Veteran Australian film executive Joel Pearlman is to step down as CEO of Roadshow Films after 30 years with the Village Roadshow organisation.
During his tenure, the well-known executive oversaw the leading independent distributor in Australia and New Zealand as it built a diverse slate from local and global studios, licensors, and production companies including Warner Bros, Lionsgate, Village Roadshow Pictures, A24, FilmNation, Made Up Stories and Arenamedia. Highlights include launching the Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Hunger Games and Dark Knight franchises in Anz.
Pearlman was also instrumental in securing strategic partnerships for Village Roadshow, such as its investment in independent production,...
During his tenure, the well-known executive oversaw the leading independent distributor in Australia and New Zealand as it built a diverse slate from local and global studios, licensors, and production companies including Warner Bros, Lionsgate, Village Roadshow Pictures, A24, FilmNation, Made Up Stories and Arenamedia. Highlights include launching the Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Hunger Games and Dark Knight franchises in Anz.
Pearlman was also instrumental in securing strategic partnerships for Village Roadshow, such as its investment in independent production,...
- 5/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
Actors Eric Bana and Deborra-Lee Furness spoke about their experience in Australia while they filmed Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 in their new uInterview.
Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 is an Australian thriller, a sequel to the 2020 film The Dry, and based on Jane Harper’s 2017 novel Force of Nature. The movie follows five women who go on a hiking retreat where one disappears. A federal agent (Bana) arrives at the scene to help with the search leading to some explosive events.
Bana jumped in with his thoughts on what drew him to the story: “We loved the book’s premise. We thought it was a really exciting project. We have always loved the idea of these five women, so brilliantly written by Jane Harper, going on a corporate trip and getting lost. We just felt we hadn’t seen that before. We were really excited about that opportunity.
Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 is an Australian thriller, a sequel to the 2020 film The Dry, and based on Jane Harper’s 2017 novel Force of Nature. The movie follows five women who go on a hiking retreat where one disappears. A federal agent (Bana) arrives at the scene to help with the search leading to some explosive events.
Bana jumped in with his thoughts on what drew him to the story: “We loved the book’s premise. We thought it was a really exciting project. We have always loved the idea of these five women, so brilliantly written by Jane Harper, going on a corporate trip and getting lost. We just felt we hadn’t seen that before. We were really excited about that opportunity.
- 5/24/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Canadian pubcaster CBC rolled out its 40-strong title 2024-25 slate today, with shows from the stars of Baroness Von Sketch and Idris Elba included in the notables.
Also among the highlights were further details on Netflix co-produced comedy North is North and the announcement of a sitcom about hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids. The network also revealed its readying 14 local Fast channels, has its Olympic Games plans in place and is welcoming Marvel star Simu Liu to the latest season of Dragon’s Den.
On the programming front, North of North has been handed a winter 2025 premiere date. The series, which has been in the works for some time, follows Siaja (Anna Lambe) as a young Inuk mother who moves to a small Arctic town with her daughter. It comes from Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, and is for CBC, Netflix and Aptn.
Newly announced comedies are the...
Also among the highlights were further details on Netflix co-produced comedy North is North and the announcement of a sitcom about hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids. The network also revealed its readying 14 local Fast channels, has its Olympic Games plans in place and is welcoming Marvel star Simu Liu to the latest season of Dragon’s Den.
On the programming front, North of North has been handed a winter 2025 premiere date. The series, which has been in the works for some time, follows Siaja (Anna Lambe) as a young Inuk mother who moves to a small Arctic town with her daughter. It comes from Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, and is for CBC, Netflix and Aptn.
Newly announced comedies are the...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Eric Bana has been a mainstay on the big screen for decades. The Australian comedian turned dramatic actor has been in everything from Ang Lee’s Hulk to Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down, J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek, and Judd Apatow’s Funny People. Getting his big break on the Australian shows Full Frontal and the eponymous The Eric Bana Show Live, the actor hit Hollywood’s radar with his role in Chopper as the infamous criminal Mark Chopper Read. After over twenty years in the industry, Bana returned to Australia for the 2021 mystery The Dry and has now reprised the role of Aaron Falk for the sequel, Force of Nature.
Based on the novel by Jane Harper, Force of Nature picks up a year after The Dry as Aaron Falk and his partner investigate a money laundering scheme with the aid of insider Alice Russell (Anna Torv). When...
Based on the novel by Jane Harper, Force of Nature picks up a year after The Dry as Aaron Falk and his partner investigate a money laundering scheme with the aid of insider Alice Russell (Anna Torv). When...
- 5/22/2024
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. And sometimes if we’re lucky we talk to movie stars about their B-Sides!
Today we talk to the great Eric Bana about Eric Bana B-Sides on the occasion of the release of his new film, Force of Nature: The Dry 2, now available in theaters and on VOD.
Our B-Sides today include: Lucky You, Romulus, My Father, and The Secret Scripture. Bana discusses why Lucky You maybe didn’t connect with audiences in 2007, how Romulus, My Father is actually quite the A-Side in Australia, and the need to be malleable when working with somebody like director Jim Sheridan.
We also talk about Bana’s detective influences for the Aaron Falk character in The Dry films, why...
Today we talk to the great Eric Bana about Eric Bana B-Sides on the occasion of the release of his new film, Force of Nature: The Dry 2, now available in theaters and on VOD.
Our B-Sides today include: Lucky You, Romulus, My Father, and The Secret Scripture. Bana discusses why Lucky You maybe didn’t connect with audiences in 2007, how Romulus, My Father is actually quite the A-Side in Australia, and the need to be malleable when working with somebody like director Jim Sheridan.
We also talk about Bana’s detective influences for the Aaron Falk character in The Dry films, why...
- 5/16/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw Then TV Glow is looking at an estimated $195k+ on 21 screens, a great week-two expansion for the A24 film. The number is driven by a passionate fan base for the gender-bending supernatural thriller that’s been skewing very young, male and heavily LGBTQ+. Will continue a rollout in coming weeks. It’s not clear where the screen count will max out, but so far so good.
The director of We’re All Going To The World’s Fair was honored with a Breakthrough Artist award at the Coolidge Corner theater in Boston at a sold out screening with cast Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, who play queer teens coming of age in the 1990s suburbs, obsessed with a late-night sci-fi television show.
Sideshow/Janus Films’ release of Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) grossed about $102.7k on 34 screens in week 2 for a come of $165k.
The director of We’re All Going To The World’s Fair was honored with a Breakthrough Artist award at the Coolidge Corner theater in Boston at a sold out screening with cast Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, who play queer teens coming of age in the 1990s suburbs, obsessed with a late-night sci-fi television show.
Sideshow/Janus Films’ release of Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) grossed about $102.7k on 34 screens in week 2 for a come of $165k.
- 5/12/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s an indie grab bag and a fun one this weekend with the widely pummeled TIFF-premiering Poolman, (the people will decide), Jamie Foxx in comedy Not Another Church Movie, and Eric Bana’s Force of Nature: The Dry 2 sequel. Mubi and Strand Releasing are testing the market with limited openings Gasoline Rainbow and A Prince. A24 begins a slow rollout of I Saw The TV Glow.
The widest release on 1,180+ screens is Briarcliff’s Not Another Church Movie directed by Johnny Mack, starring Jamie Foxx, Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Daniels and Mickey Rourke. Daniels is Taylor Pherry (silent p), an ambitious young man on a holy mission from God (Foxx) — to tell his family’s stories and inspire his community. But the Devil (Rourke) has plans of his own.
Vertical’s Poolman at 160+ locations is Pine’s directorial debut andhe also stars as Darren, a native Angeleno who...
The widest release on 1,180+ screens is Briarcliff’s Not Another Church Movie directed by Johnny Mack, starring Jamie Foxx, Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Daniels and Mickey Rourke. Daniels is Taylor Pherry (silent p), an ambitious young man on a holy mission from God (Foxx) — to tell his family’s stories and inspire his community. But the Devil (Rourke) has plans of his own.
