At New York premiere of ‘Top End Wedding’ hosted by the Australian International Screen Forum, director Wayne Blair and Writer/Star Miranda Tapsell discussed the making of the film
At the Francesca Beale Theatre at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Australian International Screen Forum hosted the New York premiere of the film Top End Wedding, a romantic comedy reuniting the director and star of 2012’s The Sapphires.
Top End Wedding stars Miranda Tapsell as Lauren, a lawyer who returns to her hometown of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia after her engagement to Ned (Gwilym Lee). When she learns that her mother has left her father and gone missing, Lauren journeys across the Top End of Australia and even ventures out to the Tiwi Islands in search of her mother, all to make sure her wedding is everything she always dreamed it would be.
Wayne Blair directs the film, which was written by Tapsell in her screenwriting debut. Tapsell, herself a Native Australian whose parentage is from the Tiwi Islands, tells a personal story about family and how we see ourselves in the world.
Prior to the screening, The Knockturnal spoke to the two makers of the film about their reunion and more.
Wayne Blair and Miranda Tapsell on the carpet for the New York premiere of Top End Wedding
The Knockturnal: You’re reuniting for the first time since The Sapphires. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Miranda Tapsell: It’s been quite a while… about seven years since I worked with [Wayne] last. So we’ve gone on to do things separately and we’ve really grown as people. As a result of that, we were able to develop this wonderful shorthand. And he was the perfect fit for this.
Wayne Blair: It was special. She drives me crazy, as family does. They can drive you crazy. [Laughter] She’s great, and for a thirty-year-old girl to write her own film and to star in it, that’s pretty awesome. So we have a second hand, and she’s very trusting.
The Knockturnal: Miranda, this is your writing debut, correct?
Miranda Tapsell: Correct! I wrote it with Josh Tyler, and we’ve been writing it for four years, and it’s surprising how many people stood behind the film and believed in it. I’m incredibly happy with that. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from doing this film, it’s not being afraid to ask for something and be told no. Because you can always start again.
The Knockturnal: What was the biggest challenge about writing this film, and writing a part for yourself?
Miranda Tapsell: Well, I think that the trickiest thing was that it was really hard to understand what my gaze was. I obviously am very grounded in my life experiences, but to really articulate that on a piece of paper is really tricky, to articulate the way I see the world and what I believe can be a daunting process. Because when you first put it on the page you think “Oh, this is terrible.” But you know, it is about persisting and being resilient and being kind to yourself as you go through this process.
Miranda Tapsell and Gwilym Lee in Top End Wedding
The Knockturnal: The film is shot primarily on location in the top end of Australia. What was that like?
Wayne Blair: It was extra special. Australia is such a big country. I was born in Queensland and I live in New South Wales and I have been to Darwin a number of times, but to build a film around a number of places in Kakadu or Katherine or the Tiwi Islands was absolutely blessed. I shot with the cinematographer on Saturdays and Sundays and we would just go out with the birds and wildlife and just be sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere, which normal tourists wouldn’t be allowed to do. It was like a mini-holiday. And if you think back, as a person in New York asking this question, we were very lucky to be there and to see it.
Miranda Tapsell: Oh, that’s my hometown, so I was incredibly proud to show it off to everyone. I was the tour guide for all of the cast and crew. I took them to all of the places I grew up, and Murray Lui, the cinematographer, absolutely captured its beauty. It is known for vastness and emptiness, but I think what this film shows is that it can be a very romantic place to go.
The Knockturnal: How long was the shooting?
Wayne Blair: We shot for six weeks, but I suppose for pre-production we had two weeks and to scout each location. So we introduced ourselves and had a number of cups of tea to say we were there to do things the right way. So we shot for six or seven weeks but we were there for [three months].
