• Home
  • Articles
    • Front Page
    • General Interest
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Snippets
  • Competitions
  • Our Community
    • Our People
    • Question of the Week
    • Be Seen
    • Jobs in The Central West
  • Features
    • Rural Round Up
    • Loving Local Living
    • Wellness Wise
    • My Place
    • Real Estate
    • Recipe of the Week
  • Sports
    • Canowindra Bowls Club
    • Canowindra Junior Rugby League
    • Canowindra Senior Rugby League
    • Cricket
    • Footy Tipping Competition
    • Golf
    • Rugby Union
    • Swimming Club
    • Touch Football Results
    • Tennis
    • Other
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Page
    • Advertise with Us
    • Testimonials
    • Subscribe to the Phoenix
    • Submit an Article
    • Previous Print Editions

The Canowindra Phoenix

Your free weekly guide to what's happening in and around Canowindra.

You are here: Home / Articles / Ben Hall Movie On The Horizon?

Ben Hall Movie On The Horizon?

29 October, 2014 By editor

ben hall
Production of the much-anticipated movie, “The Legend of Ben Hall,” has reached the point where a pilot of the first draft is being released in a matter of days from now to attract funding for a major upgrade of the project.The film’s Melbourne-based writer/director/producer, Matthew Holmes, says new funding would allow expansion of the film’s story and script and a second shoot, or filming project, “at the end of this year or early next year. We’re absolutely still in production,” Matthew has told the Phoenix. “We’ve completed one block of the film and we have another block to go. Depending on the new financing, we’ll make the movie far better, even more dramatic, and also recruit a couple of A-list actors.”
Matthew Holmes plans to have the movie completed for the 150th anniversary of Ben Hall’s death in May next year. But unfortunately, Ben Hall’s famous raid here in Canowindra won’t be featured in the film.
“Our story is of the last six months of Ben Hall’s life, culminating in his controversial and very violent death outside Forbes,” Matthew says. The first filming has featured relatively unknown actors and “cameo people” in Australia’s TV and movie industry, but already there’ve been plaudits for the performance of Jack Martin, a rising actor, who plays the role of bushranger Ben Hall.
“We’ve already had keen international interest in the movie, especially from the USA, where Australia’s Ben Hall is America’s Jesse James, and other countries where people are crying out for new Western-oriented movies,” Matthew says. “We think the release of the first pilot, or trailer, will make a big splash at home and overseas.”
The project is relying on corporate and public financing and its vigorous fundraising campaign through Kickstarter raised around $100,000 for the movie’s draft production – a feat that Matthew describes as pretty amazing when you consider that it’s difficult for Australian films to raise more than around $20,000 through this funding operation. “It’s just struck a chord with people,” he says.
The public is being canvassed directly by Kickstarter, offering all sorts of prizes and special deals, for donations as low as $1, right up to $7,500, for the production, and you’ll find just how novel this scheme is on their website at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legendofbenhall/the-legend-of-ben-hall-an-australian-western-30-mi.
By Derek Maitland
IMAGE: Jack Martin as Ben Hall – praise for a rising star

 

Filed Under: Articles, General Interest

More News

Staying ‘Home’ For Australia Day

21 January, 2021 By editor

It seems fitting that the name Canowindra comes from the Wiradjuri word meaning home. Canowindra has … [Read More...]

Cabonne Shire Australia Day 2021 Event Information

21 January, 2021 By editor

… [Read More...]

Much To Celebrate

21 January, 2021 By editor

Graham and Debbie Rice had a big week this week, celebrating 46 years of marriage on Monday and … [Read More...]

More articles in this section

  • Happy New Year – From Montrose House
  • Live Music Going Ahead In The New Year
  • Montrose House

More Food & Wine

ANZAC Treat

23 April, 2020 By editor

Caramel ANZAC Slice SLICE • 2 Cups Plain Flour • 2 Cups Brown Sugar • 2 Cups Rolled Oats • 1 … [Read More...]

Enjoy a Cold Christmas Pudding!

16 December, 2015 By editor

Ingredients 2.25 litre vanilla ice cream 2 x 125 punnets of pistachio kernels 1 teaspoon … [Read More...]

The Bite…Coffee Culture

8 July, 2015 By editor

It is a fair generalisation that Australians are culturally obsessed with their coffee. Across the … [Read More...]

More articles in this section

  • The Bite…Winter Warmers
  • In The Vines…Philip Shaw’s New Cellar Door
  • The Bite…Orange Cafe Culture

More Sport

The Canowindra rugby league football club

21 January, 2021 By editor

The season launch for the Canowindra Rugby Football Club’s centenary year was held last week at the Canowindra Bowling Club. This year marks an incredible 100 years of play by the Tigers in Canowindra. Speeches were heard from club president Andrew Whatman and coaches Kevin, Cal and Mick. Ed Clyburn spoke on behalf of the […]

Latest Print Edition

Click here to download the recent issue (617) of The Canowindra Phoenix (2.1mb PDF) 21st January 2021

AWARDED 2018 BEST BUSINESS IN CABONNE

Stay Connected

The Canowindra Phoenix would like to thank you, our Facebook friends, for your continued support and readership!

likeusonfacebook

Canowindra Booklet

Click here to download the 2018 Canowindra Booklet – Explore “The Place You Call Home” Like a Local

Central West Rural Round Up Booklet

Click here to download the Central West Rural Round Up Booklet

Search the Phoenix

Recent Articles

  • Bangaroo Bridge Officially Open 21 January, 2021
  • Staying ‘Home’ For Australia Day 21 January, 2021
  • Letters 21 January, 2021

Contact the Phoenix

Street Address: 84 Gaskill Street Canowindra NSW 2804 Postal Address: PO Box 203 Canowindra NSW 2804 Phone: (02) 6344 1846 Email: editor@canowindraphoenix.com.au or sales@canowindraphoenix.com.au View our Privacy Policy. View our Conflict Resolution Process. View our Ethics and Complaints Policy. Want to advertise with us? Information on our Community Promotions.

Submit an Article

We are always looking for new articles of interest to the local community.

Please feel free to submit an article for possible inclusion in a future issue.

To submit an article, click here to use our online article submission form.

Receive The Phoenix via Email

* indicates required

Copyright © 2021 · Website setup and support: CompleteWPCare