Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue Comedy ‘Swinging Safari’ Picked Up for U.S.

By Stewart Clarke

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – WestEnd Films has closed North American and European deals on “Swinging Safari,” Stephan Elliott’s Australian comedy. Blue Fox has taken U.S. and Canada rights and will release the film theatrically early this summer.

Elliott (“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”) wrote and directed the film, which is set in mid-1970s Australia and stars Guy Pearce (“Iron Man 3”) and  Kylie Minogue (“Moulin Rouge!”).

It is set in the beach suburb of Dee Why. When the town suddenly hits the spotlight after the body of a 200-ton whale is washed ashore, teenagers Jeff and Melly think it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened in their lives. Meanwhile, their eccentric parents are catching up with the sexual revolution that has also washed up on Australia’s beaches.

The U.S. deal was negotiated by Blue Fox Entertainment’s Todd Slater with ’ Maya Amsellem negotiating on behalf of the filmmakers.

WestEnd has also closed deals with One2See Movies in the Benelux countries, with Lighthouse Entertainment in Germany and with Spentzos in Greece. The U.K.-based sales firm had already announced sales in a raft of territories, including with Thunderbird in Britain and with Swift in France.

Al Clark (“Red Hill”) and Jamie Hilton (“Breath”) produced “,” which is also known as “Flammable Children.” It had its international premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

“Stephan Elliott lets it all hang out in a cheerfully over-the-top slice of Aussie suburban life in the mid-1970s,”  Variety said in its review .

 WestEnd will be in Berlin with Agnieszka Holland’s “Mr. Jones,” which plays in competition, as well as the English-language remake of Icelandic picture “ Rams .”