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The Waiting City
The Waiting City is a 2009 Australian film directed by Claire McCarthy. The film stars Joel Edgerton as Ben Simmons, Radha Mitchell as Fiona Simmons, Samrat Chakrabati as Krishna, and Isabel Lucas as Scarlett. The film's score was composed by Michael Yezerski. The Waiting City tells the story of an Australian couple who travel to India to adopt a child. During the trip, they learn more about their relationship and marriage.
The film was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentation category. It was also screened at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2009 and the Sydney Film Festival in 2010.
Fiona (Radha Mitchell) and Ben (Joel Edgerton) are a couple from Australia—she is a successful, self-starting lawyer while he is a relaxed, easy-going musician. The couple want to adopt a child and travel to India for what they imagine will be a quick and simple process. However, once they arrive in Calcutta (now Kolkata) they learn that little happens quickly in India, and for all the promises that have been made, they begin to doubt whether they will be able to complete the final stages of the adoption process.
While Fiona stays in touch with her clients at home via the internet and deals with the legal red tape slowing down the adoption, Ben finds himself wandering the streets of Calcutta and adjusting to the rhythms of the city. The stress of the waiting period seems to reinforce the differences between Fiona and Ben, and tension begins to grow into anger and resentment; adding to Ben's dissatisfaction is his budding friendship with Scarlett (Isabel Lucas), an attractive fellow visitor who seems more compatible with his attitudes than his wife.
Fiona, an atheist, finds herself at odds with the Indian people who are driven by religious tradition. As her stay in India progresses, the various unfamiliar sights evoke spiritual feelings in her. When Ben and Fiona finally go to the orphanage to meet their would-be daughter Lakshmi, they discover that she is chronically ill and likely unable to survive a flight to Sydney. Fiona and Ben are devastated when Lakshmi dies a few days later. Having lost all that they meant to find in India, the lovers decide once again that they need each other and engage in reconciliation.
Claire McCarthy, the director of The Waiting City, used to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in India in 2002. She volunteered at the Mother Teresa Center and from her volunteering experiences, she was able to develop content for her 2008 documentary film Sisters. Following the documentary, McCarthy started to develop ideas for The Waiting City after meeting children in India who were waiting to be adopted.
Prior to filming, McCarthy and the film's director of photography, Denson Baker, went on research trips to India to observe the filming locations. Baker compiled over 6,000 photos during the pre-production phase. Baker has since worked on cinematography for television shows such as Victoria in 2017 and The Luminaries in 2020, and films such as Ophelia in 2018. Separate casting directors were used for the cast of The Waiting City, with one casting director in Australia and another casting director in India.
The Producer Offset, which provides funds to producers for the creation of Australian projects within films and television, contributed approximately 22 per cent of the film's budget. The Waiting City received support from Screen Australia, specifically production and marketing support. Screen Australia is a funding agency that assists with the production of low-budget Australian films. Additionally, the film received support from other agencies such as Screen NSW, Spectrum Films, and EFILM Australia.
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The Waiting City
The Waiting City is a 2009 Australian film directed by Claire McCarthy. The film stars Joel Edgerton as Ben Simmons, Radha Mitchell as Fiona Simmons, Samrat Chakrabati as Krishna, and Isabel Lucas as Scarlett. The film's score was composed by Michael Yezerski. The Waiting City tells the story of an Australian couple who travel to India to adopt a child. During the trip, they learn more about their relationship and marriage.
The film was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentation category. It was also screened at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2009 and the Sydney Film Festival in 2010.
Fiona (Radha Mitchell) and Ben (Joel Edgerton) are a couple from Australia—she is a successful, self-starting lawyer while he is a relaxed, easy-going musician. The couple want to adopt a child and travel to India for what they imagine will be a quick and simple process. However, once they arrive in Calcutta (now Kolkata) they learn that little happens quickly in India, and for all the promises that have been made, they begin to doubt whether they will be able to complete the final stages of the adoption process.
While Fiona stays in touch with her clients at home via the internet and deals with the legal red tape slowing down the adoption, Ben finds himself wandering the streets of Calcutta and adjusting to the rhythms of the city. The stress of the waiting period seems to reinforce the differences between Fiona and Ben, and tension begins to grow into anger and resentment; adding to Ben's dissatisfaction is his budding friendship with Scarlett (Isabel Lucas), an attractive fellow visitor who seems more compatible with his attitudes than his wife.
Fiona, an atheist, finds herself at odds with the Indian people who are driven by religious tradition. As her stay in India progresses, the various unfamiliar sights evoke spiritual feelings in her. When Ben and Fiona finally go to the orphanage to meet their would-be daughter Lakshmi, they discover that she is chronically ill and likely unable to survive a flight to Sydney. Fiona and Ben are devastated when Lakshmi dies a few days later. Having lost all that they meant to find in India, the lovers decide once again that they need each other and engage in reconciliation.
Claire McCarthy, the director of The Waiting City, used to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in India in 2002. She volunteered at the Mother Teresa Center and from her volunteering experiences, she was able to develop content for her 2008 documentary film Sisters. Following the documentary, McCarthy started to develop ideas for The Waiting City after meeting children in India who were waiting to be adopted.
Prior to filming, McCarthy and the film's director of photography, Denson Baker, went on research trips to India to observe the filming locations. Baker compiled over 6,000 photos during the pre-production phase. Baker has since worked on cinematography for television shows such as Victoria in 2017 and The Luminaries in 2020, and films such as Ophelia in 2018. Separate casting directors were used for the cast of The Waiting City, with one casting director in Australia and another casting director in India.
The Producer Offset, which provides funds to producers for the creation of Australian projects within films and television, contributed approximately 22 per cent of the film's budget. The Waiting City received support from Screen Australia, specifically production and marketing support. Screen Australia is a funding agency that assists with the production of low-budget Australian films. Additionally, the film received support from other agencies such as Screen NSW, Spectrum Films, and EFILM Australia.