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Available On Demand July 2See it In Theaters August 2

www.driftthemovie.com

Directed by Morgan O’Neill and Ben Nott Screenplay by Morgan O'Neill

Based on an original story by Morgan O'Neill and Tim Duffy Produced by Tim Duffy, Michele Bennett and Myles Pollard

Executive Producers Joan Peters and Peter Lawson

Starring Myles Pollard, Xavier Samuel, Sam Worthington, Lesley Ann Brandt and Robyn Malcolm ‐

Rated: R Run Time: 113 minutesFor Press Materials: www.lionsgatepublicity.com

For Further Information Please Contact: Kevin McAlpine / Shelby Kimlick Jennifer SandlerMPRM Communications Lionsgatekmcalpine@mprm.com jsandler@lionsgate.comskimlick@mprm.com 310.255.4072323.933.3399

SHORT SYNOPSIS After their mother escapes from Sydney to Margaret River in the 1970’s, the two Kelly brothers spend their youth searching for the perfect wave. Out of necessity the family launch a backyard surf business ‐re thinking board design, crafting homemade wetsuits and selling merchandise out of their van. ‐ Battling big waves, small town conservatism and criminals, the brothers give rise to a global brand. A story of passion, corruption, friendship and loyalty, deadly addictions and fractured relationships, DRIFT tells a tale of courage and the will to survive at all odds.

LONG SYNOPSIS It’s the early 1960’s. To escape her brutal husband KAT KELLY travels across the country to start a new life in an isolated West Australian coastal town. For ANDY and JIMMY KELLY the town has one big asset: perfect waves. 12 years on and the family is struggling. Jimmy has become a brilliant surfer but leads an aimless life. Andy works in a soul destroying job and Kate is slipping behind on her repayments. In order to save his home and his family, Andy quits his secure job and launches Kelly Brothers Surf Gear. The boys gain two allies when itinerant hippy surf photographer JB and his Hawaiian friend LANI arrive in town in their painted bus. JB’s radical philosophy and freewheeling life inspires Jimmy but almost destroys the fledgling business. When an aggressive competitor attempts to steal his market, Andy realizes that if he is going to survive he must expand Kelly Brothers. With the support of an old friend, he opens a shop and factory and Drift is born. But someone is bringing hard drugs into the community and the cops suspect the Kelly boys. Suspicion falls on JB and friendships are stretched to a breaking point. When their close friend and glasser, GUS, falls victim to heroin, his dealer pressures Andy to pay back his drug debts. Their only option is to sell the family home. His business in tatters, his family split and his home about to be sold, Andy comes up with one last desperate plan. But it’s an extremely long shot. Winning the international pro contest may get them out of the debt but Jimmy is nowhere to be found and Andy must do it himself. Lani finds Jimmy up the coast and convinces him to come back to help his brother. With time running out in the contest Jimmy pulls off an extraordinary aerial maneuver. Jimmy loses the contest but JB’s photo makes headlines in sporting pages all around the world… and Drift Surf Gear suddenly goes global.

CO DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT ‐DRIFT is a character based action drama, played out over the epic backdrop of the remote ‐

West Australian coastline that is constantly pounded by the world’s largest storm waves. The two central characters are brothers: Andy, the eldest, is driven by a need to provide for his family and bury a violent past and his younger brother Jimmy by his uncompromising artistic expression and wanderlust. Both share an obsession with the wild ocean that rumbles on the doorstep of the small coastal town in which they live. Jimmy’s natural instinct is to simply create and express himself through the soul of surfing while Andy sees a way out of their life of poverty and fear by turning their shared passion for surfing into a legitimate business. After battling heavy local opposition to their lifestyle the 60′s culture revolution finally arrives in the form of a visiting international surf filmmaker and his Hawaiian girlfriend. Surfing legends JB and Lani recognize the spark of genius in the two very different brothers but also force the divisions between the brothers wider than ever. The movie is inspired by the true story of Australia’s legendary surf wear moguls and the rise of ‐the global surf brands from 1960′s and 1970′s rural Australia. DRIFT is a story of courage and obsession, local suspicion and corruption, wealth, stardom, dangerous addictions and fractured relationships; all framed in a pristine and deadly wilderness region. DRIFT will resonate internationally on many fronts. The story is about the birth of the relationship between Australian surf culture and global youth culture that still resonates around the globe today. The wandering surf lifestyle is now the mystical ‘dream life’ for many, but in the early days the quest for freedom was a perilous and uncertain journey. The key to the film is the perfect balance between a gripping rags to riches story and a never ‐ ‐seen before level of in water action. The surfing and land action scenes grab a wide audience’s ‐attention, while the characters, WA coastline and classic story arc keep them emotionally invested. As co directors we have combined our talents to deliver this compelling story of action and ‐drama. We have both been involved with DRIFT from an early stage of development and planned every aspect of the movie together with a singular vision.

