“No man can tell what he will do when driven by hunger.” - Alexander Pearce

In 1822, eight convicts escape the brutal penal settlement of Macquarie Harbour, only to find the wilds of Tasmania a much crueller reality. As the provisions run out and the men fight to stay alive, only one option remains.

Delving into Australia's dark heritage, Van Diemen's Land is a retelling of the unsettling tale of our most notorious convict, Alexander Pearce, whose confessions were so shocking that the authorities at the time refused to believe them.

Based on director Jonathan Auf Der Heide's own short film Hell's Gates, which won multiple MIFF shorts awards in 2008, Van Diemen's Land is a pitch-black tale where nature is as unforgiving as man.