Charles Kingsford Smith with the Lady Southern Cross
February 22nd 2009 04:46
Filmmaker Damien Lay goes in search of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
Award winning documentary filmmaker Damien Lay is set to start shooting
his first feature film, The Lost Anzac, off the coast of Myanmar on
February 18. This feature film, shot entirely on 35mm film, dramatises
the life of one of Australia's greatest heroes and one of the world's
most renowned aviators, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who reportedly went
down over the Bay of Bengal in 1935. Set for a theatrical release in
2010, the film will coincide with the 75th anniversary of his
disappearance, and features dramatic re-enactments of key events that
took place in this area.
Shooting on location, Lay will also be simultaneously leading a full
scale search expedition for the missing plane and its two pilots,
footage of which will be captured for a separate television documentary
special called Final Flight of the Cross. Utilising pre-existing
research from renowned historian Ted Wixted, who led his own expedition
in 1983, Lay is hot on the trail of solving the mystery of Kingsford
Smith's disappearance and putting to rest one of the longest standing
aviation search and recovery missions. The Joint Myanmar Australian Lady
Southern Cross Search Expedition costing in excess of 1 million dollars
is well equipped and well resourced in its efforts to solve this great
mystery.
This expedition is also of special significance, as Lay has received
unprecedented cooperation from the government of Myanmar in planning the
Joint Myanmar Australian Lady Southern Cross Search Expedition, the
largest foreign expedition approved by the Government of the Union of
Myanmar. This also represents the first time a foreign film crew has
been granted such permission by the government of Myanmar, who not only
have allowed Lay access to the crash zone to film, using locals for cast
and crew, but has also given permission for a first ever broadcast from
Myanmar, enabling Lay to communicate live with Australian media as the
expedition unfolds.
As Damien Lay's first theatrical release, The Lost Anzac will make use
of dramatised factual story telling to create a unique insight into one
of the world's most revered historical figures. The title refers to
Kingsford Smith's time as an infantry soldier and pilot during WWI, and
follows his indomitable ANZAC spirit as he goes on to achieve a record
number of 'firsts' as a pioneer of aviation. The film details the events
leading up to and following his disappearance in November 1935 over the
Bay of Bengal, as he and his co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge were attempting
to break the speed record from England to Australia in their plane Lady
Southern Cross. Their bodies and the plane were never found, and the
circumstances surrounding the disappearance were never brought to light.
The story remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries yet to
be solved, and due to this, controversy still surrounds the legacy of
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.
Damien Lay is renowned for his pursuit of historical intangibilities.
His award winning documentary He's Coming South (2006) documented his
search for the missing Japanese midget submarine in Sydney Harbour,
which laid to rest a mystery that endured for over 60 years. In 2007 his
award winning documentary The Battle of Long Tan was credited with
altering pubic opinion on, and reinstating honour to the Australian
Vietnam Veterans.
This expedition is fully funded by Damien Lay and his film company
Animax Films. For the last five years he has worked closely with the
family of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith including the only direct living
descendent, his son Charles Arthur Kingsford Smith. Lay also has
complete access to the work of the late historian Ted Wixted, whose
unpublished research Lay considers is the 'treasure map' to unlocking
this mystery.
The unraveling of the mystery of Kingsford Smith's disappearance has
also garnered incredible support from both the Smithsonian Institute in
the United States, as well as one of the worlds leading aviation
museums, the Louis A. Turpen Museum situated at the San Francisco
airport, the site from which Kingsford Smith departed on his first
successful crossing of the Pacific.
This search and recovery expedition and subsequent documenting as both a
theatrical feature film and television documentary special, is history
in the making. Filmmaker Damien Lay has the credentials, drive and
support to bring to light the complete story of one of Australia's
greatest heroes. A journey that we can be a part of as it happens.
Press Release: Tsuki
Award winning documentary filmmaker Damien Lay is set to start shooting
his first feature film, The Lost Anzac, off the coast of Myanmar on
February 18. This feature film, shot entirely on 35mm film, dramatises
the life of one of Australia's greatest heroes and one of the world's
most renowned aviators, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who reportedly went
down over the Bay of Bengal in 1935. Set for a theatrical release in
2010, the film will coincide with the 75th anniversary of his
disappearance, and features dramatic re-enactments of key events that
Shooting on location, Lay will also be simultaneously leading a full
scale search expedition for the missing plane and its two pilots,
footage of which will be captured for a separate television documentary
special called Final Flight of the Cross. Utilising pre-existing
research from renowned historian Ted Wixted, who led his own expedition
in 1983, Lay is hot on the trail of solving the mystery of Kingsford
Smith's disappearance and putting to rest one of the longest standing
aviation search and recovery missions. The Joint Myanmar Australian Lady
Southern Cross Search Expedition costing in excess of 1 million dollars
is well equipped and well resourced in its efforts to solve this great
mystery.
This expedition is also of special significance, as Lay has received
unprecedented cooperation from the government of Myanmar in planning the
Joint Myanmar Australian Lady Southern Cross Search Expedition, the
largest foreign expedition approved by the Government of the Union of
Myanmar. This also represents the first time a foreign film crew has
have allowed Lay access to the crash zone to film, using locals for cast
and crew, but has also given permission for a first ever broadcast from
Myanmar, enabling Lay to communicate live with Australian media as the
expedition unfolds.
As Damien Lay's first theatrical release, The Lost Anzac will make use
of dramatised factual story telling to create a unique insight into one
of the world's most revered historical figures. The title refers to
Kingsford Smith's time as an infantry soldier and pilot during WWI, and
follows his indomitable ANZAC spirit as he goes on to achieve a record
number of 'firsts' as a pioneer of aviation. The film details the events
leading up to and following his disappearance in November 1935 over the
Bay of Bengal, as he and his co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge were attempting
to break the speed record from England to Australia in their plane Lady
Southern Cross. Their bodies and the plane were never found, and the
circumstances surrounding the disappearance were never brought to light.
The story remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries yet to
be solved, and due to this, controversy still surrounds the legacy of
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.
Damien Lay is renowned for his pursuit of historical intangibilities.
His award winning documentary He's Coming South (2006) documented his
search for the missing Japanese midget submarine in Sydney Harbour,
which laid to rest a mystery that endured for over 60 years. In 2007 his
award winning documentary The Battle of Long Tan was credited with
altering pubic opinion on, and reinstating honour to the Australian
Vietnam Veterans.
This expedition is fully funded by Damien Lay and his film company
Animax Films. For the last five years he has worked closely with the
family of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith including the only direct living
descendent, his son Charles Arthur Kingsford Smith. Lay also has
complete access to the work of the late historian Ted Wixted, whose
unpublished research Lay considers is the 'treasure map' to unlocking
this mystery.
The unraveling of the mystery of Kingsford Smith's disappearance has
also garnered incredible support from both the Smithsonian Institute in
the United States, as well as one of the worlds leading aviation
museums, the Louis A. Turpen Museum situated at the San Francisco
airport, the site from which Kingsford Smith departed on his first
successful crossing of the Pacific.
This search and recovery expedition and subsequent documenting as both a
theatrical feature film and television documentary special, is history
in the making. Filmmaker Damien Lay has the credentials, drive and
support to bring to light the complete story of one of Australia's
greatest heroes. A journey that we can be a part of as it happens.
Press Release: Tsuki
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