Kangaroo Island (film)

Kangaroo Island
Official theatrical poster
Directed byTimothy David
Written bySally Gifford
Produced byTimothy David
Peter Hanlon
Bettina Hamilton
Daniel M. Rosenberg
Leona Cichon
CinematographyIan McCarroll
Edited byJamie Rusiti
Music byAriel Marx
Production
companies
Pouch Potato, Piro
Distributed byMaslow Entertainment (Australia & NZ)
Release dates
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountryAustralia

Kangaroo Island is a 2025 Australian drama–comedy film directed by Timothy David and written by Sally Gifford. The film is set on and was filmed on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. After its world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival on 3 November 2024, the film was released in Australian cinemas on 21 August 2025. It received four nominations at the 2026 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, including Best Picture.

The film was released on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand in January 2026, and a theatrical release is scheduled in the US on 24 April 2026.

Synopsis

Estranged daughter Lou, an actress whose career has not taken off in Hollywood, returns to her hometown on Kangaroo island, upon request by her father, who announces he is terminally ill. Lou and her sister Freya, who is religious, have a complicated past relationship, made worse when it is revealed that Freya has been given ownership of the family farm by her father. She has arranged an 80 year lease of the property to a Christian organization, without consulting her father or sister. They try to repair their differences and make peace for the sake of their father.

Cast

Production

Kangaroo Island is the debut feature film of Timothy David,[2] also known as Tim Piper. He is best known for being co-founder and co-owner of the New York-based production company Piro, and being the creator of Dove's 2008 "Evolution" ad and the four-part webseries for Chipotle Mexican Grill about "Big Ag", called Farmed and Dangerous[3] Kangaroo Island is also the debut film for actress-turned-filmmaker Sally Gifford,[4] who is Piper's wife. The couple have been based in New York for 20 years, but in 2016 bought a holiday house on Kangaroo Island.[2]

The film was originally titled Animal, referring to the observation of the characters as human animals. There is tragedy in the film, but also comedy, and it shows characters who are dealing with hardship.[5]

Filming took place on Kangaroo Island, including at Snelling Beach, Emu Bay,[2] Stokes Bay, and Vivonne Bay.[6] It includes shots of some of its wildlife, including echidnas, kangaroos, koalas, goannas, great white sharks, seals, and dolphins.[5]

It is produced by Timothy David, Peter Hanlon,[a] Bettina Hamilton, Daniel M. Rosenberg, and Leona Cichon, with Pouch Potato Productions Pty Ltd. Ian McCarroll is cinematographer and music is by Ariel Marx.[4] David Ockenden was production designer.[7]

The film is partially funded by the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund[4] and the South Australian Film Corporation.[8]

Release

The film's world premiere was on the closing night of the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival, on 3 November 2024.[4][9] It was screened at the Brisbane International Film Festival at HOTA on the Gold Coast in May 2025.[10]

The trailer for Kangaroo Island was released on 18 June 2025,[11][12] and the film is scheduled for general release in cinemas on 21 August 2025.[13] Distribution in Australia and New Zealand is by Sydney-based Maslow Entertainment.[11]. Screening on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand commenced on 16 January 2026.

Reception

In a review for Arts Review, the film was described as "the best Australian film in years".[14] Coverage by The Upside News highlighted strong audience reactions following the film's release.[15]

Rachael Mead of InDaily called the film a "stunning piece of cinema", and praised the actors' "world-class performances" – especially Rebecca Breeds. Mead said that the "universal themes of grief and the power of family to both harm and heal... played out on Kangaroo Island's rugged locations beautifully connect this isolated place to the rest of the world".[6]

James Murphy of The Scoop writes: "Kangaroo Island entertains, provokes, and unsettles in equal measure. It’s an ambitious work that dares to ask the oldest questions in the newest light. It leaves you with the uneasy realisation that the tides of fate, however luminous, carry everyone out to sea." [16]

