The final season of ABC political drama 'Total Control' will air from Sunday, bringing an end to five-year journey for production company Blackfella Films. If speaks with producers Darren Dale and Erin Bretherton, and director Jub Clerc.
The post Letting go of ‘Total Control’: The creative team reflect on the ABC drama’s final season appeared first on If Magazine.
The post Letting go of ‘Total Control’: The creative team reflect on the ABC drama’s final season appeared first on If Magazine.
- 1/12/2024
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
The Australian drama premiered at Cannes and stars Cate Blanchett.
Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy leads the nominations for the 2024 Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards with 12 nods, closely followed by horror Talk To Me with 11 nominations.
The New Boy is up for best film, actress for Cate Blanchett and actor for newcomer Aswan Reid while Australian Indigenous filmmaker Thornton is nominated for best director, screenplay and cinematography.
The film is set in 1940s Australia and stars Blanchett (who also serves as a producer) as a nun who takes in a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy. It...
Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy leads the nominations for the 2024 Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards with 12 nods, closely followed by horror Talk To Me with 11 nominations.
The New Boy is up for best film, actress for Cate Blanchett and actor for newcomer Aswan Reid while Australian Indigenous filmmaker Thornton is nominated for best director, screenplay and cinematography.
The film is set in 1940s Australia and stars Blanchett (who also serves as a producer) as a nun who takes in a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy. It...
- 12/11/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Australian actors Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths have begun production on the final six-episode season of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s award-winning female-led political drama series “Total Control.”
With screenplays by Stuart Page, Julia Moriarty, Pip Karmel and Meyne Wyatt, season three picks up almost two years after the explosive events of the second season.
Outsider turned kingmaker, Alex Irving (Mailman), is completely at home in the nation’s capital. While Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), now an occasional ally, is threatening to upend the entire system by establishing her own political party. However, as Alex attempts to carve out a nation changing legacy, a controversy engineered by her enemies threatens to destroy her career and public reputation. In the final season, Alex must make a choice: either she can stay true to her principles and accept defeat, or she can get her hands dirty and fight back.
Directed by Wayne Blair and Jub Clerc,...
With screenplays by Stuart Page, Julia Moriarty, Pip Karmel and Meyne Wyatt, season three picks up almost two years after the explosive events of the second season.
Outsider turned kingmaker, Alex Irving (Mailman), is completely at home in the nation’s capital. While Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), now an occasional ally, is threatening to upend the entire system by establishing her own political party. However, as Alex attempts to carve out a nation changing legacy, a controversy engineered by her enemies threatens to destroy her career and public reputation. In the final season, Alex must make a choice: either she can stay true to her principles and accept defeat, or she can get her hands dirty and fight back.
Directed by Wayne Blair and Jub Clerc,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Montreal-based company represents worldwide rights excluding Canada on both titles.
Montreal-based Sphere Films has added two completed features to its Cannes line-up and will launch sales on the Croisette later this month on Queen Tut and Red Rooms.
Reem Morsi (The Last Mark) directed Queen Tut, which stars Alexandra Billings from Transparent in the story of an Egyptian teenager who leaves Cairo when his mother dies and lands in the underground queer nightlife scene in Toronto where he confronts his mother’s death by becoming a drag artist – much to his father’s disapproval.
The Canadian drama is in English...
Montreal-based Sphere Films has added two completed features to its Cannes line-up and will launch sales on the Croisette later this month on Queen Tut and Red Rooms.
Reem Morsi (The Last Mark) directed Queen Tut, which stars Alexandra Billings from Transparent in the story of an Egyptian teenager who leaves Cairo when his mother dies and lands in the underground queer nightlife scene in Toronto where he confronts his mother’s death by becoming a drag artist – much to his father’s disapproval.
The Canadian drama is in English...
- 5/3/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jub Clerc's 'Sweet As' took home the Crystal Bear in the Berlin Film Festival Generation Kplus competition over the weekend, while short film 'Marungka tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black)' won the Silver Bear Jury Prize and Rolf de Heer's 'The Survival of Kindness' collected the top critics’ award, the Fipresci Prize.
