The murder-mystery movie is the story of a young woman who  returns home to Burrundulla vineyard after years away, following her father's suspicious death.

Mudgee and Burrundulla are named as the story's setting, and locations include the Robert Stein barrel room, the Lue Hotel, and the office of the Mudgee Guardian, filling in for the Mudgee Police Station.

Locals pop up as regulars at the Lue pub, workers at the Burrundulla vineyard, and even as the heroine's murdered father.

The film circles around harvest time and the making of the very rosé Saturday's audience was drinking, and the fruit provides some grisly visuals as it is crushed and churned to an ominous orchestral score.

The best testament to the film's gripping suspense, though, was that the audience was eventually too caught up in the story to play spot-the-setting.

Crushed turns Mudgee's dry fields and hills into the setting for a murder investigation where everyone is a suspect and danger is always nearby. It's a very different view of a region that is more often represented on film by golden sunsets and rustic charm (although those do make an appearance)

.Director/producer Megan Riakos said the film would be shown at national and international film festivals next year, ahead its release in cinemas, online and on DVD. 

Saturday’s invitation-only screening was a chance to thank the crew, friends and supporters, including local businesses and residents who assisted the production. 

Ms Riakos said she was pleased with the final result of what had been a “massive” effort by all involved. 

“It a mystery thriller and you don’t know who the killer is until the very end,” she said.  

“It’s about families, secrets and lies.”

Ms Riakos said the producers planned  a public premier in Mudgee in future. 

To find out more about Crushed, go to www.facebook.com/crushedfilm or www.crushedfilm.com/