A special Q and A screening will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 6.30pm, where the audience can chat with writer and director Clara Chong and producer and cinematographer Ben Allan, along with actors Callan Colley and Lauren Clair, after watching the film.

Mr Allan said he chose to have the first public screenings in Port Macquarie as the place has always been close to his heart.

"My grandparents lived here in Port and my mum was born here, so we used to come to Port a lot," he said. "That was part of the reason why we wanted to have the screenings here.

"Because Port is such a vibrant and active community, we thought it would be a strong opportunity to do these preliminary screenings here and have that chance to connect with the right kind of demographic."

Mr Allan said the Port Macquarie-Hastings community might also recognise some familiar scenery during the movie.

"Some of the most beautiful sunsets in the movie were actually filmed along the Hastings river, and they were the first scenes we shot.

"We hope that by sharing the film with Port before anyone else in the world, it will be our way of giving back to the community, while also receiving valuable feedback from the audience as well."

The film stars British Shakespearean stage actress Imogen Sage who plays a young foley artist, Abigail "Jack" McFadden.

Abigail is sent audio recordings from her frog biologist father when he goes missing in a remote rainforest and uses his audio clues to try and find him but inadvertently stumbles into a dangerous organised crime operation. In a small town, out of season, everyone is a suspect.

Clara Chong said the movie will keep the audience guessing until the very end.

"It's kind of like a 'Twin Peaks meets the usual suspects' movie, but in a small Aussie town," she said.

"It's quite suspenseful, there's lots of twists and turns, so it's actually going to be interesting to see the audiences' reactions."

Dark Noise was one of the first feature films to shoot entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian actor Callan Colley, who stars alongside Ms Sage in the movie, said he found filming during the pandemic to be a very enlightening experience as it brought the cast and crew together.

"Usually, we stay in the accommodation around the place where we are filming, but because of COVID we all had to stay together," he said. "We would be shooting a scene throughout the day and then we would come back to the place to unwind.

"We would all be eating, laughing and connecting every day, and I found that over time we all formed a really special bond."

Mr Colley said he is looking forward to people seeing the Australian landscape in a different light.

"I'm a big fan of Australian films, but I've noticed that the landscapes are mostly of the red dirt, dry sand and maybe some waves here and there.

"With this movie, it [shows] more of the rainforests, mountains and waterfalls. It's still [showing] real Australia, but it's a different view of it."

The advance screenings will be held at the Majestic Cinemas until May 18. To find out more about the movie, and where to purchase tickets, click here

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