Alena Lodkina.
The journey from script to screen is underway for new romantic comedy Twice Over, starring Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Heaton, as production starts in Perth.
Set entirely in the port city of Fremantle, Twice Over is now filming across Perth and has been supported by Screenwest and Lotterywest, with major production funding from Screen Australia.
Directed and co-written by Alena Lodkina, together with co-writer Miles Allinson, Twice Over follows the lives of two people whose unexpected reunion stirs long-buried feelings and unspoken uncertainties about love, time, and reinvention.
Produced by Kate Glover, Nathan Lewis, Aidan O’Bryan and Gregory Jankilevitsch, the film brings together Wasikowska (Bergman Island, Club Zero, Alice in Wonderland) and Heaton (Stranger Things, The Souvenir Part II, The New Mutants, Industry) in an intimate, quietly offbeat story of reconnection and emotional reckoning.
Wasikowska and Heaton join a strong Western Australian cast including, Jennah Bannear (The Twelve, The Heights), Georgia Wilkinson-Derums (Bassendream, Cleverman), Clarence Ryan (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mystery Road: Origin) and Austen Wilmot (The Surfer).
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Western Australian Heads of Department include Line Producer Vikki Barr, Production Designer Clayton Jauncey, 1st Assistant Director Aaron McCann, Costumer Designer Sophie Fletcher, Gaffer Dan Spriggs, Hair and Make-up Designer Kate Farmer and Australian Casting Director Annie Murtagh Monks.
Writer-Director Alena Lodkina said: “Ever since the conception of Twice Over, I was drawn to Perth as a setting, with its stark light and distinctive landscapes, and especially the docks and ocean views around Fremantle. We are grateful to Screenwest, Screen Australia, Mid March and are other partners for helping us create our vision, and very much looking forward to start shooting.”
Producer Kate Glover, from Never/Sleep Pictures, said: “Miles and Alena were inspired by the uniqueness of Fremantle and its characters, so we’re really happy to be bringing this story back here for the shoot. It’s wonderful to have such proactive support from Screenwest to make the production possible here, the crew are all great, and everyone in Fremantle has been so welcoming and helpful.”
Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said: “We are beyond excited to help bring the romantic comedy Twice Over to Western Australia as the state embarks on an unprecedented level of screen production. Securing impressive international cast Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Heaton, alongside local producer Aidan O’Bryan, is an absolute coup.”
Screen Australia Director of Narrative Content Louise Gough said: “Twice Overdelves into what happens when the past and the present converges. In the hands of Alena Lodkina, this is a singular work – a tender and beautifully wry story that offers a deeply nuanced perspective on looking for love, regret and the ‘what if’ of it all. Twice Over is a modern love story.”
Twice Over is due to make its theatrical release in 2026.
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