‘Rams.’
Samuel Goldwyn Films continues to show a greater appetite for Australian films than any other North American distributor, with Jeremy Sims’ Rams as the latest acquisition.
WestEnd Films negotiated the deal for the remake of the cult Icelandic pic Hrútar, which stars Sam Neill, Michael Caton, Miranda Richardson, Wayne Blair, Asher Keddie and newcomer Will McNeill.
Roadshow will launch the comedy-drama produced by Wbmc’s Janelle Landers and Aidan O’Bryan and scripted by Jules Duncan on more than 240 screens on October 29.
This year Goldwyn released Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch, Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness and Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music, mostly on VOD.
Stephen Johnson’s High Ground will premiere next year after its Australian release via Madman Entertainment.
Landers tells If that two US distributors made bids for Rams and Goldwyn won out...
Samuel Goldwyn Films continues to show a greater appetite for Australian films than any other North American distributor, with Jeremy Sims’ Rams as the latest acquisition.
WestEnd Films negotiated the deal for the remake of the cult Icelandic pic Hrútar, which stars Sam Neill, Michael Caton, Miranda Richardson, Wayne Blair, Asher Keddie and newcomer Will McNeill.
Roadshow will launch the comedy-drama produced by Wbmc’s Janelle Landers and Aidan O’Bryan and scripted by Jules Duncan on more than 240 screens on October 29.
This year Goldwyn released Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch, Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness and Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music, mostly on VOD.
Stephen Johnson’s High Ground will premiere next year after its Australian release via Madman Entertainment.
Landers tells If that two US distributors made bids for Rams and Goldwyn won out...
- 10/22/2020
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Hugo Weaving isn’t returning to Middle-earth any time soon — or probably ever.
“No way. Absolutely no,” Weaving tells Variety in a recent phone interview about whether or not he would don the elf ears as Elrond again, considering the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” Amazon series. Weaving starred as the half-elven leader in both the “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, which collectively grossed almost $6 billion worldwide and is currently being adapted into a show for the streaming platform.
He adds that he would have, however, returned to another fan favorite role of his from the early aughts — antagonist Agent Smith in the first three “Matrix” films — for the franchise’s upcoming fourth movie, had scheduling conflicts not gotten in the way.
“‘Matrix’ might have happened,” he says. “But ‘Lord of the Rings,’ no, I would never — I’m not interested in that at all. Look,...
“No way. Absolutely no,” Weaving tells Variety in a recent phone interview about whether or not he would don the elf ears as Elrond again, considering the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” Amazon series. Weaving starred as the half-elven leader in both the “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, which collectively grossed almost $6 billion worldwide and is currently being adapted into a show for the streaming platform.
He adds that he would have, however, returned to another fan favorite role of his from the early aughts — antagonist Agent Smith in the first three “Matrix” films — for the franchise’s upcoming fourth movie, had scheduling conflicts not gotten in the way.
“‘Matrix’ might have happened,” he says. “But ‘Lord of the Rings,’ no, I would never — I’m not interested in that at all. Look,...
- 9/4/2020
- by Audrey Cleo Yap
- Variety Film + TV
Take away the title and a few characters’ names, and you’d have to be pretty well versed in the Bard to recognize Paul Ireland’s Melbourne-set Measure for Measure as a modern interpretation of that play. Central relationships and plots are so changed — a man’s sister is turned into his girlfriend, for one thing — that it would be safer to say the film was “suggested by” its predecessor, with more than a dash of Romeo and Juliet thrown in, and give it a different name.
But the literary source is one of only a couple of real draws in ...
But the literary source is one of only a couple of real draws in ...
Take away the title and a few characters’ names, and you’d have to be pretty well versed in the Bard to recognize Paul Ireland’s Melbourne-set Measure for Measure as a modern interpretation of that play. Central relationships and plots are so changed — a man’s sister is turned into his girlfriend, for one thing — that it would be safer to say the film was “suggested by” its predecessor, with more than a dash of Romeo and Juliet thrown in, and give it a different name.
But the literary source is one of only a couple of real draws in ...
But the literary source is one of only a couple of real draws in ...
(L-r) Greer Simpkin, Peter Goldwyn, Warwick Thornton and David Jowsey at the Sundance ‘Sweet Country’ premiere.
No North American distributor has been more aggressive in acquiring Australian films in the past few years than Samuel Goldwyn Films, continuing a relationship with Australian filmmakers that stretches for more than 20 years.
Among its latest acquisitions are Stephen Johnson’s High Ground, Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness and Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music.
President Peter Goldwyn explains the long-term commitment to Australian cinema, the target audiences for upcoming Oz titles and the distributor’s release strategies as most US cinemas are closed.
By my estimate, your company has released more Australian titles in recent years than any other US distributor. What keeps attracting you to Oz films and talent?
Simple answer is the quality of the pictures.
I think Goldwyn’s relationship with Aussie cinema...
No North American distributor has been more aggressive in acquiring Australian films in the past few years than Samuel Goldwyn Films, continuing a relationship with Australian filmmakers that stretches for more than 20 years.
Among its latest acquisitions are Stephen Johnson’s High Ground, Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness and Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music.
President Peter Goldwyn explains the long-term commitment to Australian cinema, the target audiences for upcoming Oz titles and the distributor’s release strategies as most US cinemas are closed.
By my estimate, your company has released more Australian titles in recent years than any other US distributor. What keeps attracting you to Oz films and talent?
Simple answer is the quality of the pictures.
I think Goldwyn’s relationship with Aussie cinema...
- 8/2/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘High Ground’.
With Melbourne cinemas closed and most of those still in operation averaging capacities of 10 – 20 per cent, Madman Entertainment sensibly has decided to release Stephen Johnson’s High Ground next year.
The 1930s-set drama, which stars Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Jack Thompson, Callan Mulvey, Aaron Pedersen, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr, was originally slated to open on July 9.
It will join a number of other Aussie titles dated for 2021, including Glendyn Ivin’s Penguin Bloom (January 1) and Robert Connolly’s The Dry (April 8), both Roadshow releases.
Inspired by true events, scripted by Chris Anastassiades and produced by Maggie Miles, Yothu Yindi co-founder Witiyana Marika, Johnson, David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, High Ground has its world premiere in the Berlinale Special screenings section of the Berlin International Film Festival.
“High Ground obviously has had its trajectory post-Berlinale world premiere impacted by Covid-19,” Madman MD Paul Wiegard tells If.
“With...
With Melbourne cinemas closed and most of those still in operation averaging capacities of 10 – 20 per cent, Madman Entertainment sensibly has decided to release Stephen Johnson’s High Ground next year.
The 1930s-set drama, which stars Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Jack Thompson, Callan Mulvey, Aaron Pedersen, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr, was originally slated to open on July 9.
It will join a number of other Aussie titles dated for 2021, including Glendyn Ivin’s Penguin Bloom (January 1) and Robert Connolly’s The Dry (April 8), both Roadshow releases.
Inspired by true events, scripted by Chris Anastassiades and produced by Maggie Miles, Yothu Yindi co-founder Witiyana Marika, Johnson, David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, High Ground has its world premiere in the Berlinale Special screenings section of the Berlin International Film Festival.
“High Ground obviously has had its trajectory post-Berlinale world premiere impacted by Covid-19,” Madman MD Paul Wiegard tells If.
“With...
- 7/22/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Hi is for Happiness’ (Photo credit: David Dare Parker).
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is for Happiness has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films in North America and Germany’s Telepool as well as distributors in multiple other markets.
The comedy-drama which opened the Generation Kplus section at the Berlin International Film Festival is Goldywn’s fifth Australian acquisition this year.
