Waiting on Wednesday

Welcome to another new spot on the blog - Waiting on Wednesday. In true Hollywood fashion I have ripped this idea off someone else; Waiting on Wednesday is in fact a very popular weekly event in the YA book blogging world. Every Wednesday I'll blog about a film that has done more than just caught my eye, a film that I am excited or truly hanging to see. Seeing as yesterday's Trailer Trash Tuesday was a MIFF special I thought I'd continue the theme today.

As one of the first (if not the first) films to sell out at MIFF 2010, Richard Gray's Summer Coda is one of this year's most anticipated Australian releases. With an involved online presence, including Ricky's Free Pie Friday (show me another director who will do this only weeks out from the premiere!), Richard has gone above and beyond many to connect with film enthusiasts and promote his film.

Contrary to some reports, Summer Coda is not just a film about two orange pickers who fall in love, it is indeed much more. Closure is just the beginning as Heidi (Rachael Taylor) returns to Australia from Nevada, haunted by the memory of her father, a man she hasn't seen or spoken to since she was 7 years old. Busking on the street her violin playing catches the attention of Michael (Alex Dimitriades - ex Heartbreak High hunk... okay he's done a lot since then... like The Heartbreak Kid) and a connection between the two of them undeniably blossoms. It's picking season in Mildura and along with the varying personalities of the fruit pickers arriving for work Heidi and Michael's relationship develops as they discover that their lives and secrets are better shared.

After a deluge of, shall I just say it, dark and perhaps at times depressing Aussie films of late it's not just that the poster for Summer Coda is bright and glorious in this less than bright and glorious Australian winter. The cast is a who's who of Aussie actors; both the revered and the up and coming ones to watch. I'm particularly interested to see Jacki Weaver after her stellar performance in the recent Australian hit Animal Kingdom, and Angus Sampson needs to do little more than appear on screen to bring a smile to my face.

Check out the trailer below and if you're one of the lucky Melburnians who snapped up a ticket to the premiere at MIFF on August 4th your wait for this film will be a short one. For everyone else the film has a national release date of October 21st.

Follow director Richard Gray (@Ricky_Hollywood) on twitter or head over to the official Summer Coda website. And of course check back here for my review after August 4th!

Summer Coda - official trailer from Summer Coda on Vimeo.