Horror movie boost for remote SA town
Yatina, 222km north of Adelaide becomes unlikely centrepiece for filming of The Royal Hotel starring Julia Garner and Hugo Weaving
Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel has begun filming in South Australia with Julia Garner, Hugo Weaving, Toby Wallace, and Jessica Henwick. With an abandoned outback pub 222km north of Adelaide reportedly home to 100 cast and crew.
Production is underway for The Royal Hotel, a See-Saw Films’ social thriller written and directed by Kitty Greenwith. Filming began in South Australia’s remote tiny town of Yatina with a population of 29 (from the 2016 census), and additional filming to take place in locations around South Australia and in Adelaide.
Our latest AccomNews print issue is available now! Read it HERE
Toby Wallace (Babyteeth, Pistol) recently joined the stellar cast alongside two-time Emmy Award winner Julia Garner (Inventing Anna, Ozark), AFI winner Hugo Weaving (Patrick Melrose, Oranges and Sunshine, The Matrix) and rising star Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections and upcoming Knives Out 2).
The Royal Hotel reunites writer/director Kitty Green and Julia Garner who previously worked together on Green’s breakout hit The Assistant which premiered at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival and earned Garner an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
The film is produced by the multi-award-winning See-Saw Films (The Power Of The Dog). NEON have acquired the North American rights.
The Royal Hotel is a social thriller inspired by true events, the film follows Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Henwick) who are best friends backpacking in Australia. After they run out of money, Liv, looking for an adventure, convinces Hanna to take a temporary live-in job behind the bar of a pub called ‘The Royal Hotel’ in a remote Outback mining town. Bar Owner Billy (Weaving) and a host of locals, including the charming Matty (Wallace), give the girls a riotous introduction to Down Under drinking culture but things turn nasty when their jokes and behaviour cross the line. Soon Hanna and Liv find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that grows rapidly out of their control.
Minister for The Arts The Hon. Andrea Michaels said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Academy Award winning company See-Saw Films back to South Australia with feature film The Royal Hotel. This is their third consecutive major production in the state in as many years.
“This major international production will bring significant benefits to South Australia. Not only will it create hundreds of local jobs, employing 225 of our state’s highly skilled screen industry professionals in a majority South Australian crew, the film will inject an estimated $4.6 million into our local economy, including in the regions. With the rights having already sold in the US for a theatrical release, this highly anticipated new thriller will be an international showcase of South Australia’s remarkable Outback locations, the capability of our Adelaide Studios production facilities and our exceptional screen talent – exporting South Australian knowledge and creativity to the world.
“I commend the SAFC for securing this exciting feature film for South Australia, cementing our state’s international reputation as a world class location for premium screen production.”
South Australian Film Corporation CEO Kate Croser said: “The SAFC is thrilled to be supporting production of The Royal Hotel in South Australia, marking the continuation of our successful production pipeline with multi award winning company See-Saw Films. This exciting new feature film will provide a significant level of production activity in Adelaide and South Australia’s regions, as well as employment and training opportunities for South Australian crew, growing the capability of SA’s screen industry.”
The Royal Hotel is a See-Saw Productions production. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the South Australian Film Corporation. Financed with support from Screen NSW. Australian distribution by Transmission Films and international sales by HanWay and Cross City Films.
Mandy has over 17 years of accommodation and tourism industry writing experience and is Editor of AccomNews & Resort News, Publisher of SchoolNews & Director of Multimedia Pty Ltd. She is a retired registered nurse with a 25-year NHS career that followed a few unforgettable years in hotel housekeeping.
