Exclusive: Coming off her SXSW US feature debut, and TIFF 2023 world premiere, The Queen of My Dreams, Fawzia Mirza has signed on to direct the Australian feature film, Written in the Stars.
Penned by and starring Menik Gooneratne, Written in the Stars is an adaptation of the bestselling novel The Wedding Season by Su Dharmapala. Set in and around the Sri Lankan diaspora in Melbourne, the film centers on a woman (Gooneratne) who, when modern dating attempts fail, turns to Vedic Astrology and horoscope matching in the hopes of finding her true love.
Gooneratne’s screenplay received industry attention after making the 2021 Cape x Blacklist. The actor is best known for her work on the Peter Jackson sci-fi epic Mortal Engines and Oscar nominated Lion.
“Written in the Stars is a love letter to my hometown and community, and I am thrilled to have someone who brings such vibrancy and...
Penned by and starring Menik Gooneratne, Written in the Stars is an adaptation of the bestselling novel The Wedding Season by Su Dharmapala. Set in and around the Sri Lankan diaspora in Melbourne, the film centers on a woman (Gooneratne) who, when modern dating attempts fail, turns to Vedic Astrology and horoscope matching in the hopes of finding her true love.
Gooneratne’s screenplay received industry attention after making the 2021 Cape x Blacklist. The actor is best known for her work on the Peter Jackson sci-fi epic Mortal Engines and Oscar nominated Lion.
“Written in the Stars is a love letter to my hometown and community, and I am thrilled to have someone who brings such vibrancy and...
- 4/9/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
(L-r) Debra Liang, Tine Klint and Lauren Valmadre.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her international film sales and distribution company LevelK, Tine Klint offers some advice to Australian filmmakers.
Perhaps the most valuable tip: Don’t target the world, even though the mantra “local for global” is in vogue.
“I recommend staying true to original stories,” Tine tells If. “Don’t adapt and change cultural differences: some projects lose their originality because they are designed for world platforms or global deals.”
A former sales exec at TrustNordisk, Zentropa and Nordisk Film, the Copenhagen-based Klint first connected with Australia when Aquarius Films’ Angie Fielder got in touch in 2009 after announcing plans to produce Wish You Were Here.
Subsequently Klint and Fielder met at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010 and LevelK handled international sales for the drama directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith.
That led to numerous collaborations with Aussie filmmakers encompassing such films as Celeste,...
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her international film sales and distribution company LevelK, Tine Klint offers some advice to Australian filmmakers.
Perhaps the most valuable tip: Don’t target the world, even though the mantra “local for global” is in vogue.
“I recommend staying true to original stories,” Tine tells If. “Don’t adapt and change cultural differences: some projects lose their originality because they are designed for world platforms or global deals.”
A former sales exec at TrustNordisk, Zentropa and Nordisk Film, the Copenhagen-based Klint first connected with Australia when Aquarius Films’ Angie Fielder got in touch in 2009 after announcing plans to produce Wish You Were Here.
Subsequently Klint and Fielder met at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010 and LevelK handled international sales for the drama directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith.
That led to numerous collaborations with Aussie filmmakers encompassing such films as Celeste,...
- 12/5/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Rachael Blake and Mairi Cameron on the set of 'The Second'. (Photo: Stephen Lance.)
Production kicked off last week in south east Queensland on Stan.s first feature, The Second..
The psychological thriller, first announced early last year, is being directed by Mairi Cameron and produced by Leanne Tonkes and writer Stephen Lance. Tonkes and Lance have previously worked together on the 2014 feature My Mistress.
Shooting will take place in Brisbane and through the Western Downs region including Dalby.s Jimbour House, Jandowae and Lake Broadwater..
.Stephen Lance and I are delighted to be launching Mairi.s feature career and to be working with Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell of Tangerine Entertainment — two wonderful advocates of female filmmakers," said Tonkes..
The Second.follows two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel. Cast includes Rachael Blake, Susie Porter, Vince Colosimo, Martin Sacks and Susan Prior.
Production kicked off last week in south east Queensland on Stan.s first feature, The Second..
The psychological thriller, first announced early last year, is being directed by Mairi Cameron and produced by Leanne Tonkes and writer Stephen Lance. Tonkes and Lance have previously worked together on the 2014 feature My Mistress.
Shooting will take place in Brisbane and through the Western Downs region including Dalby.s Jimbour House, Jandowae and Lake Broadwater..
.Stephen Lance and I are delighted to be launching Mairi.s feature career and to be working with Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell of Tangerine Entertainment — two wonderful advocates of female filmmakers," said Tonkes..
The Second.follows two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel. Cast includes Rachael Blake, Susie Porter, Vince Colosimo, Martin Sacks and Susan Prior.
- 6/18/2017
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Rachael Blake and Mairi Cameron on the set of "The Second. (Photo: Stephen Lance.)
Production kicked off last week in south east Queensland on Stan.s first feature, The Second..
The psychological thriller, first announced early last year, is being directed by Mairi Cameron and produced by Leanne Tonkes and writer Stephen Lance. Tonkes and Lance have previously worked together on the 2014 feature My Mistress.
Shooting will take place in Brisbane and through the Western Downs region including Dalby.s Jimbour House, Jandowae and Lake Broadwater..
.Stephen Lance and I are delighted to be launching Mairi.s feature career and to be working with Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell of Tangerine Entertainment — two wonderful advocates of female filmmakers," said Tonkes..
The Second.follows two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel. Cast includes Rachael Blake, Susie Porter, Vince Colosimo, Martin Sacks and Susan Prior.
Production kicked off last week in south east Queensland on Stan.s first feature, The Second..
The psychological thriller, first announced early last year, is being directed by Mairi Cameron and produced by Leanne Tonkes and writer Stephen Lance. Tonkes and Lance have previously worked together on the 2014 feature My Mistress.
Shooting will take place in Brisbane and through the Western Downs region including Dalby.s Jimbour House, Jandowae and Lake Broadwater..
.Stephen Lance and I are delighted to be launching Mairi.s feature career and to be working with Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell of Tangerine Entertainment — two wonderful advocates of female filmmakers," said Tonkes..
The Second.follows two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel. Cast includes Rachael Blake, Susie Porter, Vince Colosimo, Martin Sacks and Susan Prior.
- 6/18/2017
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Kenzo has launched “Music Is My Mistress,” a short film by director Kahlil Joseph, the mind behind Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”, Kendrick Lamar’s “m.A.A.d” and Flying Lotus’ “Until the Quiet Comes.” The short stars actors Jesse Williams and Tracee Ellis Ross alongside musician Kelsey Lu. Watch the film below.
Read More: This Oscar-Winning 1952 Stop-Motion Short Is Looking Awfully Relevant Right Now
“Having Tracee, Jessie, Lu and Ish also collaborate was amazing,” said Kenzo creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon in a statement. “The atmosphere on set was so unique and we think that’s visible in the film. Everyone brought their diverse talents together to create something beautiful.”
