Forgive Us All
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''Forgive Us All'' is a 2025 New Zealand neo-Western, apocalyptic horror film directed and written by Jordana Stott. It was independently financed and produced by Lance Giles and Jared Connon. It stars
Lily Sullivan Lily Sullivan is an Australian actress. She played Coral in the 2012 film ''Mental'' and Miranda in the 2018 television series '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. She plays leading roles in two 2023 feature films, the Australian sci-fi thriller ''Mon ...
,
Callan Mulvey Callan Mulvey (born 23 February 1975) is an Australian actor. He gained widespread recognition for his performances as Mark Moran on the Australian drama '' Underbelly'', Sergeant Brendan 'Josh' Joshua in '' Rush'', and as Bogdan Drazic in the ...
and
Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards. He bega ...
. The movie stars Sullivan as a bereaved mother Rory attempting to survive
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
s in a post-apocalyptic New Zealand. ''Forgive Us All'' was released by Rialto Distribution in New Zealand and Australia on 8 May 2025. British company Reason8 Films acquired the film's international distribution rights in mid-February 2025.


Synopsis

''Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals, Jordana Stott's Forgive Us All follows Rory (
Lily Sullivan Lily Sullivan is an Australian actress. She played Coral in the 2012 film ''Mental'' and Miranda in the 2018 television series '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. She plays leading roles in two 2023 feature films, the Australian sci-fi thriller ''Mon ...
), a bereaved mother who has lost everything and takes refuge in an isolated mountain cabin, until a desperate wounded stranger arrives with a story of hope.''


Cast


Production


Development and financing

''Forgive Us All'' was written and directed by Jordana Stott, marking her directorial debut. Her husband Lance Giles served as co-producer alongside Jared Connon, who also served as production manager. Stott is an Australian who studied film at
Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private university, private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, Queensland, Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its opening on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teachi ...
. After meeting Giles, the couple decided to produce a feature film. To generate funding Stott and Giles established a ready-made meal company called Youfoodz in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
in 2012. By the time they sold the company to
HelloFresh HelloFresh SE is a German meal-kit company based in Berlin. It is one of the largest meal-kit providers in the world, operating in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, The Nethe ...
in 2021, Youfoodz was worth A$125 milllion and had over a thousand time. During that period, Stott honed her film-making skills by producing over 30 television advertisements. The couple invested NZ$10 million of their own money into producing ''Forgive Us All''. The film production did not receive any funding from banks, studios or other investors.


Writing

According to Giles, Stott's script was inspired by the couple's frequent outdoor holiday excursions in the Queenstown area in
Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...
. After selling their food company, the couple moved to the Queenstown area, acquiring a lifestyle block in
Gibbston Gibbston is a community in the Wakatipu Basin in the Otago region of the South Island, New Zealand. Through the valley runs the Kawarau River which forms the Kawarau Gorge. The most visible aspect of the area are the vineyards and wineries n ...
. Giles described the film as a blend of several genres including neo-Western, action and
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
. During an interview with Screen Hub, Giles described ''Forgive Us All'' as a "western/horror that challenges moral complexities of survival and has a strong female redemption narrative at its core." She said that the film would explore themes such as motherhood, redemption and hope. The
2023 Hollywood labor disputes From May 2 to November 9, 2023, a series of long labor disputes within the Cinema of the United States, film and Television in the United States, television industries of the United States took place, mainly focused on the strikes of the 2023 W ...
allowed the producers more time to work on their script and accumulate resources.


Casting

The cast members included
Lily Sullivan Lily Sullivan is an Australian actress. She played Coral in the 2012 film ''Mental'' and Miranda in the 2018 television series '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. She plays leading roles in two 2023 feature films, the Australian sci-fi thriller ''Mon ...
,
Callan Mulvey Callan Mulvey (born 23 February 1975) is an Australian actor. He gained widespread recognition for his performances as Mark Moran on the Australian drama '' Underbelly'', Sergeant Brendan 'Josh' Joshua in '' Rush'', and as Bogdan Drazic in the ...
,
Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards. He bega ...
,
Dean O'Gorman Dean Lance O'Gorman (born 1 December 1976) is a New Zealand actor, artist, and photographer. He played the dwarf Fíli in the ''Hobbit'' trilogy and the Norse God Bragi/Anders Johnson in the fantasy series '' The Almighty Johnsons''. He also p ...
, Bree Peters, Lawrence Makoare, Lance Giles. While Stott and Giles had intended to start shooting ''Forgive Us All'' in the spring of 2023, casting was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes. Sullivan was cast as Rory, a grieving mother surviving zombies in a post-apocalyptic New Zealand. She said that she was drawn to the project by Stott's vision of the film as a fusion of the Western and thriller genres. Sullivan said that she found Rory's "darkness and lack of light was heavy to entertain constantly." Roxburgh was cast as Rory's father in law Otto. Roxburgh envisioned his character as a British military veteran who had spend 30 years in New Zealand. He drew upon his munition and rabbit butchery skills for portraying Otto. Roxburgh also served as an executive producer for the film.