Vertical’s Poolman at 160+ locations is Pine’s directorial debut andhe also stars as Darren, a native Angeleno who...
- 5/10/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The arid landscape of the fictional Australian town Kiewarra lends the 2020 mystery thriller “The Dry” its name and identity. It’s the type of place filled with interpersonal tension, which frequently reflects onto a barren, sun-scorched environment itching to go up in flames.
When federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his hometown to look into the double murder-suicide supposedly perpetrated by his childhood best friend, he’s thrust back into the town’s powder-keg energy. Everyone looks at him with suspicion because they suspect he was responsible for the drowning of his high school girlfriend twenty years prior, with their resentment exacerbated by his off-the-books investigation. Adapted from Jane Harper’s procedural mystery novel by the same name, “The Dry” marinates in buried backcountry secrets and childhood trauma, both of which unfortunately never transcend their generic function or presentation on screen.
Four years later, the awkwardly titled sequel...
When federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his hometown to look into the double murder-suicide supposedly perpetrated by his childhood best friend, he’s thrust back into the town’s powder-keg energy. Everyone looks at him with suspicion because they suspect he was responsible for the drowning of his high school girlfriend twenty years prior, with their resentment exacerbated by his off-the-books investigation. Adapted from Jane Harper’s procedural mystery novel by the same name, “The Dry” marinates in buried backcountry secrets and childhood trauma, both of which unfortunately never transcend their generic function or presentation on screen.
Four years later, the awkwardly titled sequel...
- 5/10/2024
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
New to Streaming: La Chimera, Let It Be, The Last Stop in Yuma County, Kim’s Video, The Dry 2 & More
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)
While Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny perhaps garnered more press out of Cannes, another selection involving archaeologists and tomb raiders will have a longer shelf life. Alice Rohrwacher’s latest feature La Chimera ranked quite highly on our top 50 films of 2023 list for good reason. It’s a dreamy, magical odyssey in which the Italian director whisks viewers away with the kind of transportive vision she’s exuded in all her features thus far.
Where to Stream: VOD
Eileen (William Oldroyd)
Considering how many jokesters online talk about supporting women’s wrongs, Eileen should have made a billion dollars. Alas, not everyone can have impeccable taste. William Oldroyd’s character study grabs you from the first scene,...
La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)
While Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny perhaps garnered more press out of Cannes, another selection involving archaeologists and tomb raiders will have a longer shelf life. Alice Rohrwacher’s latest feature La Chimera ranked quite highly on our top 50 films of 2023 list for good reason. It’s a dreamy, magical odyssey in which the Italian director whisks viewers away with the kind of transportive vision she’s exuded in all her features thus far.
Where to Stream: VOD
Eileen (William Oldroyd)
Considering how many jokesters online talk about supporting women’s wrongs, Eileen should have made a billion dollars. Alas, not everyone can have impeccable taste. William Oldroyd’s character study grabs you from the first scene,...
- 5/10/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
If there is any justice in this world, we’ll get an Aaron Falk mystery every few years in perpetuity. Force of Nature: The Dry 2, written and directed by Robert Connolly and based on the novel by Jane Harper, offers up a brand-new case for viewers and does not require that you’ve seen its engaging predecessor (The Dry). This time the setting is the Giralang Ranges, a fictional rainforest of labyrinthine density. Along with the drastic change in scenery from the first outing (which hewed closer to an outback aesthetic tourists would expect), there’s been an expansion of production value. As Falk closes in on the identity of the killer, a violent storm closes in. This time there are more characters, more plot, and more conflicting motivations.
The plot revolves around a corporate retreat gone bad. Five women went out on a team-building hiking-camping trip. Only four came back.
The plot revolves around a corporate retreat gone bad. Five women went out on a team-building hiking-camping trip. Only four came back.
- 5/9/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Boy, Bodkin is the type of series that revels in its own self-importance. The new Netflix mystery series has a great premise, considering how popular true crime podcasts are nowadays. However, the series is a cluttered mess with so many twists and turns that it begins to take so many times. Like McGruff the Crime Dog, the plot goes around in circles instead of wrapping up the case.
The story follows Dove (The Dry’s Siobhán Cullen), an investigative journalist on the lamb, so to speak. Her editor orders her to travel to the small Irish town of Bodkin to accompany a podcast team looking for a story. The excursion may be good for Dove since she is under investigation for illegally obtaining and publishing classified government information.
Siobhán Cullen in Bodkin (2024) | Image via Netflix
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The story follows Dove (The Dry’s Siobhán Cullen), an investigative journalist on the lamb, so to speak. Her editor orders her to travel to the small Irish town of Bodkin to accompany a podcast team looking for a story. The excursion may be good for Dove since she is under investigation for illegally obtaining and publishing classified government information.
Siobhán Cullen in Bodkin (2024) | Image via Netflix
SUGGESTEDRyan Gosling Has Been Warned: Jerry Seinfeld’s SNL Joke Takes a Dig at The...
- 5/9/2024
- by M.N. Miller
- FandomWire
After getting through the reopened old wounds and fresh corpses of “The Dry” in his dusty outback hometown, Eric Bana’s Federal Agent Aaron Falk certainly deserved a change of scenery. He gets one in woodsy “Force of Nature: The Dry 2,” though naturally the second feature adapted by director Robert Connolly from Jane Harper’s print mystery series soon finds him equally knee-deep in troublesome sleuthing. This sequel to one of Australia’s biggest homegrown hits reprises much of its page-turning plottiness — as well as a straining for emotional depth that proves elusive. IFC is releasing to U.S. theaters and home formats on May 10.
Once again, and perhaps a little too neatly, a case forces Falk to revisit the tragedies of his own past. In the prior film, a childhood friend’s funeral set him to investigating its cause, an effort which soon exposed disturbing links to his...
Once again, and perhaps a little too neatly, a case forces Falk to revisit the tragedies of his own past. In the prior film, a childhood friend’s funeral set him to investigating its cause, an effort which soon exposed disturbing links to his...
- 5/9/2024
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Bodkin, Netflix’s new darkly comic mystery series about true crime podcasting, is a slow burn, not to be confused with Slow Burn, the true crime podcast briefly adapted as an Epix series.
Created by Jez Scharf, boasting the Obamas’ Higher Ground among its producers and featuring Will Forte as its most prominent star, Bodkin is a show that I felt a reasonable amount of investment in by the end. But the cumulative effect belies the fact that it’s a series that does a bunch of little things well in a low-key way, rather than doing any one thing spectacularly well.
It’s a satire without any big laughs, a puzzle without many shocking twists and a character study, but of a very muted sort. If you go in looking for big reactions to anything, you’ll be disappointed. If you look for some minor insights into our instinctive love of voyeuristic storytelling,...
Created by Jez Scharf, boasting the Obamas’ Higher Ground among its producers and featuring Will Forte as its most prominent star, Bodkin is a show that I felt a reasonable amount of investment in by the end. But the cumulative effect belies the fact that it’s a series that does a bunch of little things well in a low-key way, rather than doing any one thing spectacularly well.
It’s a satire without any big laughs, a puzzle without many shocking twists and a character study, but of a very muted sort. If you go in looking for big reactions to anything, you’ll be disappointed. If you look for some minor insights into our instinctive love of voyeuristic storytelling,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plot: Five women participate in a hiking retreat but only four come out the other side. Federal agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head into the mountains hoping to find their informant still alive.
Review: We reviewed the Australian mystery drama The Dry a couple of years ago. We enjoyed Eric Bana’s first Australian film after moving to Hollywood and found director Robert Connolly’s adaptation of Jane Harper’s novel to be refreshing. That film told the story of a federal investigator who returns home to investigate the murder of a childhood friend, which bears a distinct connection to a crime he himself was accused of decades prior. Bana and Connolly have reunited for the second novel in the Aaron Falk trilogy, Force of Nature. Carrying the subtitle that indicates it as a sequel to The Dry, Force of Nature is a substantially different story. Shifting from a...
