There was a muddy menagerie in the courtyard at the Woodford Academy for three days in March while a crew were filming for a new take on the classic Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel.
Written, directed, produced and shot by female filmmakers, Sweet Tooth is about taking on the female fairytale stereotype and changing the status quo.
It tells the untold story of the wicked witch, and is about being strong, believing in yourself and standing up for who you are – no matter what.
The Sydney filmmakers even managed to find a vision impaired actor to play the witch. Liz Wheeler from Parramatta hadn’t acted before, but when she turned up for an audition she was a natural, said producer Katie Shearer.
“When she walked into the room we couldn’t believe our luck. She was naturally instinctive and got into it,” she said.
Filming in the rain with lots of animals and kids proved challenging.
“With two goats, a horse, two dogs and a smoke hazer it was making the animals uneasy,” Ms Shearer said.
She hoped the 20-minute short film would be the calling card to make it a feature film.
“We would love to get funding for it from Screen Australia or Screen NSW,” Ms Shearer said.
They are crowdfunding the $50,000 required to cover the cost of producing the film, for which all the actors have volunteered their time. More info at: www.sweettoothmoviemagic.com.