Anni Browning accepts the 2017 Spa Award to Film Finances for Best Service and Facilities.
In 22 years with Film Finances Australasia, Anni Browning experienced numerous highs and faced a few challenges as the cinema industry ebbed and flowed.
Browning, who has stepped down as MD of the completion bond company but is still a consultant, supported Rachel Perkins’ debut feature Radiance.
She took one of her biggest risks on a Rolf de Heer movie, which she counts as one of her proudest achievements.
The biggest trend during her time has been the proliferation of low budget films, despite the need to pay crews and allocate reasonable money for post- production. Film Finances bonded a lot of films budgeted at $1 million- $1.5 million and one-off feature docs costing as little as $100,000- $200,000.
One thing which has not remained constant is the insurance bond premium. When she started it was as high as 6 per cent of the budget.
In 22 years with Film Finances Australasia, Anni Browning experienced numerous highs and faced a few challenges as the cinema industry ebbed and flowed.
Browning, who has stepped down as MD of the completion bond company but is still a consultant, supported Rachel Perkins’ debut feature Radiance.
She took one of her biggest risks on a Rolf de Heer movie, which she counts as one of her proudest achievements.
The biggest trend during her time has been the proliferation of low budget films, despite the need to pay crews and allocate reasonable money for post- production. Film Finances bonded a lot of films budgeted at $1 million- $1.5 million and one-off feature docs costing as little as $100,000- $200,000.
One thing which has not remained constant is the insurance bond premium. When she started it was as high as 6 per cent of the budget.
- 7/7/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Julia Billington
When Julia Billington was at the National Institute of Dramatic Art there was a tacit belief among sections of the screen industry that a gay actor could not come out.
“It wasn’t spoken about but it was an undercurrent, a hangover from the past decade,” she tells If. “If you were queer, you should keep it on the down-low.”
Since she graduated from Nida in 2008 clearly there has been growing acceptance of the Lgbtqi community, although it’s far from universal.
Citing the 38.4 per cent of respondents who voted no in the same sex marriage plebiscite in 2017, she says: “We can pat ourselves on the back but there is still a long way to go.”
Currently Billington is relishing playing Tara, a lesbian who died in the 1980s and is reincarnated as a fairy godmother in Monica Zanetti’s rom-com Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt).
Adapted...
When Julia Billington was at the National Institute of Dramatic Art there was a tacit belief among sections of the screen industry that a gay actor could not come out.
“It wasn’t spoken about but it was an undercurrent, a hangover from the past decade,” she tells If. “If you were queer, you should keep it on the down-low.”
Since she graduated from Nida in 2008 clearly there has been growing acceptance of the Lgbtqi community, although it’s far from universal.
Citing the 38.4 per cent of respondents who voted no in the same sex marriage plebiscite in 2017, she says: “We can pat ourselves on the back but there is still a long way to go.”
Currently Billington is relishing playing Tara, a lesbian who died in the 1980s and is reincarnated as a fairy godmother in Monica Zanetti’s rom-com Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt).
Adapted...
- 4/28/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Top (l-r) Sophie Hawkshaw, Zoe Terakes; Bottom (l-r) Rachel House, Marta Dusseldorp.
As a teenager Monica Zanetti searched in vain for gay rom-coms which she could watch with her mother, while Neil Armfield’s same-sex romantic drama Holding the Man was a major influence.
That has inspired the writer-director to make her feature directing debut on Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), which, unlike Armfield’s film has a happy ending.
Shooting in Sydney started today, starring Marta Dusseldorp, fellow Janet King alumni Julia Billington, Kiwi Rachel House, Zoe Terakes and newcomer Sophie Hawkshaw.
Zanetti adapted the screenplay from her eponymous play which was staged in 2017 at The Depot Theatre in Marrickville, her second feature credit after Jonnie Leahy’s 2014 drama Skip Deep.
Hawkshaw’s Ellie is 18 and struggling to find the courage to ask classmate Abbie (Terakes) to the formal. Luckily her aunt Tara (Billington), a lesbian who died in the 80s,...
As a teenager Monica Zanetti searched in vain for gay rom-coms which she could watch with her mother, while Neil Armfield’s same-sex romantic drama Holding the Man was a major influence.