Review: We reviewed the Australian mystery drama The Dry a couple of years ago. We enjoyed Eric Bana’s first Australian film after moving to Hollywood and found director Robert Connolly’s adaptation of Jane Harper’s novel to be refreshing. That film told the story of a federal investigator who returns home to investigate the murder of a childhood friend, which bears a distinct connection to a crime he himself was accused of decades prior. Bana and Connolly have reunited for the second novel in the Aaron Falk trilogy, Force of Nature. Carrying the subtitle that indicates it as a sequel to The Dry, Force of Nature is a substantially different story. Shifting from a...
- 5/8/2024
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
Australian writer-director Robert Connolly had a domestic hit in 2021 with The Dry, a slow-burn murder mystery built around Eric Bana’s somber performance as a pensive city cop drawn back to the remote town of his childhood in the middle of a prolonged drought. Bana returns as Aaron Falk in Force of Nature: The Dry 2, which is otherwise a sequel in name alone. The setting this time is a lush and very wet mountain rainforest, drenched by a massive thunderstorm at a key point in the narrative. That makes half the title a complete misnomer.
This is a handsomely produced, solidly acted thriller that’s certainly watchable, though the perplexing subtitle is not its only issue. Unlike its riveting predecessor, it’s absorbing but never quite gripping.
Connolly sticks to novelist Jane Harper’s template from the first book in her Aaron Falk trilogy, in which the Australian Federal Police...
This is a handsomely produced, solidly acted thriller that’s certainly watchable, though the perplexing subtitle is not its only issue. Unlike its riveting predecessor, it’s absorbing but never quite gripping.
Connolly sticks to novelist Jane Harper’s template from the first book in her Aaron Falk trilogy, in which the Australian Federal Police...
- 5/6/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TikToker-turned-actress Ruth Codd has joined the cast of Universal’s live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon.
Dean DeBlois, who co-wrote and directed the original and revered trilogy, is steering the new feature, returning as writer, director and executive producer. Dragon is currently shooting in Ireland.
Codd joins Mason Thames (The Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last of Us), who are starring as Hiccup and Astrid, the young Viking teens who befriend dragons.
Gerard Butler, who voiced Stoick the Vast, the leader of the Viking clan and Hiccup’s father, is reprising his role in the flesh. Nick Frost is playing Gobber the Belch.
The cast also includes Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper), Bronwyn James (Masters of the Air) and Harry Trevaldwyn (Ten Percent) .
Codd has been cast a Phlegma, a member of the Viking village. In the original animated movie, the character was voiced by Ashley Jensen.
Dean DeBlois, who co-wrote and directed the original and revered trilogy, is steering the new feature, returning as writer, director and executive producer. Dragon is currently shooting in Ireland.
Codd joins Mason Thames (The Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last of Us), who are starring as Hiccup and Astrid, the young Viking teens who befriend dragons.
Gerard Butler, who voiced Stoick the Vast, the leader of the Viking clan and Hiccup’s father, is reprising his role in the flesh. Nick Frost is playing Gobber the Belch.
The cast also includes Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper), Bronwyn James (Masters of the Air) and Harry Trevaldwyn (Ten Percent) .
Codd has been cast a Phlegma, a member of the Viking village. In the original animated movie, the character was voiced by Ashley Jensen.
- 3/4/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Based on Jane Harper’s bestseller, this twisty mystery follows Falk as he investigates a dodgy CEO (Richard Roxburgh) and his missing employee (Anna Torv)
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The first and perhaps most obvious point to make about Robert Connolly’s sequel to his popular and finely made mystery-thriller The Dry is that it’s not dry at all – it’s very, very wet. The director, again adapting a bestselling novel by Jane Harper, opens with shots of lush wilderness – the film is largely based in the Victorian mountain ranges – and rain-covered leaves.
The first time we see Eric Bana, back again as federal police agent Aaron Falk, he’s doing laps in a swimming pool. His fellow agent, Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie), is anxious to solve their latest case – a missing person’s investigation – as flooding might soon hit the region. It is police informant...
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The first and perhaps most obvious point to make about Robert Connolly’s sequel to his popular and finely made mystery-thriller The Dry is that it’s not dry at all – it’s very, very wet. The director, again adapting a bestselling novel by Jane Harper, opens with shots of lush wilderness – the film is largely based in the Victorian mountain ranges – and rain-covered leaves.
The first time we see Eric Bana, back again as federal police agent Aaron Falk, he’s doing laps in a swimming pool. His fellow agent, Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie), is anxious to solve their latest case – a missing person’s investigation – as flooding might soon hit the region. It is police informant...
- 2/7/2024
- by Luke Buckmaster
- The Guardian - Film News
After 'The Dry' made more than $20 million in 2021, it was perhaps inevitable the creative team would look to adapt the next book in Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk series, 'Force of Nature', for the big screen. Writer, director and producer Robert Connolly talks to If about the follow up – and hints there may be a third film yet.
The post Robert Connolly on returning to the world of Aaron Falk for ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’ and his continued belief in the big screen appeared first on If Magazine.
The post Robert Connolly on returning to the world of Aaron Falk for ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’ and his continued belief in the big screen appeared first on If Magazine.
- 2/2/2024
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Superstore star Ben Feldman will lead Australian comedy crime caper Population 11.
Lionsgate, streamer Stan and Phil Lloyd and Trent O’Donnell from No Activity producer Jungle Entertainment have teamed for the 12-part series ahead of a March 14 launch in Australia.
The series, which Jungle produces Entertainment in association with Factor 30 Films, has been quietly shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We’ve now got full cast details, a trailer (see below) and first-look images.
Based on true events, the series is based around a man, Hugo, who goes missing from a tiny outback town of only 12 residents. His son, Andy Pruden (Feldman), a suburban Ohio bank teller, has journeyed across the world to visit and is alarmed when he discovers he is missing. Andy teams with another outsider Cassie (Perry Mooney) on a quest to find his father, and the pair find themselves in increasing danger as they...
Lionsgate, streamer Stan and Phil Lloyd and Trent O’Donnell from No Activity producer Jungle Entertainment have teamed for the 12-part series ahead of a March 14 launch in Australia.
The series, which Jungle produces Entertainment in association with Factor 30 Films, has been quietly shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We’ve now got full cast details, a trailer (see below) and first-look images.
Based on true events, the series is based around a man, Hugo, who goes missing from a tiny outback town of only 12 residents. His son, Andy Pruden (Feldman), a suburban Ohio bank teller, has journeyed across the world to visit and is alarmed when he discovers he is missing. Andy teams with another outsider Cassie (Perry Mooney) on a quest to find his father, and the pair find themselves in increasing danger as they...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Hot Hosts Head For Hota
Australian actor Rebel Wilson has been named as the emcee of the 2024 edition of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards. Wilson will take to the stage on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Two days earlier, on Feb. 8, singer and actor Harry Connick Jr. will be the host of the Aacta Industry Awards. Both hosts will be joined by some of the industry’s most dynamic stars presenting at the ceremonies. And both ceremonies, presented by Foxtel Group, will be held at the Home of the Arts (Hota) on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Shorts To Features
Writer-director-actor Alice Englert, producer Jodi Matterson, director David Michôd, and producer Jamie Hilton, will be among the speakers at Flickerlab 2024 on Thursday. Pitched as a one-day journey from shorts to features, the Bondi, New South Wales-located event is backed by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Aftrs...
Australian actor Rebel Wilson has been named as the emcee of the 2024 edition of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards. Wilson will take to the stage on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Two days earlier, on Feb. 8, singer and actor Harry Connick Jr. will be the host of the Aacta Industry Awards. Both hosts will be joined by some of the industry’s most dynamic stars presenting at the ceremonies. And both ceremonies, presented by Foxtel Group, will be held at the Home of the Arts (Hota) on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Shorts To Features
Writer-director-actor Alice Englert, producer Jodi Matterson, director David Michôd, and producer Jamie Hilton, will be among the speakers at Flickerlab 2024 on Thursday. Pitched as a one-day journey from shorts to features, the Bondi, New South Wales-located event is backed by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Aftrs...
