Australian actors Alastair Osment and Emily Gruhl will travel to Noosa this Saturday for the Noosa International Film Festival, where they star in the short film The Bookshop. The film centres on a desperate writer (Osment) who tries to woo a publisher (Gruhl) in order to convince her to take on his manuscript. Light, funny and heartwarming this short film is set to be a hit at the festival.
Writer and director Ashley Pollard said, “Alastair and Emily were undeniable from the very beginning. There was such an ease to their relationship and on-set chemistry that exploded onto the screen, making their two characters come alive better than I could have hoped. It was no surprise to find out that their onscreen romance turned into a real-life romance! It was such a delight to work with both of these great actors and a joy to know that they found love.”
Alastair and Emily both grew up in Brisbane but are now based between Sydney and Los Angeles for work. They are excited to be heading back to their home state for the festival. “I really love Queensland and the Sunshine Coast. I’m particularly looking forward to spending some downtime in Noosa with my sister who is an active member of the Noosa Heads Surf Lifesaving Club and seeing the great films on offer,” Emily said.
The Bookshop is nominated for Best Comedy at the festival. The awards will be announced on Saturday by an esteemed judging panel, including Academy Award-winning cinematographer and NIFF Founding Patron John Seale. Alastair Osment has starred in TV productions including Top Of The Lake: China Girl, Deadline Gallipoli, Rake and Home and Away. Emily Gruhl can be seen in the reimagining of Picnic At Hanging Rock which is currently on Foxtel and recently completed filming on the feature Angel of Mine. The Bookshop made it’s Australian debut at the Canberra Short Film Festival last month, then travelled to Germany to screen at the Down Under Berlin Film Festival. Later this month it will also screen at the Sydney Indie Film Festival. More information about the festival can be found at the designated website.
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