‐ Morgan O’Neill and Ben Nott

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Set in the 1960’s and 70’s DRIFT was inspired by the true story of Australia’s legendary surf communities and the rise of the global surf brands during this era. The character based action drama is co directed by‐ ‐ ‐ MORGAN O’NEILL (Solo, The Factory) and BEN NOTT in his feature film debut. The story of the two Kelly Brothers played by MYLES POLLARD (Wolverine, McLeod’s Daughters) and XAVIER SAMUEL (Twilight Eclipse, The Loved Ones, A Few Best Men), alongside international Australian star SAM WORTHINGTON (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator Salvation) as a travelling surf photographer and filmmaker. LESLEY ANN BRANDT (‐ Memphis Beat, CSI: NY) plays his Hawaiian surfer companion. Joining them are ROBYN MALCOLM (Outrageous Fortune), STEVE BASTONI (Underbelly, Neighbours) and AARON GLENANE (The Black Balloon). The screenplay is written by MORGAN O’NEILL from an original story by O’Neill and TIM DUFFY (Let’s Talk About Sex) and produced by TIM DUFFY, MICHELE BENNETT (Chopper) and MYLES POLLARD. Producer Tim Duffy, a former resident of Gracetown and Yallingup in the South West of Western Australia, conceived the concept of DRIFT: “I had the idea for the original story quite a long time ago, probably nearly 10 years ago. I wrote it up as a rough draft treatment and turned it into a script in 2007 and took the script to Myles Pollard. He liked the look of it as a project that he’d like to co produce and act in and ‐then took it to Sam Worthington. Sam looked at the same thing, liked the script, and liked the characters. Then they recommended Morgan O’Neill to re write the script into the screenplay that we eventually ‐shot.” “Once Myles Pollard and Sam Worthington got involved, the story developed with Morgan O’Neill and Ben Nott, who was also involved as the director and it really took off from there. Once all those minds got together, we fully realized the potential of the story.” “The premise of the film is about two brothers who grow up on the coast in Australia in the 60’s. They are into surfing and they turn their passion for surfing into a business, so they can continue to surf and live their lives on the coast. The whole story has been a composite story of all the big brands Quicksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl, which all originated from Australia in the 60’s and 70’s and are now the biggest global surf lifestyle brands. I thought it would be interesting to tell that story and to do it in a way where we combined all the best tales from that era.” Principal photography on DRIFT took place over six weeks in August and September 2011 in and around WA’s rugged and beautiful South West region – one of the world’s premiere big wave destinations. DRIFT‐ is played out over various breathtaking and epic locations along the remote Western Australia coastline from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, including Margaret River, Augusta, Gracetown and Nannup. Many of the surfing scenes take place at Margaret River’s Surfer’s Point. Margaret River is known for having several spots that are amongst the largest and most dangerous waves ever ridden such as the famous “Cow Bombie.” Some additional surf scenes were shot in Indonesia, including Bali, following the principal shoot. Tim Duffy tells of shooting at “Cow Bombie” – “We had a particular wave off the coast of Margaret River which is known for having the biggest surf able waves in Australia, probably one of the biggest in the ‐world. We were hoping to get that break while we were shooting and we did. We were able to mobilize a great team and capture one of the big sequences of the movie. It’s hard to measure exactly but the wave

was in the 30 40 foot range, probably bigger. We had several things that had to happen, not just surf the ‐wave but there were also stunts, and we managed to get it all in the couple of days of big swell.” Sam Worthington said: “I think filming down here and the size of these waves is exhilarating. It’s excellent for the region to showcase what they’ve got and if you are going to surf anywhere you might as well surf in one of the premier spots in the world. I think the audience will appreciate these settings, they’re standalone beautiful and there’s a unique, untouched quality to down south (WA).” DRIFT was shot over the winter months which provided some challenges with the weather which were far outweighed by the lush green feel of the region during that time, along with bigger waves. Says Tim Duffy: “The decision to film in winter was a tough one, people kept asking why aren’t you shooting a surfing film in summer, it is the obvious thing to do? I felt that dealing with a bit of rain, storms and some wind would add to the character of the film and the beautiful green landscape that you get and the size and volume of surf in winter is a lot better.”

Says Cinematographer Geoffrey Hall: “The challenges have been enormous, given mainly the weather factors and it’s very changeable. We managed to control the environment, by adapting as best we could. Shooting in winter down south in WA has many positives because the surf’s big, which is a great thing for us. The surf unit managed to get some spectacular footage with really big waves.”

“The key to capturing the story on DRIFT was to be very flexible. We had lots of different sequences in the film, there are surf sequences, there are land based sequences, there are lots of interiors, lots of exteriors‐ and the weather is constantly changing in all of the different sequences. One way to make that all gel together is to get a lot of different coverage, lots of different frame sizes.”

The production team and co directors executed two photography units running concurrently – the ‐dramatic unit (directed by Morgan O’Neill) and a surf action unit (directed by Ben Nott), enabling the production to achieve the large scale of content required for the action drama, in just 32 days. ‐ Says Producer Michele Bennett: “It’s an unusual situation it’s not unheard of but it’s not typical to have ‐two directors. It made a lot of sense in the case of DRIFT because both directors have their areas of expertise and skill sets. Ben Nott comes from a surfing background; he’s shot a lot of surf action, short films and commercials. Morgan’s much more experienced as a drama director and I think to have the one director straddling both areas would have been difficult, certainly within the timeframe we had and actor availability. They are both working in the areas that are their strong suits and they’ve collaborated creatively in terms of casting, scripts and in post production.” ‐ Says actor Xavier Samuel on working with both directors: “Ben and Morgan make a great team as directors. Ben has a really great handle on the surf aspect of the film, that’s his forte. We’ve been out in enormous waves almost drowning, but he’s terrific. Morgan focuses on the emotional content of the film and propelling the story forward in that regard. They are both great guys, Morgan is kind of an actor’s director, every piece of direction he gives is very concise and he has a great sense of humor and also it’s great to work on a film that you have the opportunity to collaborate and come up with things at the last minute and he’s always been very open to that mode of shooting.” Many of the main cast took surf lessons and performed their own surf stunts in the water, and local WA surfers were cast as ‘surf doubles’ and used for bigger stunts in the film. Classic longboard surfing scenes feature in the early parts of the film, before evolving to the modern performance short board era later in the film.