The post Berlin prizes for ‘Sweet As’, ‘The Survival of Kindness’, ‘Marungka tjalatjunu’ appeared first on If Magazine.
The post Berlin prizes for ‘Sweet As’, ‘The Survival of Kindness’, ‘Marungka tjalatjunu’ appeared first on If Magazine.
- 2/27/2023
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
The gender-neutral acting prize was won by Spain’s Sofía Otero for ’20,000 Species of Bees’.
Nicolas Philibert’s documentary On The Adamant, about a floating care centre in Paris, was awarded Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival tonight (February 25).
The film, which is being handled internationally by Les Films du Losange, is the fourth documentary to take top honours at the Berlinale.
German films found particular favour with the jury, presided over by Kristen Stewart, with no less than three of the Bear statuettes going to local productions: the Silver Bear Grand Jury award for Christian Petzold’s Afire,...
Nicolas Philibert’s documentary On The Adamant, about a floating care centre in Paris, was awarded Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival tonight (February 25).
The film, which is being handled internationally by Les Films du Losange, is the fourth documentary to take top honours at the Berlinale.
German films found particular favour with the jury, presided over by Kristen Stewart, with no less than three of the Bear statuettes going to local productions: the Silver Bear Grand Jury award for Christian Petzold’s Afire,...
- 2/26/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The documentary “On the Adamant” has been named the best film of the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin organizers announced on Saturday.
The film from director Nicolas Philibert follows life in a daycare center located on the Seine in Paris for adults with mental disorders. It is the first documentary to win the festival’s top prize since “Fire at Sea” in 2016.
German director Christian Petzold won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, essentially the runner-up award, for his drama “Afire,” while Philippe Garrel won the directing award for “The Plough.” The gender-neutral acting prizes went to Sofia Otero for “20,000 Species of Bees” in the leading performance category and Thea Ehre for “Till the End of the Night” in the supporting category.
The jury president was actress Kristen Stewart. The other jurors were actress Goldshifteh Farahani, directors Valeska Grisebach, Radu Jude and Carla Simón and Johnnie To and casting director Francine Maisler.
The film from director Nicolas Philibert follows life in a daycare center located on the Seine in Paris for adults with mental disorders. It is the first documentary to win the festival’s top prize since “Fire at Sea” in 2016.
German director Christian Petzold won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, essentially the runner-up award, for his drama “Afire,” while Philippe Garrel won the directing award for “The Plough.” The gender-neutral acting prizes went to Sofia Otero for “20,000 Species of Bees” in the leading performance category and Thea Ehre for “Till the End of the Night” in the supporting category.
The jury president was actress Kristen Stewart. The other jurors were actress Goldshifteh Farahani, directors Valeska Grisebach, Radu Jude and Carla Simón and Johnnie To and casting director Francine Maisler.
- 2/25/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Hummingbirds, the documentary feature debut of directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, has won the Crystal Bear, the top prize for best film, at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival’s Generation 14plus section.
In the doc, the two filmmakers examine issue of immigration along the Texas-Mexican border through the lens of their own friendship. The Generation international jury called the film “a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters…their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, is inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughs, and bodies are political and necessary as a way of resistance.”
A special mention in the Generation 14plus section went to Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, a drama set over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, and centered on a trans man ( Lio Mehiel) who finds his life shaken up by the reemergence of...
In the doc, the two filmmakers examine issue of immigration along the Texas-Mexican border through the lens of their own friendship. The Generation international jury called the film “a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters…their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, is inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughs, and bodies are political and necessary as a way of resistance.”
A special mention in the Generation 14plus section went to Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, a drama set over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, and centered on a trans man ( Lio Mehiel) who finds his life shaken up by the reemergence of...
- 2/25/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Canadian sales agents licenses Viking, Into The Weeds to US.
Sphere Films International has reported key territory deals here on Anthony Shim’s TIFF Platform Prize and Busan audience award winner Riceboy Sleeps.
