SYDNEY, July 12 2010…Australia\u2019s most talked about thriller, The Tunnel, will commence filming late July 2010. Set in and amongst Sydney\u2019s underground tunnels, The Tunnel has already attracted international and local attention for its unconventional funding and release model.<\/p>\n
Distracted Media\u2019s Australian producers, Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey, are choosing to break with the traditional movie channel release model and will distribute the locally producer thriller through controversial internet piracy networks in a bid to reach out to the increasingly dominant online audience.<\/p>\n
The movie follows a news film crews\u2019 journey into Sydney\u2019s underground hunting for a story, until the story starts hunting them. It is directed by Award-winning film director, Carlo Ledesma \u2013 this will be his feature debut. Ledesma will be directing recent Tropfest Best Actress award-winner Bel Deli\u00e1. She will star opposite Black Water\u2019s Andy Rodoreda.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled to commence shooting on this project. We have had such an overwhelming response from Australia, Canada, UK and the US with our web traffic to date showing interest from over 99 countries. We have scouted some of the best locations throughout Sydney that will really set the scene and complement the film\u2019s genre\u201d said Julian Harvey.<\/p>\n
Their unique plan to fund the project is already resonating with Andrew Denton\u2019s Australian production company, Zapruder\u2019s other films.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve worked with Enzo and Julian for the last two years. They are extremely motivated and focused, qualities we value. Their plan to fund and distribute The Tunnel is smart and exciting and may yet prove to be ground-breaking\u201d said Andrew Denton. \u201cAt Zapruder\u2019s, we love that these guys are backing their own talent to succeed in a way no-one has achieved before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The movie\u2019s website launched in June 2010 at www.thetunnelmovie.net and the innovative plan is to raise the movie\u2019s cash budget of $135,000 by selling a frame of the movie for $1 to the internet audience (the concept is based on a 90-minute film consisting of 135,000 individual frames). Slated for release later this year, the movie will be made available online worldwide, for free.<\/p>\n
The online environment has embraced the concept with frames being purchased during the testing phase as it spread onto social media before the site was even officially launched.<\/p>\n
Enzo Tedeschi\u2019s last film, controversial feature documentary Food Matters set a precedent for breaking the conventions of film distribution. Rather than seek out a theatrical release, the team opted instead for an approach direct to their market niche online. It has been a resounding success, having sold over 120,000 DVDs and streams around the world. It\u2019s still breaking into new territories 2 years on from its first release.<\/p>\n
DLSHS Agency\u2019s Ahmed Salama has also come on board for the project \u2013 acclaimed for work on online campaigns including \u201cFree Hugs\u201d, – they have provided the web experience that has turned the $135K concept into a reality and will be helming viral marketing for the film, which the campaign will seek to rely solely on to draw in audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that if we stop fighting the peer to peer networks and find a way to work with them, they could become the biggest revolution in the way we connect with an audience,\u201d said Enzo Tedeschi.<\/p>\n
www.thetunnelmovie.net<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SYDNEY, July 12 2010…Australia\u2019s most talked about thriller, The Tunnel, will commence filming late July 2010. Set in and amongst Sydney\u2019s underground tunnels, The Tunnel has already attracted international and local attention for its unconventional funding and release model. Distracted Media\u2019s Australian producers, Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey, are choosing to break with the traditional<\/p>\n