Star-studded cast set to bewitch

Australian producer Bridget Callow-Wright will visit the region next month to debut the Queensland-shot feature film The Butterfly Tree at the CinefestOZ film festival.

The movie will have its WA premiere at the Margaret River Cultural Centre during the August festival.

The Butterfly Tree tells the story of Evelyn, an ex-burlesque queen, who bewitches single father Al and his teenage son Fin with her zest for life.

Throughout the film, both men learn the power of selfless love when they discover they are competing for the affections of the same woman.

Joining forces with Australian writer and director Priscilla Cameron, Callow-Wright said the film featured a strong collaboration of talent.

“It’s Priscilla’s debut feature film, so I’m really excited about its premiere,” she said.

“It’s such an amazing showcase of Australian talent.

“We’ve had such a strong collaboration working with us and the actors who have got on board have taken an extra leap of faith working with a first-time director — we’ve had an incredibly strong cast to work with.”

The film, which stars Melissa George, Ewen Leslie, Ed Oxenbould and Sophie Lowe, will also be shown as part of Melbourne International Film Festival next month.

The producer said her first interaction with Cameron was at a commercial production company in Sydney.

“When I left to produce my first feature film, we started talking about (Cameron’s) work so I’m really excited about The Butterfly Tree and about launching a new female director into the world,” she said

Callow-Wright said while she focused exclusively on drama, she had previously worked on documentaries and enjoyed the creative challenge of both.

“I’m a fairly hands-on producer, from helping with the first concepts right through to marketing distribution,” she said.

“I closely collaborate with actors because I think films are like children sometimes — they stay with you for a very long time.”

Callow-Wright said she was looking forward to attending CinefestOZ for the first time and connecting with WA audiences.

“It’s a very rare treat to be able to do question-and-answer sessions with audiences,” she said.

The full CinefestOZ program will be released on July 28.