- 1/22/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Nicolas Cage is ready to show audiences he’s no Barney when it comes to joining the Dawn patrol for some heavy waves in The Surfer, a psychological thriller from Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan. The project recently wrapped production in Western Australia, with Cage taking the lead as “a man who returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the U.S. but is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates, he is brought to the edge of his sanity, and his identity is thrown into question.” (via Deadline)
Today’s image for The Surfer depicts Cage with a look of bewilderment as he stares at a bullet. With a wound across his forehead and wrinkled clothing,...
Today’s image for The Surfer depicts Cage with a look of bewilderment as he stares at a bullet. With a wound across his forehead and wrinkled clothing,...
- 12/11/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Teresa Palmer, Miranda Richardson and Danielle Macdonald and a host of other names have joined Nicole Kidman’s light-hearted Australian drama series The Last Anniversary.
The Foxtel drama for Aussie streamer Binge has gone into production in Sydney with Helen Thomson, Susan Prior, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Charlie Garber, Uli Latukefu and Jeremy Lindsay Taylor also attached to appear.
Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel, The Last Anniversary is billed as “a wickedly funny, heartfelt dramedy wrapped in a gripping mystery about family, motherhood and the women who define the generations that come after them.”
Set on the mysterious Scribbly Gum Island, where a young couple disappeared decades before,...
The Foxtel drama for Aussie streamer Binge has gone into production in Sydney with Helen Thomson, Susan Prior, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Charlie Garber, Uli Latukefu and Jeremy Lindsay Taylor also attached to appear.
Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel, The Last Anniversary is billed as “a wickedly funny, heartfelt dramedy wrapped in a gripping mystery about family, motherhood and the women who define the generations that come after them.”
Set on the mysterious Scribbly Gum Island, where a young couple disappeared decades before,...
- 11/24/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
All six episodes of the darkly comedic crime drama Obituary will be available to watch on the Hulu streaming service as of Tuesday, November 21st – and with that date just a week away, we have the trailer for the show for you to check out in the embed above.
Written by Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal) and directed by John Hayes (Dublin Murders) and Oonagh Kearney (Vardy vs. Rooney), Obituary has the following synopsis: 24-year-old Elvira Clancy is feeling a little unfulfilled, although she adores her new job writing obituaries, but when her newspaper falls on hard times and her boss cuts her salary, she finds herself being paid per obituary overnight. When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work in the town, she discovers she might have a previously untapped bloodlust!
She relishes using ever more crafty methods to kill off the town’s unpleasant residents while making them look like accidents.
Written by Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal) and directed by John Hayes (Dublin Murders) and Oonagh Kearney (Vardy vs. Rooney), Obituary has the following synopsis: 24-year-old Elvira Clancy is feeling a little unfulfilled, although she adores her new job writing obituaries, but when her newspaper falls on hard times and her boss cuts her salary, she finds herself being paid per obituary overnight. When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work in the town, she discovers she might have a previously untapped bloodlust!
She relishes using ever more crafty methods to kill off the town’s unpleasant residents while making them look like accidents.
- 11/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Primetime Emmy winning producer Bruna Papandrea is looking to sell her production company Made Up Stories per sources.
This is very early in the works with no bidders as of yet, nor if the Big Little Lies EP will maintain a stake in the next phase of the company which she co-founded with her husband Steve Hutensky and Australian producer Jodi Matterson six years ago.
One thing is for certain and that’s Papandrea is on a roll following her exit from Pacific Standard, the banner she shared with Reese Witherspoon and under which their award-winning HBO series Big Little Lies was made as well as 2x Oscar nominated feature, Wild, and the David Fincher $369M-plus grossing blockbuster, Gone Girl.
Under Made Up Stories, Papandrea was recently behind the current Prime Video miniseries, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, starring Sigourney Weaver. In addition, she made HBO’s The Undoing,...
This is very early in the works with no bidders as of yet, nor if the Big Little Lies EP will maintain a stake in the next phase of the company which she co-founded with her husband Steve Hutensky and Australian producer Jodi Matterson six years ago.
One thing is for certain and that’s Papandrea is on a roll following her exit from Pacific Standard, the banner she shared with Reese Witherspoon and under which their award-winning HBO series Big Little Lies was made as well as 2x Oscar nominated feature, Wild, and the David Fincher $369M-plus grossing blockbuster, Gone Girl.
Under Made Up Stories, Papandrea was recently behind the current Prime Video miniseries, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, starring Sigourney Weaver. In addition, she made HBO’s The Undoing,...
- 8/28/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Whenever a producer in recent times has exited their partnership with a star, quite often said producer’s output is not as robust.
It’s a different situation for Bruna Papandrea, who after peeling off from Reese Witherspoon’s Pacific Standard Production Company has been on quite a roll with such TV hits as HBO’s The Undoing, Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal and Luckiest Girl Alive, Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers and now the Prime Video limited series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart based on Holly Ringland’s novel. This is all under Papandrea’s six-year-old production banner Made Up Stories, which is devoted to female-centric stories.
On today’s Crew Call podcast, we talk with Papandrea about why she went solo with Made Up Stories, the genesis of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, and more.
Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the story of the title protagonist.
It’s a different situation for Bruna Papandrea, who after peeling off from Reese Witherspoon’s Pacific Standard Production Company has been on quite a roll with such TV hits as HBO’s The Undoing, Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal and Luckiest Girl Alive, Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers and now the Prime Video limited series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart based on Holly Ringland’s novel. This is all under Papandrea’s six-year-old production banner Made Up Stories, which is devoted to female-centric stories.
On today’s Crew Call podcast, we talk with Papandrea about why she went solo with Made Up Stories, the genesis of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, and more.
Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the story of the title protagonist.
- 8/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Force Of Nature: The Dry 2’ is understood to be a wholly Australian production, with no streamer or studio involvement.
Australian distributor Roadshow Films has postponed the August 24 local release of the highly anticipated Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 as star Eric Bana is “unable to do it justice by promoting it thoroughly” due to his membership of SAG-AFTRA and his support of its ongoing strike.
Melbourne-based Bana stars in the film and also produces through his Pick Up Truck Pictures, with writer-director Robert Connolly of Arenamedia and Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories,...
Australian distributor Roadshow Films has postponed the August 24 local release of the highly anticipated Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 as star Eric Bana is “unable to do it justice by promoting it thoroughly” due to his membership of SAG-AFTRA and his support of its ongoing strike.
Melbourne-based Bana stars in the film and also produces through his Pick Up Truck Pictures, with writer-director Robert Connolly of Arenamedia and Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
The scheduled Aug. 24 release of the Eric Bana-starring Australian thriller film “Force of Nature: The Dry 2” has been indefinitely postponed, due to the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike.
The strike is also forcing adjustments at the Melbourne International Film Festival, which starts in early August.
“It is with some regret, but a large amount of conviction that we have decided to postpone the release of ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’,” said Bana, who both stars and produces through his Pick Up Truck Pictures.
“Force of Nature: The Dry 2” is based on the bestselling novel by Jane Harper with Bana reprising his character, Aaron Falk, as a follow-on to the 2021 hit. Robert Connolly returns to direct the movie. Production is by Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories, alongside Bana and Connolly through his Arenamedia.
“I’m incredibly proud of this much anticipated...
The strike is also forcing adjustments at the Melbourne International Film Festival, which starts in early August.
“It is with some regret, but a large amount of conviction that we have decided to postpone the release of ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’,” said Bana, who both stars and produces through his Pick Up Truck Pictures.
“Force of Nature: The Dry 2” is based on the bestselling novel by Jane Harper with Bana reprising his character, Aaron Falk, as a follow-on to the 2021 hit. Robert Connolly returns to direct the movie. Production is by Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories, alongside Bana and Connolly through his Arenamedia.
“I’m incredibly proud of this much anticipated...
