Marieville

Leave me alone, would you?

– Cyril (Peter Tait) after being interrupted in his imaginary world

She sure is a thing of beauty.

– Cyril (Peter Tait) lost in his paddle steamer world

I'm just happy to be on the river again.

– Karen (Amelia Reynolds) enters into her dad's dream world

Lame.

– A boy (Rudy Keane) isn't keen on the model paddle steamer he has been gifted

The inspiration for the story of Marieville comes from the object of the same name, the model of a Mississippi paddle steamer that features throughout the film. Artist Michael Hight, who's a mutual friend of myself and lead actor Peter Tait, often finds interesting old objects in junk shops around the country to use as elements in his paintings. When the Marieville boat turned up in his studio, we started musing on who might have been responsible for building this quirky and very detailed labour of love.

– Director Grant Lahood on what inspired him to make the film