Publication Rating Source
Sydney Arts Guide [17]
The Guardian [18]
The Sydney Morning Herald [19]
ScreenHub [20]
The Popcorn Panel [21]
See Do Eat Review [22]
On The House [23]
Fifty+ SA [24]
KidsInAdelaide [25]
Glam Adelaide [26]
The Film Pie B- [27]
InReview [28]
Beyond the Encore [29]
Aggregator Website Score Source
IMDb 6.5 / 10 [30]
Letterboxd 3.2 / 5 [31]

Accolades

The film won Best Australian Director at the London Director Awards[32] and Best Debut Feature at the 2025 Montreal Independent Film Festival.[33]

It received multiple nominations at the 2026 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, including Best Picture.[34]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Former chair of the South Australian Film Corporation; as of 2024 co-chairs the Mercury Cinema.

References

  1. ^ "Kangaroo Island [M]". Australian Classification Board. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Debelle, Penelope (9 October 2024). "Kangaroo Island sets the scene for Film Festival gala screening". InReview. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Story". PIRO. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Closing Night Gala". Adelaide Film Festival. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b Barlow, Helen (20 May 2024). "French connection: film takes director from KI to Cannes". InReview. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b Mead, Rachael (4 November 2024). "Adelaide Film Festival review: Kangaroo Island". InDaily. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Kangaroo Island (2024)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  8. ^ "All-star Australian cast joins SA-made feature film Kangaroo Island". South Australian Film Corporation. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  9. ^ Slatter, Sean (17 September 2024). "Timothy David's 'Kangaroo Island' to close Adelaide Film Festival as full line-up, jury announced". IF Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  10. ^ "KANGAROO ISLAND". BIFF - Brisbane International Film Festival. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b Vann-Wall, Silvi (18 June 2025). "Kangaroo Island drama gets cinematic release following festival acclaim". ScreenHub Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  12. ^ "'Kangaroo Island' (Trailer)". IF Magazine. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Kangaroo Island". Hoyts Cinemas. Archived from the original on 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  14. ^ Review, Arts (20 August 2025). "Kangaroo Island".
  15. ^ "Movie release: Kangaroo Island hailed as "the best Australian film in years"". 20 August 2025.
  16. ^ Murphy, James (21 August 2025). "Film Review: Kangaroo Island Asks Old Questions In A New Light • The Scoop".
  17. ^ "KANGAROO ISLAND: NO LUGGAGE, JUST BAGGAGE". 21 August 2025.
  18. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (20 August 2025). "Kangaroo Island review – a tonally uneven family drama with a scene-stealing backdrop" – via The Guardian.
  19. ^ Hall, Sandra (20 August 2025). "Love triangles and secrets collide in this story of a sibling rivalry". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  20. ^ "Kangaroo Island film review: when all roads hop to home | ScreenHub: Film, TV, Streaming and Games". 7 August 2025.
  21. ^ "KANGAROO ISLAND – The Popcorn Panel".
  22. ^ "Movie Review - KANGAROO ISLAND". SEEDOEATREVIEW.
  23. ^ "Kangaroo Island Review - It's On The House". www.itsonthehouse.com.au.
  24. ^ Bradley, Dave (4 September 2025). "Film review: Kangaroo Island".
  25. ^ "Movie Reviews | Adelaide for Kids – The Ultimate Family Guide | Kids in Adelaide".
  26. ^ Adelaide, Glam (20 August 2025). "Film Review: Kangaroo Island".
  27. ^ "The Film Pie - Mini Review - Kangaroo Island". www.thefilmpie.com.
  28. ^ "Film review: Kangaroo Island". www.indailysa.com.au. 4 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com.
  30. ^ "Kangaroo Island". www.imdb.com. 2024.
  31. ^ "Kangaroo Island (2024)" – via letterboxd.com.
  32. ^ "WINNERS". London Director Awards.
  33. ^ "Montreal Independent Film Festival". Montreal Indie Fest.
  34. ^ Writer, Staff (19 January 2026). "FCCA announces new award in honour of David Stratton as 'Bring Her Back' leads nominations".

Kangaroo Island at IMDb

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