True to the director’s style, the short doesn’t follow a linear pattern, and music definitely takes center stage. It features music by Shabazz Palaces and Lu. “It’s a trailer wrapped in a music video inside a short film.
Read More: This Oscar-Winning 1952 Stop-Motion Short Is Looking Awfully Relevant Right Now
“Having Tracee, Jessie, Lu and Ish also collaborate was amazing,” said Kenzo creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon in a statement. “The atmosphere on set was so unique and we think that’s visible in the film. Everyone brought their diverse talents together to create something beautiful.”
True to the director’s style, the short doesn’t follow a linear pattern, and music definitely takes center stage. It features music by Shabazz Palaces and Lu. “It’s a trailer wrapped in a music video inside a short film.
- 2/22/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
Following the film co-financing event Miff 37ºSouth Market, three local producers have been awarded places at the Production Finance Market (Pfm), held in London in October.
Miff 37ºSouth Market is the exclusive Australia/Nz partner of the Pfm, and the only three guaranteed local places are reserved for attending producers. The Pfm runs in association with the BFI London Film Festival.
New Zealand producer Tom Hern won one of the coveted places, as well as a $2000 flight voucher towards his trip. Victorians Pip Campey and Jamie Houge also received places.
Selection was guided by the votes the international financiers and buyers at Miff 37ºSouth Market.
The event, now its 10 year and the only Australian market of its kind held at a film festival, hosted 50 film financiers and buyers including film financiers/buyers including Amazon, Bankside, Catalyst, Double Dutch, eOne Australia, Embankment, Film Mode, Fulcrum, Im Global, Indie, Kaleidoscope, Lotus, Madman,...
Miff 37ºSouth Market is the exclusive Australia/Nz partner of the Pfm, and the only three guaranteed local places are reserved for attending producers. The Pfm runs in association with the BFI London Film Festival.
New Zealand producer Tom Hern won one of the coveted places, as well as a $2000 flight voucher towards his trip. Victorians Pip Campey and Jamie Houge also received places.
Selection was guided by the votes the international financiers and buyers at Miff 37ºSouth Market.
The event, now its 10 year and the only Australian market of its kind held at a film festival, hosted 50 film financiers and buyers including film financiers/buyers including Amazon, Bankside, Catalyst, Double Dutch, eOne Australia, Embankment, Film Mode, Fulcrum, Im Global, Indie, Kaleidoscope, Lotus, Madman,...
- 8/5/2016
- by By Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Stan is getting into the feature film game with The Second, a thriller fully funded to the tune of $1 million by Screen Queensland.
Directed by Mairi Cameron, the film will head to the streaming service after a theatrical run..
Stephen Lance wrote the script, about "two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel", and produces alongside Leanne Tonkes.
Lance and Tonkes previously worked together on the 2014 feature My Mistress.
.The success of No Activity and Wolf Creek have shown the audience demand for high quality Australian productions and we are excited to be working with the best creative talent in the country to bring more Stan Originals to the screen,. Stan.s Chief Content Officer Nick Forward said.
The project was developed as part of the Qld Originals Fully Funded Features with Stan initiative, in which four Queensland teams developed a feature project with...
Directed by Mairi Cameron, the film will head to the streaming service after a theatrical run..
Stephen Lance wrote the script, about "two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel", and produces alongside Leanne Tonkes.
Lance and Tonkes previously worked together on the 2014 feature My Mistress.
.The success of No Activity and Wolf Creek have shown the audience demand for high quality Australian productions and we are excited to be working with the best creative talent in the country to bring more Stan Originals to the screen,. Stan.s Chief Content Officer Nick Forward said.
The project was developed as part of the Qld Originals Fully Funded Features with Stan initiative, in which four Queensland teams developed a feature project with...
- 5/26/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Anzac Girls. Sara West and Mystery Road.s Samara Weaving head the cast of Bad Girl, writer-director Fin Edquist.s psychological thriller which starts shooting in Perth on August 31.
West plays 16-year-old Amy, the title character who has to fight for her adoptive parents when her new best friend Chloe (Weaving) tries to supplant her.
Playing the parents are Felicity Price, who stars in Joel Edgerton.s Us thriller The Gift and her partner Kieran Darcy-Smith.s upcoming Western By Way of Helena, and Benjamin Winspear (House of Hancock, Rake, The Babadook).
The film marks a departure in tone for Edquist, who scripted the animated family pics Maya the Bee and Blinky Bill: The Movie, which opens in cinemas on September 10.
The producers are Steve Kearney (Oddball, My Mistress), Bruno Charlesworth (Good Vibrations, The Extra) and Tenille Kennedy. This is the feature producing debut for Kennedy, who co-produced three...
West plays 16-year-old Amy, the title character who has to fight for her adoptive parents when her new best friend Chloe (Weaving) tries to supplant her.
Playing the parents are Felicity Price, who stars in Joel Edgerton.s Us thriller The Gift and her partner Kieran Darcy-Smith.s upcoming Western By Way of Helena, and Benjamin Winspear (House of Hancock, Rake, The Babadook).
The film marks a departure in tone for Edquist, who scripted the animated family pics Maya the Bee and Blinky Bill: The Movie, which opens in cinemas on September 10.
The producers are Steve Kearney (Oddball, My Mistress), Bruno Charlesworth (Good Vibrations, The Extra) and Tenille Kennedy. This is the feature producing debut for Kennedy, who co-produced three...
- 8/16/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Three local producers. have won places at the London Production Finance Market following the film co-financing event Miff 37ºSouth Market.
David Ngo from South Australia won the $2000 flight voucher and a place at Pfm, while Kristina Ceyton from New South Wales and Leanne Saunders from New Zealand also won place at the London event.
Selection for the three 37ºSouth places at Pfm was guided by the votes of international financiers/buyers at Miff 37ºSouth Market.
Thanks to long-time Miff 37ºSouth Market Gold Sponsor Film Finances, one of the three producers selected for the October Pfm received a flight voucher of $2000 towards their trip..
This year the market, held during Miff, hosted some 45 film financiers/buyers including 13 Films, Cornerstone, eOne Australia, Endgame, Fulcrum, Hyde Park, Loco, Memento, Metrodome, Radiant, Roadshow, Seville/eOne, Shoreline, Transmission, Visit, Wide and Xyz. .
A record 28 publishers registered for 37ºSouth.s Books at Miff, including Hachette, Hardie Grant,...
David Ngo from South Australia won the $2000 flight voucher and a place at Pfm, while Kristina Ceyton from New South Wales and Leanne Saunders from New Zealand also won place at the London event.
Selection for the three 37ºSouth places at Pfm was guided by the votes of international financiers/buyers at Miff 37ºSouth Market.
Thanks to long-time Miff 37ºSouth Market Gold Sponsor Film Finances, one of the three producers selected for the October Pfm received a flight voucher of $2000 towards their trip..