Tim Duffy explains: “We really cast based on the actors ability as well as a feeling of how much surfing they’d done or their willingness to learn and we then put them into lessons straight away. The cast were in surfing lessons as soon as they were engaged and then we cast doubles that physically looked like them to ride the bigger waves.” “This area is a famous big wave surfing area, there were a lot of people that already live here that were world class. The difficulty was finding doubles that were similar enough to our actors to be believable on the big waves, people like Shaun Green, Michaela Green and Tom Innes have all been terrific, amazing surfers who live here and the rest of the world might not know about them but they’re as good as anyone in the big stuff. We had some of the best very big wave surfers like Lief Mulik, Dave Delroy Car, Alfie ‐Cater, who are known around the world as the best big wave surfers. Then we had luckily, locally Rick Rifici and Rick Jakovich, who are two of the best water cinematographers in the world shooting surf. We knew we had people who were world class, right at our fingertips.” The production of DRIFT marked a home coming for West Australians Tim Duffy, Myles Pollard and Sam ‐Worthington, all of whom grew up in the region. Producer and actor Myles Pollard says: “Returning home to make DRIFT was an amazing experience, I always knew instinctively that there were so many opportunities in this state and especially in this region. I don’t think the rest of the world has cottoned on to how beautiful this area is and how remote it is and how it has been maintained. I think the appeal of this region is that it hasn’t been fully developed, it hasn’t been commercialized, it’s untouched, it’s remote and I find it very gratifying to share that with the rest of the world, to take this region and throw it out on the world stage and say, ‘Have a look at this place, it’s an amazing place’.” On casting Sam Worthington, Myles Pollard says: “We were mates and I think that opened the door for Sam, I think knowing someone that you can sit down and have a discussion with them freely, you remove the middle man and have a creative conversation about what you’re doing. We also think in a very similar way, the three of us, Morgan, Sam and myself having come through drama school together have a very similar commercial sensibility and we know what we like in terms of film making and we know what we don’t like and I think we are aligned on that. Having Morgan and myself on board, Sam trusted that and he also knew implicitly that we were embarking on making a commercial film, we’re not trying to make an art film, we aren’t trying to do anything except entertain people and inspire people and I think that is one of the reasons why he came on board.” “Sam comes with so much experience; he’s done back to back films for the last 10 12 years. He walks on ‐ ‐ ‐set and I watch how he works, it’s so awesome to watch someone create with that experience and he’s been really generous with that experience and those skills. He’s shared a lot of information with me and Morgan and I felt really privileged to rack his brains, ask questions and learn some things.” On being attracted to DRIFT, Sam Worthington says: “There was a picture of an actual surf photographer straight out of the water, there was something quite primal about it, quite iconic. It made me intrigued about the possibilities of playing that role and supporting my friends.” “I think the story of DRIFT is universal; it’s about one man trying to achieve a dream. We’ve all had that in our lives, there’s simplicity to it and that’s what this is, it’s a simple, idealistic, family movie that’s very positive.” “It’s always good to come home; I grew up in West Australia so it’s a trip down memory lane, all the spots we ever surfed or hung out in as we grew up in our teens. It’s great to come back and be with my friends,