That has inspired the writer-director to make her feature directing debut on Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), which, unlike Armfield’s film has a happy ending.
Shooting in Sydney started today, starring Marta Dusseldorp, fellow Janet King alumni Julia Billington, Kiwi Rachel House, Zoe Terakes and newcomer Sophie Hawkshaw.
Zanetti adapted the screenplay from her eponymous play which was staged in 2017 at The Depot Theatre in Marrickville, her second feature credit after Jonnie Leahy’s 2014 drama Skip Deep.
Hawkshaw’s Ellie is 18 and struggling to find the courage to ask classmate Abbie (Terakes) to the formal. Luckily her aunt Tara (Billington), a lesbian who died in the 80s,...
- 4/23/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Between 2009 and 2014, only 15% of film directors in Australia were women – that is too extreme not to address
The “sausage party” flash mob at the Aacta awards last week, protesting gender inequity in the Australian film industry, was a wake-up call. Hilarious in a larrikin Aussie way – but a sobering spotlight on an endemic and deepening problem.
As one of the few women directors to win an award this year, I clicked my support of the Sausage-ettes in quiet solidarity. But when I read that two of the protesters – Louise Wadley and Megan Riakos – had directed feature films with successful independent theatrical releases, which had nonetheless been rejected for consideration at Australia’s major film and television awards, I felt compelled to speak out.
Continue reading...
The “sausage party” flash mob at the Aacta awards last week, protesting gender inequity in the Australian film industry, was a wake-up call. Hilarious in a larrikin Aussie way – but a sobering spotlight on an endemic and deepening problem.
As one of the few women directors to win an award this year, I clicked my support of the Sausage-ettes in quiet solidarity. But when I read that two of the protesters – Louise Wadley and Megan Riakos – had directed feature films with successful independent theatrical releases, which had nonetheless been rejected for consideration at Australia’s major film and television awards, I felt compelled to speak out.
Continue reading...
- 12/15/2016
- by Anna Broinowski
- The Guardian - Film News
Megan Riakos.
Wift Nsw stormed the Aacta Awards last night, with a dozen members tumbling out of the back of a van and onto the red carpet.—.dressed as sausages to protest the male dominance of the country's film and television industry. Below, Wift member and filmmaker Megan Riakos calls for "a fair and diverse Aacta Awards"..
Earlier this year I entered my debut feature Crushed for the Aacta awards.
At first I didn.t intend to enter; although I had screened at a number of international festivals and had a successful limited theatrical release (including 43 screenings across Australia), my film did not qualify immediately for selection as we did not have a .traditional. cinematic release, and the cost of the entry was prohibitive for me at that time.
However, when Aacta approached me, confirming Crushed's eligibility for pre-selection and encouraging me to enter, I invested in applying for...
Wift Nsw stormed the Aacta Awards last night, with a dozen members tumbling out of the back of a van and onto the red carpet.—.dressed as sausages to protest the male dominance of the country's film and television industry. Below, Wift member and filmmaker Megan Riakos calls for "a fair and diverse Aacta Awards"..
Earlier this year I entered my debut feature Crushed for the Aacta awards.
At first I didn.t intend to enter; although I had screened at a number of international festivals and had a successful limited theatrical release (including 43 screenings across Australia), my film did not qualify immediately for selection as we did not have a .traditional. cinematic release, and the cost of the entry was prohibitive for me at that time.
However, when Aacta approached me, confirming Crushed's eligibility for pre-selection and encouraging me to enter, I invested in applying for...
- 12/7/2016
- by Megan Riakos
- IF.com.au
Screen Women Series (photo credit: Emma Leslie).
Film Fatales is a network of female filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive community in which to make their films. The Sydney chapter was started by Brooke Goldfinch and is now co-run by Megan Riakos..
Brooke Goldfinch:.
Film Fatales was started by writer/director Leah Meyerhoff. She was making her first feature I Believe in Unicorns and she invited a bunch of veteran female directors to her house for dinner to ask their advice. The evening was so productive that Leah decided to start an organisation, in which groups of women directors would meet monthly at someone.s house to discuss filmmaking. It.s a simple, grass-roots concept that has become a powerful global movement, with chapters all over the world. I knew Leah from the grad film program at Nyu where I got my Mfa.