1091 Pictures has acquired the family drama for the US and rights have gone for Australia and New Zealand (Icon), South Korea (Pancinema), Spain (Yoda Films), Benelux (September Films), Taiwan (Creative Century), Singapore (Lighthouse Film), and Israel (Lev Films).
Theatrical releases are planned for spring in South Korea and Singapore with other releases expected to follow shortly after. Anthony Shim’s 1990’s-set film follows a Korean single...
Sphere Films International has reported key territory deals here on Anthony Shim’s TIFF Platform Prize and Busan audience award winner Riceboy Sleeps.
1091 Pictures has acquired the family drama for the US and rights have gone for Australia and New Zealand (Icon), South Korea (Pancinema), Spain (Yoda Films), Benelux (September Films), Taiwan (Creative Century), Singapore (Lighthouse Film), and Israel (Lev Films).
Theatrical releases are planned for spring in South Korea and Singapore with other releases expected to follow shortly after. Anthony Shim’s 1990’s-set film follows a Korean single...
- 2/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Dialogue-free fable follows young astronaut and guardian robot.
Canada’s Sphere Films International has boarded sales on the feature animation Space Cadet from DJ, music producer and visual artist Kid Koala and will launch talks with EFM buyers in Berlin next month.
Production is scheduled to commence this year with an expected completion date in late 2024. Sphere Films will release in Canada.
Space Cadet is a dialogue-free fable about a young astronaut and her guardian robot which explores grief, loss and love across generations. Koala is directing from his 2011 graphic novel of the same name, which Mylene Chollet has adapted for the screen.
Canada’s Sphere Films International has boarded sales on the feature animation Space Cadet from DJ, music producer and visual artist Kid Koala and will launch talks with EFM buyers in Berlin next month.
Production is scheduled to commence this year with an expected completion date in late 2024. Sphere Films will release in Canada.
Space Cadet is a dialogue-free fable about a young astronaut and her guardian robot which explores grief, loss and love across generations. Koala is directing from his 2011 graphic novel of the same name, which Mylene Chollet has adapted for the screen.
- 1/24/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Record expenditure reported for the year to end of June 2022.
Australia’s production boom grew to a record 1.47bn (A2.29bn) spent on drama features and series in the year to June 2022.
According to the annual ‘Drama Report’, published by Screen Australia, a record 977m (A1.51bn) was spent on Australian titles and 503m (A777) on international productions during the 12-month period from 2021-2022.
This comprised 24 Australian theatrical features; 62 Australian TV and VOD drama titles; 11 Australian children’s titles; and 65 international projects.
Screen Australia chief executive Graeme Mason told Screen he was pleased two-thirds of expenditure went on Australian titles.
Australia’s production boom grew to a record 1.47bn (A2.29bn) spent on drama features and series in the year to June 2022.
According to the annual ‘Drama Report’, published by Screen Australia, a record 977m (A1.51bn) was spent on Australian titles and 503m (A777) on international productions during the 12-month period from 2021-2022.
This comprised 24 Australian theatrical features; 62 Australian TV and VOD drama titles; 11 Australian children’s titles; and 65 international projects.
Screen Australia chief executive Graeme Mason told Screen he was pleased two-thirds of expenditure went on Australian titles.
- 11/10/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
After 11 days and over 200 films, Toronto International Film Festival finally came to a close on Sunday. On the ground, much of the buzz seemed geared towards upcoming fall releases, like “Glass Onion: Knives Out”, “The Fabelmans”, “The Woman King”, and “Pearl.” TIFF juries seemed to think otherwise, however. Independent productions have taken home most of the awards, with a good half of them being Asian identifying filmmakers took home near half of the awards. Of these, at least 25 percent identify as Asian Canadian, and at least three do not identify as cisgender male. The range has also been notable. With productions ranging from Mongolia (“Snow in September”) to Palestine (“A Gaza Weekend”), from sleepy towns in Canada (“Riceboy Sleeps”) to film sets in the Philippines (“Leonor Will Never Die”), the list of movies reveals the sheer diversity in the continent of Asia – and all the diasporas accompanying it.
