Production for a brand new original film, A Sunburnt Christmas is currently underway in Adelaide and will premiere exclusively on Stan later this year – just in time for Christmas.
Not your typical cliché Christmas movie, A Sunburnt Christmas is a wild, hilarious and heartfelt story about a single mum and her kids doing it tough on their outback farm until a runaway criminal dressed as Santa Claus crashes into their property and their lives.
In the lead role as Daryl the kindly crim, Daniel Henshall (Snowtown, Bloom, Acute Misfortune) is mistaken for the real Santa by the young and fearless Daisy, played by incredible new talent Lena Nankivell.
Other newcomers Eaden McGuinness and Tatiana Goode are equally brilliant in their roles as Daisy’s older siblings, her anxious brother Tom and wily teenage sister Hazel who sees Daryl as an opportunity to get her family back on track. Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom, Ride Like A Girl, 300: Rise of an Empire), also stars as Dingo, the mobster on the hunt for Daryl, with Ling Cooper Tang (The Secrets She Keeps, Stan Original Series The Gloaming) as the children’s mumrounding out the multi-generational cast of diverse characters.
A feel-good comedy-of-errors, A Sunburnt Christmas is the must-watch film this Christmas that will bring the family together to laugh, cry and cheer for the triumph of ordinary battlers who might just get their Christmas miracle.
Directed by Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters, The Other Guy), this very Australian comedy is produced by Every Cloud Productions, in association with Highview Productions, from an original concept by Gretel Vella, Eillot Vella and Tim Walker, with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Stan and financed with assistance from the South Australian Film Corporation. Lisa Scott, Highview Productions, is Producer, with Executive Producers Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox for Every Cloud and Mike Jones co-producing.
Christiaan Van Vuuren said:
“I‘m absolutely stoked to be working at all this year, let alone on a production as special as this with so many talented eggs. I hope this movie is a Christmas present to all Australians after such a hard year.”
Every Cloud Productions’ Fiona Eagger said:
“Christmas is one of those occasions where my family love the ritual of sitting down together to watch something Christmassy. Last Christmas, I asked myself ‘where are our good Aussie Christmas films?’ A Sunburnt Christmas fills that void and celebrates what makes us uniquely Australian. It is a little bit irreverent, not very politically correct, has a big heart and is a lot funny. In a year where we could do with a little Christmas cheer, this is about creating our own miracles and finding faith in each other.
“Alongside Stan and Lisa Scott, Deb and I and the team at Every Cloud Productions, have a strong ethos to give opportunity to new talent. On this show there are many key creatives that are doing their first feature film and we are proud to be doing it with them.”
Stan’s Chief Content Officer, Nick Forward said: