That dream is getting closer to reality with development funding from Screen Tasmania for Lyell, a crime thriller based on the State’s West Coast.
So why Tasmania? “It still feels like a big part of me. And there’s something about the atmosphere,” he said.
Power (BA-LLB ’94) has been interested in film since he was a boy growing up in Launceston, where he and his grandfather were members of the film society. The University of Tasmania Arts-Law alumnus went on to complete his Masters in Directing in Sydney and has since enjoyed significant success.
His film Killing Ground made its international debut in the Midnight Section at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 and has played at over 20 international festivals.
Power directed the feature film No Exit (2022), a 20th Century Studios / Disney production, which premiered on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally. It was listed as one of the New York Times’ Five Horror Movies to Stream Now.
He also has a string of award-winning short films to his name, works in film classification for organisations including SBS and Foxtel, and is a member of the Commonwealth’s Classification Review Board. Tagged, an 18-minute educational drama about being cybersmart, won the Gold Award at the WorldMediaFestival, Hamburg, Germany, in 2012.
Here, we ask Damien about his career highlight, the scoop on the new film, and any advice for young alumni.
What was your biggest career highlight?
I think probably the biggest highlight was Killing Ground getting into Sundance. That was a career-defining moment for me.
What opportunities did that festival open up to you?
After the screening at Sundance, I opened the reviews from Variety and Hollywood Reporter, and passed the phone around to the actors to read them out to the room ... they were good reviews. After that, we just had a dream festival. We sold out all our sessions and they added an extra screening. We sold the film to a US distributor, and I got US representation – agents and manager. I came home and quit the day job at Foxtel. Took the plunge.
Why did you decide on Tasmania for Lyell, the script you’re developing with funding from Screen Tasmania?
I've always wanted to make something in Tasmania. It's an incredibly cinematic place; even the light is different. And I've always wanted to make something in Queenstown, on the West Coast.
When I was growing up in Launceston, filmmaking didn't seem possible. Films were made by other people somewhere else. But I really think that's changed now. There's a real energy. We're seeing Tasmania on screen, which is fantastic.
What interests you about thrillers like Killing Ground?
I'm interested in how people react under pressure. That's the kind of film and story that I gravitate towards.
Have you got advice for new graduates in the creative space?
I always encourage people, in whatever field, to make the thing that they would want to read, or to see, or to hear; to not try and make what they think the market wants.
It really helps to get out there and meet people. The industry is pretty small and most people are really encouraging.
Can you talk more about Lyell, the film you’re writing, to be set in Queenstown?
Lyell tells the story of a rookie cop who is posted to a remote mining town on the west coast of Tasmania. Over a period of years, women disappear from the town, but because no bodies are found, no one thinks to connect the dots. It's only her that thinks there's something wrong ... that a killer lives among them.
I want to thank Screen Tasmania for development support that will enable me to go back to Queenstown and write. The story has been percolating for a long time now, and I’m excited to get the words on the page.
Written by Katherine Johnson for Alumni Magazine Issue 55, 2024.
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Top of page: Damien Power on location for Killing Ground | Photo: John Platt