Kangaroo Island (film)
2024 Australian film
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Kangaroo Island is a 2025 Australian drama–comedy film directed by Timothy David and written by Sally Gifford. The film is set on and was filmed on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. After its world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival on 3 November 2024, the film was released in Australian cinemas on 21 August 2025. It received four nominations at the 2026 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, including Best Picture.
Peter Hanlon
Bettina Hamilton
Daniel M. Rosenberg
Leona Cichon
| Kangaroo Island | |
|---|---|
Official theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Timothy David |
| Written by | Sally Gifford |
| Produced by | Timothy David Peter Hanlon Bettina Hamilton Daniel M. Rosenberg Leona Cichon |
| Cinematography | Ian McCarroll |
| Edited by | Jamie Rusiti |
| Music by | Ariel Marx |
Production companies | Pouch Potato, Piro |
| Distributed by | Maslow Entertainment (Australia & NZ) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes[1] |
| Country | Australia |
| Budget | ~$1,000,000[2] |
| Box office | $368,594[3] |
The film was released on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand in January 2026, and in US theatres on April 24 2026. It has grossed $368,594 worldwide on a budget of roughly $1 million.[4][5]
Synopsis
Estranged daughter Lou, an actress whose career has not taken off in Hollywood, returns to her hometown on Kangaroo island, upon request by her father, who announces he is terminally ill. Lou and her sister Freya, who is religious, have a complicated past relationship, made worse when it is revealed that Freya has been given ownership of the family farm by her father. She has arranged an 80 year lease of the property to a Christian organization, without consulting her father or sister. They try to repair their differences and make peace for the sake of their father.
Cast
- Rebecca Breeds as Lou Wells
- Adelaide Clemens as Freya Wells
- Erik Thomson as Rory Wells
- Joel Jackson as Ben Roberts
- Nicholas Hope as Barnaby Roberts
Production
Kangaroo Island is the debut feature film of Timothy David,[6] also known as Tim Piper. He is best known for being co-founder and co-owner of the New York-based production company Piro, and being the creator of Dove's 2008 "Evolution" ad and the four-part webseries for Chipotle Mexican Grill about "Big Ag", called Farmed and Dangerous[7] Kangaroo Island is also the debut film for actress-turned-filmmaker Sally Gifford,[8] who is Piper's wife. The couple have been based in New York for 20 years, but in 2016 bought a holiday house on Kangaroo Island.[6]
The film was originally titled Animal, referring to the observation of the characters as human animals. There is tragedy in the film, but also comedy, and it shows characters who are dealing with hardship.[9]
Filming took place on Kangaroo Island, including at Snelling Beach, Emu Bay,[6] Stokes Bay, and Vivonne Bay.[10] It includes shots of some of its wildlife, including echidnas, kangaroos, koalas, goannas, great white sharks, seals, and dolphins.[9]
It is produced by Timothy David, Peter Hanlon,[a] Bettina Hamilton, Daniel M. Rosenberg, and Leona Cichon, with Pouch Potato Productions Pty Ltd. Ian McCarroll is cinematographer and music is by Ariel Marx.[8] David Ockenden was production designer.[11]
The film is partially funded by the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund[8] and the South Australian Film Corporation.[12]
Release
The film's world premiere was on the closing night of the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival, on 3 November 2024.[8][13] It was screened at the Brisbane International Film Festival at HOTA on the Gold Coast in May 2025.[14]
The trailer for Kangaroo Island was released on 18 June 2025,[15][16] and the film is scheduled for general release in cinemas on 21 August 2025.[17] Distribution in Australia and New Zealand is by Sydney-based Maslow Entertainment.[15]. Screening on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand commenced on 16 January 2026, and it reached third place in the most popular films on the platform in Australia in the week ending 18 January.[18]
Blue Harbor Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, with a theatrical release on 24 April 2026.[19]
Reception
In a review for Arts Review, the film was described as "the best Australian film in years".[20] Coverage by The Upside News highlighted strong audience reactions following the film's release.[21]
Rachael Mead of InDaily called the film a "stunning piece of cinema", and praised the actors' "world-class performances" – especially Rebecca Breeds. Mead said that the "universal themes of grief and the power of family to both harm and heal... played out on Kangaroo Island's rugged locations beautifully connect this isolated place to the rest of the world".[10]
James Murphy of The Scoop writes: "Kangaroo Island entertains, provokes, and unsettles in equal measure. It’s an ambitious work that dares to ask the oldest questions in the newest light. It leaves you with the uneasy realisation that the tides of fate, however luminous, carry everyone out to sea." [22]
Other reviews were less positive. FilmInk called it “Torturous, generic and lifeless”, stating it “huffs the Hollywood exhaust pipe that is the Hallmark and Lifetime movie channels” and “uses empty soap turns, tropes and characters”.[23] The Guardian awarded it 3 stars out of 5, calling it “tonally uneven”.[24] High On Films wrote, “the film could have certainly benefited from a consistent tone and from extending its narrative scope beyond a set of cliches.”[25]
Director Timothy David claimed that the film was rated 9.2/10 in “independent audience surveys”, though this remains unverified. [26]
| Publication | Rating | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian |   | [27] |
| The Sydney Morning Herald |  | [28] |
| FilmInk | |
[29] |
| Sydney Arts Guide | | [30] |
| ScreenHub | | [31] |
| Fifty+ SA | | [32] |
| Glam Adelaide | | [33] |
Filmmaker's response
Director Timothy David vehemently defended the film and dismissed critics, labelling them as “sewer rats at the bottom of the industry food chain”, adding, “Now that the box office is looking good…I can absolutely take off the gloves and go after these…awful people”.[34] He labelled the film “critic - proof”[35], and called FilmInk’s review “derogatory”, “insulting” and “immature”, adding that it “misses the mark”, and labelled The Guardian’s 3-star review “totally wrong”.[34]
He attributed the criticism to “toxic young males with psychological damage”[35], “junior people in the film industry that probably haven’t had the life experience to go through anything, and they completely miss the point”[34], as well as “industry fringe dwellers” who he accused of having “deliberately trolled the film”.[36] He identified detractors of the film on Letterboxd as “maniacs and morons”.[37]
Accolades
The film won Best Australian Director at the London Director Awards[38] and Best Debut Feature at the 2025 Montreal Independent Film Festival.[39]
It received four nominations at the 2026 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards: Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Rebecca Breeds); Best Supporting Actress (Adelaide Clemens), and Best Score (Ariel Marx).[40]
Footnotes
- Former chair of the South Australian Film Corporation; as of 2024 co-chairs the Mercury Cinema.