The distributor released Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding in February and Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch in May, to be followed by Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music on July 17 and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure on September 4, all on VOD.
The international sales agent, Tine Klint’s LevelK, negotiated the H is for Happiness deals including the Middle East and North Africa (Front Row), the Nordics excluding Iceland (Angel Films/FilmCentrum), Estonia (Estin Film) Poland (New Horizons Assoc.), Eastern Europe (HBO Central Europe), Israel (yes Dbs...
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is for Happiness has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films in North America and Germany’s Telepool as well as distributors in multiple other markets.
The comedy-drama which opened the Generation Kplus section at the Berlin International Film Festival is Goldywn’s fifth Australian acquisition this year.
The distributor released Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding in February and Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch in May, to be followed by Gregor Jordan’s Dirt Music on July 17 and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure on September 4, all on VOD.
The international sales agent, Tine Klint’s LevelK, negotiated the H is for Happiness deals including the Middle East and North Africa (Front Row), the Nordics excluding Iceland (Angel Films/FilmCentrum), Estonia (Estin Film) Poland (New Horizons Assoc.), Eastern Europe (HBO Central Europe), Israel (yes Dbs...
- 7/2/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Measure for Measure’.
Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure will be released in North America by Samuel Goldwyn Films, the distributor’s third Australian acquisition this year.
The contemporary drama inspired by Shakespeare’s play, starring Hugo Weaving, Harrison Gilbertson, Megan Smart, Fayssal Bazzi, Mark Leonard Winter, Daniel Henshall, John Brumpton and Doris Younane, will go out on digital platforms on September 4.
Umbrella Films, which had planned a theatrical release in May that was scuttled after cinemas shuttered, will open the film on September 3.
Scripted by Ireland and the late Damian Hill, the plot follows the love affair between a modern Muslim girl and a local musician against the background of racial tension and gang culture in a notorious housing estate in Melbourne. Thea McLeod was the casting director
“In the current racial climate the world finds Itself, Measure for Measure becomes even more relevant to a society reaching out for love and equality,...
Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure will be released in North America by Samuel Goldwyn Films, the distributor’s third Australian acquisition this year.
The contemporary drama inspired by Shakespeare’s play, starring Hugo Weaving, Harrison Gilbertson, Megan Smart, Fayssal Bazzi, Mark Leonard Winter, Daniel Henshall, John Brumpton and Doris Younane, will go out on digital platforms on September 4.
Umbrella Films, which had planned a theatrical release in May that was scuttled after cinemas shuttered, will open the film on September 3.
Scripted by Ireland and the late Damian Hill, the plot follows the love affair between a modern Muslim girl and a local musician against the background of racial tension and gang culture in a notorious housing estate in Melbourne. Thea McLeod was the casting director
“In the current racial climate the world finds Itself, Measure for Measure becomes even more relevant to a society reaching out for love and equality,...
- 6/30/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Samuel Goldwyn Films has taken North American rights to Paul Ireland’s feature drama Measure for Measure starring Hugo Weaving. An on-demand and digital release is planned for Sept. 4.
The Paul Ireland directed, written and produced movie is inspired by the William Shakespeare play of the same name and follows the love affair between a modern Muslim girl and a local musician against the background of racial tension and gang culture in the city’s notorious housing estate. Daniel Henshall (Okja), Harrison Gilbertson (Upgrade), Megan Smart (Breathe), and Mark Leonard Winter (The Dressmaker) also star.
Damian Hill also produced with EPs Mark Forytarz, Jeff Harrison, Ari Harrison, Keran Wicks, John Kearney, Clement Dunn, Tony Nagle, Bryce Menzies, Thea Mcleod, and Ian Kirk.
“In the current racial climate the world finds Itself, Measure for Measure becomes even more relevant to a society reaching out for love and equality,” said the filmmakers.
The Paul Ireland directed, written and produced movie is inspired by the William Shakespeare play of the same name and follows the love affair between a modern Muslim girl and a local musician against the background of racial tension and gang culture in the city’s notorious housing estate. Daniel Henshall (Okja), Harrison Gilbertson (Upgrade), Megan Smart (Breathe), and Mark Leonard Winter (The Dressmaker) also star.
Damian Hill also produced with EPs Mark Forytarz, Jeff Harrison, Ari Harrison, Keran Wicks, John Kearney, Clement Dunn, Tony Nagle, Bryce Menzies, Thea Mcleod, and Ian Kirk.
“In the current racial climate the world finds Itself, Measure for Measure becomes even more relevant to a society reaching out for love and equality,” said the filmmakers.
- 6/30/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Erik Thomson (Photo: Alex Vaughan).
In a perfect world Erik Thomson would have just wrapped filming of Amazon Prime’s Back to the Rafters and have started pre-production on the ABC dramedy Yes, Chef!
Stateless star Fayssal Bazzi would be preparing to go to the Us to meet with agents and producers and looking forward to the May release of Paul Ireland’s Measure or Measure, in which he co-stars with Hugo Weaving.
After roles in Amazon Studios’ historical drama The Underground Railroad and the BBC and Netflix serial-killer drama The Serpent, Damon Herriman was set to star in a film in New Zealand.
Roz Hammond was getting ready to perform alongside Lachy Hulme in director Tyran Parke’s stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Her Majesty’s in May.
All of that is now on hold, of course, curtailed by the Covid-19 crisis.
In a perfect world Erik Thomson would have just wrapped filming of Amazon Prime’s Back to the Rafters and have started pre-production on the ABC dramedy Yes, Chef!
Stateless star Fayssal Bazzi would be preparing to go to the Us to meet with agents and producers and looking forward to the May release of Paul Ireland’s Measure or Measure, in which he co-stars with Hugo Weaving.
After roles in Amazon Studios’ historical drama The Underground Railroad and the BBC and Netflix serial-killer drama The Serpent, Damon Herriman was set to star in a film in New Zealand.
Roz Hammond was getting ready to perform alongside Lachy Hulme in director Tyran Parke’s stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Her Majesty’s in May.
All of that is now on hold, of course, curtailed by the Covid-19 crisis.
- 3/30/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Relic’
While some distributors are cutting back, Umbrella Entertainment plans to release approximately 18 titles in cinemas this year, up from 14 in 2019.
The distributor has high hopes for its Australian acquisitions which run the gamut of genres from drama, horror and Western to sci-fi.
“We’re passionate about overcoming the cultural cringe that Australian audiences still have a tendency to display and are dedicated to fostering new Australian talent,” Umbrella head of acquisitions Ari Harrison tells If.
“As a small, close-knit team, we aim to concentrate our efforts on films that we love and can support from the ground up. We want to work hand-in-hand with the filmmakers with the goal of getting their film ‘out there’ so that it finds its audience.
“Essentially we aim to ensure that the films we acquire have the capacity for national theatrical success in Australia and New Zealand, with potential for continued growth via their ancillary platforms.
While some distributors are cutting back, Umbrella Entertainment plans to release approximately 18 titles in cinemas this year, up from 14 in 2019.
The distributor has high hopes for its Australian acquisitions which run the gamut of genres from drama, horror and Western to sci-fi.
“We’re passionate about overcoming the cultural cringe that Australian audiences still have a tendency to display and are dedicated to fostering new Australian talent,” Umbrella head of acquisitions Ari Harrison tells If.
“As a small, close-knit team, we aim to concentrate our efforts on films that we love and can support from the ground up. We want to work hand-in-hand with the filmmakers with the goal of getting their film ‘out there’ so that it finds its audience.
“Essentially we aim to ensure that the films we acquire have the capacity for national theatrical success in Australia and New Zealand, with potential for continued growth via their ancillary platforms.