- 7/20/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
"None of you have been honest with me about what happened out there..." Roadshow Films in Australia has unveiled an official trailer for their crime thriller sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2, a follow-up to the hit film The Dry from a few years ago. Both of these star Eric Bana as a Federal Agent named Aaron Falk; in the first film, he unwittingly gets wrapped up in a murder mystery when he goes to visit his hometown. In this next one, five women participate in a hiking retreat but only four come out on the other side. Federal agents Falk and Cooper head into the Victorian mountains hoping to find their informant still alive. Eric Bana returns with Anna Torv, Deborra-Lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Tony Briggs, and Kenneth Radley. Another chilling crime movie / murder mystery to keep audiences hooked.
- 6/20/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Longtime IFC Films and Cinetic Media PR colleagues Laura Sok and Kate McEdwards are launching new PR and strategy firm, Track Shot.
Track Shot will be based in New York City and work across independent, foreign and genre films as well as distribution strategy. The duo brings more than two decades in the publicity and communications field as well as a deep knowledge of the distribution landscape. Sok and McEdwards have built and led hundreds of film campaigns during their careers working in-house and alongside major distributors on the agency side. Previously, they led PR efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects, IFC Films Unlimited (streaming service) and most recently Shudder and Rlje.
Their final campaign for IFC Films was Matt Johnson’s chart-topping BlackBerry. This year they also launched Kyle Edward Ball’s breakthrough feature Skinamarink for Shudder/IFC Films.
Among their many successful campaigns at IFC...
Track Shot will be based in New York City and work across independent, foreign and genre films as well as distribution strategy. The duo brings more than two decades in the publicity and communications field as well as a deep knowledge of the distribution landscape. Sok and McEdwards have built and led hundreds of film campaigns during their careers working in-house and alongside major distributors on the agency side. Previously, they led PR efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects, IFC Films Unlimited (streaming service) and most recently Shudder and Rlje.
Their final campaign for IFC Films was Matt Johnson’s chart-topping BlackBerry. This year they also launched Kyle Edward Ball’s breakthrough feature Skinamarink for Shudder/IFC Films.
Among their many successful campaigns at IFC...
- 6/13/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Cage has been set to lead the cast in the new psychological thriller ‘The Surfer.’
Cage takes on the role of a man who returns to his hometown in Australia and takes on a local gang of surfers.
The synopsis reads; When a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay. But as the conflict escalates, the stakes spin wildly out of control, taking “The Surfer” to the edge of his sanity.
Also in news – Aimee Lou Wood & Matt Dillon join cast of ‘The Gambler Wife’
Lorcan Finnegan is directing from a screenplay by Thomas Martin.
Cage takes on the role of a man who returns to his hometown in Australia and takes on a local gang of surfers.
The synopsis reads; When a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay. But as the conflict escalates, the stakes spin wildly out of control, taking “The Surfer” to the edge of his sanity.
Also in news – Aimee Lou Wood & Matt Dillon join cast of ‘The Gambler Wife’
Lorcan Finnegan is directing from a screenplay by Thomas Martin.
- 5/19/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Cage is hitting the beach!
Having recently saddled up for his first Western, Nicolas Cage looks set to ride some waves for the first time on screen, having been cast to lead elevated psychological thriller The Surfer from director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, Nocebo) and screenwriter Thomas Martin.
Mossbank, the partnership between Sculptor Media and Raven and headed by Michael Rothstein and Sam Hall, is handling international sales and introducing The Surfer to buyers at the Cannes Market. Domestic sales will be repped by WME Independent.
In The Surfer, when a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay.
Having recently saddled up for his first Western, Nicolas Cage looks set to ride some waves for the first time on screen, having been cast to lead elevated psychological thriller The Surfer from director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, Nocebo) and screenwriter Thomas Martin.
Mossbank, the partnership between Sculptor Media and Raven and headed by Michael Rothstein and Sam Hall, is handling international sales and introducing The Surfer to buyers at the Cannes Market. Domestic sales will be repped by WME Independent.
In The Surfer, when a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay.
- 5/18/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, will release the horror film Children Of The Corn on DVD and BluRay on May 9, 2023. The DVD will be available for an Srp of $27.97 and the BluRay will be available for an Srp of $28.96.
Directed and written by Kurt Wimmer (Ultraviolet), Children Of The Corn stars Elena Kampouris (Before I Fall), Kate Moyer (“Station Eleven”), Callan Mulvey (Till Death) and Bruce Spence (The Dry).
In Children Of The Corn, twelve-year-old Eden, possessed by a spirit in a dying cornfield, recruits the other children in her small town to rise up and take control. Tired of having to pay the price for their parents’ mistakes, Eden leads the kids on a bloody rampage, killing the adults and anyone who opposes her. With all the adults jailed or dead, it comes down to one high schooler who won’t go along with the plan...
Directed and written by Kurt Wimmer (Ultraviolet), Children Of The Corn stars Elena Kampouris (Before I Fall), Kate Moyer (“Station Eleven”), Callan Mulvey (Till Death) and Bruce Spence (The Dry).
In Children Of The Corn, twelve-year-old Eden, possessed by a spirit in a dying cornfield, recruits the other children in her small town to rise up and take control. Tired of having to pay the price for their parents’ mistakes, Eden leads the kids on a bloody rampage, killing the adults and anyone who opposes her. With all the adults jailed or dead, it comes down to one high schooler who won’t go along with the plan...
- 5/10/2023
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Paul Mescal and Sharon Horgan were among the winners at the Irish Film and Television Awards.
Despite Colin Farrell losing out the best actor award to Mescal, “The Banshees of Inisherin” beat out competitors to win best film. In the international category “All Quiet on the Western Front” took home the top award on Sunday night.
Read on for the full list of winners.
Film Categories
Best Film
“Aisha”
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Winner
“God’s Creatures”
“Lakelands”
“Róise & Frank”
“The Wonder”
Director – Film
“Aisha” – Frank Berry – Winner
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Martin McDonagh
“It Is In Us All” – Antonia Campbell Hughes
“Joyride” – Emer Reynolds
“Let the Wrong One In” – Conor McMahon
“Róise & Frank” – Rachael Moriarty & Peter Murphy
Script – Film
“Aisha” – Frank Berry – Winner
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Martin McDonagh
“God’s Creatures” – Shane Crowley
“Joyride” – Ailbhe Keogan
“Let the Wrong One In” – Conor McMahon
“Róise & Frank” – Rachael Moriarty,...
Despite Colin Farrell losing out the best actor award to Mescal, “The Banshees of Inisherin” beat out competitors to win best film. In the international category “All Quiet on the Western Front” took home the top award on Sunday night.
Read on for the full list of winners.
Film Categories
Best Film
“Aisha”
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Winner
“God’s Creatures”
“Lakelands”
“Róise & Frank”
“The Wonder”
Director – Film
“Aisha” – Frank Berry – Winner
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Martin McDonagh
“It Is In Us All” – Antonia Campbell Hughes
“Joyride” – Emer Reynolds
“Let the Wrong One In” – Conor McMahon
“Róise & Frank” – Rachael Moriarty & Peter Murphy
Script – Film
“Aisha” – Frank Berry – Winner
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Martin McDonagh
“God’s Creatures” – Shane Crowley
“Joyride” – Ailbhe Keogan
“Let the Wrong One In” – Conor McMahon
“Róise & Frank” – Rachael Moriarty,...
- 5/9/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Apple’s comedy series Bad Sisters and Martin McDonagh’s latest feature, The Banshees of Inisherin, took the top honors at this year’s Irish Film & TV Awards (IFTAs). Scroll down for the complete list of winners.
Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters was the biggest winner on the eve, taking four gongs, including Best Drama plus Best Director Drama for Dearbhla Walsh and Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama for Ann Marie Duff. Banshees clocked three wins: the coveted Best Film award alongside Actor in a Supporting Role – Film was awarded to Brendan Gleeson.
Elsewhere, Paul Mescal clocked his first IFTAs win in the Best Actor category for his leading performance in Charlotte Wells’ acclaimed debut Aftersun and filmmaker Frank Berry won two awards on the night, Best Director and Best Script Award for his refugee drama Aisha, starring Letitia Wright.
Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front...
Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters was the biggest winner on the eve, taking four gongs, including Best Drama plus Best Director Drama for Dearbhla Walsh and Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama for Ann Marie Duff. Banshees clocked three wins: the coveted Best Film award alongside Actor in a Supporting Role – Film was awarded to Brendan Gleeson.
Elsewhere, Paul Mescal clocked his first IFTAs win in the Best Actor category for his leading performance in Charlotte Wells’ acclaimed debut Aftersun and filmmaker Frank Berry won two awards on the night, Best Director and Best Script Award for his refugee drama Aisha, starring Letitia Wright.
Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front...
- 5/8/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Ivan Sen’s transfixing detective story takes its title from a remote, fictional opal mining town in the South Australian desert, surrounded by a ravaged landscape of craters and dirt mounds that evokes some barren, faraway planet in the stunning drone shots that punctate the film. The bone-dry, pockmarked earth, where many locals live in underground dugouts to escape the extreme heat and dust clouds, provides a bracingly atmospheric setting for this distinctive cold-case procedural. Led by an almost unrecognizable Simon Baker as a jaded cop, Limbo weaves in themes of racial inequity, broken individuals and fractured families to build quiet potency.
Indigenous Australian filmmaker Sen used the genre tropes of the Western to reflect on Aboriginal identity and the uneasy relationship of First Nations people to the country’s justice system in Mystery Road and Goldstone. In Limbo, he veers closer to noir in a film that has similarities...
Indigenous Australian filmmaker Sen used the genre tropes of the Western to reflect on Aboriginal identity and the uneasy relationship of First Nations people to the country’s justice system in Mystery Road and Goldstone. In Limbo, he veers closer to noir in a film that has similarities...
- 2/23/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"The only way to make sure he's safe, is to keep him secret." Quiver Distribution has revealed an official US trailer for the Australian eco drama Blueback, now set to open in theaters (nationwide!!) in March in the US. The film originally premiered at TIFF 2022 last fall, and already opened in Australia earlier in the year. Most recently it just played at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival last monh. An inspiring story for the whole family, Tim Winton's best-selling novel comes to life on the big screen. The latest film from The Dry director Robert Connolly, starring Mia Wasikowska. The story follows Abby, a young girl who initially befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while diving. When she's older, Abby realizes that the fish is under threat, and she takes inspiration from her activist Mum, Dora, taking on the poachers to save her friend. The film also stars Radha Mitchell,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Following on the heels of international hit “The Dry,” veteran Australian director Robert Connelly has tackled another local literary adaptation in “Blueback,” based on his celebrated compatriot Tim Winton’s 1997 novella. That slender tome (subtitled “A Contemporary Fable”) was aimed primarily at younger readers. The film adopts a somewhat more grownup, realistic, less parabolic tenor, though its ecology-minded narrative remains a bit sketchy for feature treatment — resulting in a pleasant, very handsome-looking movie rather short on dramatic impact.
Nonetheless, it’s got more than enough significant plusses to offer, from an appealing cast led by Mia Wasikowska and Radha Mitchell to much spectacularly inviting underwater photography. Having already played a few other fests in advance of its Sundance showcase (and opened commercially in a few territories), it is slated for U.S. theatrical release by Quiver Distribution on Feb. 24, with VOD following April 21.
Abby Jackson (Wasikowska) is a marine biologist working on a seafaring lab,...
Nonetheless, it’s got more than enough significant plusses to offer, from an appealing cast led by Mia Wasikowska and Radha Mitchell to much spectacularly inviting underwater photography. Having already played a few other fests in advance of its Sundance showcase (and opened commercially in a few territories), it is slated for U.S. theatrical release by Quiver Distribution on Feb. 24, with VOD following April 21.
Abby Jackson (Wasikowska) is a marine biologist working on a seafaring lab,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Distribution
BFI Distribution has acquired from A24 2022 Cannes title “God’s Creatures,” starring Emily Watson, Paul Mescal and Aisling Franciosi, for U.K. theatrical release, and is partnering with independent Irish distributor Volta Pictures, who have acquired the film for Ireland. Volta will release the film in Ireland on March 24 and and BFI Distribution in the U.K. on March 31.
Directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, the film is set in a windswept fishing village on the coast of Ireland, where a mother is torn between protecting her beloved son and her own sense of right and wrong. A lie she tells for him rips apart their family and close-knit community. Shane Crowley wrote the screenplay based on a story he co-wrote with Cronin O’Reilly.
The Nine Daughters production by Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly was developed with the support of Screen Ireland, BBC Film and A24. It was co-financed by A24, BBC Film,...
BFI Distribution has acquired from A24 2022 Cannes title “God’s Creatures,” starring Emily Watson, Paul Mescal and Aisling Franciosi, for U.K. theatrical release, and is partnering with independent Irish distributor Volta Pictures, who have acquired the film for Ireland. Volta will release the film in Ireland on March 24 and and BFI Distribution in the U.K. on March 31.
Directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, the film is set in a windswept fishing village on the coast of Ireland, where a mother is torn between protecting her beloved son and her own sense of right and wrong. A lie she tells for him rips apart their family and close-knit community. Shane Crowley wrote the screenplay based on a story he co-wrote with Cronin O’Reilly.
The Nine Daughters production by Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly was developed with the support of Screen Ireland, BBC Film and A24. It was co-financed by A24, BBC Film,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Greta Scacchi, daughter Leila George and Sam Corlett will next week start production on “He Ain’t Heavy” a West Australia-set drama by first time feature director David Vincent Smith.
Inspired by true events, “He Ain’t Heavy” follows a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction.
George is a fast-rising star. With credits already including “Animal Kingdom,” “The Kid” and “Mortal Engines,” she is now coming off the back of Patricia Arquette’s upcoming directorial debut “Gonzo Girl” and recently starred alongside Cate Blanchett, Kevin Klein and Lesley Manville in Alfonso Cuaron’s new thriller “Disclaimer” for Apple TV. She is the central figure in “He Ain’t Heavy” playing daughter to Scacchi’s character and sister to Corlett’s.
Corlett assumes the role of Max, a troubled son and brother at the centre of the tense family drama. He can be seen in...
Inspired by true events, “He Ain’t Heavy” follows a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction.
George is a fast-rising star. With credits already including “Animal Kingdom,” “The Kid” and “Mortal Engines,” she is now coming off the back of Patricia Arquette’s upcoming directorial debut “Gonzo Girl” and recently starred alongside Cate Blanchett, Kevin Klein and Lesley Manville in Alfonso Cuaron’s new thriller “Disclaimer” for Apple TV. She is the central figure in “He Ain’t Heavy” playing daughter to Scacchi’s character and sister to Corlett’s.
Corlett assumes the role of Max, a troubled son and brother at the centre of the tense family drama. He can be seen in...
- 1/16/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
This article has spoilers for Vikings: Valhalla season 1
Netflix’s Vikings spinoff Vikings: Valhalla is returning for a second season, continuing the story of Leif Eriksson, Freydis Eriksdotter, and their allies and enemies across the North. Netflix’s synopsis for season 2 states that this season “finds our heroes shortly after the tragic fall of Kattegat; an event that has shattered their dreams and altered their destinies. Finding themselves suddenly fugitives in Scandinavia they are forced to test their ambitions and courage in worlds beyond the fjords of Kattegat.”
This viking epic will see the return of several characters from the first season, as well as a few newcomers. Here are the new and returning actors for Vikings: Valhalla season 2.
Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson
Based on the historical figure of the same name, Leif Eriksson is a Viking warrior, fearless sailor, and loyal to his family. After losing his love,...
Netflix’s Vikings spinoff Vikings: Valhalla is returning for a second season, continuing the story of Leif Eriksson, Freydis Eriksdotter, and their allies and enemies across the North. Netflix’s synopsis for season 2 states that this season “finds our heroes shortly after the tragic fall of Kattegat; an event that has shattered their dreams and altered their destinies. Finding themselves suddenly fugitives in Scandinavia they are forced to test their ambitions and courage in worlds beyond the fjords of Kattegat.”
