By KATH GANNAWAY
A FILM inspired by the characters in Bruno’s Sculpture Garden in Marysville, will have its official launch at The Memo in Healesville on Thursday, 14 January.
Made on a micro budget, The Weatherman’s Umbrella is a delightful movie that features the now flourishing sculpture garden on the banks of the Steavenson River, local actors, crew, musicians and artists.
Film-maker and screenwriter, Anne Richey, said her hopes for the film was to get it out to a wide audience.
Local girl, Lily Morrow, plays the lead character, Sarah, who goes to stay in Marysville with her great-grandfather, played by screen industry legend John Flaus.
The visit for the spoilt, little city girl takes a magical twist when she becomes involved in a quest to find the Weatherman’s lost umbrella.
Without the umbrella, there will be no more rain.
Lily, now 12, is already furthering her singing career, coming fourth overall in the hit South Korean show KPop Star last year.
Ms Richey said she fell in love with Marysville when she attended a screenwriters’ conference about a year before the 2009 fires.
Searching the internet for news of the Marysville community after the devastation, Ms Richey said they came across pictures of Bruno’s famous garden.
“I kept coming back to them over the next year or so and wondered whether there might be a story in it,” she said.
She held off for a time, before driving back to Marysville to ask Bruno for his thoughts on making a movie based on his garden.
The idea took off and the film was shot over 16 months on a profit-share basis.
There are lots of familiar Marysville Triangle faces in the film, including Bruno Torf and Jacob Vulfs from Narbethong who plays the blind man’s son.
“The people were amazing and just so great to work with,” Ms Richey said.
“There is so much talent out there.”
A preview screening has already been held at Federation Square in Melbourne and there will be a special screening for Marysville and district residents this week.
Tickets for the Healesville screening, at 7.30pm on Thursday 14 January, are available from The Memo.
