33 Postcards

Plot

Mei Mei (Zhu Lin) a 16-year-old Chinese orphan who has been supported by donations from her Australian sponsor Dean Randall (Guy Pearce), who sends her postcards that describe his family life. When her orphanage choir travels to Australia to participate in an Australian Choir Festival, Mei Mei takes the opportunity to find Dean with the hope he will make her part of his family. However, Mei Mei discovers the shocking truth – Dean is actually a convict in prison for manslaughter. Seeing Dean as her last chance at finding a home, Mei Mei decides to stay in Sydney until Dean gets his parole, in the meantime becoming naively entangled in the criminal world herself. To save Mei Mei from his own fate, Dean must make an impossible sacrifice.

Development

33 Postcards was developed under the title Mei Mei. In 2009, Mei Mei was one of only two Australian screenplays selected from 475 submissions to partake in the Tribeca Film Institute program, Tribeca All Access. The screenplay also featured as one of only three selected for Dungog Film Festival as part of the in the Raw Program.

Coproduction

33 Postcards is an official film and television co-production in Australia. The co-production is between Australia and China, for which a co-production treaty did not exist prior to 2008. 33 Postcards is only the second film to be produced under this treaty and the first co-production between NSW and China. This opportunity for co-productions to exist between China and Australia is largely unrealised in both countries, but has been identified as a potentially lucrative endeavour.

Production

Lead actress Zhu Lin began production knowing little more than a dozen words in the English language. The film was shot in both Australia and Zhejiang Province, China.

Festivals

33 Postcards has featured and been in competition at the following festivals

Future

33 Postcards was anticipated for release in the second half of 2011 in Australia and also in China. The movie was released to video on demand on 15 April 2013.