Australian actress Alli McLaren brings a powerful story about physical and mental illness to the screen with the film "My Year of Silence."

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, July 21, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Award-winning Australian actress Alli McLaren will take on the role of Callie in the film "My Year of Silence," which recently began production and is slated for release in late 2016.

A story of overwhelming struggle, strength and perseverance, "My Year of Silence" follows Callie (McLaren), a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when she is diagnosed with lymphocytic leukemia, and subsequently bedridden with little hope for recovery.

"This film is very special to me. Not only did I write it, but it is based on my life," admits McLaren. "Two years ago I got very sick… Throughout this time I had so many personal struggles to deal with, as well as physical and mental struggles. Many times I just wanted to give up, I honestly couldn’t even imagine getting better…"

"My Year of Silence" will portray how one woman, who previously had a future full of endless possibilities, struggles to maintain her humanity as the debilitating disease shatters the reality she once knew, while reshaping her priorities and outlook on life in its wake.

The actress's firsthand experience on how being sick alters every aspect of one's life from the way others treat you to the challenges of remaining positive when you feel like giving up is part of what drove her to write "My Year of Silence."

She recalls, "I started to notice all of the ways people treated sick people and instead of talking I just started writing. I wrote every day about everything that happened and somehow throughout this I found the strength in myself to get better. I actively made a decision that I was going to take control of my life again."

The production on this film couldn't have begun at a more relevant time. As cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-caused deaths being reported in 2012 according to Cancer.gov, the majority of people will deal with the disease either directly or through witnessing the way it affects someone close to them at some point in their lives.

About her hopes for the film McLaren says, "I would love to be that person that someone looks up to as a little kid and says 'Alli did it even though she was sick, I can get better and do it too.' To me, that would be more important than an award."

McLaren has already established a reputation as an actress whose craft knows no bounds, but with the production of "My Year of Silence" already underway, the release of the film will undoubtedly prove her adept talent as a screenwriter as well.

Primetime Emmy Award winning actress Blanche Baker says, "When Alli first presented the idea and the script to me it touched me deeply and resonated with something inside of me that I know many others will feel too. Alli is a very special, talented young lady with maturity and understanding beyond her years. With Alli as both the star and creative brain behind this film, it is destined to be a success."

Blanche Baker, who is known for her roles in the films "Sixteen Candles," "The Girl Next Door," "Underdogs" and "Raw Deal," previously directed McLaren in the thought provoking film "Infidelity" where she played the starring role of Gretchen.

Even during the early stages of her career McLaren was recognized as an extraordinarily talented actress winning several awards including one from The Mount Players One Act Play Festival for her performance as Janet Logan in the stage production of "Untimely Ripp’d" at the Ballarat National Theatre Company in Australia. Prior to that she was the National Award Winner at the Royal South Street Open Age Aggregate Speech and Drama Competition, one of Australia's most prestigious competitions for the performing arts.

A classically trained actress who began laying the foundation for her craft on stages across Australia at the age of 7, Alli McLaren has transitioned from the theater to the big screen with ease. Some of her past films to date include "Spy Mission," "A Writer's Block," "The Return of Greta" and the Disney television series "Shake It Up!"

In addition to "My Year of Silence" the actress has also been workshopping the role of Alice from the script "Positively Height Street," and she is a possible candidate for the role in the film.

"Positively Height Street" will be one of the next big film project for award-winning filmmaker Paul Warner who is best known for the films "Portraits in Dramatic Time," "Disarray," and "Beyond the Pale," and received the Golden Hugo Award from the Chicago International Film Festival for his film "In the Name of the Father."

"I am very, very excited to continue my work with Paul Warner. He has been directing and producing for years and I work with him very well, I believe he has helped me get to where I am today in the industry with everything that he has taught me just from being on set with him in the early days," says McLaren. "I absolutely love the writing in this script, and I feel that I really connect with this character, so I would be thrilled to get the chance to play her on the screen."

Appropriately set in San Francisco, "Positively Height Street" was written by Oscar Award winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects," "Edge of Tommorow"), and is grossly centered on two drug addicted young lovers.



Press release courtesy of Online PR Media: http://bit.ly/1OjLGd0

Portia Leigh
Q27 Media
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