Film Fatales is a network of female filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive community in which to make their films. The Sydney chapter was started by Brooke Goldfinch and is now co-run by Megan Riakos..
Brooke Goldfinch:.
Film Fatales was started by writer/director Leah Meyerhoff. She was making her first feature I Believe in Unicorns and she invited a bunch of veteran female directors to her house for dinner to ask their advice. The evening was so productive that Leah decided to start an organisation, in which groups of women directors would meet monthly at someone.s house to discuss filmmaking. It.s a simple, grass-roots concept that has become a powerful global movement, with chapters all over the world. I knew Leah from the grad film program at Nyu where I got my Mfa.
- 8/28/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Cinema on-demand platform Tugg Australia is growing month-by-month, delivering tidy sums to the producers of hot-button documentaries and incremental revenues for narrative features. The top-grossing title so far is Frackman, Richard Todd.s profile of environmental activist Dayne Pratzky, which has generated $160,000 from 90 screenings. Among other films in demand are Maya Newell.s Gayby Baby; Joao Dujon Pereira.s Black Hole, which chronicles the battle against Whitehaven Coal to save a woodland forest from being cleared to make way for an open cut coal mine; and Avi Lewis. This Changes Everything, an attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change filmed in nine countries and five continents over four years. Last week was a milestone as the platform had its biggest week ever since its soft launch in 2013, with 26 screenings and 3,000 ticket sales. .With 27 confirmed screenings through the end of the month, October will deliver more than 80 screenings and...
- 10/27/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Road movie All About E will premiere at Trundle in Far West Nsw, where the film was shot, on October 24, before a national roll-out via on-demand platform Tugg.
Director Louise Wadley,. producer Jay Rutovitz and cast members. Mandahla Rose, Simon Bolton and Brett Rogers will attend the screening at Trundle Memorial Hall.
Rose (Wastelander Panda) plays young Arabic Australian Elmira, or E as she insists on being called, a sexy DJ at Sydney's top gay nightclub who has her pick of the girls.
But she doesn't have a clue about how much of a mess her life has become. She's not .out. to her traditional Lebanese family, she's abandoned her beloved classical music and she's lost Trish (Julia Billington), the one relationship that really mattered to her.
When she stumbles on a stash of cash, she and her best gay friend and husband of convenience, Irishman Matt (Rogers) are forced...
Director Louise Wadley,. producer Jay Rutovitz and cast members. Mandahla Rose, Simon Bolton and Brett Rogers will attend the screening at Trundle Memorial Hall.
Rose (Wastelander Panda) plays young Arabic Australian Elmira, or E as she insists on being called, a sexy DJ at Sydney's top gay nightclub who has her pick of the girls.
But she doesn't have a clue about how much of a mess her life has become. She's not .out. to her traditional Lebanese family, she's abandoned her beloved classical music and she's lost Trish (Julia Billington), the one relationship that really mattered to her.
When she stumbles on a stash of cash, she and her best gay friend and husband of convenience, Irishman Matt (Rogers) are forced...
- 10/7/2015
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Wolfe Releasing has acquired North American rights to the Australian lesbian crime caper that will screen at Frameline and Outfest this summer.
All About E follows an Arab-Australian DJ on the run with her gay best friend who chances upon a bag of cash.
Mandahla Rose, Julia Billington, Brett Rogers and Simon Bolton star.
Louise Wadley wrote and directed All About E and Jay Rutovitz of Girls’ Own Pictures produced.
The film premiered at Sydney’s Mardi Gras Film Festival and Melbourne’s Queer Film Festival in Australia.
Wolfe Releasing president Jim Stephens negotiated DVD, VOD and all digital platforms with Rutovitz and plans an early 2016 release.
“A About E is a fun look at culture and identity in Australia, with terrific performances and beautiful cinematography, set against the backdrop of Australia’s varied landscapes,” said Stephens.
“Wolfe Releasing was always our number one choice for North America, and we couldn’t be more delighted to have...
All About E follows an Arab-Australian DJ on the run with her gay best friend who chances upon a bag of cash.
Mandahla Rose, Julia Billington, Brett Rogers and Simon Bolton star.
Louise Wadley wrote and directed All About E and Jay Rutovitz of Girls’ Own Pictures produced.