This viking epic will see the return of several characters from the first season, as well as a few newcomers. Here are the new and returning actors for Vikings: Valhalla season 2.
Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson
Based on the historical figure of the same name, Leif Eriksson is a Viking warrior, fearless sailor, and loyal to his family. After losing his love,...
- 1/12/2023
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
We’re set to be spoiled this year, with a new Aaron Falk mystery, a Wiggles documentary and … a Pete Davidson comedy directed by Animal Kingdom’s David Michôd?
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What do Eric Bana, the Wiggles and a child-stealing spirit have in common? They’re all teaming up to star in a new musical comedy from the director of The Dry! Just kidding. But they are all in Australian films set to come out later this year, both in cinemas and on streaming platforms. Here are 10 to look out for.
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What do Eric Bana, the Wiggles and a child-stealing spirit have in common? They’re all teaming up to star in a new musical comedy from the director of The Dry! Just kidding. But they are all in Australian films set to come out later this year, both in cinemas and on streaming platforms. Here are 10 to look out for.
- 1/10/2023
- by Luke Buckmaster
- The Guardian - Film News
Click here to read the full article.
Element Pictures, the Irish banner behind the Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning hit adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, has landed another buzzy coming-of-age novel from a fast-rising young author.
Following what has been described as a hotly-contested auction, the production company — in which Fremantle took a majority stake earlier in the year — has acquired the film and TV rights to Nicola Dinan’s debut novel Bellies ahead of its publication in the U.S. and U.K. next summer. Element, which also produced the adaptations of Rooney’s Conversations with Friends and Nancy Harris’ The Dry, is working with Dinan to turn the novel into an eight-part series.
Moving from London to Kuala Lumpur, New York to Cologne, Bellies follows two queer students, Tom and Ming, who fall in love at university and find their relationship dramatically upended when Ming comes out as trans and decides to transition.
Element Pictures, the Irish banner behind the Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning hit adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, has landed another buzzy coming-of-age novel from a fast-rising young author.
Following what has been described as a hotly-contested auction, the production company — in which Fremantle took a majority stake earlier in the year — has acquired the film and TV rights to Nicola Dinan’s debut novel Bellies ahead of its publication in the U.S. and U.K. next summer. Element, which also produced the adaptations of Rooney’s Conversations with Friends and Nancy Harris’ The Dry, is working with Dinan to turn the novel into an eight-part series.
Moving from London to Kuala Lumpur, New York to Cologne, Bellies follows two queer students, Tom and Ming, who fall in love at university and find their relationship dramatically upended when Ming comes out as trans and decides to transition.
- 12/13/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ITV Studios has secured sales and pre-sales deals for more than 1,000 hours of content across its catalog of scripted and non-scripted content, ahead of the Asia TV Forum and Market.
“Nolly,” the three-part drama from BAFTA-winning writer Russell T. Davies and produced by Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions, has been acquired by Pumpkin Film in China, Now TV in Hong Kong and Tvnz in New Zealand. Tvnz has has also licensed relationship drama “You & Me,” teen drama “Tell Me Everything,” “The Walk-In,” “The Dry,” “Tom Jones,” season two of “The Tower” and season 4 of “The Bay.”
In Japan, Tfc/Star Channel has licensed World Productions’ International Emmy award-winning “Vigil.” Cineplex in Thailand for TrueVisions has also acquired “Vigil,” along with season 3 of Tall Story Pictures’ “The Bay” and celebrated comedy series “Schitt’s Creek.”
In India, four-part drama “Litvinenko,” starring David Tennant, has been acquired by Viacom18, with Tvod rights going to BookMyShow Stream.
“Nolly,” the three-part drama from BAFTA-winning writer Russell T. Davies and produced by Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions, has been acquired by Pumpkin Film in China, Now TV in Hong Kong and Tvnz in New Zealand. Tvnz has has also licensed relationship drama “You & Me,” teen drama “Tell Me Everything,” “The Walk-In,” “The Dry,” “Tom Jones,” season two of “The Tower” and season 4 of “The Bay.”
In Japan, Tfc/Star Channel has licensed World Productions’ International Emmy award-winning “Vigil.” Cineplex in Thailand for TrueVisions has also acquired “Vigil,” along with season 3 of Tall Story Pictures’ “The Bay” and celebrated comedy series “Schitt’s Creek.”
In India, four-part drama “Litvinenko,” starring David Tennant, has been acquired by Viacom18, with Tvod rights going to BookMyShow Stream.
- 12/8/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking with Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky, Jeanne Snow and Sarah Harvey from Made Up Stories. The company is behind TV hits such as The Undoing, Anatomy of a Scandal, Pieces of Her and Netflix’s recent feature hit Luckiest Girl Alive. We talk with Papandrea and her team about growth in the UK and Europe and their continued ambition to champion unique female-led stories.
It’s been six years since Bruna Papandrea founded her production banner Made Up Stories with her husband Steve Hutensky and Australian producer Jodi Matterson and, in that brief time, the company has steadily produced a slate of television and film hits that has earned the indie a reputation for being one...
It’s been six years since Bruna Papandrea founded her production banner Made Up Stories with her husband Steve Hutensky and Australian producer Jodi Matterson and, in that brief time, the company has steadily produced a slate of television and film hits that has earned the indie a reputation for being one...
- 12/7/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories and Fifth Season have optioned the rights to Hayley Krischer’s young adult novel The Falling Girls for television. Chloe Stearns and John Wynn are set to write the series.
Set against the backdrop of a high school cheerleading squad, The Falling Girls is a thriller about the dark, intense and all-consuming paths female friendships can take.
Made Up Stories’ Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky and Papandrea will exec produce in partnership with Fifth Season.
“We got so excited at the prospect of delving into this world of teenage girl conflict because Hayley has created a mystery at the center of this story that makes it irresistible,” said Made Up Stories execs. “With Chloe and John at the helm, this show is going to take the drama – that we all remember so well from high school and which so often felt like a life...
Set against the backdrop of a high school cheerleading squad, The Falling Girls is a thriller about the dark, intense and all-consuming paths female friendships can take.
Made Up Stories’ Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky and Papandrea will exec produce in partnership with Fifth Season.
“We got so excited at the prospect of delving into this world of teenage girl conflict because Hayley has created a mystery at the center of this story that makes it irresistible,” said Made Up Stories execs. “With Chloe and John at the helm, this show is going to take the drama – that we all remember so well from high school and which so often felt like a life...
- 11/21/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Universal Pictures has snapped up rights to This Bird Has Flown, the upcoming debut novel from The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, who will adapt her own work for the screen.
Liza Chasin and Bruna Papandrea — who recently partnered for the first time on the Netflix limited series Anatomy of a Scandal, based on Sarah Vaughan’s same-name novel — will reteam to produce the film adaptation for 3Dot Productions and Made Up Stories, respectively.
Set for publication via Little, Brown and Company on April 4, 2023, This Bird Has Flown is billed as a romantic comedy pulling back the curtain on the music business via the introduction of a very endearing character and her equally charming cohort.
Steve Hutensky and Sarah Harvey on behalf of Made Up Stories and Margaret Chernin on behalf...
Liza Chasin and Bruna Papandrea — who recently partnered for the first time on the Netflix limited series Anatomy of a Scandal, based on Sarah Vaughan’s same-name novel — will reteam to produce the film adaptation for 3Dot Productions and Made Up Stories, respectively.
Set for publication via Little, Brown and Company on April 4, 2023, This Bird Has Flown is billed as a romantic comedy pulling back the curtain on the music business via the introduction of a very endearing character and her equally charming cohort.
Steve Hutensky and Sarah Harvey on behalf of Made Up Stories and Margaret Chernin on behalf...
- 11/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The final two months of every year are a great time to catch up on horror movies that were released throughout the year, as there typically aren’t all that many new releases coming along at this point in time. Halloween is now behind us and things are slowing down a bit on the horror front for the holidays, but each new week still brings new releases along with it.
