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New First Nations led horror The Debt marks major milestone for South Australian screen industry
28 May 2026
Production has wrapped in Adelaide on new horror The Debt, the latest feature film to come out of South Australia’s successful Film Lab: New Voices initiative from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), Screen Australia and the Adelaide Film Festival (AFF).
The debut feature from writer Piri Eddy and Yankunytjatjara writer Pearl Berry, Yankunytjatjara producer Lilla Berry, and director Johanis Lyons-Reid, The Debt is breaking ground as the first feature film to be made by a South Australian First Nations led creative team with major state government support.
The Debt launched with impact this month at the world’s biggest film market, the Cannes Marché du Film, with producer Lilla Berry selected for the prestigious impACT Lab, a program of exclusive workshops and group sessions for emerging producers from around the world. Supported by Screen Australia, Lilla’s participation at the Marché spotlighted South Australian screen talent on the world stage.
Filmed on location in the Adelaide Hills, The Debt features an all-Australian cast with Sophie Lowe (Beautiful Kate, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland), Tahlia Sturzaker (I Am Mother), and Nathan Page (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Hunting), alongside South Australian talent Mark Saturno (Diabolic, First Day) and Shailza Rai (RFDS).
The character-driven elevated horror/thriller follows June (Sturzacker), a young girl who is adopted by Anna (Lowe), a renowned pianist living on a sprawling estate. But this place harbours secrets, and June soon discovers she’s merely a pawn in a deadly covenant.
Launched in 2020, Film Lab: New Voices is a groundbreaking talent escalator initiative co-funded by the SAFC, Screen Australia and AFF which sees three South Australian filmmaking teamsmentored through a 12-month skills development program to develop their first low-budget feature film script.At the completion of the lab, one team is selected to receive $600,000 in screen production grant funding.
The initiative has already demonstrated its impact globally, with the first two films achieving critical acclaim and going from international festival success to successful theatrical releases. Inaugural film Monolith from writer Lucy Campbell, director Matt Vesely and producer Bettina Hamilton was nominated for Best Indie Film at the 2024 AACTA Awards following its international premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and enjoyed a successful release in cinemas across Australia and the US.
Its successor, animated comedy Lesbian Space Princess from writer/directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese and producer Tom Phillips, and starring rising South Australian talent Shabana Azeez (The Pitt), won the 2026 AACTA Awards for Best Indie Film and Best Original Song, and has a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes off the back of a successful cinematic run.
Film Lab: New Voices is currently in its fourth round, with a new crop of three teams set to be announced soon for the next development phase.
Minister for Arts The Hon Kyam Maher MLC said: “Programs like Film Lab: New Voices are vital in creating real pathways for emerging South Australian storytellers to bring bold, original stories to life. As the first First Nations-led feature film to receive major state government support in South Australia, The Debt represents an important milestone for our screen industry and for First Nations creative voices. I congratulate the talented team behind the film and look forward to seeing their work connect with audiences here and around the world.”
The Debt producer Lilla Berry said: “We have been so grateful for this experience. Making a first feature is always a huge milestone, but we have had such excellent support through the Film Lab: New Voices initiative, and from all our funding partners. Our incredibly talented cast and local crew helped make our shoot so seamless, and we cannot wait to share our film with the world!”
SAFC Head of Production Leanne Saunders said: “Film Lab: New Voices was created to identify bold, original and diverse South Australian screen talent and provide a genuine pathway from development into production. The runaway international success of previous Film Lab films like Lesbian Space Princess demonstrates the strength of the program, and the incredible calibre of first-time South Australian filmmakers emerging through it. The SAFC is proud to support the next generation of filmmakers bringing distinctive South Australian stories to audiences here and around the world.”
Screen Australia Director of Narrative Content Louise Gough said: “The Debt follows the standout success of Monolith and Lesbian Space Princess, underscoring the ongoing impact of the Film Lab: New Voices initiative as a powerful pipeline for emerging talent and the importance of championing authored stories and bold teams. Congratulations to writers Pearl and Piri, producer Lilla and director Johanis on their debut feature The Debt, it has the hallmarks of a compelling debut and announcing new powerful voices in the Australian feature film landscape.”
Adelaide Film Festival CEO and Creative Director Mat Kesting said: “The recent Cannes Marché du Film was a fitting place to launch The Debt to the international market ahead of its premiere at Adelaide Film Festival this October, with keen interest in the film following the success of previous projects Monolith and Lesbian Space Princess. This success demonstrates the value of development labs and that Film Lab: New Voices is delivering on its objective of cultivating South Australian green-lighter talent. AFF congratulates writers Piri and Pearl, producer Lilla and director Johanis on this exciting debut and we look forward to the premiere at AFF 14-25 October 2026.”
Lilla Berry will be speaking as part of Rising Together – First Nations Voices in Screen, a special National Reconciliation Week event presented by the SAFC in partnership with The Mercury on 1 June, 2026. For more information, click here.