The film premiered at Sydney’s Mardi Gras Film Festival and Melbourne’s Queer Film Festival in Australia.
Wolfe Releasing president Jim Stephens negotiated DVD, VOD and all digital platforms with Rutovitz and plans an early 2016 release.
“A About E is a fun look at culture and identity in Australia, with terrific performances and beautiful cinematography, set against the backdrop of Australia’s varied landscapes,” said Stephens.
“Wolfe Releasing was always our number one choice for North America, and we couldn’t be more delighted to have...
- 6/5/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The producers of All About E intend to open the lesbian love story/ road trip/ thriller on about 40 screens next year, all via cinema-on-demand platform Tugg.
Formerly known as The Trouble With E, writer-director Louise Wadley.s film follows a beautiful, sexy DJ named E, who goes on the run after she stumbles on a stash of cash.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose plays the title role with Nida graduate Julia Billington as Trish, E.s lover, with whom she has a messy break-up.
The cast includes fellow Nida grad Brett Rogers as Matt, E.s gay best friend who marries her to get a visa, Kim Antonios-Hayes as her mother Nadine, Lex Marinos as her father and Simon Bolton as Johnny Rock, a villain who runs a nightclub as a front for peddling drugs.
The first feature from Wadley and her producing partner Jay Rutovitz.s Girls. Own Pictures,...
Formerly known as The Trouble With E, writer-director Louise Wadley.s film follows a beautiful, sexy DJ named E, who goes on the run after she stumbles on a stash of cash.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose plays the title role with Nida graduate Julia Billington as Trish, E.s lover, with whom she has a messy break-up.
The cast includes fellow Nida grad Brett Rogers as Matt, E.s gay best friend who marries her to get a visa, Kim Antonios-Hayes as her mother Nadine, Lex Marinos as her father and Simon Bolton as Johnny Rock, a villain who runs a nightclub as a front for peddling drugs.
The first feature from Wadley and her producing partner Jay Rutovitz.s Girls. Own Pictures,...
- 11/27/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The initial results on films pitched to Australian moviegoers via cinema-on-demand platform Tugg, either as an exclusive offering or in combination with conventional distribution, have been encouraging. The co-venture between the Us-based Tugg and David Doepel.s Leap Frog Films has been holding screenings in Australia since March at Event Cinemas, Hoyts, Reading and independent cinemas around the country. Pinnacle will utilise the scheme, which enables moviegoers to select a title from a library and organise screenings at participating cinemas, for the release of Decoding Annie Parker.. Steven Bernstein.s drama is based on true events which chronicles two remarkable women: Annie Parker, a three time cancer survivor, and geneticist Mary-Claire King, whose discovery of the breast cancer Brca gene mutation was one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. Louise Wadley.s All About E (formerly The Trouble With E), a lesbian love story/ road trip/ thriller that follows a beautiful,...
- 10/20/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Nsw Government is investing $2.77 million. in 17 new film, TV and documentary productions via Screen Nsw.
That will trigger more than $50 million in production expenditure to the State and create 2,746 jobs, according to Arts Minister Troy Grant.
The projects include a Blinky Bill feature,. TV drama The Principal from Essential Media and Entertainment starring Alex Dimitriades, and a new collaboration between Blackfella Films and Werner Film Productions.
The funding is provided through Screen Nsw.s Production Investment and Regional Filming funds. .This is a great return on investment for the Government. For every dollar invested, more than $18 will be spent in Nsw, building capacity and sustainability in our world-class film and television industry,. Grant said. .This fantastic range of film and television programs will be produced here in Nsw, and not just in Sydney, but across many regional areas where the significant economic benefits of screen production will make a real impact in the community.
That will trigger more than $50 million in production expenditure to the State and create 2,746 jobs, according to Arts Minister Troy Grant.
The projects include a Blinky Bill feature,. TV drama The Principal from Essential Media and Entertainment starring Alex Dimitriades, and a new collaboration between Blackfella Films and Werner Film Productions.
The funding is provided through Screen Nsw.s Production Investment and Regional Filming funds. .This is a great return on investment for the Government. For every dollar invested, more than $18 will be spent in Nsw, building capacity and sustainability in our world-class film and television industry,. Grant said. .This fantastic range of film and television programs will be produced here in Nsw, and not just in Sydney, but across many regional areas where the significant economic benefits of screen production will make a real impact in the community.
