Dec 2, 2025 | Feature Film

“Sherbrooke Down: Valley of Tears” by James Stewart Keene

Cinematographer

Over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of being attached to “Sherbrooke Down: Valley of Tears”, a feature film written and directed by James Stewart Keene.

“Sherbrooke Down: Valley of Tears” tells the story of Evangeline Keene (Sariah Roberts), who lives in the village of Sherbrooke in the Cataract Valley in 1902. She is married to Matthew (Paul Hughes), who makes a series of poor financial decisions that lead to their family moving to Sherbrooke from Bulli. As Evangeline tries to create a new life in Sherbrooke, she earns the ire of Sarah (Erica Nelson), the wife of wealthy landowner Charles (Craig McLachlan). As the conflict escalates, Evangeline and Sarah are eventually brought together through shared adversity. Charles is also softened toward the Keenes by his friend William Williamsburg (John Jarratt). This personal story unfolds against the backdrop of the government seizing land in Sherbrooke to build the Cataract Dam, securing a water supply for Sydney during the great drought.

The visual reference for the film is the classic 1982 Australian film The Man from Snowy River. Both films are period pieces set in the Australian bush, rich with organic, muted browns and greens. As always, locations, wardrobe, and production design work together to create this period look. For interior lighting, I am leaning heavily into daylight-balanced sources from outside. As this light comes through windows and plays across the earthy tones of the production design, its colour warms, giving the impression that the scenes are lit with tungsten. We shot with anamorphic lenses on a Super 35 sensor. Action plays out as much as possible in mid shots, with the camera stable and moving only when needed to match the actors’ blocking. This approach has allowed many shots to play long, with some scenes even delivered in a single take.

We’ve shot about 25 pages of the film and are currently seeking investors to help us complete it. Reach out if you’re interested.

"Sherbrooke Down: Valley of Tears" by James Stewart Keene coming soon

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