- 2/16/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Ride Like a Girl.’
Australian writers, producers, directors, funding agencies and distributors should ask one key question when evaluating feature film projects: Does this warrant a theatrical release or is streaming a smarter option?
That’s among the most perceptive propositions put forward by a cross-section of screen industry professionals as If sought suggestions on ways to maximise the potential of Australian films as the independent film sector continues to suffer in the cluttered theatrical market.
Some ideas proferred – such as filmmakers identifying their audience at the outset, spending more money on marketing – appear to be stating the obvious. But the fact that some execs see the need to re-emphasize these points suggests lessons have not been learned in some quarters.
The Australian features released in cinemas this year plus holdovers have grossed $37.6 million, trailing the $54.2 million collected in the same period last year, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
Australian writers, producers, directors, funding agencies and distributors should ask one key question when evaluating feature film projects: Does this warrant a theatrical release or is streaming a smarter option?
That’s among the most perceptive propositions put forward by a cross-section of screen industry professionals as If sought suggestions on ways to maximise the potential of Australian films as the independent film sector continues to suffer in the cluttered theatrical market.
Some ideas proferred – such as filmmakers identifying their audience at the outset, spending more money on marketing – appear to be stating the obvious. But the fact that some execs see the need to re-emphasize these points suggests lessons have not been learned in some quarters.
The Australian features released in cinemas this year plus holdovers have grossed $37.6 million, trailing the $54.2 million collected in the same period last year, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
- 11/1/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
(L-r) John Sheedy, Daisy Axon, Julie Ryan, Lisa Hoppe and Tenille Kennedy (Photo credit: Court McAllister).
John Sheedy’s feature debut H is for Happiness, an adaptation of Barry Jonsberg’s young adult novel My Life as an Alphabet, has won this year’s $100,000 CinefestOZ Film Prize.
Announcing the award at the Saturday night gala, jury chair Rachel Ward said: “If we have the power as jurors to change the world to be a better place, then voting for H is for Happiness to win the CinefestOZ 2019 is our contribution. As juror Alex Dimitriades added, H is also for Hope.”
The other finalists were Owen Trevor’s Go!, Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure.
Sheedy said: “The competition was so tough. There were five amazing films, I saw all of them. To be chosen in such good company...
John Sheedy’s feature debut H is for Happiness, an adaptation of Barry Jonsberg’s young adult novel My Life as an Alphabet, has won this year’s $100,000 CinefestOZ Film Prize.
Announcing the award at the Saturday night gala, jury chair Rachel Ward said: “If we have the power as jurors to change the world to be a better place, then voting for H is for Happiness to win the CinefestOZ 2019 is our contribution. As juror Alex Dimitriades added, H is also for Hope.”
The other finalists were Owen Trevor’s Go!, Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure.
Sheedy said: “The competition was so tough. There were five amazing films, I saw all of them. To be chosen in such good company...
- 9/1/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Locally-made family drama, “H is for Happiness” won the top prize at the CinefestOZ festival in Busselton, West Australia, on Saturday. The film is an uplifting tale about a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by an unusual new boy at her school and sets out to mend her broken family.
Directed by John Sheedy, and filmed in the South Western part of the state where the festival is held, the film claimed the A$100,000 first prize, which has made CinefestOZ one of the most generous festivals in the world.
The competition jury, headed by actress turned director Rachel Ward, collectively voted in favor of the film, calling it “surprising” and a “tribute to the power of young people.”
Other titles in competition included Mirrah Foulkes’ “Judy & Punch,” Paul Ireland’s “Measure for Measure,” Ben Lawrence’s “Hearts & Bones” and Owen Trevor’s Busselton-set teen film “Go!”.
The only other...
Directed by John Sheedy, and filmed in the South Western part of the state where the festival is held, the film claimed the A$100,000 first prize, which has made CinefestOZ one of the most generous festivals in the world.
The competition jury, headed by actress turned director Rachel Ward, collectively voted in favor of the film, calling it “surprising” and a “tribute to the power of young people.”
Other titles in competition included Mirrah Foulkes’ “Judy & Punch,” Paul Ireland’s “Measure for Measure,” Ben Lawrence’s “Hearts & Bones” and Owen Trevor’s Busselton-set teen film “Go!”.
The only other...
- 9/1/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
John Brumpton in ‘Measure for Measure.’
One of Australia’s hardest working actors, John Brumpton rarely turns down offers – except when he is asked to work for free.
In the past year he has played a rapist in Stephen Johnson’s Western High Ground, a gunslinger in the second season of Mystery Road, Hugo Weaving’s protector in Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure and a worried dad in Jamie Helmer and Michael Leonard’s short The Diver, which premieres in competition in Venice.
IMDb lists 95 credits for the actor who made his screen debut in The Flying Doctors in 1989 and took up the profession after working as a surveyor and professional boxer.
“It’s a tough industry and surviving this long is an achievement,” he tells If. “My approach is: ‘Just be yourself.’”
He was inspired to become an actor by watching Bryan Brown in Stir, Breaker Morant and...
One of Australia’s hardest working actors, John Brumpton rarely turns down offers – except when he is asked to work for free.
In the past year he has played a rapist in Stephen Johnson’s Western High Ground, a gunslinger in the second season of Mystery Road, Hugo Weaving’s protector in Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure and a worried dad in Jamie Helmer and Michael Leonard’s short The Diver, which premieres in competition in Venice.
IMDb lists 95 credits for the actor who made his screen debut in The Flying Doctors in 1989 and took up the profession after working as a surveyor and professional boxer.
“It’s a tough industry and surviving this long is an achievement,” he tells If. “My approach is: ‘Just be yourself.’”
He was inspired to become an actor by watching Bryan Brown in Stir, Breaker Morant and...
- 8/29/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Marta Dusseldorp, Glenn Gainor, Alex Dimitriades and Ben Young will join chair Rachel Ward on the jury which will determine the winner of this year’s $100,000 CinefestOz Film Prize.
Owen Trevor’s Go!, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure will compete for Australia’s biggest film prize.
“The quality of this year’s Film Prize finalists is exceptionally high and we are delighted to have a jury of equal calibre to decide on the winner,” CinefestOZ chair Helen Shervington said.
Dimitriades made his acting debut in Michael Jenkins’ The Heartbreak Kid followed by Ana Kokkinos’ Head On. Other film performances include Three Blind Mice, Ghost Ship, Deuce Bigalow, Kings of Mykonos, Summer Coda, The Infinite Man and Ruben Guthrie.
His TV credits include The Slap, The Principal, Seven Types of Ambiguity, Wanted,...
Owen Trevor’s Go!, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure will compete for Australia’s biggest film prize.
“The quality of this year’s Film Prize finalists is exceptionally high and we are delighted to have a jury of equal calibre to decide on the winner,” CinefestOZ chair Helen Shervington said.
Dimitriades made his acting debut in Michael Jenkins’ The Heartbreak Kid followed by Ana Kokkinos’ Head On. Other film performances include Three Blind Mice, Ghost Ship, Deuce Bigalow, Kings of Mykonos, Summer Coda, The Infinite Man and Ruben Guthrie.
His TV credits include The Slap, The Principal, Seven Types of Ambiguity, Wanted,...
- 8/7/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan.’
The box office results for the Australian films and feature docs released in cinemas this year underline yet again the deep polarisation in the indie film market between the higher earners and the also-rans.
The top five titles – Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, Shawn Seet’s Storm Boy, Anthony Marais’ Hotel Mumbai, Damon Gameau’s 2040 and Richard Lowenstein’s Mystify: Michael Hutchence – accounted for $15.8 million or 93 per cent of the Oz releases’ takings.
