Martin Freeman Fights Zombie Pandemic in ‘Cargo’ Trailer
About five years ago, writer Yolanda Ramke, alongside producers Russell Ackerman and Kristina Ceyton (The Babadook), created the short film Cargo. Despite being only seven minutes long, the Australian pandemic film centred on a father and his infant child was incredibly impactful, becoming a finalist at Tropfest film festival and going viral on Youtube. Ramke and her writing partner Ben Howling have been working on a feature length adaptation over the past year, signing Martin Freeman to star. As the film is set to come out soon, a new trailer has just been released.
The film, which has been dubbed a “post-apocalyptic aboriginal zombie movie” is set to release in Australian theatres on May 17th, coming out worldwide on Netflix the very next day. Freeman stars as:
“A father who, stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic and infected himself, desperately seeks a new home for his infant child and a means to protect her from his own changing nature.”
Anthony Hayes (War Machine), Susie Porter (Pulse), Caren Pistorius (The Light Between Oceans), David Gulpilil (Charlie’s Country) and Simone Landers will also feature alongside Freeman.
The trailer does a great job of showing off all the ways the original short film has been expanded. The cast of characters has grown and the stunning shots of the rural Australian landscape give this trailer a solidly epic feel. Still, being essentially a zombie film, we also get some gnarly glimpses of what happens to someone when they’re infected and the overall bleak tone won’t fill you with much hope of a happy ending.
Ramke and Howling are directing the film in what will be their feature directorial debut. Samantha Jennings, John Schoenfelder, and Mark Patterson join Ceyton and Ackerman as producers. Ian Kirk, Jeff Harrison, Fergus Grady, Craig Deeker, Ian Dawson, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross executive produced the film.