This year the market, held during Miff, hosted some 45 film financiers/buyers including 13 Films, Cornerstone, eOne Australia, Endgame, Fulcrum, Hyde Park, Loco, Memento, Metrodome, Radiant, Roadshow, Seville/eOne, Shoreline, Transmission, Visit, Wide and Xyz. .
A record 28 publishers registered for 37ºSouth.s Books at Miff, including Hachette, Hardie Grant,...
- 8/7/2015
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
The Belanglo State Forest, scene of Ivan Milat.s grisly serial murders, is such a forbidding place the producers of the Seven Network.s Catching Milat chose to avoid the area.
Only director Peter Andrikidis and DoP Joe Pickering visited the area south of Berrima but they used a drone camera to film the location.
.It.s such an eerie place I didn.t want to go there when they did the tech survey,. Kerrie Mainwaring, who produced the two-part Shine Australia miniseries with Rory Callaghan, tells If.
Instead, the cast and crew shot the crime drama in Terrey Hills, St Ives, Balmain, Glebe, Wattle Grove and Parramatta.
As the title suggests, the focus is not on Ivan Milat but on the marathon investigation into the 1990s backpacker murders that led to his arrest and conviction.
Callaghan came up with the idea and Shine optioned the book Sins of the...
Only director Peter Andrikidis and DoP Joe Pickering visited the area south of Berrima but they used a drone camera to film the location.
.It.s such an eerie place I didn.t want to go there when they did the tech survey,. Kerrie Mainwaring, who produced the two-part Shine Australia miniseries with Rory Callaghan, tells If.
Instead, the cast and crew shot the crime drama in Terrey Hills, St Ives, Balmain, Glebe, Wattle Grove and Parramatta.
As the title suggests, the focus is not on Ivan Milat but on the marathon investigation into the 1990s backpacker murders that led to his arrest and conviction.
Callaghan came up with the idea and Shine optioned the book Sins of the...
- 5/11/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The case for flexible release windows for Australian and other independent films has been reinforced by the weekend debuts of My Mistress and Rise. Transmission launched My Mistress, Stephen Lance.s debut feature about the affair between a vulnerable teenager (Harrison Gilbertson) and a French S&M mistress (Emmanuelle Béart), grossing $8,029 at seven Palace locations and $1,329 from the Canberra International Film Festival. Including receipts from Melbourne International Film Festival, the total is $19,020. .My Mistress is a brave debut feature which has sold well internationally to a number of key territories including the Us, UK, Russia, Hong Kong and Japan (somewhat of a coup for an Australian film),. producer Leanne Tonkes tells If. .We had our world premiere at Miff where screenings were sold out. It is a well-known fact that distributing independent films is challenging - getting the word out about a film's screening schedule and creating a groundswell to...
- 11/10/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Producer Annie Kinnane expresses a common complaint in the industry: Often by the time she and her friends hear about a new Australian film it.s been yanked off screens before they had a chance to see it.
Instead of just griping, she.s doing her bit to increase awareness by launching a Facebook page this week, entitled Australian Films You Will Want to See.
She.s encouraging her Fb friends and the wider industry to post an item as soon as they.ve seen a film they can recommend.
That initiative is in a similar vein to When Did You Last Pay to See an Australian Film at the Cinema?, a Fb page created earlier this month by My Mistress producer Leanne Tonkes.
Tonkes is asking her industry peers to nominate the last Aussie film they paid to see, as opposed to freebie previews, Aacta, funding body or post house screenings,...
Instead of just griping, she.s doing her bit to increase awareness by launching a Facebook page this week, entitled Australian Films You Will Want to See.
She.s encouraging her Fb friends and the wider industry to post an item as soon as they.ve seen a film they can recommend.
That initiative is in a similar vein to When Did You Last Pay to See an Australian Film at the Cinema?, a Fb page created earlier this month by My Mistress producer Leanne Tonkes.
Tonkes is asking her industry peers to nominate the last Aussie film they paid to see, as opposed to freebie previews, Aacta, funding body or post house screenings,...
- 10/22/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Producer Annie Kinnane expresses a common complaint in the industry: Often by the time she and her friends hear about a new Australian film it.s been yanked off screens before they had a chance to see it.
Instead of just griping, she.s doing her bit to increase awareness by launching a Facebook page this week, entitled Australian Films You Will Want to See.
She.s encouraging her Fb friends and the wider industry to post an item as soon as they.ve seen a film they can recommend.
That initiative is not unlike When Did You Last Pay to See an Australian Film at the Cinema?, a Fb page created earlier this month by My Mistress producer Leanne Tonkes.
Tonkes is asking her industry peers to nominate the last Aussie film they paid to see, as opposed to freebie previews, Aacta, funding body or post house screenings, and...
Instead of just griping, she.s doing her bit to increase awareness by launching a Facebook page this week, entitled Australian Films You Will Want to See.
She.s encouraging her Fb friends and the wider industry to post an item as soon as they.ve seen a film they can recommend.
That initiative is not unlike When Did You Last Pay to See an Australian Film at the Cinema?, a Fb page created earlier this month by My Mistress producer Leanne Tonkes.
Tonkes is asking her industry peers to nominate the last Aussie film they paid to see, as opposed to freebie previews, Aacta, funding body or post house screenings, and...
- 10/22/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Aaron Wilson.s WW2 drama Canopy won the jury grand prize and Craig Monahan.s Healing took the audience award at the 16th annual St Tropez Antipodes Film Festival. Rhys Graham.s Galore collected the prize for best female talent for Ashleigh Cummings and Lily Sullivan. Brett Stewart was named best male talent for Everything We Loved, the debut feature from Kiwi writer-director Max Currie. The drama revolves around a magician and his wife who look for a replacement child after their young son dies suddenly. There was a special mention for Galore.s Toby Wallace. The jury headed by Fred Schepisi awarded the best short prize to Miranda Edmonds and Khrob Edmonds. Tango Underpants. Stephen Lance.s My Mistress and Zak Hilditch.s These Final Hours also screened in competition. Wilson has been hosting Q&A screenings of Canopy in Us cinemas. The film is released on home entertainment in Australia this week.
- 10/20/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Film Movement has bought North American rights to My Mistress, Stephen Lance.s erotic drama about the affair between a vulnerable teenager. (Harrison Gilbertson) and a French S&M mistress (Emmanuelle Béart).
By If.s reckoning at least 27 Australian titles have secured Us distribution deals this year. Most are getting limited theatrical releases as a platform for home entertainment exposure.
Film Movement will release the film on DVD and VOD, including via its subscription streaming service dubbed Film-of-the-Month Club.
The deal was negotiated by international sales agent LevelK, which had already sold the film to Japan (New Select), the UK ( Film House), Russia (Russian Report) and Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures).
