The filmmakers are thrilled to announce that Glendyn Ivin’s inspirational Australian drama, ‘Penguin Bloom’, is one of 50 films to screen in official selection at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Starring Academy Award® nominated actress Naomi Watts (The Impossible, 21 Grams), Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead, Love Actually) and two-time Academy Award® nominated actress Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook, Animal Kingdom), Penguin Bloom is the feature film adaptation of Bradley Trevor Greive and Cameron Bloom’s international bestseller of the same name.
Penguin Bloom tells the remarkable true story of Sam Bloom (Watts), a young mother whose world is turned upside down after a shocking, near-fatal accident leaves her paralyzed. As Sam’s husband (Lincoln), her three young boys and her mother (Weaver) struggle to adjust to their new situation, an unlikely ally enters their world in the form of an injured baby magpie they name Penguin. The bird’s arrival is a welcome distraction for the Bloom family, eventually making a profound difference on Sam’s life, teaching her to heal through courage, hope, and love.
Said director Glendyn Ivin: “I’m incredibly excited and proud to screen Penguin Bloom at TIFF among such an inspiring line-up of global cinema. The Bloom’s story is one of hope and the unbreakable bond of family, so it feels right to share it with the world at a time when hope and family couldn’t be more important.”
Set in Australia on Sydney’s northern beaches, Penguin Bloom is directed by Glendyn Ivin (The Cry, Safe Harbour) and written by Shaun Grant (Snowtown, Berlin Syndrome) and Harry Cripps (The Dry), with Watts serving as producer alongside Emma Cooper and Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky. Cameron Bloom, Sam Bloom and Greive executive produced alongside Ricci Swart, Sonia Amoroso, George Kekiel and Meryl Metni.
Penguin Bloom is a Made Up Stories, Broadtalk and JamTart production. Major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Screen NSW. ANZ distribution by Roadshow Films. Endeavor Content is handling worldwide rights.
Penguin Bloom is available in Australia and New Zealand (via ABC Books), the UK (via Canongate Books), and in the USA and Canada it was published by Atria Books as Penguin the Magpie in April 2017. Ten percent of the book’s worldwide royalties are being donated to leading spinal cord injury research charities, including SpinalCure Australia, Wings for Life and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong, the much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning bestseller will be published in Australia and New Zealand on September 2, 2020 by ABC Books/HarperCollins.
Penguin Bloom is set to release in Australian cinemas on January 1, 2021.