Eyes of Salt, the U.S. feature Film shot in Sydney’s Bondi Beach finished principal photography last month. The drama features an international cast led by James Pratt (Malibu Crush), Hong Kong screen star Bernice Liu (The King of Fighters, The Hitman Never Dies), Haley Lynch (Twelve), and Hong Kong–based producer Sasha Waseem. Bounty Entertainment is handling distribution for Australia and New Zealand.
The ensemble cast includes Erin Anne Gray (Catfish Killer), Melody Law (Bankshot) Kelly Monisse (No Strings Attached) Randy Charach (Vanished) Damian Nixey (Malibu Crush), Kev Hannibal (Dana’s Dream) Jeremy Olcayto and Mark Sturzenegger
Liu, one of Hong Kong’s most notable screen figures known for The King of Fighters, The Legend is Born, and the long running TV series Virtues of Harmony incorporates both English and Cantonese in select dialogue throughout the film.
The story centres on Tanner Reed, a New York playboy who returns to his estranged father’s seaside home after 30 years carrying a secret that threatens to dismantle what remains of their fractured relationship.
Lynch produces the film with Hong Kong based Sasha Waseem serving as associate producer. Justin L. Levine (Wingman, Life Happens) is executive producer and U.S. casting director Carly Granovsky oversaw casting. Erico Lerda is 2nd Unit Director and Claudia Loughlin cinematographer.
“The locations, particularly Bondi Beach are vital to the story,” Lynch said. “Audiences experience the coastal beauty of Bondi Beach, but there’s also an isolation to being on the other side of the world from an American or Asian perspective, that loneliness is reflected in the quieter shots where all you see is vast ocean.”
This is the second time Pratt has returned from Los Angeles to shoot a feature in his hometown of Bondi Beach. His previous film, Malibu Crush, was also filmed there in 2022.
“Coming home to Bondi Beach to shoot Eyes of Salt was incredibly meaningful,” Pratt said. “There’s something about filming in a place that holds so much personal history – it adds an honesty you can’t manufacture. The ocean, the isolation, the beauty – all of it fed directly into the story we were telling.”
Eyes of Salt is one of a long list co productions collaborating in Australia over 2025/26, joining Street Fighter (Legendary Entertainment), Spaceballs 2 (Imagine Entertainment/MGM), Subversion (Amazon MGM) and The Good Samaritan (Highland Film Group) and Tom Hanks Greyhound (Apple Original)