LevelK.s Tine Klint is screening the film this week at the Busan International Film Festival in Korea and hopes to close more deals. Produced by Leanne Tonkes and Steve Kearney, the film opens in Australia on November 6 via Transmission.
By If.s reckoning at least 27 Australian titles have secured Us distribution deals this year. Most are getting limited theatrical releases as a platform for home entertainment exposure.
Film Movement will release the film on DVD and VOD, including via its subscription streaming service dubbed Film-of-the-Month Club.
The deal was negotiated by international sales agent LevelK, which had already sold the film to Japan (New Select), the UK ( Film House), Russia (Russian Report) and Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures).
LevelK.s Tine Klint is screening the film this week at the Busan International Film Festival in Korea and hopes to close more deals. Produced by Leanne Tonkes and Steve Kearney, the film opens in Australia on November 6 via Transmission.
- 10/6/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Josh Lawson.s sex comedy The Little Death has raked in nearly $127,000 in its first week at 34 cinemas after Tuesday takings improved on Monday.s figures.
Jamie Hilton, who produced the low-budget film with Matt Reeder and Michael Petroni, is encouraged by the trend in ticket sales and hopes momentum will build over the long weekend.
.We are alive and kicking, contrary to sensational reports in the mainstream press,. he told If today. .Our tiny, self-financed film was one of the break-out hits of the Toronto International Film Festival and audiences around the world will see it..
Lawson has been inundated with favourable comments from those who.ve seen the comedy, which features Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Lisa McCune, Patrick Brammall, Lachy Hulme and Lawson.
.We.re just a little independent Aussie film, we can.t afford billboards or TV ads or anything like that,. he said on his Facebook page.
Jamie Hilton, who produced the low-budget film with Matt Reeder and Michael Petroni, is encouraged by the trend in ticket sales and hopes momentum will build over the long weekend.
.We are alive and kicking, contrary to sensational reports in the mainstream press,. he told If today. .Our tiny, self-financed film was one of the break-out hits of the Toronto International Film Festival and audiences around the world will see it..
Lawson has been inundated with favourable comments from those who.ve seen the comedy, which features Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Lisa McCune, Patrick Brammall, Lachy Hulme and Lawson.
.We.re just a little independent Aussie film, we can.t afford billboards or TV ads or anything like that,. he said on his Facebook page.
- 10/2/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Actor Paul Ireland is set to make his feature directing debut on Pawno, a dramedy set in a seedy pawn shop in Melbourne's western suburbs.
Scripted by actor-turned-writer Damian Hill, the film will follow one day in the lives of 14 characters as they attempt to survive, thrive or maintain their way of life in an often cruel world.
.It is a unique and unapologetic journey into the underbelly of our society,. said Hill, who is producing with Ireland through their company Toothless Pictures.
Due to start shooting in Footscray on November 23, the film.s ensemble cast includes John Brumpton, Hill, Maeve Dermody, Malcolm Kennard, Mark Coles Smith and Tony Rickards.
Hill and Ireland, who formed Toothless Pictures last year, raised $12,500 via crowd-funding site Pozible and the balance of the budget from philanthropic investors after two years of toil.
.Our focus is to tell a compelling, poignant and layered story that will move and entertain,...
Scripted by actor-turned-writer Damian Hill, the film will follow one day in the lives of 14 characters as they attempt to survive, thrive or maintain their way of life in an often cruel world.
.It is a unique and unapologetic journey into the underbelly of our society,. said Hill, who is producing with Ireland through their company Toothless Pictures.
Due to start shooting in Footscray on November 23, the film.s ensemble cast includes John Brumpton, Hill, Maeve Dermody, Malcolm Kennard, Mark Coles Smith and Tony Rickards.
Hill and Ireland, who formed Toothless Pictures last year, raised $12,500 via crowd-funding site Pozible and the balance of the budget from philanthropic investors after two years of toil.
.Our focus is to tell a compelling, poignant and layered story that will move and entertain,...
- 9/24/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Barring a miracle or at least several hits, the Australian films released in cinemas this year have no hope of matching 2013.s combined gross of $38.5 million.
Through last Sunday, 43 local features and documentaries had racked up $18.5 million nationwide. That includes mostly small amounts earned by 20 titles that opened in 2013 or earlier. As the Safc.s Richard Harris has pointed out, the results of each film should be evaluated on the basis of its release strategy rather than regarding every film that earns less than $1 million as a disaster and proof that Australian audiences have turned away from Aussie cinema.
However distributors and producers were counting on far stronger ticket sales for the Spierig brothers. Predestination, Matt Saville.s Felony, David Michôd.s The Rover and Zak Hilditch.s These Final Hours.
Only The Railway Man (which opened on Boxing Day and has a lifetime cume of $7.3 million), Wolf Creek 2...
Through last Sunday, 43 local features and documentaries had racked up $18.5 million nationwide. That includes mostly small amounts earned by 20 titles that opened in 2013 or earlier. As the Safc.s Richard Harris has pointed out, the results of each film should be evaluated on the basis of its release strategy rather than regarding every film that earns less than $1 million as a disaster and proof that Australian audiences have turned away from Aussie cinema.
However distributors and producers were counting on far stronger ticket sales for the Spierig brothers. Predestination, Matt Saville.s Felony, David Michôd.s The Rover and Zak Hilditch.s These Final Hours.
Only The Railway Man (which opened on Boxing Day and has a lifetime cume of $7.3 million), Wolf Creek 2...
- 9/23/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
In a sign of the rising volume of film production, 25 features are eligible for the 4th annual Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) Awards in January.
That.s up from the 15 titles that were in contention for last January.s awards.
The contenders include Russell Crowe.s The Water Diviner, Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun, Stephen Lance.s My Mistress, Tony Mahony and Angus Sampson.s The Mule, Geoff Davis. William Kelly.s War and Jon Hewitt.s Turkey Shoot. Those titles will be among those unspooling at. the Aacta Awards Screenings program to be held from October 6-23 at Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction, and Melbourne.s Palace Cinema Como and Backlot Studios.
Universal is launching The Water Diviner on Boxing Day.. Son of a Gun is set for October 16 via eOne, Ifm/Filmways is releasing William Kelly's War on October 30 and Transmission opens My Mistress...
That.s up from the 15 titles that were in contention for last January.s awards.
The contenders include Russell Crowe.s The Water Diviner, Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun, Stephen Lance.s My Mistress, Tony Mahony and Angus Sampson.s The Mule, Geoff Davis. William Kelly.s War and Jon Hewitt.s Turkey Shoot. Those titles will be among those unspooling at. the Aacta Awards Screenings program to be held from October 6-23 at Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction, and Melbourne.s Palace Cinema Como and Backlot Studios.
Universal is launching The Water Diviner on Boxing Day.. Son of a Gun is set for October 16 via eOne, Ifm/Filmways is releasing William Kelly's War on October 30 and Transmission opens My Mistress...