they’re the main things I miss about home and to actually spend some time creating something when we haven’t been able to do that in so long because we were in different directions, ”says Sam Worthington. On the casting of Lesley Ann Brandt as Lani, producer Michele Bennett says: “The role of Lani had to be ‐plausibly Hawaiian and we had difficulty finding that person here in Australian. We had been casting here for a while and somehow she had slipped through the radar in those initial castings and when we spread the net wider and starting casting in Los Angeles. When Morgan and Ben saw her at a screen test in Los Angeles, she was great in the audition and she looked perfect and was a beautiful Hawaiian looking girl and she was actually raised and worked for years in New Zealand.” And further on casting she says: “Both Xavier Samuel and Robyn Malcolm, when we saw their auditions they so clearly saw another dimension then what was written on the page for those characters, so it was a bit of a no brainer to cast them. Xavier was known to us and he’s developed quite a following and a lot of credentials internationally, so we felt really lucky to cast him in the role of Jimmy. Robyn, for me, felt like a bit of a discovery and even though she’s really well known in New Zealand and she’s an incredibly experienced and talented actress, for us she’s a fresh face. She’s done such a good job playing both ages; the younger mother and the older mother with very little transformation with makeup.” Says Xavier Samuel on his character Jimmy: “There are a lot of things that attracted me to this film; I think particularly the character of Jimmy. He’s explosive and unpredictable and I think it’s a beautiful story, it’s an ensemble film with only three or four main characters in the film and we’re kind of like a family unit, it’s nice to do a film that has that level of intimacy.” “Jimmy is kind of this maverick surfer; he’s very different to his brother Andy. Andy is a bit more business minded, so they clash heads and they also fall in love with the same girl, which can present its challenges. Jimmy just wants to enjoy life and surf and the idea of turning it all into a business jeopardizes that free lifestyle and then he comes across JB who he is completely seduced by, he’s this kind of guy that lives a nomad lifestyle, just travels the world in a big bus photographing surfers and that lifestyle really appeals to him. He’s very impressionable; he’s the firework in the film in some ways.” Says Myles Pollard on his character Andy: “Andy Kelly’s relationship with his brother Jimmy is tight. Andy had to be the responsible father figure in the family. Their mother left their father when they were young, which forced Andy had to take on the paternal role. Andy is a family man, a very loyal son of Kat and he’s a loyal brother of Jimmy. He is very ambitious, he’s self made, focused, stubborn, and emotionally ‐reclusive, he’s a battler, a fighter, he’ll protect his family at all costs and he is quietly confident but like I said before he is quite stubborn and persistent.” Myles Pollard concludes: “I think DRIFT is one of the definitive Australian stories, I think it was one of the reasons I was inspired to take on producing it with Tim. It really tells the cultural story of my identity, a white Anglo Saxon middle class man coming out of the 70s and living by the coast and the tribal story of ‐this community coming together. It’s a part of history even though it’s fictionalized about Australian surf companies that became hugely successful and defined the way the industry operates. That became the pillars of the modern surfing industry and it’s a story that hasn’t really been told. It’s a story that defines us as a culture and a nation.” Tim Duffy summarizes: “People already know that Australians are great surfers, there’s a lifestyle, a culture down here. I think people come to Australia expecting to surf and be engaged with the ocean but nobody’s really told that story. I believe there’s an audience around the world for people to see really what it’s like to grow up surfing in Australia. Australia exports the biggest surf brands in the world, there’s a connection there as well and it’s an action film. Action movies are hard to make on Australian budgets but that is one that we could make as good as anywhere in the world. I think when Sam and Myles came

on board along with Morgan and Ben, they all identified that we could make an action film that’s as good as anyone in the world because it’s about surfing.”

ABOUT THE CAST

MYLES POLLARD ANDY KELLY and PRODUCER

Since graduating from the acting course at NIDA in 1998 Myles has appeared in many Australian television series including Water Rats, Home and Away, All Saints, Wildside, Double Trouble, Packed to the Rafters, Underbelly 2, East West 101 and Rescue Special Ops and Sea Patrol.

It was playing one of the original characters (Nick Ryan) in the internationally acclaimed television series McLeod's Daughters that secured him a place in the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide. Myles has also worked as an actor with respected professional theatre companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Ensemble and Black Swan. Myles has a lead role in the feature film Thirst, which premiered in January 2012.

As well as starring as Andy Kelly in DRIFT, Myles co produced the film (see ‐Crew bios below). XAVIER SAMUEL JIMMY KELLY

Over the past few years, Australian actor Xavier Samuel has generated international attention for his standout performances and is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic and versatile young actors of his generation. Xavier was most recently seen in the Australian thriller Bait about a tsunami which traps a group of people in a supermarket along with a pack of tiger sharks, and in 2011 he was seen opposite Rhys Ifans and Vanessa Redgrave in Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous, a historical drama which purports that William Shakespeare is not the true author of the literary work attributed to him. He is best known to fans for his role in the third film in the blockbuster Twilight series, Eclipse in which he played Riley, a newborn vampire. Xavier’s film credits also include Road Train, a supernatural thriller set in the Australian outback and directed by Dean Francis, and A Few Best Men, an Australian comedy about a groom and his three best men. The film is set in the Australian outback and was directed by award winning filmmaker Stephan Elliott, of Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert acclaim and was released in Australia in January 2012. Xavier has recently completed production on the Catherine Hardwick film Plush, which is currently in post-production.

Additional film credits include the thriller The Loved Ones, directed by Sean Byrne, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July 2009. The Loved Ones also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009 where it won the Midnight Madness audience prize. September opposite Mia Wasikowska, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival to rave reviews and was selected to screen in both the Berlin and Toronto Film Festivals. He has also appeared in the coming of age surf drama ‐ ‐Newcastle, which premiered at the Tribeca International Film Festival. Xavier made his screen debut in the highly acclaimed independent feature 2:37, which chronicles the lives of six students over the course of a day and ends in a devastating suicide. Directed by newcomer Murali K. Thalluri and featuring a relatively unknown cast, the film, which screened in competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in “Un Certain Regard,” received a standing ovation. Xavier graduated from Adelaide’s Flinders University Drama Centre in 2005.

