Invercargill-based Filmmaker, Matt Inns, has had his sci-fi western, The Ballad of Maddog Quinn, accepted for the prestigious Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, held in Sitges, Spain.

The short film centres around infamous outlaw, Maddog Quinn, who is wanted and on the run from a posse of relentless lawmen. According to the synopsis, Quinn inhabits a desolate wasteland frontier “of dust, rust and blood”, where problems are usually solved by a fast horse and a gun, however, there is a twist, and not all is as it seems.

Local acting talent, Maggie Pirie, plays a leading role, alongside Wellington-based Jed Brophy, who is known for his role as Nori in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy. Viewers may also recognise seasoned performer John Bach, who played Madril in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Southlander Ben Stewart is in a supporting role.

Displaying the iconic Mackenzie Country landscape, the film was shot in Tekapo, and Southland.

Inns said it was a complex production for a short film (it took several years to make and was completed this year) and he was faced with some significant production difficulties that weren't straightforward to overcome.

While the project involved many people from throughout the country, Inns said several key roles were Southland born or Southland based; alongside Inns (director/writer), Production Designer, Steve Woller, and lead actress, Maggie Pirie, are Invercargill based, and Melbourne-based Costume Designer, Terzann Elliott, is originally from Invercargill.

Pre-production, primarily art design and construction, took place in Wellington and Invercargill.

Inns was based in Invercargill during post-production, and some aspects took place in Wellington, such as visual effects, music and sound; the colour grade was completed in Sydney.

Although he’s had a few of his films selected for international film festivals, Inns said Sitges is probably the most significant; considered one of the world's foremost international festivals, the annual event is more than fifty years old and specialises in fantasy and horror genres.

This is the second film Inns has had selected for Sitges.

“Our previous short film Riven also screened at Sitges in 2020”, he said.

He will be attending the 2022 festival, which runs from October 6 to 16, with The Ballad of Maddog Quinn scheduled to screen on October 12.

Inns said he first started playing with cameras as a kid. Recognised for his filmmaking abilities as a teenager, he went on to complete a Bachelor of Digital Media at SIT, graduating in 2010.

“Deep thanks to all the cast, crew, and many others who were involved along the way, as well as the New Zealand Film Commission, Southern Filmmakers Trust, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Community Trust South and Film Otago Southland for their support,” he said.

For more information, go to https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/ballad-maddog-quinn