- 9/16/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Robert Connolly writes and directs; the festival also awards Joel Edgerton with screen legend prize.
Writer/director Robert Connolly’s family film Paper Planes has tonight won the inaugural $93,155 (A$100,000) film prize.
The award was announced tonight by jury head, director Bruce Beresford, at CinefestOZ, a film festival held in the city of Busselton in Western Australian.
The screen legend award went to Joel Edgerton, whose star has been rising in front of the camera in the Us.
Roadshow Films is planning a very ambitious release for Paper Planes on January 15 during the summer school holidays — very few children’s films are made in Australia (only homegrown films are eligible for the award).
Paper Planes was produced by Connolly, Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles, and was mostly filmed in Western Australia, although some shooting took place in Tokyo, where the paper plane championships that capped off the story were held. Arclight handles...
Writer/director Robert Connolly’s family film Paper Planes has tonight won the inaugural $93,155 (A$100,000) film prize.
The award was announced tonight by jury head, director Bruce Beresford, at CinefestOZ, a film festival held in the city of Busselton in Western Australian.
The screen legend award went to Joel Edgerton, whose star has been rising in front of the camera in the Us.
Roadshow Films is planning a very ambitious release for Paper Planes on January 15 during the summer school holidays — very few children’s films are made in Australia (only homegrown films are eligible for the award).
Paper Planes was produced by Connolly, Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles, and was mostly filmed in Western Australia, although some shooting took place in Tokyo, where the paper plane championships that capped off the story were held. Arclight handles...
- 8/23/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Robert Connolly writes and directs; the festival also awards Joel Edgerton with screen legend prize.
Writer/director Robert Connolly’s family film Paper Planes has tonight won the inaugural $93,155 (A$100,000) film prize.
The award was announced tonight by jury head, director Bruce Beresford, at CinefestOZ, a film festival held in the city of Busselton in Western Australian.
The screen legend award went to Joel Edgerton, whose star has been rising in front of the camera in the Us.
Roadshow Films is planning a very ambitious release for Paper Planes on January 15 during the summer school holidays — very few children’s films are made in Australia (only homegrown films are eligible for the award).
Paper Planes was produced by Connolly, Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles, and was mostly filmed in Western Australia, although some shooting took place in Tokyo, where the paper plane championships that capped off the story were held. Arclight handles...
Writer/director Robert Connolly’s family film Paper Planes has tonight won the inaugural $93,155 (A$100,000) film prize.
The award was announced tonight by jury head, director Bruce Beresford, at CinefestOZ, a film festival held in the city of Busselton in Western Australian.
The screen legend award went to Joel Edgerton, whose star has been rising in front of the camera in the Us.
Roadshow Films is planning a very ambitious release for Paper Planes on January 15 during the summer school holidays — very few children’s films are made in Australia (only homegrown films are eligible for the award).
Paper Planes was produced by Connolly, Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles, and was mostly filmed in Western Australia, although some shooting took place in Tokyo, where the paper plane championships that capped off the story were held. Arclight handles...
- 8/23/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
A scene from winning film Paper Planes..
.
Robert Connolly.s family feature Paper Planes has taken out Australia.s richest film prize of $100,000 at the seventh annual CinéfestOZ Film Festival on Saturday night..
Paper Planes follows 11-year old Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) whose life changes after winning a place in the regional paper planes competition in Sydney. This achievement takes him far from his country home and depressed father (Sam Worthington), all the way to the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan.
The film beat out five other contenders; Matt Saville.s Felony, Stephen Lance.s My Mistress, Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun, John V Soto.s The Reckoning and Russell Vines. documentary The Waler . Australia.s Great War Horse. (All finalist synopses listed below).
.I.m so, so happy,. Connolly said of his win. .I.m really excited because we are planning for a Christmas/January release and...
.
Robert Connolly.s family feature Paper Planes has taken out Australia.s richest film prize of $100,000 at the seventh annual CinéfestOZ Film Festival on Saturday night..
Paper Planes follows 11-year old Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) whose life changes after winning a place in the regional paper planes competition in Sydney. This achievement takes him far from his country home and depressed father (Sam Worthington), all the way to the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan.
The film beat out five other contenders; Matt Saville.s Felony, Stephen Lance.s My Mistress, Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun, John V Soto.s The Reckoning and Russell Vines. documentary The Waler . Australia.s Great War Horse. (All finalist synopses listed below).
.I.m so, so happy,. Connolly said of his win. .I.m really excited because we are planning for a Christmas/January release and...
- 8/23/2014
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Australia.s fastest growing boutique film festival (and the bearer of Australia.s richest film prize) kicks off tonight with the Australian premiere of Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun.
CinéfestOZ, now in its seventh year, is held at various seaside locations across the Western Australian coast including Busselton, Bunbury and the Margaret River, and is widely touted as being Australia.s premiere destination festival.
.Being a destination film festival means people can completely immerse themselves in the festival . attending screenings, gala events, lunches and sidebar events where films and film matters are being discussed,. says CinéfestOZ vice chair Helen Shervington. .There is nowhere else in Australia where this is possible. People make friends with others with like interests... it is a four and a half day film party like no other..
As previously reported by If, there are six films in contention for the coveted $100,000 prize; Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun,...
CinéfestOZ, now in its seventh year, is held at various seaside locations across the Western Australian coast including Busselton, Bunbury and the Margaret River, and is widely touted as being Australia.s premiere destination festival.
.Being a destination film festival means people can completely immerse themselves in the festival . attending screenings, gala events, lunches and sidebar events where films and film matters are being discussed,. says CinéfestOZ vice chair Helen Shervington. .There is nowhere else in Australia where this is possible. People make friends with others with like interests... it is a four and a half day film party like no other..
As previously reported by If, there are six films in contention for the coveted $100,000 prize; Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun,...
- 8/19/2014
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Emma Slade, Steve Kearney, Briget Callow-Wright heading for the UK’s Production Finance Market.
Sales agents from across the world yesterday voted New Zealand’s Emma Slade as the producer at the 37º South Market who most deserves a spot at the UK’s Production Finance Market (Pfm) in October, plus $1,860 (A$2,000) in travel assistance.
Runner-ups Steve Kearney and Bridget Callow-Wright from Australia also won places – but no cash.
Organizers said 2,203 meetings were held as part of the eighth edition of the co-financing film market, which is part of the business arm of the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff).
Slade will be seeking a sales agent for The Love Of Humankind, the lead project in her slate, during her visit to London.
The “vodka-fuelled tragicomedy about unrequited love” is to be directed by comedian Danny Mulheron (Fresh Meat) from a script by he and Brian Sergent.
Based on a stage play, her one-liner...
Sales agents from across the world yesterday voted New Zealand’s Emma Slade as the producer at the 37º South Market who most deserves a spot at the UK’s Production Finance Market (Pfm) in October, plus $1,860 (A$2,000) in travel assistance.
Runner-ups Steve Kearney and Bridget Callow-Wright from Australia also won places – but no cash.
