General News
27 February, 2026
Stawell Gift set for the silver screen
THE Stawell Gift is poised for the big screen, with a feature film project based around Australia’s most famous footrace now confirmed by a producer involved — and local organisers revealing the concept has been in discussion for years. Stawell Gift Event Management chair and Northern Grampians Shire councillor Murray Emerson said the prospect of the Easter carnival becoming the backdrop for a film was “very exciting”.
“It’s been on our radar, Stawell Gift Event Management, for about three years,” Cr Emerson said.
He said he had long believed the Gift carried the kind of history and drama suited to cinema.
“I’ve wondered over the years why somebody hasn’t had a bit of a go at it before,” he said. “But it’s very exciting — the history of the race and the plot they’ve got for the movie.”
Film producer David Redman, CEO of Redman Entertainments, confirmed the project is moving toward a formal announcement, though some final details are still being settled.
“We’re in the final stages of putting it together,” Mr Redman said, adding they were “still a couple of weeks from being able to kind of give any kind of formal announcement”, but confirming the intention is “to come and shoot a film” connected to the Stawell Gift.
While Mr Redman declined to discuss cast, financing or timelines at this stage, he outlined the emotional core of the story.
“It’s a story about a father and son repairing their relationship against the backdrop of the Stawell Gift,” he said.
Mr Redman said themes of family and communication sit at the heart of the project.
“Fathers and sons — relationships are, let’s be honest, our room for improvement in communication is a pretty important subject, and that’s obviously something that’s woven into this story,” he said.
Asked how close the project was to a full public reveal, Mr Redman said an announcement was expected soon.
“We’re just tying down some details,” he said. “There’ll be an announcement in the next couple of weeks.”
Cr Emerson said his understanding was that a production crew would spend time in Stawell around this year’s Gift, although he did not expect actors to be present over Easter.
“I don’t think the actors will be here at Easter time, but I understand the production crew will be here for a couple of weeks doing a bit of filming,” he said.
He said any filming linked to the carnival would be conducted without disrupting the event itself.
“We’re going to do a bit of a lead-up to the event, and then they’ll do a bit of filming over the event time — whatever they can do without interfering with the event, of course,” he said.
Cr Emerson said discussions were also under way about use of Central Park infrastructure immediately after the Gift, noting those arrangements would need to be balanced with other commitments at the venue.
“They’re in negotiations with us to use the park set-up for the Gift immediately after the Gift,” he said. “But there’s still a fair bit of work to do on that yet, because we’ve got a football club to look after and different things.”
For now, confirmation that a feature film is in development marks a significant moment for the historic event — with more details expected in the coming weeks.
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