Boonah branches out at Cannes

A Moreton Bay Fig secured Boonah as the setting for the movie The Tree, which will feature at the Cannes Film Festival.

THE sparse beauty of Boonah will splash across the glamorous French Riviera when locally made film The Tree closes the prestigious Cannes Film Festival next week.

Cannes' closing night is reserved for the film that officials regard as one of the festival's best and the honour will guarantee a full house attends the screening.

The movie's immediate success means it will now likely be used in future Boonah tourism promotions.

The production was filmed last year, bringing French starlet Charlotte Gainsbourg to the country town.

Boonah Councillor Kathy Bensted helped the crew settle in and said the town was delighted the film had met with success.

“We may use the film for tourism as a lot of people will now see just how beautiful this area is,” she said.

“The crew and cast were great to have here in Boonah and they used a lot of locals in the production.”

The Cannes Film Festival is lavish in its scale and glamour and this year has enticed stars like Cate Blanchett, Russel Crowe, Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Javier Bardem to the event.

The Tree is adapted from Brisbane author Judy Pascoe's novel, Our Father Who Art in the Tree.

It is the story of a young girl who believes her late father whispers to her through the branches of her favourite tree, a Moreton Bay Fig, and the impact this has on her relationship with friends and family.

The film's producers searched for the perfect tree for two years, before finding their answer in Boonah.

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