Leongatha returns in a newly remastered and re-edited feature film edition.
After being asked to film a cousin’s wedding, Denny Finch begrudgingly makes his way to the regional Victorian town of Wonthaggi where a mini-bus awaits to transport Denny, his family members, friends, the marriage celebrant and a mysterious stranger to the ceremony in the nearby town of Leongatha. The trip should take no more than an hour or two, however things don’t go entirely to plan as mechanical faults, family disagreements, missing children, pesky local “wildlife”, unplanned funerals and other unforeseen circumstances stop the bus in its tracks. For Denny and his family, the road to Leongatha becomes a very, very long one.
Originally produced as a six-part television series and filmed across the South Gippsland region of Victoria (Australia), Leongatha was part-funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation in 2012. The series premiered nationally in early 2013 on Channel 31 Melbourne, WTV Perth, Adelaide 44 and TVS Sydney, and screened internationally on FACE TV in New Zealand later that year.
This 2026 release presents a refreshed feature-length cut of the project, building on the original movie version first broadcast in Melbourne in late 2013, with updated picture and sound tweaks (plus some terrible jokes/plot points cut in everyone’s best interests).
Leongatha features a large ensemble cast led by Chris Gibson as Denny Finch, whose performance earned Best Male Personality at the 2014 Antenna Awards, where the program also won Outstanding Creative Achievement by a Program. The core cast includes Sarah Ranken (Mazzy), Bryce Hardy (Darryl Finch), Kate Mulqueen (Ruth “Roo” Finch), Trevor Major (Robert “Bob” Finch), Roy Barker (Roy Finch), Maureen Andrew (Lorna Finch) and Jane Menze (Jane Finch), alongside Antonia Vekic as Sally the Celebrant. Supporting performances include Kirsten Snowden, Jonathan Welsby, Sophie Cusworth and Lloyd Edwards, with additional appearances by Glen Turner, Kerrie Giles, Luke Morrison, Robert Lunt and Cate Commisso. The series was shot across South Gippsland with Producer/Director Shane Dunlop, Director of Photography Luke Morrison, and features an original score by Ryan Sterling.