This week, 5 brand new horror movies will be available at home…
Here’s all the new horror releasing November 8, 2022 – November 13, 2022!
First up, the Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox streaming service is serving up another slice of gross-out indie horror this week with All Jacked Up and Full of Worms.
Alex Phillips’s psychedelic freak-out is now streaming on Screambox!
In the film, “Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) is always searching for his latest fix. When he...
This week, 5 brand new horror movies will be available at home…
Here’s all the new horror releasing November 8, 2022 – November 13, 2022!
First up, the Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox streaming service is serving up another slice of gross-out indie horror this week with All Jacked Up and Full of Worms.
Alex Phillips’s psychedelic freak-out is now streaming on Screambox!
In the film, “Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) is always searching for his latest fix. When he...
- 11/8/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Apc Studios UK and Irish independent production company Tua Films (aka Magamedia) are co-producing Irish dark comedy-crime drama Obituary exclusively in the U.S. for streaming service Hulu, with RTÉ in Ireland pre-buying the series.
Irish TV and theatre actress Siobhán Cullen, whose recent credits include family comedy-drama The Dry and crime drama The Long Call, stars as Elvira Clancy, an obituarist working at a small-town newspaper, who suddenly finds herself being paid by the obituary due to cuts.
When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work, she discovers she might have an untapped bloodlust, and sets her sights on other unpleasant residents of the town. Her killing spree hits a potential snag when the paper hires an attractive crime correspondent.
The six-part series is written by Irish scriptwriter Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal), directed by John Hayes and produced by Nell Green.
Apc Studios’ Laurent Boissel and Magamedia’s Paddy Hayes are executive producers of the series which is being made in association with Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland, Bai and The Wrap Fund.
“It has been a blast pitching this wonderful high-concept drama to various funders and broadcast partners over the past few years — an obituarist who resorts to murder to stay in a job,” they said in a joint statement.
“We’re genuinely thrilled that Hulu and Rte are already on board and it’s super exciting to be bringing it into production now in the West of Ireland,” said Boissel and Hayes.
Obituary goes into production in Ireland in 2023 and will exclusively premiere on Hulu in the U.S. later that year.
It marks the latest Irish drama series to attract U.S. investment, coming after Lionsgate boarded TG4 and Streamz drama series Northern Lights, as Deadline revealed at the time.
Cullen is currently filming Bodkin for Netflix, following a critically acclaimed run alongside Ralph Fiennes in Straight Line Crazy at The Bridge Theatre.
Paris-based independent production and distribution company Apc Studios is headed by Emmanuelle Guilbart and Boissel. Its Apc Studios UK recently produced Wolf for the BBC in co-production with Hartswood Films and The Light in the Hall with Duchess Productions and Triongl for S4C, Channel 4 and Sundance Now.
Galway-based Tua has over 20 years’ experience in the Irish entertainment industry, with recent credits including Irish Oscar entry Foscadh and TV drama winning Corp + Anam starring Maria Doyle Kennedy and the teen musical comedy-drama Eipic.
Irish TV and theatre actress Siobhán Cullen, whose recent credits include family comedy-drama The Dry and crime drama The Long Call, stars as Elvira Clancy, an obituarist working at a small-town newspaper, who suddenly finds herself being paid by the obituary due to cuts.
When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work, she discovers she might have an untapped bloodlust, and sets her sights on other unpleasant residents of the town. Her killing spree hits a potential snag when the paper hires an attractive crime correspondent.
The six-part series is written by Irish scriptwriter Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal), directed by John Hayes and produced by Nell Green.
Apc Studios’ Laurent Boissel and Magamedia’s Paddy Hayes are executive producers of the series which is being made in association with Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland, Bai and The Wrap Fund.
“It has been a blast pitching this wonderful high-concept drama to various funders and broadcast partners over the past few years — an obituarist who resorts to murder to stay in a job,” they said in a joint statement.
“We’re genuinely thrilled that Hulu and Rte are already on board and it’s super exciting to be bringing it into production now in the West of Ireland,” said Boissel and Hayes.
Obituary goes into production in Ireland in 2023 and will exclusively premiere on Hulu in the U.S. later that year.
It marks the latest Irish drama series to attract U.S. investment, coming after Lionsgate boarded TG4 and Streamz drama series Northern Lights, as Deadline revealed at the time.
Cullen is currently filming Bodkin for Netflix, following a critically acclaimed run alongside Ralph Fiennes in Straight Line Crazy at The Bridge Theatre.
Paris-based independent production and distribution company Apc Studios is headed by Emmanuelle Guilbart and Boissel. Its Apc Studios UK recently produced Wolf for the BBC in co-production with Hartswood Films and The Light in the Hall with Duchess Productions and Triongl for S4C, Channel 4 and Sundance Now.
Galway-based Tua has over 20 years’ experience in the Irish entertainment industry, with recent credits including Irish Oscar entry Foscadh and TV drama winning Corp + Anam starring Maria Doyle Kennedy and the teen musical comedy-drama Eipic.
- 11/7/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Literary manager Jerry Kalajian, a partner at Intellectual Property Group, has died aged 68.
Kalajian was responsible for a number of film and TV adaptations of books including Life of Pi, Big Little Lies, The Dry and The Book Thief. He died of cancer at Scripps Mercy Hospital.
Kalajian was an agent, manager, and producer and represented a number of preeminent producers, directors, literary talent, and screenwriters.
Born in the Detroit area, Kalajian moved to Los Angeles in 1974, working as a waiter before earning his first position at the Diamond Talent Agency with Abby Greshler. He then went on to become a talent agent at Herb Tobias & Associates and APA/Agency for the Performing Arts. After APA, Jerry formed a partnership and new literary agency, Becsey, Wisdom, Kalajian. Then, Jerry, Larry Becsey, and Joel Gotler joined forces to do business as Intellectual Property Group and have worked together for 20 years under that banner,...
Kalajian was responsible for a number of film and TV adaptations of books including Life of Pi, Big Little Lies, The Dry and The Book Thief. He died of cancer at Scripps Mercy Hospital.
Kalajian was an agent, manager, and producer and represented a number of preeminent producers, directors, literary talent, and screenwriters.
Born in the Detroit area, Kalajian moved to Los Angeles in 1974, working as a waiter before earning his first position at the Diamond Talent Agency with Abby Greshler. He then went on to become a talent agent at Herb Tobias & Associates and APA/Agency for the Performing Arts. After APA, Jerry formed a partnership and new literary agency, Becsey, Wisdom, Kalajian. Then, Jerry, Larry Becsey, and Joel Gotler joined forces to do business as Intellectual Property Group and have worked together for 20 years under that banner,...
- 10/13/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Loving books by and about women has created an extraordinary career for producer Bruna Papandrea, one that includes “Wild,” “Gone Girl,” the Emmy-winning “Big Little Lies,” “The Nightingale,” “The Dry,” “The Undoing,” and “Roar.” Her production company, Made Up Stories, just opened a UK outpost run by Sarah Harvey, which joins offices in Los Angeles and Sydney, in her native Australia.
What none of those offices have, she told IndieWire, are book scouts. Had she used scouts, she said, “I probably would’ve missed ‘Wild’ because [the report] would’ve said, ‘a woman hikes 1,200 miles after the death of the mother’ and I don’t think I would’ve read it.”
Papandrea’s latest production is the long-gestating “Luckiest Girl Alive,” the Netflix adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s bestselling novel of the same name. It stars Mila Kunis as the eponymous “girl,” now the adult survivor of a high school shooting who...
What none of those offices have, she told IndieWire, are book scouts. Had she used scouts, she said, “I probably would’ve missed ‘Wild’ because [the report] would’ve said, ‘a woman hikes 1,200 miles after the death of the mother’ and I don’t think I would’ve read it.”
Papandrea’s latest production is the long-gestating “Luckiest Girl Alive,” the Netflix adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s bestselling novel of the same name. It stars Mila Kunis as the eponymous “girl,” now the adult survivor of a high school shooting who...
- 10/7/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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