The Aussie films plus holdovers racked up nearly $17 million through the end of July, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
That’s a long way below the $40.6 million generated in the same period last year, led by Peter Rabbit’s $26.6 million, Breath’s $4.4 million (finishing with $4.6 million) and Sweet Country’s $2 million.
Surveying the challenges facing the indie film business, Transmission Films’ Andrew Mackie tells If:...
The box office results for the Australian films and feature docs released in cinemas this year underline yet again the deep polarisation in the indie film market between the higher earners and the also-rans.
The top five titles – Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, Shawn Seet’s Storm Boy, Anthony Marais’ Hotel Mumbai, Damon Gameau’s 2040 and Richard Lowenstein’s Mystify: Michael Hutchence – accounted for $15.8 million or 93 per cent of the Oz releases’ takings.
The Aussie films plus holdovers racked up nearly $17 million through the end of July, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
That’s a long way below the $40.6 million generated in the same period last year, led by Peter Rabbit’s $26.6 million, Breath’s $4.4 million (finishing with $4.6 million) and Sweet Country’s $2 million.
Surveying the challenges facing the indie film business, Transmission Films’ Andrew Mackie tells If:...
- 8/2/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Owen Trevor’s Go!, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure will compete for Australia’s biggest film prize.
Those are the finalists for the $100,000 prize at CinefestOZ, which will run from August 28 to September 1 in Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River and surrounds.
CinefestOZ festival chair Helen Shervington said it had been another stellar year for the film prize entries and this year’s finalists are the cream of the crop.
The prize was established in 2014 to recognise excellence in Australian filmmaking and is awarded on the gala night by a five-member industry jury, this year chaired by director/writer Rachel Ward.
Scripted by Paper Planes‘ Steve Worland and produced by See Pictures’ Jamie Hilton and Sonia Borella, Go! stars William Lodder, Anastasia Bampos, Darius Amarfio-Jefferson, Dan Wyllie, Cooper Van Grootel, Damian De Montemas,...
Those are the finalists for the $100,000 prize at CinefestOZ, which will run from August 28 to September 1 in Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River and surrounds.
CinefestOZ festival chair Helen Shervington said it had been another stellar year for the film prize entries and this year’s finalists are the cream of the crop.
The prize was established in 2014 to recognise excellence in Australian filmmaking and is awarded on the gala night by a five-member industry jury, this year chaired by director/writer Rachel Ward.
Scripted by Paper Planes‘ Steve Worland and produced by See Pictures’ Jamie Hilton and Sonia Borella, Go! stars William Lodder, Anastasia Bampos, Darius Amarfio-Jefferson, Dan Wyllie, Cooper Van Grootel, Damian De Montemas,...
- 7/4/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Fayssal Bazzi. (Photo: Amelia J Dowd)
Actor Fayssal Bazzi’s father is Lebanese and his mother is Syrian, so for much of his career he was determined to avoid being typecast as Arabic characters, particularly criminals and terrorists.
After scoring the lead role in Mark Grentell’s comedy-drama The Merger, he has enjoyed a higher profile and portrayed a diverse range of characters.
“I just want to play characters whose ethnicity is incidental and I’ve been lucky to be able to do that in the past few years,” he tells If.
Earlier this year he played the son-in-law of Damon Herriman’s seedy night club owner in the second season of FX/Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween, created by and starring Scott Ryan and directed by Nash Edgerton. That was his second collaboration with Herriman following Abe Forsythe’s 2015 Cronulla race riot drama Down Under.
Currently he is in Adelaide shooting Stateless,...
Actor Fayssal Bazzi’s father is Lebanese and his mother is Syrian, so for much of his career he was determined to avoid being typecast as Arabic characters, particularly criminals and terrorists.
After scoring the lead role in Mark Grentell’s comedy-drama The Merger, he has enjoyed a higher profile and portrayed a diverse range of characters.
“I just want to play characters whose ethnicity is incidental and I’ve been lucky to be able to do that in the past few years,” he tells If.
Earlier this year he played the son-in-law of Damon Herriman’s seedy night club owner in the second season of FX/Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween, created by and starring Scott Ryan and directed by Nash Edgerton. That was his second collaboration with Herriman following Abe Forsythe’s 2015 Cronulla race riot drama Down Under.
Currently he is in Adelaide shooting Stateless,...
- 6/23/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘H is for Happiness’.
Seven films supported by the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) Premiere Fund will make their premiere at this year’s iteration, including Maziar Lahooti’s Below and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure.
The Premiere Fund provides minority co-financing to new Australian quality theatrical (narrative and documentary) feature films that then premiere at Miff, and over its history, has invested in more than 70 projects.
The seven films include:
Director John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, which as previously announced, will form the festival’s Family Gala. The film tells the story of a relentlessly optimistic and hilariously forthright girl who hatches a variety of outlandish schemes to make her fractured family happy again. This charming adaptation of award-winning novel My Life as an Alphabet stars Miriam Margolyes (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Emma Booth (Hounds of Love), Richard Roxburgh (Rake), Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) and...
Seven films supported by the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) Premiere Fund will make their premiere at this year’s iteration, including Maziar Lahooti’s Below and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure.
The Premiere Fund provides minority co-financing to new Australian quality theatrical (narrative and documentary) feature films that then premiere at Miff, and over its history, has invested in more than 70 projects.
The seven films include:
Director John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, which as previously announced, will form the festival’s Family Gala. The film tells the story of a relentlessly optimistic and hilariously forthright girl who hatches a variety of outlandish schemes to make her fractured family happy again. This charming adaptation of award-winning novel My Life as an Alphabet stars Miriam Margolyes (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Emma Booth (Hounds of Love), Richard Roxburgh (Rake), Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) and...
- 6/18/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Doris Younane in ‘Five Bedrooms’
After years of fighting against being typecast as Lebanese or other Middle Eastern characters, actor Doris Younane is in a very happy place in her career.
She’s played a variety of characters, most of no specific ethnicity, in the past five years with recurring roles in Five Bedrooms, The Wrong Girl and Party Tricks plus guest appearances in Secret City, Harrow and Janet King.
“I just want to be seen as an actor in Australia,” she tells If. “I no longer want to be a pin-up for multiculturalism; I have passed that baton on to others. I’ve been really lucky. I think I am a good, solid actor and that’s what has got me through.”
Currently Younane is winning plaudits for her performance as the firebrand Heather in Five Bedrooms, Hoodlum Entertainment’s eight-part comedy-drama for Network 10 created by Christine Bartlett and Michael Lucas.
After years of fighting against being typecast as Lebanese or other Middle Eastern characters, actor Doris Younane is in a very happy place in her career.
She’s played a variety of characters, most of no specific ethnicity, in the past five years with recurring roles in Five Bedrooms, The Wrong Girl and Party Tricks plus guest appearances in Secret City, Harrow and Janet King.
“I just want to be seen as an actor in Australia,” she tells If. “I no longer want to be a pin-up for multiculturalism; I have passed that baton on to others. I’ve been really lucky. I think I am a good, solid actor and that’s what has got me through.”
Currently Younane is winning plaudits for her performance as the firebrand Heather in Five Bedrooms, Hoodlum Entertainment’s eight-part comedy-drama for Network 10 created by Christine Bartlett and Michael Lucas.
- 5/22/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Megan Hajjar in ‘M4M’
Since graduating from Waapa in 2016 Megan Hajjar has built an impressive resume with roles in Breath, Love Child, The Secret Daughter, Harrow and the upcoming movies M4M and The Naked Wanderer.
