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Synopsis

The Furnace, set in the 1890s gold rush of Western Australia, is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land.

This film illuminates the forgotten history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ cameleers, who were predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan, and Persia, who traversed the nation’s vast desert interior, forming unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.

To escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer partners with a mysterious bushman on the run with two 400oz Crown-marked gold bars. Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace – the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown.

The Furnace - Ahmed Malek and Baykali GanambarrPhoto credit Hoover's Gold Productions

Filmed and Post Produced in Western Australia

on the Traditional Country of the Yamatji Badimia, Yamatji Nanda & Noongar Whadjuk peoples

Watch the trailer

Production Information

Writer & Director

Roderick MacKay

Producers

Timothy White

Tenille Kennedy

Co-Producer

Georgia White

Associate Producer

Gary (Curly) Bonney

Executive Producers

Roderick MacKay
Brendon Grylls
Kelvin Munro
Grant Sputore
Bryce Menzies
Bill Beament
Jeff Harrison
Ari Harrison
Ying Ye
Michelle Krum
David Wenham
Julian Burt
Alexandra Burt
Charlie Bass
Matt Bass
Justin McArdle
Ian Hale

Key Cast

Ahmed Malek
Jay Ryan
Erik Thomson
Baykali Ganambarr
Trevor Jamieson
Mahesh Jadu
Osamah Sami
Goran D. Kleut
Samson Coulter
Mansoor Noor
Kaushik Das
Wakara Gondarra
Steve McCall
Amanda Ma
Gary Young
Sean Choolburra
David Wenham

Distributor

Umbrella Entertainment (ANZ)

Sales

Arclight Films International (ROW)

Key WA Crew

Director of Photography

Michael McDermott

Editor

Merlin Eden

Production Designer

Clayton Jauncey

Costume Designer

Lisa Gunning Galea

Production Coordinator

Jess Black

Financial Controller

Susie Campbell

1st Assistant Director

John Fairhead

2nd Assistant Director

Scooter Welbourn

3rd Assistant Director

Chanel Bowen

Assistant Art Director

Danielle Fernandes

Gaffer

Dan Spriggs

Key Grip

Greg Stirling

Location Scout & Unit Manager

Mike Montague

Hair & Make Up Designer

Karen Sims

Post Production Facility

Siamese

Post Producer

Francesca Hope

VFX Supervisor

Will Manning

Post Sound Facility

Cue Sound

Sound Recordist

Gavin Repton

Filming in Mount Magnet

“Filming in Western Australia was a unique experience for me…

“I’d never seen landscape like that in my life. There were moments when I’d just look around and feel so grateful.”

– Ahmed Malek, Actor (Hanif)

Ahmed Malek in a rugged landscape with camels in the backgroundPhoto credit Megan Lewis © Hoover's Gold Productions
Ahmed Malek as Hanif on Yamatji Badimia country, Mount Magnet, Western Australia in The Furnace.
The cast and crew of The Furnace on set in Kalbarri, WA.Photo credit Megan Lewis © Hoover's Gold Productions
The cast and crew of The Furnace on set in Kalbarri, WA.

Community Support

“What really made this film possible was the local support we received.

“The Mount Magnet community were so welcoming, helpful and accomodating of our weird, wonderful and sometimes last minute requests.

“Perhaps more importantly, we felt the community were aligned with our desire to show off the region and share a part of our history for Australian and international audiences to enjoy.”

– Tenille Kennedy, Producer

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Acknowledgement of Country

Screenwest acknowledges and pays respect to all Traditional Owners of Country across the State of Western Australia and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, spiritual beliefs and relationship to land and waters and acknowledge that they are of continuing importance to the people living today. We extend this respect to all Indigenous language groups.