Commercials director Paul Goldman’s new feature film ‘Kid Snow’ gets the green-light

On Monday Screen Australia officially announced that freelance commercials director Paul Goldman’s latest feature film KID SNOW had been green lit.

The film has been financed by Screen Australia, Screen West, Film Victoria and prestigious International French Sales Agent, Elle Driver, amongst others. It is slated to go into production late this year, shooting in W.A., based out of Kalgoorlie.

The story is set in 1971, outback W.A. Two Irish brothers, tent boxers, touring dusty country towns, live together in uneasy peace until a young woman, on the run, comes between them. Battlelines are redrawn, old scores are settled. The film promises to be dark and tumultuous, emotionally and visually seductive. A rich, big screen cinematic experience.

It’s Goldman’s fourth feature film, five years in development with him co-writing. One of his previous films (Suburban Mayhem) was in official selection at Cannes (Un Certain Regard) and another (Australian Rules) was invited to the Sundance Film Festival.

Casting is underway in the UK and Australia. Some International cast are already attached as is a highly regarded European DP. Warren Ellis & alt country legend Lucinda Williams will provide the soundtrack.

Goldman says he’s excited to finally be making another film: “It’s been a long journey as usual, five years of blind faith, developing this script. I came to this project knowing that I wanted to make a big cinematic film, emotionally intimate and resonant but visually sumptuous and edgy. Something for the cinema. My previous films have been distinguished by actors delivering brilliant performances, simple but engaging storytelling. I shot a feature film many years ago (GHOSTS. . . OF THE CIVIL DEAD, written by Nick Cave and directed by John Hillcoat) so I also like shadowy, moody visuals that draw you in. KID SNOW will be all those things, atmospheric and full of romance. It’s about that mysterious, forbidding landscape and about intense relationships, how people sometimes must tear each other apart to find what they’re really looking for. I love the world this is set against – tent boxing. It’s an exotic, brutal world, a last frontier, something we haven’t seen on the big screen ever before. But most of all I’m looking forward to working with the amazing cast we are putting together for this film.”

In the meantime, until the film goes into full scale production at the end of the year, Goldman plans to continue directing commercials in Sydney and Melbourne.

Goldman has staked out a reputation for working with non-actors but admits he’s keen to be also directing more visually orientated projects: “Collaboration comes easily to me, it’s all about building trust with agency creatives to maintain the intent and the integrity of the work. When I started out, I was directing high end visual commercials, probably thanks to years of directing stylish music videos overseas, and then after my first film (AUSTRALIAN RULES) I was suddenly being offered dialogue-based scripts, often finding myself directing non-actors, which I still really enjoy. But these days I’m looking to work with strong visual and story components too. I want that challenge. This is an especially exciting time for me right now. My next film is financed, I feel totally focused and energized. So, I’m looking for creative projects to sink my teeth into.”

Goldman has been working with freelance producer Baz Milas over recent years, working between Sydney and Melbourne. Any enquiries can be made through Baz Milas who can be contacted at baz@bazproduces.com / 0418 964 797