You may not recognise the name because, until recently, she was known as Megan Smart. The actor has decided to use Hajjar, her mother’s maiden name, to more closely identify with her Lebanese heritage.
“I wasn’t being considered for some Middle Eastern roles because the producers did not recognise my heritage,” she tells If.
While she does play a Lebanese woman in Paul Ireland’s M4M, she mostly portrays characters whose nationality is incidental. For example, she had fun playing a serial killer named Charlotte in the ABC/Hoodlum Entertainment’s Harrow and troublemaker Anna Hennessy in Screentime/Seven’s The Secret Daughter.
In Alan Lindsay’s romantic comedy The Naked Wanderer...
Since graduating from Waapa in 2016 Megan Hajjar has built an impressive resume with roles in Breath, Love Child, The Secret Daughter, Harrow and the upcoming movies M4M and The Naked Wanderer.
You may not recognise the name because, until recently, she was known as Megan Smart. The actor has decided to use Hajjar, her mother’s maiden name, to more closely identify with her Lebanese heritage.
“I wasn’t being considered for some Middle Eastern roles because the producers did not recognise my heritage,” she tells If.
While she does play a Lebanese woman in Paul Ireland’s M4M, she mostly portrays characters whose nationality is incidental. For example, she had fun playing a serial killer named Charlotte in the ABC/Hoodlum Entertainment’s Harrow and troublemaker Anna Hennessy in Screentime/Seven’s The Secret Daughter.
In Alan Lindsay’s romantic comedy The Naked Wanderer...
- 4/23/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Damian Hill and Ty Perham in ‘West of Sunshine.’
Shooting of M4M began in Melbourne on Monday as the cast and crew regrouped following the death on September 22 of Damian Hill, who co-wrote the crime drama/romance with the director Paul Ireland.
Ireland has dedicated the film inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ to Hill, his best mate who was to co-produce and play Angelo, a character the director described as a fallen angel.
“After Dame died we got together and decided the best thing to do is carry on and make this for Dame,” says Ireland, who first collaborated with the actor/producer/writer in Pawno in 2015.
“Everyone has been amazing and very stoic. Dame and I were like a married couple. We worked together every day. He was so humble, a beautiful person. I feel like I have lost a part of me, but I’m determined to get through this.
Shooting of M4M began in Melbourne on Monday as the cast and crew regrouped following the death on September 22 of Damian Hill, who co-wrote the crime drama/romance with the director Paul Ireland.
Ireland has dedicated the film inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ to Hill, his best mate who was to co-produce and play Angelo, a character the director described as a fallen angel.
“After Dame died we got together and decided the best thing to do is carry on and make this for Dame,” says Ireland, who first collaborated with the actor/producer/writer in Pawno in 2015.
“Everyone has been amazing and very stoic. Dame and I were like a married couple. We worked together every day. He was so humble, a beautiful person. I feel like I have lost a part of me, but I’m determined to get through this.
- 10/3/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Damian Hill and stepson Ty Perham in ‘West of Sunshine’.
The independent film sector in Australia is in shock following the news that gifted actor, writer and producer Damian Hill died in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The star of Jason Raftopoulos’ West of Sunshine and Paul Ireland’s Pawno, which he co-wrote, and a supporting actor in Heath Davis’ Broke, Hill was 42.
The cause of death was not immediately reported and may not be confirmed until the police file a report for the coroner.
Known to his friends as Dame, today he was due to start shooting M4M, an unlikely love story set against the background of drugs, racial intolerance and crime in Melbourne, which stars Hugo Weaving, directed by Ireland and co-written and produced by Hill and Ireland.
Ireland tells If: “We are just regrouping and will keep going in his beautiful memory. He put three years of...
The independent film sector in Australia is in shock following the news that gifted actor, writer and producer Damian Hill died in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The star of Jason Raftopoulos’ West of Sunshine and Paul Ireland’s Pawno, which he co-wrote, and a supporting actor in Heath Davis’ Broke, Hill was 42.
The cause of death was not immediately reported and may not be confirmed until the police file a report for the coroner.
Known to his friends as Dame, today he was due to start shooting M4M, an unlikely love story set against the background of drugs, racial intolerance and crime in Melbourne, which stars Hugo Weaving, directed by Ireland and co-written and produced by Hill and Ireland.
Ireland tells If: “We are just regrouping and will keep going in his beautiful memory. He put three years of...
- 9/23/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘In Like Flynn.’
Robert Slaviero has joined Umbrella Entertainment as head of sales as the distributor continues its commitment to release a sizable slate of Australian feature films and documentaries.
While some distributors have largely shied away from handling local films Umbrella is keeping the faith with three titles scheduled to open in October and eight on the slate for 2019.
“We like working with people who are passionate about their work and who have a commercial sensibility,” Umbrella MD Jeff Harrison tells If, pointing to collaborators including Causeway Films’ Kristina Ceyton and Sam Jennings, Catherine Scott, Carver Films’ Sarah Shaw and Anna McLeish, Paul Ireland and Damian Hill, Steve Jaggi and Justin Dix. “We are very happy with what we’re doing.”
Head of acquisitions Ari Harrison says the firm evaluates up to 50 scripts at any one time and he laments the shortage of projects aimed at older females. “People...
Robert Slaviero has joined Umbrella Entertainment as head of sales as the distributor continues its commitment to release a sizable slate of Australian feature films and documentaries.
While some distributors have largely shied away from handling local films Umbrella is keeping the faith with three titles scheduled to open in October and eight on the slate for 2019.
“We like working with people who are passionate about their work and who have a commercial sensibility,” Umbrella MD Jeff Harrison tells If, pointing to collaborators including Causeway Films’ Kristina Ceyton and Sam Jennings, Catherine Scott, Carver Films’ Sarah Shaw and Anna McLeish, Paul Ireland and Damian Hill, Steve Jaggi and Justin Dix. “We are very happy with what we’re doing.”
Head of acquisitions Ari Harrison says the firm evaluates up to 50 scripts at any one time and he laments the shortage of projects aimed at older females. “People...
- 9/18/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
"We've been aware of some very serious vampire activity in this area for a long time." Photo: Ingrid Mur
The third day of the Glasgow Film Festival built up slowly but was going strong by the evening, showcasing some of this year’s best films. Pablo Larraín’s biopic of Chilean politician-poet Neruda impressed fans while the sinister The Autopsy Of Jane Doe, the latest film from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal, sent shivers down their spines, with some calling it the best horror film they’ve seen for years. There was a lot of love for French Oscar contender My Life As A Courgette, which was deemed a good antidote to some o the more distressing films on the festival menu, and fans were out in force to see the work of cult online animator David Firth in shorts collection Umbilical World and ten minute oddity Cream.
John Brumption,...
The third day of the Glasgow Film Festival built up slowly but was going strong by the evening, showcasing some of this year’s best films. Pablo Larraín’s biopic of Chilean politician-poet Neruda impressed fans while the sinister The Autopsy Of Jane Doe, the latest film from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal, sent shivers down their spines, with some calling it the best horror film they’ve seen for years. There was a lot of love for French Oscar contender My Life As A Courgette, which was deemed a good antidote to some o the more distressing films on the festival menu, and fans were out in force to see the work of cult online animator David Firth in shorts collection Umbilical World and ten minute oddity Cream.
John Brumption,...
- 2/19/2017
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Zac Efron and Seth Rogen in Bad Neighbours 2.
Captain America: Civil War rang up more than $6 million over the weekend, dropping fifty-seven percent in its second week to bring its cume to $23.3 million.
The superhero extravaganza's closest competitor was Bad Neighbours 2, starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron, which debuted with $2.4 million on 251 screens.
