way, Hassim and his friends face an insane, gun-toting, methamphetamine dealer, a botched hold-up of a petrol station and another carload of hoons from the Shire who prove to be more dangerous than anybody.

After gaining possession of his grandfather's antique rifle and grenade from World War I, the Cronulla gang face the wrath of Jason's heavily pregnant girlfriend Stacey (Harriet Dyer), who puts all of them at risk with her demand for kebabs.

What was meant to be a retaliation mission turns into something none of them could have ever imagined. Deliberately provocative and confronting racism head on, Down Under is about a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Director's Statement

I love it when Australians pretend we're not a racist country. Racism exists throughout the world, but there's something about the kind that simmers within us that sets us apart. As a nation we all tolerate or participate in an informal, throw-away kind of racism... Which makes it okay. We think it's harmless so we don't actually do anything about it. The thing that makes Aussies so lovable and laid-back, is actually inherently damaging in this instance.

Obviously if you're setting a film during the Cronulla riot, racism is one of the major themes you find yourself exploring. Ultimately though, my film is about men and their failure to connect with each other and the world around them. Racism is a behavioural by-product of them wanting to belong to something. To feel like they are in control. I am aware none of this sounds very funny, but I can assure you it is...
There is nothing more satisfying than getting people to laugh at something they feel like they shouldn't be laughing at. There is no better way of saying something meaningful than under the guise of comedy.

For my work, one of these things can't exist without the other. Otherwise, what's the point? I believe edgy humour is offensive and boring when it has no meaning beyond just shocking the audience.

The humour in this film comes from a place of truth. In a lot of cases the truth is ugly, but it is only reflecting what is going on with us as a nation.

Down Under walks a particularly difficult line between comedy and drama. The only reason I feel I have succeeded is with the help of an incredibly talented and hard working cast and crew.

In making this work we needed to find dramatic actors that had an inherent understanding of how to perform the comedic aspects of the story. I could write at length about any of them, but seeing as it's a large ensemble I want to single out one person in particular. Especially because there was a lot about this person that exemplified the job for all of us...

Christopher Bunton plays the role Evan, Shit-Stick's down syndrome cousin who fatefully finds himself in the Shire boys' car. Chris didn't have any acting experience prior to Down Under, but carried his own against everyone else in the cast - including veterans like Damon Herriman and Marshal Napier. His passion and commitment to the job was a really fantastic thing to experience, for all of us. Ultimately acting and directing is about being in the moment between action and cut, it's something that is easy to forget with the day to day pressures of filmmaking. Christopher's presence on set made my job a lot easier and helped me unveil the heart of this story.

The other great discovery process for me on this film was making a truly multicultural story. Our characters represent the many different nationalities that make us such a unique country, and could be argued isn't properly reflected in our film and television. Along with our Middle Eastern protagonists we have key Thai, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian and Polynesian characters.

The first draft of Down Under poured out of me after learning that I was going to be a father. I was bringing someone into the world and it made me worry about what kind of place he would find himself inhabiting. I'm not so stupid in thinking that a film can change society. But I feel a little better putting something out there that can keep us talking about an issue that's not going away. No matter how hard we try to ignore it.
-Abe Forsythe

Down Under
Release Date: August 11th, 2016