<< A town full of secrets...
A woman with a past...
A child with questions...
A man, too afraid to love...
But the mystery remains...
This winter, one wish will change everything. >>

INTRODUCTION
The first feature-length film for Melbourne's 39yo screenwriter Sandra Sciberras, Caterpillar Wish has been described as "an evocative, gentle drama which explores the themes of belonging, loss and the need to connect - all through the eyes of a 15-year-old girl". This is the first project to be financed in the framework of the "IndiVision" initiative of the Australian Film Commission, aimed at supporting the development, production and promotion of low-budget filmmaking in Australia.

The Caterpillar Wish was shot in less than one month in the pictoresque seaside resort of Robe (South Australia) for a budget of $1.38 million - ie 20,000 AUD less than originally planned - with no overtime, thanks to some tight producing and a top 35-strong team of actors, camera crew and lighting experts.

SHORT SYNOPSIS
A sleepy seaside town, in winter.
Emily (Victoria Thaine), a seventeen-year-old girl, lives with her mother Susan (Susie Porter). Emily never knew her father. According to her mother, he was a "tom cat" - a tourist who wandered into town one summer and was never seen again.
Susan is struggling to forget the past. She hasn't spoken to her parents for years, not since she shamed the family by falling pregnant at fifteen.
Emily actively pursues a friendship with father-figure Stephen (Robert Mammone), who spends his days fixing boats at the harbour. But Stephen has his own troubles, constantly haunted by the past.
Stephen's sister Elizabeth (Wendy Hughes) is married to the town policeman Carl (Philip Quast). Elizabeth suspects Carl is being unfaithful but is afraid to uncover the truth. Her son Joel (Khan Chittenden) has a secret love of his own.
When a bible turns up with an intriguing inscription, Emily is the first to realise that hoping for change is not enough.

The Caterpillar Wish is about ordinary people finding the courage to believe they have the power to transform their own lives.

(Source: Palace Films)

Detailed synopsis from the official website (SPOILERS!)