Mother's Day, starring Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson, came in third, dropping sixty-nine percent for around $2 million over the weekend. Garry Marshall's film has pulled in around $4.1 million after two weeks.
Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book dropped forty-one percent in its fourth week, racking up $1.4 million over the weekend to bring its total to $26.5 million.
eOne's Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep, debuted on 261 screens to the tune of $896,976, while Fox's Eddie the Eagle dropped only thirty-nine percent in its third week to bring its cume to $6.8 million.
Icon's The Man Who Knew Infinity...
Captain America: Civil War rang up more than $6 million over the weekend, dropping fifty-seven percent in its second week to bring its cume to $23.3 million.
The superhero extravaganza's closest competitor was Bad Neighbours 2, starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron, which debuted with $2.4 million on 251 screens.
Mother's Day, starring Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson, came in third, dropping sixty-nine percent for around $2 million over the weekend. Garry Marshall's film has pulled in around $4.1 million after two weeks.
Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book dropped forty-one percent in its fourth week, racking up $1.4 million over the weekend to bring its total to $26.5 million.
eOne's Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep, debuted on 261 screens to the tune of $896,976, while Fox's Eddie the Eagle dropped only thirty-nine percent in its third week to bring its cume to $6.8 million.
Icon's The Man Who Knew Infinity...
- 5/8/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Damian Hill and Paul Ireland.
Australian indie feature Pawno has been in Australian cinemas for over two weeks, screening on over 20 screens..
Pawno.is the first feature to be distributed by the new.production and distribution.company Mind Blowing World, which was formed by Mitu Bhowmick Lange and John Molloy,.and is the sister company of Mind Blowing Films.
"They bring a lot of Indian films into Australia and distribute them across the country, but this is the first English-speaking Australian film they've done", Pawno director Paul Ireland told If.
"They've really embraced it, and they're passionate about it."
With a theatrically released feature under their belt, Ireland and the film's screenwriter-star Damian Hill are pitching their next feature to Screen Australia.
Another romance, the new film is called Allergy, and is set on a fictional Australian island.
"This outsider comes to this parochial little island that runs at its own pace,...
Australian indie feature Pawno has been in Australian cinemas for over two weeks, screening on over 20 screens..
Pawno.is the first feature to be distributed by the new.production and distribution.company Mind Blowing World, which was formed by Mitu Bhowmick Lange and John Molloy,.and is the sister company of Mind Blowing Films.
"They bring a lot of Indian films into Australia and distribute them across the country, but this is the first English-speaking Australian film they've done", Pawno director Paul Ireland told If.
"They've really embraced it, and they're passionate about it."
With a theatrically released feature under their belt, Ireland and the film's screenwriter-star Damian Hill are pitching their next feature to Screen Australia.
Another romance, the new film is called Allergy, and is set on a fictional Australian island.
"This outsider comes to this parochial little island that runs at its own pace,...
- 5/5/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Captain America: Civil War.
Disney's Captain America: Civil War debuted on 283 screens last week, grossing a whopping $13.8 million to leave studio stablemate The Jungle Book in the dust..
In its third week, The Jungle Book dropped sixty percent to take $2.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total earnings to $24.3 million so far.
Eddie the Eagle dropped fifty-one percent in week two, ringing up $1.2 million on 276 screens over the weekend. The Hugh Jackman-starrer has now brought in $5.5 million.
Other than Civil War, the highest-grossing debut was Mother's Day, starring Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson, which rang up $1.5 million on 253 screens..
That film may have poached some ticket-buyers from Melissa McCarthy's The Boss, which dropped sixty-five percent in its third week, bringing its total to $5.6 million off 241 screens.
Meanwhile Disney's Zootopia dropped seventy-one percent in its seventh week for weekend earnings of $492,527, and has now made $27.3 million.
eOne's...
Disney's Captain America: Civil War debuted on 283 screens last week, grossing a whopping $13.8 million to leave studio stablemate The Jungle Book in the dust..
In its third week, The Jungle Book dropped sixty percent to take $2.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total earnings to $24.3 million so far.
Eddie the Eagle dropped fifty-one percent in week two, ringing up $1.2 million on 276 screens over the weekend. The Hugh Jackman-starrer has now brought in $5.5 million.
Other than Civil War, the highest-grossing debut was Mother's Day, starring Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson, which rang up $1.5 million on 253 screens..
That film may have poached some ticket-buyers from Melissa McCarthy's The Boss, which dropped sixty-five percent in its third week, bringing its total to $5.6 million off 241 screens.
Meanwhile Disney's Zootopia dropped seventy-one percent in its seventh week for weekend earnings of $492,527, and has now made $27.3 million.
eOne's...
- 5/2/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Malcolm Kennard and Mark Coles Smith in Pawno.
Actors turned filmmakers Paul Ireland and Damian Hill met doing a play with storied character actor John Brumpton (Romper Stomper, The Hunter).
In Pawno, the pair's first feature as director and screenwriter respectively, Brumpton plays the owner of a Footscray pawn shop and Hill his employee.
Hill started writing the script during the course of the play's run, and afterwards sent it to Ireland, who agreed to direct it.
"Over a three year period we kept developing the script, cutting it down, making it tight, and raising the finance to make it independently", said Ireland.
The film was financed entirely by private donations, a process which "took a long time, but we got the right people in the end", Hill told If.
The screenwriter-star describes the gradual evolution of the script as a process of winnowing.
"We went back and forth with the characters for ages.
Actors turned filmmakers Paul Ireland and Damian Hill met doing a play with storied character actor John Brumpton (Romper Stomper, The Hunter).
In Pawno, the pair's first feature as director and screenwriter respectively, Brumpton plays the owner of a Footscray pawn shop and Hill his employee.
Hill started writing the script during the course of the play's run, and afterwards sent it to Ireland, who agreed to direct it.
"Over a three year period we kept developing the script, cutting it down, making it tight, and raising the finance to make it independently", said Ireland.
The film was financed entirely by private donations, a process which "took a long time, but we got the right people in the end", Hill told If.
The screenwriter-star describes the gradual evolution of the script as a process of winnowing.
"We went back and forth with the characters for ages.
- 4/28/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Watch the stars of Pawno celebrate the opening night at The Sun Theatre.
.
Australian feature Pawno has opened to postive reviews and a healthy box office.
The film, directed/produced by Paul Ireland and written/produced by Damian Hill, opened nationally on April 21 and achieved $3,120 per showing on 19 screens over the Anzac Day long weekend.
The character driven ensemble, set in the diverse and mulicultural Melbourne suburbe of Footscray, recorded particularly strong results at The Sun in Yarraville, Melbourne, where the film opened to a gala premiere.
Ireland, Hill, and key cast members including Kerry Armstrong (Lantana), Tony Rickards (Holding The Man) and Mark Coles Smith (Last Cab to Darwin), walked the red carpet before guests packed out four sold-out sessions..
Australian actors Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under), Damian Walshe Howling, film industry figure Steve Vizard, and Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley were among the audience attending.
Hill...
.
Australian feature Pawno has opened to postive reviews and a healthy box office.
The film, directed/produced by Paul Ireland and written/produced by Damian Hill, opened nationally on April 21 and achieved $3,120 per showing on 19 screens over the Anzac Day long weekend.
The character driven ensemble, set in the diverse and mulicultural Melbourne suburbe of Footscray, recorded particularly strong results at The Sun in Yarraville, Melbourne, where the film opened to a gala premiere.
Ireland, Hill, and key cast members including Kerry Armstrong (Lantana), Tony Rickards (Holding The Man) and Mark Coles Smith (Last Cab to Darwin), walked the red carpet before guests packed out four sold-out sessions..
