Private Project

Narcosia: 1935

When the Great Depression hits rural Australia in the 1930s, a little girl is forced to grow up before her time.

  • Nancy Cao
    Director
  • Nancy Cao
    Writer
  • Nancy Cao
    Producer
  • Ruby Scout Stevens
    Key Cast
    "Mary Wilson"
  • Johnny Casewell
    Key Cast
    "Hobo "
  • Sean Hollands
    Key Cast
    "Richard Wilson"
  • Orlando Bailey
    Key Cast
    "Peter"
  • Kathleen Gawn
    Key Cast
    "Grandma"
  • Brendon Dahlen
    Key Cast
    "Bee-Keeper "
  • Jarrod Yates
    Key Cast
    "Drunkard"
  • Juan Manuel Hoyos
    Key Cast
    "Milkman"
  • Malcolm Wai
    Cinematographer
  • Cheyenne Olsen
    First AD
  • William Leese
    First AC
  • Daniel Harkin
    Camera B/ Steadicam Operator
  • Sana Duveck
    Makeup & Hair
  • kaiser Yang
    Key Grip
  • Jordi Dysart
    2nd AD
  • Nicholas Brack
    Gaffer/2nd AC
  • Jacky Choy
    Sound Recordist
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 25, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony FS7
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Bond University
  • Core International Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    Best Student Film
  • Women's International Film Festival
    North Andover
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Tempus Film Festival
    Minsk
    Belarus
    Semi-Finalist
  • Hollywood Hills Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
Director Biography - Nancy Cao

Nancy Cao is an Australian writer, poet and film director. Her films often combine experimental storytelling with a baroque sensibility that is a trademark of her work. Some reoccurring traits in her work are poetic visuals, feminist, LGBTQ+ themes and cultural interrogations. She is also an Emerging Full Member of the Australian Director's Guild.

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Director Statement

There comes a point in life when we must face the elements alone... I always saw "Narcosia: 1935" as sort of an inverted Dickensian sad fairy-tale about growth and confronting the impermanence of one's circumstances. The film seeks to re-create the dream-like innocence of childhood through many symbolic experiences, with the majority of its key exterior scenes shot on a picturesque farm in Mount Tambourine where the lush natural landscape helps to pull together a melancholic sketch of the young heroine's world.