‘Kidnapped’ Begins Shooting in Australia’s Queensland

Thriller film, “Kidnapped” is close to wrapping up one of the latest movies into production in Australia, following the disruption caused by the coronavirus and stay-at-home restrictions.

Production is now under way in and around Port Douglas in the far North of Australia’s Queensland state, with a shoot that runs Aug. 17 to Sept. 9. The operation is following COVID-safe protocols established at national level and also those devised by the Queensland government.

Written by Shanrah Wakefield and directed by Vic Sarin, the film’s story is told through the eyes of woman living with her family in a tropical paradise. It is idyllic until their four-year-old daughter goes missing. Solving the mystery of her disappearance reveals previously hidden information about the family.

The cast is headed by Claire van der Boom (”Palm Beach,” “Pulse”) and Todd Lasance (“Spartacus,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Flash”).

The film is structured as an unofficial Australia-Canada co-production, involving Brisbane-based Steve Jaggi Company and Canada’s Sepia Films. Production is by Steve Jaggi, Spencer McLaren, Kim C. Roberts and Tina Pehme, with Kelly Son Hing and Kylie Pascoe co-producing. Sheri Singer and Lee Matthews are executive producers and Sophie Tilson is production executive.

This is the third film started by Steve Jaggi Company under disease control conditions. “This Little Love of Mine” shot in Far North Queensland in July, and was the first feature film to go into production in the state since the pandemic outbreak. “The Dog Days of Christmas” is also filming on the Gold Coast, where it is using the Warner Bros. Movie World theme park and hinterland to stand in for Vermont in Winter. The film is a feel-good romance written by Holly Hester, directed by Tori Garrett (“Don’t Tell”), and starring Australian actors Georgia Flood and Ezekiel Simat

“Kidnapped” will be released in cinemas in 2021, as part of an exclusive deal with Event Cinemas. Worldwide distribution is being handled by Honalee Entertainment.

“The Port Douglas community has been very good to us and the shoot is tracking really well. The story is centered around a missing child, which is any parent’s biggest fear, and something we think will resonate with audiences,” said Sarin.

Australia has recorded 26,300 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and suffered 762 deaths from the disease. While Victoria state is suffering a second wave of infections and is largely locked down, film and TV productions are able to restart in much of the rest of the country.