Australian actors Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under), Damian Walshe Howling, film industry figure Steve Vizard, and Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley were among the audience attending.
Hill...
- 4/26/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz will reunite to host a special screening of independent Australian feature Pawno.
The screening, .at Sydney.s Chauvel Cinema on April 12, will see Pomeranz and Stratton join in a Q&A with the key talent of the new Australian comic drama film from first time director Paul Ireland, which Pomeranz describes as .a bolt from the blue..
.I love this film, loved it, loved it,. she said.
Pawno is produced by Paul Ireland and Damian Hills. Toothless Pictures and distributed by Mind Blowing World. It opens across 20 screens nationally on April 21..
Joining Margaret and David onstage will be director Paul Ireland, Pawno screenwriter and actor Damian Hill, beloved Australian veteran actors John Brumpton and Kerry Armstrong, and other key cast members..
The character-driven ensemble film takes place in a dusty old pawnbroker.s, where world-weary owner Les Underwood (John Brumpton) watches as the lives of...
The screening, .at Sydney.s Chauvel Cinema on April 12, will see Pomeranz and Stratton join in a Q&A with the key talent of the new Australian comic drama film from first time director Paul Ireland, which Pomeranz describes as .a bolt from the blue..
.I love this film, loved it, loved it,. she said.
Pawno is produced by Paul Ireland and Damian Hills. Toothless Pictures and distributed by Mind Blowing World. It opens across 20 screens nationally on April 21..
Joining Margaret and David onstage will be director Paul Ireland, Pawno screenwriter and actor Damian Hill, beloved Australian veteran actors John Brumpton and Kerry Armstrong, and other key cast members..
The character-driven ensemble film takes place in a dusty old pawnbroker.s, where world-weary owner Les Underwood (John Brumpton) watches as the lives of...
- 3/31/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Pawno, the debut film of director Paul Ireland which premiered at last year's Miff, will open in cinemas nationally on April 21..
Set in Footscray, Melbourne, the film's cast includes Pawno screenwriter Damian Hill, John Brumpton (Romper Stomper), Kerry Armstrong (Lantana), Tony Rickards (Holding The Man), Maeve Dermody (Griff the Invisible) and Mark Coles Smith (Last Cab to Darwin).
Brumpton plays Les Underwood, the proprietor of an old pawnbroker's shop..
Produced by Paul Ireland and Damian Hills. production company Toothless Pictures, the privately financed feature was shot in Barkly Street, Footscray..
The soundtrack features Tom Waits, Vance Joy, hip-hop group Astronomy Class and Chris Saray..
After premiering it Miff, Pawno premiered internationally at the Black Nights Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
It has also screened at the Singapore Film Festival and Cinefest Oz in Western Australia.
Pawno is the first feature film to be distributed by the new production and distribution company Mind Blowing World,...
Set in Footscray, Melbourne, the film's cast includes Pawno screenwriter Damian Hill, John Brumpton (Romper Stomper), Kerry Armstrong (Lantana), Tony Rickards (Holding The Man), Maeve Dermody (Griff the Invisible) and Mark Coles Smith (Last Cab to Darwin).
Brumpton plays Les Underwood, the proprietor of an old pawnbroker's shop..
Produced by Paul Ireland and Damian Hills. production company Toothless Pictures, the privately financed feature was shot in Barkly Street, Footscray..
The soundtrack features Tom Waits, Vance Joy, hip-hop group Astronomy Class and Chris Saray..
After premiering it Miff, Pawno premiered internationally at the Black Nights Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
It has also screened at the Singapore Film Festival and Cinefest Oz in Western Australia.
Pawno is the first feature film to be distributed by the new production and distribution company Mind Blowing World,...
- 3/9/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
The producers of The Throne have returned their $10,600 prize, citing a desire to help the festival’s growth.
The team behind The Throne, which won Best Film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) last week, have returned their $10,600 (€10,000) prize to the festival.
Production company Tiger Pictures and director Lee Joon-ik stated that they were impressed with the festival and they wished to donate their grant to help Black Nights become “a new European hub to create cinematic joy and fun.”
The Throne, which is South Korea’s Oscar submission for 2015, follows an 18th-century Korean ruling family. It also took the Best Music prize during the festival’s award ceremony on Nov 27.
The film’s screenwriter and producer, Cho Chul-hyun—who accepted the awards on behalf of Lee and music director Bang Jun-seok who were both absent—left a handwritten letter on Dec 1 to Festival Director Tiina Lokk explaining what Lee and Tiger Pictures wanted...
The team behind The Throne, which won Best Film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) last week, have returned their $10,600 (€10,000) prize to the festival.
Production company Tiger Pictures and director Lee Joon-ik stated that they were impressed with the festival and they wished to donate their grant to help Black Nights become “a new European hub to create cinematic joy and fun.”
The Throne, which is South Korea’s Oscar submission for 2015, follows an 18th-century Korean ruling family. It also took the Best Music prize during the festival’s award ceremony on Nov 27.
The film’s screenwriter and producer, Cho Chul-hyun—who accepted the awards on behalf of Lee and music director Bang Jun-seok who were both absent—left a handwritten letter on Dec 1 to Festival Director Tiina Lokk explaining what Lee and Tiger Pictures wanted...
- 12/2/2015
- ScreenDaily
The first ever Tridens First Features competition will include 14 titles, alongside two out of competition.Scroll down for the full list
The 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) has revealead the line-up for the inaugural edition of its new programme: the Tridens First Features competition.
In total, there will be 14 world and international premieres shown, all helmed by debut directors, selected from diverse regions including Colombia, Australia and Iran.
The Colombian title be the world premiere of Delivery, the first feature from director Martin Mejira Rugeles. The film, shot on 16mm, follows a pregnant woman who lives in a remote village in a forest.
The Australian title is the international premiere of Pawno. Set in Melbourne, director Paul Ireland’s debut looks at an eclectic selection of the city’s inhabitants, all of whom are desperately looking for love.
The Iranian film, Two, is the directorial debut of actress Soheila Golestani. The feature...
The 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) has revealead the line-up for the inaugural edition of its new programme: the Tridens First Features competition.
In total, there will be 14 world and international premieres shown, all helmed by debut directors, selected from diverse regions including Colombia, Australia and Iran.
The Colombian title be the world premiere of Delivery, the first feature from director Martin Mejira Rugeles. The film, shot on 16mm, follows a pregnant woman who lives in a remote village in a forest.
The Australian title is the international premiere of Pawno. Set in Melbourne, director Paul Ireland’s debut looks at an eclectic selection of the city’s inhabitants, all of whom are desperately looking for love.
The Iranian film, Two, is the directorial debut of actress Soheila Golestani. The feature...
- 10/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
The first ever Tridens First Feature competition will include 14 titles, alongside two out of competition.Scroll down for the full list
The 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) has revealead the line-up for the inaugural edition of its new programme: the Tridens First Feature competition.
In total, there will be 14 world and international premieres shown, all helmed by debut directors, selected from diverse regions including Colombia, Australia and Iran.
The Colombian title be the world premiere of Delivery, the first feature from director Martin Mejira Rugeles. The film, shot on 16mm, follows a pregnant woman who lives in a remote village in a forest.
The Australian title is the international premiere of Pawno. Set in Melbourne, director Paul Ireland’s debut looks at an eclectic selection of the city’s inhabitants, all of whom are desperately looking for love.
The Iranian film, Two, is the directorial debut of actress Soheila Golestani. The feature...
The 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) has revealead the line-up for the inaugural edition of its new programme: the Tridens First Feature competition.
