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Before Dawn filmmaker Jordon Prince-Wright is being sued for $500,000.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Instagram<\/cite><\/p>\n Behind the scenes, Jordon Prince-Wright \u2013 who wrote, produced and directed the film \u2013 certainly looked the part of the young upstart making his way in the movie business.<\/p>\n Photos on social media show him wearing Before Dawn<\/em> merchandise as he directed a cast of well-known local actors in army uniforms, including Stephen Peacocke (The Newsreader <\/em>and Home and Away<\/em>), Myles Pollard (McLeod\u2019s Daughters<\/em>) and Levi Miller (Pan<\/em> and A Wrinkle In Time<\/em>).<\/p>\n In an interview in July 2021 with ABC local radio in Esperence in WA, where much of Before Dawn<\/em> was shot, Prince-Wright said there had been \u201cquite a few setbacks\u201d in making the movie, mainly with the weather.<\/p>\n It was a big step up from Prince-Wright\u2019s previous film, The Decadent and Depraved<\/em> \u2013 a low-budget western released in 2018. According to reports, Before Dawn <\/em>was supported by local councils, the RSL and businesses.<\/p>\n Stephen Peacocke was one of the actors to appear in Before Dawn.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Chris Hyde\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a very, very challenging film to make so far but what we\u2019re getting is amazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, according to court documents, the biggest challenge lays ahead, after Prince-Wright was sued over the loss of loaned gear which threatens to blow a hole in the community-funded project.<\/p>\n According to filings in the County Court, Prince-Wright and his associated companies are being chased for a debt of $517,202.40 by Sharp FX, a Melbourne special effects company which makes prosthetics for stage and screen.<\/p>\n Prince-Wright did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the court action or the status of Before Dawn<\/em>. He is yet to file a defence.<\/p>\n Behind-the-scenes footage of Before Dawn being shot.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Instagram<\/cite><\/p>\n The movie was due to appear last November; the last update posted on Anzac Day stated that Before Dawn<\/em> was in post-production and \u201ccoming soon\u201d.<\/p>\n The Sunday Age<\/em> and The Sun-Herald <\/i>contacted one of the other executive producers of Before Dawn<\/em> who was not aware of the legal action and said that production of the movie was continuing.<\/p>\n According to court documents, Prince-Wright had an agreement with Sharp FX to return props hired between May and July in 2021 in good condition and that he would bear the entire risk of damage if the equipment was lost.<\/p>\n A special effects company has filed a $500,000 lawsuit against the filmmaker behind the film Before Dawn.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Instagram<\/cite><\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what happened on September 7, 2021, when Prince-Wright informed Sharp FX that 19 silicone and foam bodies were destroyed in a truck fire while being transported back from Western Australia to the company\u2019s warehouse in Springvale.<\/p>\n One week later, Sharp FX\u2019s lawyer\u2019s sent an invoice for the full replacement value of the equipment.<\/p>\n On the same day, court documents show Prince-Wright made an enquiry to film and entertainment insurance broker Sura about how to lodge a claim to cover the loss of the gear.<\/p>\n Prince-Wright was allegedly told by an employee of Sura that the premium for the policy had not been paid, meaning a claim could not be made.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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