Organizers said 2,203 meetings were held as part of the eighth edition of the co-financing film market, which is part of the business arm of the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff).
Slade will be seeking a sales agent for The Love Of Humankind, the lead project in her slate, during her visit to London.
The “vodka-fuelled tragicomedy about unrequited love” is to be directed by comedian Danny Mulheron (Fresh Meat) from a script by he and Brian Sergent.
Based on a stage play, her one-liner...
- 8/4/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
A trailer for the erotic drama My Mistress has been unveiled.
Warning: The trailer below contains sexual content.
My Mistress stars French actress Emmanuelle Béart as Maggie, who enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with a young man (Harrison Gilbertson) and becomes his dominatrix.
Their erotic dalliances soon lead to dangerous consequences as others learn the truth of their relationship.
My Mistress is Stephen Lance's first major feature film in the director seat.
Gilbertson is best known for appearances in Need for Speed and Haunt. He will soon star in Fallen, opposite Jeremy Irvine.
My Mistress is expected to open later this year.
Warning: The trailer below contains sexual content.
My Mistress stars French actress Emmanuelle Béart as Maggie, who enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with a young man (Harrison Gilbertson) and becomes his dominatrix.
Their erotic dalliances soon lead to dangerous consequences as others learn the truth of their relationship.
My Mistress is Stephen Lance's first major feature film in the director seat.
Gilbertson is best known for appearances in Need for Speed and Haunt. He will soon star in Fallen, opposite Jeremy Irvine.
My Mistress is expected to open later this year.
- 8/3/2014
- Digital Spy
Matt Saville.s Felony, Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun, Robert Connolly.s Paper Planes and John V. Soto.s The Reckoning are among the six finalists for CinéfestOZ.s inaugural $100,000 film prize, Australia.s richest.
The other two are Stephen Lance.s My Mistress and a potential wildcard, The Waler: Australia.s Great War Horse, Russell Vines. ScreenWest-funded documentary on the 135,000-plus horses sent from Australia to the Middle East in WW1.
There were more than 20 submissions for the prize, which is voted on by a jury of five headed by director Bruce Beresford and will be announced on August 23.
The Waler: Australia.s Great War Horse will have its world premiere at CinéfestOZ while Son of a Gun and The Reckoning will have their Australian premieres. Felony, My Mistress and Paper Planes are premiering at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
.When we introduced this prize we anticipated...
The other two are Stephen Lance.s My Mistress and a potential wildcard, The Waler: Australia.s Great War Horse, Russell Vines. ScreenWest-funded documentary on the 135,000-plus horses sent from Australia to the Middle East in WW1.
There were more than 20 submissions for the prize, which is voted on by a jury of five headed by director Bruce Beresford and will be announced on August 23.
The Waler: Australia.s Great War Horse will have its world premiere at CinéfestOZ while Son of a Gun and The Reckoning will have their Australian premieres. Felony, My Mistress and Paper Planes are premiering at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
.When we introduced this prize we anticipated...
- 7/13/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Multi-platform projects from Ludo Studio and Hoodlum were among nine to receive funding from Screen Australia this week.
Fresh from winning a Digital Emmy® for #7 Days Later, Ludo Studio is producing Doodles, an animated comedy series which takes drawings sourced via social media and turns them into micro-movies with a touch of insanity. Daley Pearson is the director and the producers are Nick Boshier and Charlie Aspinwall. Another digital Emmy winner, Hoodlum (Secrets & Lies, The Stranger Calls) is collaborating with filmmakers Michael Cox and Paul Mayze on Illusion Five Sweeper Squad, a sci-fi comedy series about a dysfunctional team of cleaners tasked with mopping up after the super heroes.
Multiplattform comedy series Four Quarters tells the fictional story of a group of footy fans during the current, real-time Afl season, produced by Wbmc.s Aidan O.Bryan and Janelle Landers.
Katering is a parody of popular cooking shows written and...
Fresh from winning a Digital Emmy® for #7 Days Later, Ludo Studio is producing Doodles, an animated comedy series which takes drawings sourced via social media and turns them into micro-movies with a touch of insanity. Daley Pearson is the director and the producers are Nick Boshier and Charlie Aspinwall. Another digital Emmy winner, Hoodlum (Secrets & Lies, The Stranger Calls) is collaborating with filmmakers Michael Cox and Paul Mayze on Illusion Five Sweeper Squad, a sci-fi comedy series about a dysfunctional team of cleaners tasked with mopping up after the super heroes.
Multiplattform comedy series Four Quarters tells the fictional story of a group of footy fans during the current, real-time Afl season, produced by Wbmc.s Aidan O.Bryan and Janelle Landers.
Katering is a parody of popular cooking shows written and...
- 5/29/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Historically it.s been tough for Australian films to score deals in Japan, a barrier which My Mistress has just broken.
The debut feature of commercials and video music director Stephen Lance will be released in Japan by New Select.
The steamy drama , which centres on the strangely innocent affair between a vulnerable teenage romantic (Harrison Gilbertson) and a French S&M mistress (Emmanuelle Béart) which turns dangerous, will have its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
The Japanese deal was confirmed after the Cannes market by international sales agent LevelK, which also sold the film to the UK, Russia and Hong Kong.
.We were happy to find the buyers responding well in Cannes to Stephen Lance' s much awaited My Mistress, particularly from Asian buyers who have shown overwhelming interest,. LevelK head of sales Natja Rosner tells If.
.Major territory Japan kicked off proceedings with a signed deal in Cannes.
The debut feature of commercials and video music director Stephen Lance will be released in Japan by New Select.
The steamy drama , which centres on the strangely innocent affair between a vulnerable teenage romantic (Harrison Gilbertson) and a French S&M mistress (Emmanuelle Béart) which turns dangerous, will have its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
The Japanese deal was confirmed after the Cannes market by international sales agent LevelK, which also sold the film to the UK, Russia and Hong Kong.
.We were happy to find the buyers responding well in Cannes to Stephen Lance' s much awaited My Mistress, particularly from Asian buyers who have shown overwhelming interest,. LevelK head of sales Natja Rosner tells If.
.Major territory Japan kicked off proceedings with a signed deal in Cannes.
- 5/28/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Erotic drama sells to UK and Russia.
Danish sales company LevelK’s Aussie erotic drama My Mistress starring Emmanuelle Beart has been sold to the UK (House), Russia (Russian Report) and Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures).
The Australian-produced film will receive its world premiere at the Melbourne Festival in August. Transmission are releasing in Australia this autumn.
My Mistress is the story of an affair between a vulnerable teenage romantic and a French S&M mistress that soon moves into more dangerous territory. Beart stars alongside Australian actor Harrison Gilbertson and Rachael Blake.
Directed by Stephen Lance, the film was made through Mini Studios and was produced by Leanne Tonkes. The executive producers are Robyn Kershaw and Bruno Charlesworth.
Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, Film Victoria, Miff Premiere Fund and Soundfirm provide the financing and the Australian release will be handled by Transmission.
Danish sales company LevelK’s Aussie erotic drama My Mistress starring Emmanuelle Beart has been sold to the UK (House), Russia (Russian Report) and Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures).
The Australian-produced film will receive its world premiere at the Melbourne Festival in August. Transmission are releasing in Australia this autumn.
My Mistress is the story of an affair between a vulnerable teenage romantic and a French S&M mistress that soon moves into more dangerous territory. Beart stars alongside Australian actor Harrison Gilbertson and Rachael Blake.
Directed by Stephen Lance, the film was made through Mini Studios and was produced by Leanne Tonkes. The executive producers are Robyn Kershaw and Bruno Charlesworth.
Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, Film Victoria, Miff Premiere Fund and Soundfirm provide the financing and the Australian release will be handled by Transmission.
- 5/19/2014
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Morrissey Molloy Entertainment, Garry Charny.s Spotted Turquoise Films and Michael Gudinski.s Mushroom Pictures have unveiled a joint venture which aims to produce at least six films.
The first two projects are Boys in the Trees, a drama starring Harrison Gilbertson and Alice Englert, and Wake Up Dead, which has Alex Russell and Luke Ford attached.
.We each bring different skills and strong national and international contacts to the joint venture,. Charny tells If. The .matchmaker. was Maura Fay casting agent Marianne Jade, who is casting both films.
"She suggested we get together for a cup of coffee and we realised we were each producing a film we liked and respected,. said Molloy, who is developing Boys in the Trees for the co-venture between Mushroom and Morrissey Molloy.
Wake Up Dead is the first Australian film from Spotted Turquoise. Charny produced Ray Lawrence.s Jindabyne in his former role as head of April Films.
The first two projects are Boys in the Trees, a drama starring Harrison Gilbertson and Alice Englert, and Wake Up Dead, which has Alex Russell and Luke Ford attached.
.We each bring different skills and strong national and international contacts to the joint venture,. Charny tells If. The .matchmaker. was Maura Fay casting agent Marianne Jade, who is casting both films.
"She suggested we get together for a cup of coffee and we realised we were each producing a film we liked and respected,. said Molloy, who is developing Boys in the Trees for the co-venture between Mushroom and Morrissey Molloy.
Wake Up Dead is the first Australian film from Spotted Turquoise. Charny produced Ray Lawrence.s Jindabyne in his former role as head of April Films.
- 2/26/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Arclight Films has taken international sales rights to Australian drama Violet Town and will launch the project at the European Film Market in Berlin.
Australian films are usually tough to pre-sell but the lead cast of Guy Pearce, Rosamund Pike and German actor Sebastian Koch will give the film a solid profile internationally.
Mark Joffe is set to direct the drama adapted from Steven Carroll's novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbour.s New Year.s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed.
Shooting is due to start in Melbourne and regional Victoria in the last quarter of this year. Studiocanal has the Australian rights. The producers are Morrissey Molloy Entertainment.s John Molloy, Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie and Joffe.
Koch played the villain in A Good Day to Die Hard and his other credits include The Weekend,...
Australian films are usually tough to pre-sell but the lead cast of Guy Pearce, Rosamund Pike and German actor Sebastian Koch will give the film a solid profile internationally.
Mark Joffe is set to direct the drama adapted from Steven Carroll's novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbour.s New Year.s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed.
Shooting is due to start in Melbourne and regional Victoria in the last quarter of this year. Studiocanal has the Australian rights. The producers are Morrissey Molloy Entertainment.s John Molloy, Essential Media and Entertainment.s Ian Collie and Joffe.
Koch played the villain in A Good Day to Die Hard and his other credits include The Weekend,...
- 2/6/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Fallen, a Gothic romantic thriller based on the first book in a series of novels by Lauren Kate, starts shooting in Budapest in March but there are plenty of Adelaide connections to the Us indie production.
The director is Scott Hicks, who hails from Adelaide, as do cast members Harrison Gilbertson and Sianoa Smit-McPhee.
Hicks will return to Adelaide to cut the film at Kojo Post. He.d liked to have hired an Australian firm to handle the visual effects but the numbers didn.t stack up.
.Our dollar is still high which makes it difficult to compete with other countries, .Hicks tells If on the line from Budapest. A VFX deal is still being finalised but will likely go to a Canadian company.
The plot follows Lucinda (Addison Timlin of Stand Up Guys and TV.s Zero Hour and Californication), a shy teenager who is sent to Sword and...
The director is Scott Hicks, who hails from Adelaide, as do cast members Harrison Gilbertson and Sianoa Smit-McPhee.
Hicks will return to Adelaide to cut the film at Kojo Post. He.d liked to have hired an Australian firm to handle the visual effects but the numbers didn.t stack up.
.Our dollar is still high which makes it difficult to compete with other countries, .Hicks tells If on the line from Budapest. A VFX deal is still being finalised but will likely go to a Canadian company.
The plot follows Lucinda (Addison Timlin of Stand Up Guys and TV.s Zero Hour and Californication), a shy teenager who is sent to Sword and...
- 1/19/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
An analysis of the Australian films released in cinemas in 2013 makes for grim reading, with a handful of critical and/or commercial successes outnumbered by misfires and under-achievers.
On the positive side, the debut films from directors Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), Catriona McKenzie (Satellite Boy) and Mark Grentell (Backyard Ashes) unearthed talent with plenty of potential.
The year ended on a strong note with the Boxing Day launch of Jonathan Teplitzy.s The Railway Man, which ranks as the second-highest local grosser behind Baz Luhrmann.s The Great Gatsby, which amassed $27.4 million to become the fifth-biggest Australian title of all time.
Tellingly, the drama starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman raked in more money in its first week than the lifetime earnings of every other title. According to If.s estimate, the combined B.O. tally of the 26 local films and documentaries is $38.88 million, well short of 2012.s $47.9 million.
Only...
On the positive side, the debut films from directors Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), Catriona McKenzie (Satellite Boy) and Mark Grentell (Backyard Ashes) unearthed talent with plenty of potential.
The year ended on a strong note with the Boxing Day launch of Jonathan Teplitzy.s The Railway Man, which ranks as the second-highest local grosser behind Baz Luhrmann.s The Great Gatsby, which amassed $27.4 million to become the fifth-biggest Australian title of all time.
Tellingly, the drama starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman raked in more money in its first week than the lifetime earnings of every other title. According to If.s estimate, the combined B.O. tally of the 26 local films and documentaries is $38.88 million, well short of 2012.s $47.9 million.
Only...
- 1/5/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Co-directors Stephen Lance and Mairi Cameron are just back after spending 10 days in the Us polishing the screenplay of The Secrets Lives of Dresses with the Brooklyn-based writer, Aussie Emma Vuletic.