Design

The zombie-like Howlers that appear in the movie were designed by
Wētā FX Wētā FX, formerly known as Weta Digital, is a New Zealand digital visual effects and computer animation company based in Miramar, Wellington. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digita ...
creative art director Gino Acevedo and his colleagues Sarah Rubano and Jason Docherty.


Filming

Filming for ''Forgive Us All'' took place over a 27-day period in the autumn of 2024. Filming locations including
Queenstown Hill Queenstown Hill, also known by its Māori name of Te Tapu-nui (mountain of intense sacredness), is a small mountain near Queenstown, New Zealand in the South Island. The lower levels of the hill contain housing especially near Queenstown, Fra ...
,
Rees Valley Station Rees may refer to: Places * Rees, Germany, a city on the lower Rhine * Rees, Illinois, United States, a community in the Jacksonville, Illinois micropolitan area * Rees River, a river in New Zealand * 4587 Rees, an Amor asteroid Other uses * Re ...
, Ben Nevis Station and,
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
. According to Giles and sullivan, the filming involved significant horse riding, stunt work, fight scenes and several long night shoots. Giles chose to film in the Queenstown area as a homage to his native
South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
, stating that he wanted the South Island's landscape to feature in the film. The production recruited over 100 crew, with over 50% of the film crew being locally recruited. According to Giles, the production crew worked with local businesses, landowners, farmers and the
Queenstown Lakes District Council Queenstown-Lakes District, a local government district, is in the Otago Region of New Zealand that was formed in 1986. It is surrounded by the districts of Central Otago, Southland, Westland and Waitaki. Much of the area is often referred to ...
to secure support for the filming. Jared Connon, who had previously served as a location manager on
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
's ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, ''The Lovely Bones'', ''King Kong'' and ''The Hobbit'' trilogy, also served as production manager and producer for ''Forgive Us All''. Connon had decided to work on the film after learning that Stott and Giles had developed a script and budget for the film. ''Forgive Us All'' also received a 40 percent screen production rebate from the
New Zealand Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; ) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended in 1981, 1985, 1988, 1994 a ...
. Peter McCaffrey served as the film's cinematographer.


Post-production

Composer Brandon Roberts produced the film's score and sound track. Michael J. Horton served as the film's editor.
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
's
Park Road Post Park Road Post Production is an international film and television post-production facility located in Miramar, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. Built out of the state-owned National Film Unit (NFU), the new facility opened upon completion ...
post-production facility also provided post-production services for ''Forgive Us All''.


Release

To promote the film, Giles and Stott pitched ''Forgive Us All'' to film festivals. On 1 December 2024, Giles said that they were aiming for a mid-2025 theatrical release followed by deals with
streaming service Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
s. ''Forgive Us All'' was released by Rialto Distribution in Australia on 1 May 2025. Rialto released the film in New Zealand on 8 May 2025. British company Reason8 Films acquired the film's international distribution rights in mid-February 2025. The New Zealand Classification Office gave the film an R16 rating, citing violence, offensive language and disturbing content.


Reception

Samuel Hames of ''Spicy Pulp'' website gave ''Forgive Us All'' a favourable review, describing the film as a "bold new direction for local filmmaking, shifting gears from lush fantasy and feel-good drama to full-throttle, post-apocalyptic horror." Hames praised director Jordana Stott for contributing a "distinctively meditative, female-driven voice to the zombie genre" and complimented her focus on grief, trauma and survival. Humes also praised the performances of Lily Sullivan, whom he described as the "emotional anchor" of the film. He also complimented the performances of supporting cast members including Richard Roxburgh and Callan Mulvey. Graeme Tuckett of
Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional c ...
and ''The Post'' gave the film a mixed review, awarding it three and a half stars out of five. He described the script as a mixture of the Western, post-apocalyptic and zombie horror genres. Tuckett praised Peter McCaffrey's cinematography, Brandon Robert's musical score and the performances of Sullivan and Roxburgh.


References

{{Reflist 2025 films 2025 directorial debut films 2020s New Zealand films Films shot in New Zealand Films set in New Zealand Contemporary Western films Films scored by Brandon Roberts (composer) New Zealand horror films New Zealand post-apocalyptic films Survival films category:New Zealand zombie films