SAM WORTHINGTON JB

Sam Worthington graduated from Sydney’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1998. Upon graduation, he continued in the theater with a production of Judas Kiss, directed by Neil Armfield, for Company B at the Belvoir Street Theater. With smaller roles in international films such as Hart’s War, The Great Raid,

and Rogue under his belt, Worthington screen tested opposite Daniel Craig for the role of “James Bond” in Casino Royale. Although he did not land the much coveted part, it proved to be the ‐perfect dress rehearsal for the following year. James Cameron hand picked Worthington to star ‐in Avatar —Cameron’s first narrative film since his 1997 Oscar winning blockbuster ‐ Titanic. Avatar is the #1 highest grossing film of all time with $2.78 billion worldwide. Avatar received several nominations for the 2010 Academy Awards including “Best Picture” and Directing for James Cameron’s work in the film. The film won 2010 Golden Globe Awards in the “Best Motion Picture – Drama” category as well as for “Best Director.” James Cameron was nominated for a 2010 DGA Feature Film Award for Avatar. Additional projects include John Madden’s The Debt alongside Helen Mirren, Ami Canaan Mann’s Texas Killing Fields, Clash Of The Titans 2 and Summit Entertainment’s thriller Man on a Ledge. He will next be seen in David Ayer’s Ten, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terrence Howard, Josh Holloway and Joe Manganiello.LESLEY ANN BRANDT ‐ LANI

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Lesley Ann Brandt has become one ‐of the hottest South African exports via New Zealand. Immigrating to Auckland, NZ with her parents and brother in 1999, Lesley Ann was soon exposed to the ‐acting community and so began her path to becoming one of NZ's most exciting new discoveries.

In 2009 producer Chris Hampson (Street Legal, Orange Roughies) and creator/writer James Griffen (Siones Wedding, Outrageous Fortune, Almighty Johnsons) were on the hunt for the leading lady of their quirky new half hour comedy Diplomatic Immunity. They'd been searching for an actress for months and were 3 weeks away from shooting when Lesley Ann auditioned and went on to star opposite Craig Parker (‐ Spartacus, Lord of the Rings and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans). In 2010 Brandt commanded the world take notice with her role as "Naevia" in the breakout Starz hit, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Naevia the beautiful slave girl who's story with Manu Bennett's character Crixus emerged as the show's big love story creating a fan frenzy worldwide. Working with producers Sam Raimi (Writer of Spiderman 3), Rob Tapert (producer of The Grudge, 30 Days of Night and Xena series) and actors John Hannah (The Mummy and Four Weddings and a Funeral), Peter Mensah (300 and Avatar), Lucy Lawless (Xena), Lesley Ann captivated audiences‐ with her performance, and became one of the shows break out stars. ‐ Brandt continued to work on back to back projects, This is not My Life (2010), which was picked up by Lionsgate, and ABC's Legend of the Seeker (2010) as well as her feature film debut in Hopes and Dreams (2010). In 2011 Lesley Ann resurrected her role as "Naevia" in the prequel season of ‐ Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Roles on Chuck and CSI: New York (recurring) soon followed. Most recently Brandt has landed roles in the feature films Duke starring CSI: New York's Carmine Giovinazzo, TNT's Memphis Beat starring Jason Lee (My Name is Earl) and the feature film The Last Stand starring Ving Rhames and Taryn Manning. Now permanently based in Los Angeles, Lesley Ann has made Hollywood her home.‐ ROBYN MALCOLM KAT KELLY

Robyn Malcolm is a highly acclaimed actor from New Zealand with numerous film, television and theatre credits to her name. Robyn is a household name and is nationally loved for her work in the highly successful television series Outrageous Fortune. Her portrayal of the feisty Cheryl West over six seasons garnered multiple awards including New Zealand Screen Directors Guild Awards, TV Guide Best on the Box Awards and Qantas Television Awards with

the added distinction of winning TV Guide Best on the Box Awards Sexiest Woman on TV for four years consecutively. Robyn’s other television credits include ABC TV’s highly acclaimed Rake, New Zealand’s long running drama Shortland Street, Mercy Peak, Serial Killers, for which she won a Best Actress Award by the New Zealand Screen Directors Guild and Clare. Robyn has a solid and remarkable list of film credits. She appeared in the phenomenally successful Lord of the Rings: Two Towers directed by Peter Jackson and also worked with him in The Lovely Bones. Other film credits include The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell, Boogeyman,

Ted and Sylvia and Perfect Strangers. Robyn’s most recent film Burning Man, is set for release this year. In theatre, Robyn has performed in over 45 plays. Most recently Robyn appeared in the Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Mary Stuart in the title role, drawing widespread critical acclaim and for Auckland’s Silo Theatre she played Winnie in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days again to huge acclaim. Other productions with Auckland Theatre Company include The Duchess of Malfi and Middle Age Spread, and The Cut with Silo theatre. She was Co director of The New ‐Zealand Actors Company national touring productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear (Leah) and A Way of Life. She studied at The Globe Theatre London in 2003.

AARON GLENANE GUS

Aaron’s film credits include Larry in Point Of View, Bucko in The Black Balloon and Thomas in Horizon’s Crossing. He is a motion capture artist on George Miller’s Happy Feet 2.

Aaron has also made several appearances in shows on the Australian small screen including Rescue Special Ops (season one and two), Packed to the Rafters and Home and Away.

