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Cameras roll

By Monique Ebrington

24th November 2009 02:00:46 AM

Surviving Georgia line producer Anthony ’Woody’ Woodcock, Warburton residents Dagmar Limp, Paul Jackson, Claire, (front) Leon and Cameron Bamford and Surviving Georgia co-director Sandra Sciberras.

FILMING for the Australian feature film, Surviving Georgia, began in Warburton’s Main Street on Monday, 23 November.

Iconic landmarks of the town such as the Main Street, Yarra River, residential houses, Warburton Primary School and golf course club rooms have all been chosen as locations for the film.

More than 70 locals have already signed up to play extras alongside established Australia actors Spencer McLaren, from the Secret Life of Us, and Pia Miranda, known commonly for her role in Looking for Alibrandi.

Co-director Sandra Sciberras said working with Warburton residents had been an important part of the process.

“A film set in a small mountain town just wouldn’t work without local, community input,” said Ms Sciberras.

“It’s also nice to work with people in community and it just works better for us to also keep the community in the loop.”

She said residents had also helped in the decision to change the location of several scenes of the film.

“We incorporated as much as possible story, sometimes scenes inside moved outside after suggestions from locals,” she said.

Warburton resident Dagmar Limp has been working with the film crew to scout for locals and locations and said the film encapsulated the character of the town.

“The film is very Warburton,” said Ms Limp.

“You will never see the ‘Welcome to Warburton’ sign, it’s just supposed to be set in a fictitious town, but the locations are really iconic to Warburton.”

She said the film would be a great benefit to the town and had already lifted the spirits of residents.

“It’s all looking very exciting,” she said.

“There’s a real buzz about it.

“It really does look like a proper film site, it’s not just three people filming or anything like that.

“The town will certainly benefit from the film.”

Surviving Georgia depicts the lives of two sisters, teenage mother Rose and her older sister Heidi. The pair comes to realise that their vivacious, gambling mother Georgia has left them to fend for themselves in their small country town.

The film jumps 12 years down the track to find the girls both finding out that their mother has passed away and that her last wish was for them to return to the town and take up their inheritance, the old corner shop.

Heidi and Rose return to claim their inheritance and between twists and unexpected romances they are confronted with their living, breathing mother.

Filming for Surviving Georgia will continue in Warburton for the next three weeks.