CELESTE

Radha Mitchell gives a stunning performance in this intoxicating tale of love, betrayal and Schubert set in the remote rainforests of far north Queensland and chosen as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Atelier incubator for outstanding new talent.

Once upon a time, Celeste was Australia’s most beloved opera singer. Yet she threw it all away to follow the man she loved to a crumbling property deep in the rainforests of far north Queensland. Now, ten years after his tragic death, Celeste is ready to make one final return to the stage. But when she asks her estranged stepson Jack for an impossible favour, the secrets that drove them apart will explode back into rhapsodic life.

From acclaimed filmmaker Ben Hackworth (Corroboree, MIFF 07) comes Celeste, a literally operatic character study of loss and power and the things that tear us apart. A sumptuously shot psychological study set against the backdrop of one of Australia's most pristine, rarely seen landscapes, Celeste is a riveting statement of intent from one of Australia's boldest cinematic voices.

World Premiere