STEVE BASTONI MILLER

One of Australia’s most versatile and accomplished actors, Steve has a string of film and television credits including the Golden Globe nominated On The Beach. He became a household name as ‘Angel’ in the long running television series Police Rescue and has starred in numerous TV productions including Neighbours, Wildside, The Magistrate and South Pacific where he starred

alongside Glenn Close and Harry Connick Jr. In 1999 Bastoni starred with Adam Baldwin in Frances Ford Coppola’s modern adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Other TV credits include appearances in Stingers, the award winning mini series ‐ Blue Murder, The Alice, and most recently Underbelly The Golden Mile, Sea Patrol, and Rush. Steve’s theatre credits include the Company B production of Threepenny Opera in the role of ‘Macheath’. He played the role of the notorious ‘Bill Sykes’ in the Cameron Macintosh production of Oliver under the direction of the world renowned Sam Mendes. This production toured nationally as well as a season in Singapore. His film credits include Heartbreak Kid, 15 Amore, He Died With A Felafel In His Hand, South Pacific, Matrix Reloaded, Crocodile Hunter, Man Thing, Fink, Macbeth, where he plays the role of ‘Banquo’ and Suburban Mayhem. His performance as Alfredo in 15 Amore resulted in a Best Actor nomination at the 2000 AFI Awards as well as a Film Critics Circle nomination in the same category. SEAN KEENAN YOUNG ANDY

Sean Keenan made his small screen debut as the loveable surf rat Lockie Leonard, the title role, in the 26 part TV series based on Tim Winton’s novels.

He described his first television role as one of the ‘coolest surfing dudes in literature’, bringing the lead character to life was no easy feat. Discovered at a cold casting call, Sean brought a fresh youthfulness, maturity and enthusiasm to the role. Whole heartedly embracing his character, Sean won praise from

critics and even earned himself a TV Week Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding New Talent in 2008. Sean recently appeared in another Tim Winton classic, Cloudstreet alongside Stephen Curry and Essie Davis, as their son Ted Pickles. KAI ARBUCKLE YOUNG JIMMY

DRIFT is the debut feature film for youngster Kai Arbuckle. This follows Kai's debut stage role playing 'Boy' in Tim Winton's recent Rising Water theatre production at the Heath Ledger Theatre Centre. Kai is a student at John Curtin College of the Arts (JCCA) in Perth, WA, where he is currently in formal acting training as a Year 8 student in their Gifted and Talented Drama program. The College put Kai forward for the auditions for both of his roles to date. Kai hopes to pursue further screen and stage roles in the future.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

MORGAN O’NEILL WRITER and CO DIRECTOR ‐

After graduating from NIDA with a degree in Performing Arts in 1998, Morgan O’Neill has gone on to play an integral part in the Australian film community, having worked as a writer, producer, actor, composer and director in an array of films.

His short film, Playing Hard to Get (2001) in which O’Neill acted, produced and composed was a great success. The short film centers around musicians in a jazz quartet, who use their musical instruments to win the affection of a beautiful lady in a bar. The film won awards at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2001), Isola Del Cinema (2001), Nescafe Short Film Award (2001) and was a finalist at the St Kilda Film Festival (2001), Manhatttan Short Film Festival (2001) and Tropfest (2001).

Feature film credits include, The Factory (2011), which he co wrote and directed and ‐ Solo (2006), which he wrote and directed, starring Colin Friels. The latter which won the FCCA award for Best Original Screenplay (2006) and was screened at the Sydney Film Festival (2006).

O’Neill’s acting credits include roles in; Sea Patrol, All Saints, Home and Away, Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback (television movie) and the hit Paul Hogan comedy, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.

O’Neill is currently based in Los Angeles and has two feature films in development. He is a cowriter and executive producer on Cobra 405, a heist film set against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War, and is writing and directing Love Alt Delete‐ ‐ , a dark, erotic thriller set in the American south.

BEN NOTT CO DIRECTOR, CO EXECUTIVE PRODUCER‐ ‐ Ben Nott began a rapid creative education at very young age with his father being an internationally successful abstract painter and his mother a photo journalist for the Australian‐ Broadcast Commission. Ben’s creative studies expanded to Writing and Directing in the medium of TV and Cinema in London, Los Angeles and Sydney, at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Ben’s creative writing and directing skills quickly became sought after by the top tier creative agencies across the world. At 20 years old he became the youngest person ever to win the pinnacle award at Cannes International Festival, The Grand Prix. To prove this was not luck, he followed up by winning the Cannes Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards as well as the newly created media Titanium Award. He also recently won the very rarely awarded Black Gold Pencil at the English D&AD Awards. Communication Magazine has named Ben one of the top 50 Creative Communicators of the decade.

