A Gold Coast-set indie film with a small budget and a big heart will be a highlight of the Gold Coast Film Festival. But you will have to wait until closing night on May 11 to see it. Blue Horizon is just one of the many treats on offer for cinephiles, with plenty of locally made product alongside some choice overseas films.

Writer and director of Blue Horizon, Gold Coast local Josh Hale, was inspired during COVID lockdown to write a feelgood story to bring people positivity. Blue Horizon starts out looking like it’s going to be a particular type of film but takes a few unexpected turns, culminating in a moving climax that will probably elicit a few tears from audiences.

It follows famous rapper Maris le Marcus (David Cook), whose drug-fuelled offstage exploits lead him into trouble with the law. His manager gets him off jail time but he must do community service at the Blue Horizon Wellness Centre for people with various vulnerabilities.

At the centre Maris locks horns with the guy running the place, Benjamin (musician Pete Murray). Benjamin is well-intentioned but his firm belief that the residents need to be overly protected doesn’t sit well with Maris. He makes it his mission to befriend the quiet Douglas, who has cerebral palsy and has suffered abuse since his parents died. This is despite warnings from agitated and protective resident Theresa (Chantal Elyse) to leave Douglas alone.

Douglas is played by Damian McCoy in a memorable performance. Film writer Hale has infused the role with impressive authenticity.

“When I was little my Nan, who I was very close to, taught me to be inclusive of people with disabilities,” McCoy explains. “I used to volunteer for the Special Olympics – I was just drawn to it. And it was just something I wanted to share … We all feel, we all love, we all want experiences.”

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Hale had written the script with a character that had Down Syndrome, but after meeting McCoy, Hale felt he could adapt it to someone with cerebral palsy.

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“I did some research because I didn’t want it to be exploitative, and I’ve never been so nervous as when Damo read the script,” Hale says. “When he got back to me, he said, ‘I don’t know how you did that. It’s like you wrote that from inside my head’. That’s the greatest compliment I’ve had as a writer.”

‘His work ethic is unparalleled. He grinds and learns and grows. He’s such an intellectual with his craft’

David Cook (Maris), who’s turned up in episodes of TV shows such as Troppo and Darby and Joan, plays beautifully off the other characters, with his redemptive journey seeing him go from a selfish egotist to someone whose own inner pain allows him to become his more authentic self. Hale is glowing in his praise of the actor.

“His work ethic is unparalleled,” Hale says. “He grinds and learns and grows. He’s such an intellectual with his craft. His acting is so expressive, even when he hardly says anything.”

Pete Murray came on board because a film he and Hale were going to do together fell through. They’d gone through the rehearsal process and clicked, so when this one got the go-ahead, Hale felt that Murray was perfect for the job.

Lead actor Cook featured in Hale’s previous work, horror film House of Inequity, which was successful enough, making raising the modest budget for Blue Horizon just that little bit easier. Even though the final calculations have yet to be done, he estimates the film was made for a remarkably low $150,000-$200,000.

The film will do the festival circuit, including overseas, and as with House of Inequity Hale is optimistic that a distribution deal will follow for a more general release.

Elsewhere in the Gold Coast Film Festival, Opening Night (April 30) glitz and glamour on the red carpet will see the screening of Sundance Film Festival hit, British comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island, starring Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan.

Gold Coaster and former pop star Peter Andre will be at the premiere of Jafaican, in which he stars as a small-time crook desperately trying to raise money for his grandmother’s care. Andre will entertain by singing the title track of the film.

There’s a large contingent of Aussie films and many will have actors and filmmakers in attendance, sometimes with Q&A sessions to follow.

Lincoln Lewis will be there to promote Hagar’s Hut (directed by Stephen Osborne) and Erik Thomson will accompany the screening of Kangaroo Island (directed by Timothy David).

Then there’s The Edge from writer, director, producer and actor Jane Larkin, set in the world of elite sport and starring Australian powerlifter Lily Riley and Japanese paralympic swimmer Mei Ichinose.

My Eyes sounds like it’s also worth a look. Inspired by true events, this Australian premiere stars Adam Garcia (Coyote Ugly, Bootmen) and Tsu Shan Chambers (Suka, Remnant) in a story about the strength of unconditional love.

Queens of Concrete, just one of the many documentaries on offer and filmed over seven years, follows three teenage girls pursuing Olympic history in skateboarding (directed by Eliza Cox).

All this and so much more, including the Awards Gala at Movie World, where prolific filmmaker Robert Connolly (The Dry, Paper Planes, Balibo), will receive the Chauvel Award.

Gold Coast Film Festival, HOTA, Surfers Paradise, April 30 to May 11. Full program and book tickets: gcff.com.au