Van Diemen's Land

In Cinemas: 24/09/2009 Watch Van Diemen's Land trailer Other Links

Hunger is a strange silence The true story of Australia's most notorious convict, Alexander Pearce and his infamous escape into the beautiful yet brutal Tasmanian wilderness. A point of no return for convicts banished from their homeland, Van Diemen's Land was a feared and dreaded penal settlement at the end of the earth. The entrance to its remote station of secondary punishment, Macquarie Harbour, was named 'Hell’s Gates' by its prisoners as a reference to the gates of hell in Dante's 'Inferno' - "Abandon all hope ye who enter here" - was plastered at the Harbour's mouth as a warning to all souls sent there. In 1822, eight convicts escaped Macquarie Harbour in a fateful bid for freedom. This band of Irish, English and Scottish thieves were immediately hurled into chaos as their plan failed and they were thrust into the heart of a harsh and foreboding landscape. With little food or equipment, in a place these immigrants knew little about, they battled a merciless enemy - the unforgiving, barren land - a land where God wields an axe.

Van Dieman's Land

1 minute 11 seconds

Madman Films

Release Date: 24/09/2009
Languages: English
Genre: Drama, Mystery/Thriller

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WINNER
Special Mention - Noves Visions
Sitges Film Festival 2009

WINNER
The Siren for Best non-European Feature
Lund Fantastic Film Festival
2009

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Montreal World Film Festival 2009

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Fantastic Fest Austin Texas 2009

What the national critics are saying:

½ "... nothing short of extraordinary." INDEPENDENT

"...another superb example of Australian cinema in a vintage year." David Stratton, AT THE MOVIES

"Shot with breathtaking beauty and savage realism, this is an impressive portrait of crazed survival... Tasty." Ben McEachen, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"... stimulating, thought-provoking and rewarding... you're in the hands of a born filmmaker... a film you're unlikely ever to forget." David Stratton, THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

"This film took courage to create... surprisingly moving" Paul Byrnes, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

½ "...beautifully shot..." Dylan Rainforth, SUNDAY AGE

½ "If the magnificent 'Samson and Delilah' had not happened along a few months ago, it would be all too easy to nominate VAN DIEMEN'S LAND as the most unique Australian-made movie experience of the year. An unorthodox and challenging horror movie torn from the early pages of our history books, this haunting work also heralds the arrival of a significant new filmmaking talent. First-time writer-director Jonathan Auf Der Heide works absolute miracles here..." Leigh Paatsch, HERALD SUN