Hugo Weaving, Phoenix Raei Star in ‘The Rooster’ Mystery Film From Australia’s Mark Leonard Winter
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefRising star Phoenix Raei joins Hugo Weaving as the lead of “The Rooster,” an Australian mystery drama film in which a small-town cop discovers the dead body of his best friend.The film, which has just completed principal photography in Victoria state, is directed by actor Mark Leonard Winter (“Escape From Pretoria”), making his debut as a feature director.As performers, Weaving and Winter have previously appeared together in “Measure for Measure” and “The Dressmaker.”Raei, who has recent credits in “Clickbait,” “Stateless” and “The Night Agent,” stars in “The Rooster” as the cop who confronts Weaving’s volatile character, a forest-dwelling hermit who was the last person known to have seen his pal. Other cast include: Helen Thomson (“Elvis,” “Top of the Lake”), Rhys Mitchell (“Cake,” “Upper Middle Bogan”), Bert La Bonte (“Surviving Summer,” “Five Bedrooms”), John Waters (“Offspring,” “Mystery Road”), Camilla Ah Kin (“Wakefield,” “Holding the Man”), Robert Menzies (“Little Tornadoes,” “Glitch”) and Deirdre Rubenstein (“Force of Destiny,” “Superwog”).“ ‘The Rooster’ is a gripping story about friendship and how hope can come from unlikely places.