Military vehicles and what appear to be corpses lined a quiet suburban street in the city of Albany on Friday as filming for zombie-thriller We Bury the Dead got underway.
WA director Zak Hilditch has praised the Albany community for throwing open its doors in support of his latest film, which stars Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.
Hilditch made the comments last week during the first of five scheduled weeks of filming in Albany and surrounding areas with a high-profile cast that also includes Brenton Thwaites and Mark Coles.
“It’s so exciting to finally get cameras rolling here in Albany, which is proving to not only be an incredible backdrop for our film but a great place to work,” Hilditch said.
“The local community has opened their doors — literally and metaphorically — to welcome us and our incredible cast.
“With Daisy and now Brenton and Mark, we’ve got an incredible roster of talent to bring this story to life.”
Locations in Middleton Beach and central Albany were among those used during the first week of filming.
The film has attracted production funding from Screen Australia, Screenwest, Lotterywest, the WA Regional Screen Fund, Gramercy Park Media and Peachtree Media Partners.
More than 200 jobs have been created for WA cast and crew as part of the project and it is expected the production will spend $7.2 million in the State, of which $2.7m will be spent regionally.
Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman said the production was exciting for Albany “and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen”.
Regional Development Minister Don Punch said the film “will highlight to the world the natural beauty of the region and increase visitation”.
Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens said it was a fantastic experience for local creatives and supporting businesses.
“It is also wonderful for our young people to see a production of this calibre come to town as it gives them an insight,” she said.