- 8/21/2014
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
Lex Marinos has joined the cast of The Trouble with E, a female-driven road movie/romance that started shooting in Sydney today.
It.s the first feature from Girls. Own Pictures, a company formed by writer-director Louise Wadley and her producing partner Jay Rutovitz.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose plays E, a sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback.
In her film debut, Nida graduate and stage actress Julia Billington plays Trish, E.s lover, with whom she has a messy break-up.
Marinos and Kim Antonia-Hayes play E.s parents. .I'm delighted to have an actor of Lex's calibre. He brings a depth and gravitas to all his performances,. Wadley tells If.
Wadley says Brett Rodgers has gained 12 kgs to play Matt, a flame-haired, tubby Irishman who is E's gay best friend and marries her to get a visa.
Wadley...
It.s the first feature from Girls. Own Pictures, a company formed by writer-director Louise Wadley and her producing partner Jay Rutovitz.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose plays E, a sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback.
In her film debut, Nida graduate and stage actress Julia Billington plays Trish, E.s lover, with whom she has a messy break-up.
Marinos and Kim Antonia-Hayes play E.s parents. .I'm delighted to have an actor of Lex's calibre. He brings a depth and gravitas to all his performances,. Wadley tells If.
Wadley says Brett Rodgers has gained 12 kgs to play Matt, a flame-haired, tubby Irishman who is E's gay best friend and marries her to get a visa.
Wadley...
- 11/13/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Julia Billington will play the co-lead in The Trouble with E, a road movie/romance from writer-director Louise Wadley.
Due to start shooting in Sydney and western Nsw on November 18, the film will feature Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose as E, a beautiful, sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback.
In her film debut, Billington will play Trish, E.s lover, with whom she has a messy break-up. .She is strong, full of conviction, humour, and also vulnerable. It's a beautiful cocktail to play,. says Julia of her character.
A Nida graduate, Billington has numerous stage credits with companies including Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company and the Darlinghurst Theatre. She received rave reviews for her portrayal in My Name is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman show documenting the tragically short life of the young peace activist.
The cast includes Brett Rodgers as Matt,...
Due to start shooting in Sydney and western Nsw on November 18, the film will feature Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose as E, a beautiful, sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback.
In her film debut, Billington will play Trish, E.s lover, with whom she has a messy break-up. .She is strong, full of conviction, humour, and also vulnerable. It's a beautiful cocktail to play,. says Julia of her character.
A Nida graduate, Billington has numerous stage credits with companies including Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company and the Darlinghurst Theatre. She received rave reviews for her portrayal in My Name is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman show documenting the tragically short life of the young peace activist.
The cast includes Brett Rodgers as Matt,...
- 10/23/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Mandahla Rose.
.
Very few Australian films in recent years have focussed on strong female characters, according to writer-director Louise Wadley.
Wadley is doing her bit to redress the gender balance with The Trouble with E, a road movie/romance/thriller with two female protagonists.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose will play E, a beautiful, sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback. An actress whose contract is being finalised will play Trish, E.s girlfriend, with whom she has a messy break-up.
The cast includes Brett Rodgers as Matt, E.s gay best friend who marries her to get a visa, Kim Antonia-Hayes as her mother Nadine and Simon Bolton as Johnny Rock, a villain who runs a nightclub as a front for peddling drugs.
Wadley developed the project with the assistance of Outfest Los Angeles, which picked her screenplay for its mentoring program.
.
Very few Australian films in recent years have focussed on strong female characters, according to writer-director Louise Wadley.
Wadley is doing her bit to redress the gender balance with The Trouble with E, a road movie/romance/thriller with two female protagonists.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose will play E, a beautiful, sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback. An actress whose contract is being finalised will play Trish, E.s girlfriend, with whom she has a messy break-up.
The cast includes Brett Rodgers as Matt, E.s gay best friend who marries her to get a visa, Kim Antonia-Hayes as her mother Nadine and Simon Bolton as Johnny Rock, a villain who runs a nightclub as a front for peddling drugs.
Wadley developed the project with the assistance of Outfest Los Angeles, which picked her screenplay for its mentoring program.
- 9/30/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
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