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CAMERAS ROLL AS BALLARAT STARS IN ROAD TO BOSTON

Media Releases  16 Jan 2020

Cameras have been rolling and hundreds of locals have been running as Ballarat sets the scene for a new Korean feature film, Road to Boston.

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle and Film Victoria Head of Marketing & Screen Production Attraction Kirsten Badcock visited the set as the largescale production took over Lydiard Street as part of its five-day Ballarat shoot.

150 extras from Ballarat and surrounds were on set, stepping in as marathon runners and bystanders in the film that follows the story of three Korean men who dreamt of running the 1947 Boston Marathon.

Ballarat is one of four Victorian locations doubling as 1940s Boston for the film’s marathon scenes. Filming commenced in Melbourne and Geelong last week before moving to Ballarat, and will wrap up in Bendigo next week, with the majority of filming taking place in regional Victoria.

To bring this inspiring true story to the big screen, the filmmakers were looking for period streetscapes that could stand in for Boston in the 1940s, as the American city itself is now very built up. While scouting regional Victoria with the support of Film Victoria last year, they were instantly impressed by Ballarat’s well-maintained period architecture and knew they had found one of the film’s key locations.

With support from the Victorian Government through Film Victoria, Road to Boston is the first Korean film that has been attracted to Victoria.

Over seven weeks of pre-production and filming, Road to Boston will employ 885 regional Victorians. At each location the cast, extras and 130+ crew will engage with local businesses including accommodation and hospitality and retail businesses. It is anticipated that the production will spend $1.6 million during its regional shoot and $4.1 million in total in Victoria.

Film Victoria Head of Marketing & Screen Production Attraction Kirsten Badcock said: “Road to Boston is making the most of regional Victoria’s incredibly versatile and accessible locations as well as giving our local screen industry practitioners the opportunity to gain valuable skills and experience on a high end international feature film in their own backyard.”  

Road to Boston is led by acclaimed Korean Director Je-Kyu Kang whose films have been seen by more than 10 million people across Korea, and its lead actor Ha Jung-woo is one of the highest grossing actors in South Korea with films that have generated over $100 million at the box office.

Road to Boston will be released on more than 1,000 screens in Korea, showcasing Victorian talent and regional locations to audiences across the country.