In total, there will be 14 world and international premieres shown, all helmed by debut directors, selected from diverse regions including Colombia, Australia and Iran.
The Colombian title be the world premiere of Delivery, the first feature from director Martin Mejira Rugeles. The film, shot on 16mm, follows a pregnant woman who lives in a remote village in a forest.
The Australian title is the international premiere of Pawno. Set in Melbourne, director Paul Ireland’s debut looks at an eclectic selection of the city’s inhabitants, all of whom are desperately looking for love.
The Iranian film, Two, is the directorial debut of actress Soheila Golestani. The feature...
- 10/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
The feature-length documentary with no sales agent has won Australia’s richest film award, the $71,000 (A$100,000) CinefestOZ Film Prize for homegrown films.
“Putuparri seems to work with audiences because the story touches people’s hearts,” producer John Moore told Screendaily. “We have had many people come up to us after screenings with a tear in their eye saying it has helped them understand what Aboriginal culture is all about … We are hoping that winning the prize will help us find an international sales agent who can get the film into some big international festivals.”
The CinefestOZ Film Festival has been running in Western Australia’s (Wa) Margaret River region for eight years and – especially since the introduction of the prize last year – has become a significant gathering place for Australian filmmakers.
The festival also provided an opportunity for state government agency ScreenWest to stage several industry events, including a day-long series of discussions about the importance of the...
“Putuparri seems to work with audiences because the story touches people’s hearts,” producer John Moore told Screendaily. “We have had many people come up to us after screenings with a tear in their eye saying it has helped them understand what Aboriginal culture is all about … We are hoping that winning the prize will help us find an international sales agent who can get the film into some big international festivals.”
The CinefestOZ Film Festival has been running in Western Australia’s (Wa) Margaret River region for eight years and – especially since the introduction of the prize last year – has become a significant gathering place for Australian filmmakers.
The festival also provided an opportunity for state government agency ScreenWest to stage several industry events, including a day-long series of discussions about the importance of the...
- 9/1/2015
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
The feature-length documentary with no sales agent has won Australia’s richest film award, the $71,000 (A$100,000) CinefestOZ Film Prize for homegrown films.
“Putuparri seems to work with audiences because the story touches people’s hearts,” producer John Moore told ScreenDaily.
“We have had many people come up to us after screenings with a tear in their eye saying it has helped them understand what Aboriginal culture is all about.
“We hope that winning the prize will help us find an international sales agent who can get the film into some big international festivals.”
The CinefestOZ Film Festival has been running in Western Australia’s (Wa) Margaret River region for eight years and – especially since the introduction of the prize last year – has become a significant gathering place for Australian filmmakers.
The festival also provided an opportunity for state government agency ScreenWest to stage several industry events, including a day-long series of discussions about the importance of the...
“Putuparri seems to work with audiences because the story touches people’s hearts,” producer John Moore told ScreenDaily.
“We have had many people come up to us after screenings with a tear in their eye saying it has helped them understand what Aboriginal culture is all about.
“We hope that winning the prize will help us find an international sales agent who can get the film into some big international festivals.”
The CinefestOZ Film Festival has been running in Western Australia’s (Wa) Margaret River region for eight years and – especially since the introduction of the prize last year – has become a significant gathering place for Australian filmmakers.
The festival also provided an opportunity for state government agency ScreenWest to stage several industry events, including a day-long series of discussions about the importance of the...
- 8/31/2015
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Adrian Brody in Backtrack..
.
Five Aussie films will vie for the $100,000 CinéfestOZ Film Prize, with two of the entries to have their Australian premiere at the Festival in August.
Backtrack, Now Add Honey, Pawno, Putuparri and the Rainmakers and The Daughter have each been selected out of over 30 submissions to make up the shortlist for the prize, now in its second year.
The winner will be announced at the Festival on Saturday 29th August, 2015.
The Film Prize is awarded to the producer of an Australian feature film (including feature documentaries) and last year was taken out by Robert Connolly for his family feature Paper Planes.
The film, which Connolly also directed, went on to enjoy huge success at the Australian box office and will be released by distribution companies Lionsgate in the UK and in North America by Eone.
The finalists for this year.s prize were determined by five...
.
Five Aussie films will vie for the $100,000 CinéfestOZ Film Prize, with two of the entries to have their Australian premiere at the Festival in August.
Backtrack, Now Add Honey, Pawno, Putuparri and the Rainmakers and The Daughter have each been selected out of over 30 submissions to make up the shortlist for the prize, now in its second year.
The winner will be announced at the Festival on Saturday 29th August, 2015.
The Film Prize is awarded to the producer of an Australian feature film (including feature documentaries) and last year was taken out by Robert Connolly for his family feature Paper Planes.
The film, which Connolly also directed, went on to enjoy huge success at the Australian box office and will be released by distribution companies Lionsgate in the UK and in North America by Eone.
The finalists for this year.s prize were determined by five...
- 7/20/2015
- by Emily Blatchford
- 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
Upcoming Australian comedy Outland is set to have its World Premiere at the Seattle Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on October 18.
Based on the only short film to play both the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and the World Science Fiction Convention, this six-part comedy series focuses on members of a gay science-fiction fan club and features Adam Richard, Christine Anu, Ben Gerrard, Paul Ireland, and Toby Truslove. It is produced by Laura Waters (Angry Boys, Summer Heights High, John Safran’s Race Relations) of Princess Pictures.
Open about their sexuality but not so much about their geekdom, each member takes a turn at hosting the meetings. They soon discover that even if you’re out of the closet, it doesn’t mean there aren’t still skeletons in there… Outland is a series about belonging, no matter who you are, and how everyone searches to find a place to fit in.
Based on the only short film to play both the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and the World Science Fiction Convention, this six-part comedy series focuses on members of a gay science-fiction fan club and features Adam Richard, Christine Anu, Ben Gerrard, Paul Ireland, and Toby Truslove. It is produced by Laura Waters (Angry Boys, Summer Heights High, John Safran’s Race Relations) of Princess Pictures.
Open about their sexuality but not so much about their geekdom, each member takes a turn at hosting the meetings. They soon discover that even if you’re out of the closet, it doesn’t mean there aren’t still skeletons in there… Outland is a series about belonging, no matter who you are, and how everyone searches to find a place to fit in.
- 10/8/2011
- by The DoorQus Maximus
- doorQ.com
Well, some gay portal already uses that name, but the show's characters can still talk about doorQ’s reboot.
Australia’s ABC1 has announced plans for Outland, a six-part comedy series with openly gay science fiction geeks. A show about “belonging and fitting in” will feature the gay characters Rae (Christine Anu), Toby (Ben Gerrard), Andy (Paul Ireland), Fab (Adam Richard) and Max (Toby Truslove). Kevin Carlin will direct. Princess Pictures, already known for the hits Summer Heights High and John Safran’s Race Relations, will produce.
They even need gay pride event extras for filming in Melbourne.
Photo: Adam Richard plays Fab.
Duane Simolke wrote the gay-themed novel Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.
Australia’s ABC1 has announced plans for Outland, a six-part comedy series with openly gay science fiction geeks. A show about “belonging and fitting in” will feature the gay characters Rae (Christine Anu), Toby (Ben Gerrard), Andy (Paul Ireland), Fab (Adam Richard) and Max (Toby Truslove). Kevin Carlin will direct. Princess Pictures, already known for the hits Summer Heights High and John Safran’s Race Relations, will produce.
They even need gay pride event extras for filming in Melbourne.
Photo: Adam Richard plays Fab.
Duane Simolke wrote the gay-themed novel Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.
- 11/11/2010
- doorQ.com
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