Ben has written four screenplays, with three optioned in Hollywood. He has written and directed over one hundred commercials internationally, as well as ten music videos, several short films, and two documentaries. Co Directing DRIFT is his debut feature film. Ben’s clients include Universal Films, Paramount Pictures, Miramax, MTV USA, ABC network USA, Fox TV network USA, Nike Global, Adidas USA, Quiksilver USA, PlayStation USA, Pepsi Global, Coke Global and many more. He is a founding partner of Droga5 creative agency based in NY, NZ and Sydney. Droga5 won most creative agency in the USA in its first year of business. Ben and his partners own and operate worldwide mind films, with head offices in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Ben is currently developing two new feature films in between enjoying surfing, art and earth. TIM DUFFY PRODUCER After graduation from Curtin University Film School in Australia Tim enjoyed a seven year international career as a cinematographer and lighting technician on TV commercials, music videos, television series and feature films. Tim then got his break as a producer and director on innovative extreme sports television shows such as The World Heli Challenge (Seven Network, ESPN 2) and the action sports feature Deep South (Fox Sports). In the mid-nineties Tim was often asked to apply his experience in extreme sports to cutting edge television commercials and VFX shoots. So, in 1999 he jointly founded the Australian production company, Sauce Films. Tim served as Company Director and Senior Producer, achieving many international awards. Since 2003 Tim has been based in New York and Los Angeles and has worked as a producer, writer and director on commercial and feature projects with clients such as Vogue Magazine and Universal Def Jam Records. He recently co produced the US feature documentary ‐ Let’s Talk About Sex, which was screened on US network TLC in April 2011. DRIFT is based on an original story written by Tim, which took him back to his native Australia, and region that he grew up in. Tim’s personal cause is marine conservation and he has several film projects in development in this area, as well as several international film and television projects.

MICHELE BENNETT PRODUCER Michele Bennett’s 20 year career as a producer has spanned across music videos, documentaries, television commercials and feature films. Michele began producing music videos for artists such as INXS, U2, Prince, Silverchair, Foo Fighters and many other noted Australian artists as well as documentaries Lovetown for U2 and Welcome to Wherever you Are for INXS. Michele founded Cherub Pictures in 1991 for the production of music videos, documentaries and television commercials many of which successfully competed at an international level. Over ‐time Cherub expanded to include the development and production of feature films, becoming one of Australia’s leading production companies. Cherub’s acclaimed roster of directors has included John Curran (Praise, The Painted Veil), Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Nash Edgerton (The Square), Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) and Samantha Lang (The Well, L’Idole). In 2000 Michele produced the widely awarded box office hit, Chopper (starring Eric Bana). The film went straight to No. 1 at the box office, won many major Australian film industry awards and is now a cult international hit. In 2005 Michele’s second feature film The Magician was released in Australia and the UK to widespread critical acclaim. In 2005 Michele worked as the Executive in charge of production on the Leonard Cohen documentary I’m Your Man. Michele currently resides in Sydney where Cherub pictures is based, after relocating to WA for six months during the production of DRIFT. MYLES POLLARD PRODUCER As well as playing Andy Kelly in the film (see bio above) Myles Pollard was a producer on DRIFT. Making his feature film producing debut with DRIFT, Myles was instrumental in the development of the film from its infancy. Myles has produced many short films, one of which (Jubulj) aired on the SBS channel. He has composed musical scores for short films and one of his compositions featured on an episode of McLeod's Daughters.

CLAYTON JAUNCEY PRODUCTION DESIGNER Clayton has been working as a Production Designer for the last 15 years. He has worked extensively in Australia and internationally and has credits in feature films, tele features, series ‐television and television commercials. His credits include the feature films Beneath Hill 60, Blame and Last Train to Freo, the telemovies Panic at Rock Island, Three Acts of Murder and Rapture of The Deep (Granada Germany), the critically acclaimed mini series ‐ The Shark Net, the dramatized period documentary Air Australia and the AFI and Logie awarded television series Lockie Leonard. Other TV credits include Time Trackers, Silver Sun, Wild Kat, Marx and Venus and The Gift.

Clayton Jauncey was nominated for a Best Production Design AFI and an If award for his work on Beneath Hill 60 in 2010.

In 2011 Clayton Jauncey was awarded the Australian Production Designers Guild award for design on a feature film for Beneath Hill 60.

MARIOT KERR COSTUME DESIGNER Mariot Kerr is a costume designer who has been working in the Australian Film Industry for 15 years. Mariot studied Fashion Design and Costume History in Paris, and on her return to Australia in 1994 she established her design business. In 1995 Mariot was offered a position as a pattern cutter and costume maker for "Shine". She quickly realized that although she loved designing fashion, her passion lay in film with its opportunity for character development through collaboration with directors, production designers and actors. Since then Mariot's work has focused on films, and she has been part of the costume department for features such as Australian Rules, Black & White, Look Both Ways and Wolf Creek. Her design credits include coming of age story December Boys with Daniel Radcliffe and Jack Thompson, suburban thriller Beautiful starring Peta Wilson and Tahyna Tozzi, USA/Australian co production ‐Broken Hill starring Alexa Vega and Timothy Hutton and period drama Lucky Country, for which she received an AFI Nomination for Best Costume Design in 2009. Her more recent film project to be released is Red Dog, starring Josh Lucas and Rachael Taylor. GEOFFREY HALL ACS CINEMATOGRAPHER One of Australia’s top cinematographers, Geoffrey has worked on a number of different television dramas, feature films, TVCs, documentaries and music videos. He filmed popular Australian feature films Chopper, Dirty Deeds, Thunderstruck, Shadow Man, Flight of Fury, Dying Breed, Dead of Night. His latest project prior to DRIFT was the Australian box office smash Red Dog, shot in the Pilbara region, North West of Western Australia. ‐

RICK RIFICI SURF CINEMATOGRAPHER ‐

Rick Rifici is an Award winning Cinematographer with over 25 years Industry experience. Rick freelances as a Director of Photography, Cinematographer and 3D Stereographer within the Feature Film, Television and Commercial Worlds whilst specializing in the Surfing and Extreme Sports Industries. Ricks work extends from live broadcasts, studio, commercials, documentaries, sports and extreme sports productions. Some examples of his global cliental include ESPN, Australian television networks Seven, Nine, Ten and ABC, The Discovery Channel, FOX Sports, Quiksilver International and Red Bull International.

