An Australian film shot entirely in Tasmania’s Midlands will premiere on free-to-air television, putting some of the state’s most recognisable rural landscapes in the national spotlight.
Ancestry Road will air on 9Go! on June 6, offering Tasmanians the chance to see the Midlands transformed into the Scottish countryside on screen.
The supernatural drama was filmed over three weeks around three years ago, with much of the production taking place along Bowhill Road west of Oatlands.
The film showcases Tasmania’s sweeping farmland, historic scenery and isolated landscapes.
The film premiered in cinemas last June and will now be shown on national TV.
Writer, director, producer and editor Glenn Triggs said Oatlands was chosen because it didn’t look “necessarily too Australian,” making it a convincing stand-in for Scotland.
“We went through Oatlands and we loved it and then sort of thought, you know, this looks, you know, not necessarily too Australian down here, which we liked,” Triggs told Pulse.
The film follows a family who build a road on their property after their daughter keeps wandering to a back hill.
When mysterious cars begin arriving carrying deceased relatives from the family tree, the story takes a supernatural turn.
Triggs said the film was deeply personal.
“It’s a very sad film,” he said.
“It’s inspired by the passing of my mum a few years back.”
Many Oatlands locals were recruited as extras, with the entire community invited onto set for a group walking scene.
The production also featured Tasmanian actors including Anne Cordner, Gillian Udoko and John X.
Triggs singled out Bill Munro, a Scottish expat living in Tasmania who’d never acted on camera before.
“He kind of steals the show,” Triggs said.
“He does a really good job.”
The Melbourne-based filmmaker said shooting in Tasmania was a standout experience.
“It was very peaceful,” he said.
“We had lots of space and no traffic.”
Triggs said he’s already working on plans to return to Tasmania for another project.
The film was picked up for distribution by Queensland-based Radioactive Pictures, which arranged cinema screenings across Australia and New Zealand before securing the television deal with Nine.
Triggs described Ancestry Road as his most expensive production to date and a deliberate shift from his earlier work on indie genre films including time travel and horror movies.
“I really wanted to tackle something a lot more serious and more heartfelt and personal,” he said.
Ancestry Road will air on on 9Go! on Saturday, June 6 at 3:50pm.
