James Litchfield, seen here with lead actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey, said working in Cooma was a “lovely privilege”. Photo: Supplied.
Creatives often bring their own passions to their work, and one Monaro-raised filmmaker has taken it a step further.
James Litchfield brought a taste of home to his debut feature film, Alphabet Lane.
He wrote and directed the film, which had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2025.
But it has a strong connection to southern Australia – it was filmed on his family’s property and in nearby Cooma.
“It definitely gives a certain energy and gives the production a certain energy that you might not have otherwise,” James said.
“When you grow up somewhere, you have a lot of feelings and ideas that come just from your experience growing up there.”
While screenings are being held around Australia, a Q&A tour will be held in southern NSW and the ACT next month.
“It’s been quite nice hearing really specific anecdotes from people who relate to something [in the film],” James said.
“Some people find it really funny and some people find it really sad and some people find it a bit of both.”
Without spoiling the plot twists, Alphabet Lane follows a couple’s move to a new home in the NSW Monaro region.
Things take a turn when their lies about imaginary friends get away from them.
“We really wanted to make something that was open, in the sense that it could sustain multiple interpretations.”
The theme of change was explored through personal experience.
“I wrote it at a time when a lot of my friends were, in some cases, moving to the country or just moving overseas,” he said.
“They were starting new jobs or starting families. I was thinking quite a lot about people changing a situation and how they were adapting to their new situations.”
James said it took about three and a half weeks to film, but it was a longer process to develop the movie.
“I started writing a film a few years ago, and really got into it after I’d been to film school.
“I showed the script relatively early to a couple of people, including my producer Lucinda Reynolds, and we decided that we wanted to make something very performance driven and also on the Monaro.”
He said filming in and around Cooma was an easy decision.
“We had a window where they [lead actors Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Nicholas Denton] could do it. We then just got a group of up-and-coming heads of department who were at the right time in their careers to take on a feature film like this.”
James describes Alphabet Lane as “quite a fantastical story”. Photo: Supplied.
James said locals also contributed to the project.
“It’s a lovely privilege to be able to do something in your hometown, and everyone was very supportive,” he said.
“We had quite a few actors – well, locals who play some roles in the film – which was really, really nice.”
Alphabet Lane is the second recent film to showcase regional NSW, after Netflix’s blockbuster Apex.
That movie was filmed at Ginninderra Falls and the small town of Bowning in the Yass Valley in February 2025.
Filming in regional NSW is something James is always open to.
He said the natural landscape was not just beautiful to look at, it could be another tool in a filmmaker’s arsenal.
“It’s such a good place to film because it’s beautiful and it’s also harsh and difficult to be in, in a way.
“It has something common with other landscapes like that, whether it’s mountains or deserts. … It can create a very interesting airdrop for any sort of drama.”
The Q&A tour in southern Australia will be held between 12 and 21 June, with sessions at venues in Cooma, Tathra, Yass, Tumut, Jindabyne, Canberra and Narooma.