Rick produced and directed There’s No I in Go Ry the Ry Craike surf movie that was nominated ‐for 3 prestigious Surfer Poll Awards in the USA prior to its official release in 2009. Other surf movies Rick has worked on include the 2010 Rusty production Changes, and Dane Reynolds First Chapter for Quicksilver.

His extensive operating background and equipment inventory ranges from High Speed Photo Sonics Super 16mm Cameras with custom built water housings, SONY HD Broadcast Cameras, PANASONIC Broadcast Cameras and The latest EPIC RED Camera that can shoot 300 frames per second at a super high resolution. The RED EPIC also has a custom built water housing.

One of Rick’s strongest attributes is his versatility with his ability to capture images from all land, air and water angles on multiple formats.

Rick has progressed into the future world of High Speed Digital Cinematography and 3D. Rick works with the latest High Speed Digital Cameras, completing a 3D Stereographer’s course in Munich, Germany and updating his equipment inventory with the latest 3D Camera Rigs, custom built 3D Water Housings and 3D Nano Flash recording systems for top end Productions. Rick worked with the Seven Network in Australia to film the first ever AFL live broadcast in 3D in 2010.

Rick bases himself between the West Coast of Australia and Bali, Indonesia.

RICK JAKOVICH SURF CINEMATOGRAPHER‐ Rick Jakovich is a cinematographer based in South West Australia where DRIFT was filmed‐ .

A surfer himself, Jakovich co produced pro surfer Taj Burrows film, ‐ ‐ Montaj as well as filming all water footage for the film. The film faired incredibly well amongst the surf community and went on to Movie of the Year at the 2002 Surfer Poll & Video Awards in the US.

The 2006 Surfer Poll & Video Awards saw his work once again go on to garner critical claim. The water footage he filmed for Clothing label ‘Globes’ film Secret Machine helped the movie to win Best Cinematography.

Jakovich has also contributed footage to Quiksilver’s Young Guns 1 and 2 surf videos.

MARCUS D’ARCY EDITOR

Marcus D’Arcy has worn many hats during his illustrious film and television career, including that of editor, post production supervisor and associate producer. His work has garnered him several ‐prestigious awards and nominations, including a 1996 Academy Award nomination for Best Editing on the feature Babe, winner of the Best Editing award at the 2001 New Zealand Film Awards for the feature Snakeskin and winner of the Best Editing award for the feature Swimming Upstream at the 2003 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards. Marcus’s other feature film credits as Editor include Tomorrow When The War Began (2010) for director Stuart Beattie, Longshot (2006) for director Jeff Balsmayer, Solo (2005) for director Morgan O’Neill, Anacondas: Curse of the Black Orchid (2004) for director Dwight Little, Dark City (1996) for director Alex Proyas, Dating The Enemy (1995) for director Megan Simpson, Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) for director George Miller and Flirting from director John Duigan. Marcus has worked in the guise of Post Production Supervisor for Bootmen (2000) for director Dean Perry, Babe: Pig In The City (1998) for director George Miller, Dark City (1996) for director Alex Proyas, Dating The Enemy (1995) for director Megan Simpson, Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) for director George Miller, Flirting from director John Duigan, Dead Calm (1987) from director Phillip Noyce and The Year My Voice Broke from director John Duigan. Marcus’s many TV credits include the Nine Network’s Sea Patrol and Two Twisted and several acclaimed mini series including ‐ Bangkok Hilton, The Cowra Breakout, Body Line and The Dismissal.

CREDITS Key Cast

Andy Kelly Myles Pollard

Jimmy Kelly Xavier Samuel

JB Sam Worthington

Kat Kelly Robyn Malcolm

Lani Lesley Ann Brandt‐Gus Aaron Glenane

Miller Steve Bastoni

Percy Maurie Ogden

Young Andy Kelly Sean Keenan

Young Jimmy Kelly Kai Arbuckle

Young Gus

Other Cast

Harrison Buckland Crook‐

Sargeant Hemsley Dave BowersBiker (Knowles) Philip Miolin

Tom Craig Mathieson

Mr Grumley Andy King

Gordon King Greg McNeill

Ron McDermott David Meadows

Stan O’Reilly Murray Dowsett

Tina Sarah Louella

Lisa Laura Fairclough

Announcer David Christison

Buzzcock Ben Mortley

Key Crew

Co Directors‐ Morgan O’Neill Ben Nott

Writer Morgan O’Neill

Producers Tim DuffyMichele BennettMyles Pollard

Executive Producers Joan PetersPeter Lawson

Production Designer Clayton Jauncey

Costume Designer Mariot Kerr

Cinematographer Geoffrey Hall ACS

Surf Cinematographers Rick RificiRick Jakovich

Editor Marcus D’Arcy

Casting Nikki BarrettAnnie Murtagh Monks‐