Studiocanal has boarded the big screen adaptation of Australian author’s Craig Silvey’s award-winning 2002 bestseller Runt, about the friendship between a young girl and a stray dog she takes under her wing.
Child actress Lily LaTorre, whose credits include feature Run Rabbit Run and TV series The Clearing, has been signed for the lead role, to star alongside by a rescue dog called Squid.
The actress’s real-life sibling Jack LaTorre will also join her in his big screen debut as a daredevil younger brother.
The all-Australian adult cast includes Jai Courtney, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, Matt Day and Jack Thompson.
Set in the country-town of Upson Down, the comedy drama follows eleven-year-old Annie Shearer and her adopted stray dog Runt, as they try to save the family farm by competing in the Agility Course Grand
The production is led by Sydney and Perth-based See Pictures, with the backing of Screen Australia, Screenwest and Lotterywest and the WA Regional Screen Fund.
Co-financiers also include the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), a collective of West Australian private investors assembled by Birdbath, as well as Screen NSW and Spectrum Entertainment.
Filming will being in Western Australia, in Perth and the Wheatbelt town of York in November.
The feature is adapted for the screen by Silvey and will be directed by John Sheedy (H is for Happiness). See Pictures founding partner Jamie Hilton (Breath, June Again) lead produces.
Studiocanal is handling international sales and will also handle the film’s theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand.