Lance and Cameron also spent a few days in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to soak up the atmosphere in the town where the source material, Erin McKean.s novel, is set.
Producer Leanne Tonkes and Lance are exploring the idea of co-producing the film with heavyweight Us producer Grant Curtis, who produced all three Spider-Man movies and executive-produced Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful. Curtis and his producing partner Jeremy Wheeler wanted to buy the film rights and contacted Tonkes and Lance after discovering they optioned the novel in 2011.
Tonkes and Lance tell If they will .aim high. in casting the lead roles but will ensure there is significant Australian content to qualify for the 40% producer offset.
The protagonist is Dora,...
Lance and Cameron also spent a few days in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to soak up the atmosphere in the town where the source material, Erin McKean.s novel, is set.
Producer Leanne Tonkes and Lance are exploring the idea of co-producing the film with heavyweight Us producer Grant Curtis, who produced all three Spider-Man movies and executive-produced Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful. Curtis and his producing partner Jeremy Wheeler wanted to buy the film rights and contacted Tonkes and Lance after discovering they optioned the novel in 2011.
Tonkes and Lance tell If they will .aim high. in casting the lead roles but will ensure there is significant Australian content to qualify for the 40% producer offset.
The protagonist is Dora,...
- 12/20/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
This may turn out to be a premature and fanciful call but 2014 is shaping as potentially one of the strongest years for Australian films, commercially and critically, in recent memory.
There are numerous grounds for optimism, starting with the overwhelmingly positive responses and, in some cases, deals for Tracks, The Railway Man, Wolf Creek 2, Felony and Canopy after their world premieres at either the Toronto or Venice film festivals.
Given the talent attached, the slate of films now shooting or in post-production looks highly promising, including Kill Me Three Times, The Rover, Son of a Gun, I, Frankenstein, Predestination, Charlie.s Country, Fell and Now Add Honey.
Added to that are several films from experienced filmmakers that are due to roll soon: Cut Snake, The Dressmaker and Paper Planes.
Industry figures whom If consulted are bullish about the prospects for the year ahead. There is a .very good reason for such optimism,...
There are numerous grounds for optimism, starting with the overwhelmingly positive responses and, in some cases, deals for Tracks, The Railway Man, Wolf Creek 2, Felony and Canopy after their world premieres at either the Toronto or Venice film festivals.
Given the talent attached, the slate of films now shooting or in post-production looks highly promising, including Kill Me Three Times, The Rover, Son of a Gun, I, Frankenstein, Predestination, Charlie.s Country, Fell and Now Add Honey.
Added to that are several films from experienced filmmakers that are due to roll soon: Cut Snake, The Dressmaker and Paper Planes.
Industry figures whom If consulted are bullish about the prospects for the year ahead. There is a .very good reason for such optimism,...
- 9/19/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
A new project from the producer of Whale Rider, an adaptation of a Us book and a Chinese-Australian co-production are to be pitched in the UK after being selected by Melbourne’s 37º South Market.
The three films will be pitched at the UK’s Production Finance Market (Pfm) in October following a positive response at the seventh edition of 37º South, which runs as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
New Zealand producer Tim Sanders is to pitch The Guinea Pig Club at Pfm and received $1,850 (A$2,000) from sponsor Film Finances to help cover expenses.
After learning he would be heading to London for Pfm (Oct 16-17), Sanders told ScreenDaily: “It is the story of a Kiwi surgeon called Archie McIndoe who restored the bodies of badly injured fighter pilots in World War II and also gave them the will to live and hope for the future.
The producer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Whale...
The three films will be pitched at the UK’s Production Finance Market (Pfm) in October following a positive response at the seventh edition of 37º South, which runs as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
New Zealand producer Tim Sanders is to pitch The Guinea Pig Club at Pfm and received $1,850 (A$2,000) from sponsor Film Finances to help cover expenses.
After learning he would be heading to London for Pfm (Oct 16-17), Sanders told ScreenDaily: “It is the story of a Kiwi surgeon called Archie McIndoe who restored the bodies of badly injured fighter pilots in World War II and also gave them the will to live and hope for the future.
The producer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Whale...
- 7/29/2013
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Zombie Western Bullets for the Dead is due to roll in Queensland in July, the first in a slate of low-budget genre films from a new joint venture between Cathy Overett.s Brisbane-based Cathartic Pictures and UK sales agent Stealth Media Group.
Overett told If the aim is to produce two or three films a year, each budgeted at $3 million, using the 40 per cent Australian producer tax offset, which Stealth will sell internationally. The $2 million Bullets for the Dead marks the feature debut of Australian writers-directors Joshua C. Birch and Michael Du-Shane, developed from a 3-minute film, 26 Bullets Dead, which they shot in 2011 when they were students at the Griffith Film School.
The plot revolves around a bounty hunter (Christopher Sommers) who escorts a fiery young woman (Kathryn Beck) and her gang of misfits to the sheriff. En route he discovers the remains of a massacre and rescues its sole survivor,...
Overett told If the aim is to produce two or three films a year, each budgeted at $3 million, using the 40 per cent Australian producer tax offset, which Stealth will sell internationally. The $2 million Bullets for the Dead marks the feature debut of Australian writers-directors Joshua C. Birch and Michael Du-Shane, developed from a 3-minute film, 26 Bullets Dead, which they shot in 2011 when they were students at the Griffith Film School.
The plot revolves around a bounty hunter (Christopher Sommers) who escorts a fiery young woman (Kathryn Beck) and her gang of misfits to the sheriff. En route he discovers the remains of a massacre and rescues its sole survivor,...
- 5/23/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia says it has not mismanaged its finances by spending its annual production funding in just six months - a state of affairs which it says reflects the strength of the local film industry.
The government screen agency revealed in mid-December 2012 that it had spent its entire annual $42 million drama production allocation due to the unprecedented number of quality feature film and television projects seeking support. The shock announcement was reminiscent of the agency's abrupt decision to cut its investment cap in 2009 while several films were mid-financed. That decision.threw several major Australian productions into dissaray including The Tree and the biggest box office hit of.2010, Tomorrow When the War Began (Omnilab Media had to increase its investment at the last minute to ensure production).
Overspending on such a scale has never occurred before, even going back to the era of Screen Australia.s predecessor funding arm, the Film Finance Corporation.
The government screen agency revealed in mid-December 2012 that it had spent its entire annual $42 million drama production allocation due to the unprecedented number of quality feature film and television projects seeking support. The shock announcement was reminiscent of the agency's abrupt decision to cut its investment cap in 2009 while several films were mid-financed. That decision.threw several major Australian productions into dissaray including The Tree and the biggest box office hit of.2010, Tomorrow When the War Began (Omnilab Media had to increase its investment at the last minute to ensure production).
Overspending on such a scale has never occurred before, even going back to the era of Screen Australia.s predecessor funding arm, the Film Finance Corporation.
- 2/6/2013
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
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