It may not have boasted the glitz of a Hollywood first night, but the Mudgee premiere of the locally made thriller drew a capacity audience to the Mudgee Town Hall on Saturday evening.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Crushed writer and director Megan Riakos and star Les Hill mingled with the crowd ahead of the screening.
The opening night audience included many locals who played roles in the film, which was filmed primarily at Burrundulla wines.
Apart from the on-screen drama surrounding Ellia (Sarah Bishop) who returns to her family vineyard after her father dies in a winery accident, the audience enjoyed playing spot-the location, and occasionally themselves, on screen.
Following its first screening at the Montreal World Film Festival, Crushed has screened at Miami International Film Festival and a wine-themed showing at the Napa Valley Film Festival.
The Mudgee premiere and Sunday matinee were among 18 screenings around Australia via cinema-on-demand service Fan-Force.
Ms Riakos thanked the local supporters and participants in Crushed.
“Les Hill and I are really excited to come out here and show the film to the town that helped us make it,” she said.
The screenings were followed by question and answer sessions moderated by Mudgee’s Sam Paine.