But without further ado,...
But without further ado,...
- 9/21/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Canada’s Riceboy Sleeps wins Platform Prize.
Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans has bolstered its awards season prospects by winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award on Sunday (September 18).
The award is a highly reliable bellwether of Academy voter attention. In the last ten years every TIFF audience award winner has earned a best picture Oscar nomination and three have gone on to win awards season’s top prize: Nomadland in 2021, Green Book in 2019, and 12 Years A Slave in 2014.
The Fabelmans earned a rapturous reception at its world premiere on September 10 and immediately announced itself in the awards race,...
Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans has bolstered its awards season prospects by winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award on Sunday (September 18).
The award is a highly reliable bellwether of Academy voter attention. In the last ten years every TIFF audience award winner has earned a best picture Oscar nomination and three have gone on to win awards season’s top prize: Nomadland in 2021, Green Book in 2019, and 12 Years A Slave in 2014.
The Fabelmans earned a rapturous reception at its world premiere on September 10 and immediately announced itself in the awards race,...
- 9/18/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
After two weeks and dozens of movies, the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close. At Sunday’s Awards Breakfast, all eyes were on the People’s Choice Award, which is frequently a bellwether for the Oscar race. For the past decade, every winner of the coveted award has gone onto receive a nomination for Best Picture. Competition for the People’s Choice Award was stiff, with critical darlings such as “Women Talking” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” vying for the top prize. But ultimately, Steven Spielberg’s crowd pleasing, semi-autobiographical film “The Fabelmans” was named the winner.
“Above all, I am glad I brought this film to Toronto,” Spielberg said in a statement. “This is the most personal film I have made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF intimate and personal for me and my entire ‘Fabelmans’ family.”
“2022 brought...
“Above all, I am glad I brought this film to Toronto,” Spielberg said in a statement. “This is the most personal film I have made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF intimate and personal for me and my entire ‘Fabelmans’ family.”
“2022 brought...
- 9/18/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans picked up the top People’s Choice honor Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival, which wrapped up its 47th edition.
Spielberg’s latest film grabbed TIFF’s top audience award, which is often a barometer of future Academy Award nominations. “This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family,” the director said in a statement following the announcement of his win.
The Fabelmans, co-written with Tony Kushner, marks the first time the Oscar winner debuted a movie at the Toronto Film Festival. The childhood memoir will be released Nov. 11 via Universal. Another autobiographical family film about a director’s childhood, Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, was named the top audience prize winner in...
Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans picked up the top People’s Choice honor Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival, which wrapped up its 47th edition.
Spielberg’s latest film grabbed TIFF’s top audience award, which is often a barometer of future Academy Award nominations. “This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family,” the director said in a statement following the announcement of his win.
The Fabelmans, co-written with Tony Kushner, marks the first time the Oscar winner debuted a movie at the Toronto Film Festival. The childhood memoir will be released Nov. 11 via Universal. Another autobiographical family film about a director’s childhood, Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, was named the top audience prize winner in...
- 9/18/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” has won the 2022 TIFF People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced at an awards breakfast on Sunday in Toronto.
Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” took the first runner-up slot, while Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” was the second runner-up.
The People’s Choice Documentary award went to Hubert Davis’ hockey doc “Black Ice,” while the Midnight Madness award was won by Eric Appel’s entirely fake rock biopic “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
Also Read:
‘The Fabelmans’ Film Review: Steven Spielberg’s Sweet Memory Piece Picks Up Steam as It Goes
In a year with an abundance of high-profile, crowd-pleasing movies in the TIFF lineup, other films in competition for the award included Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” Florian Zeller’s “The Son,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,...
Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” took the first runner-up slot, while Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” was the second runner-up.
The People’s Choice Documentary award went to Hubert Davis’ hockey doc “Black Ice,” while the Midnight Madness award was won by Eric Appel’s entirely fake rock biopic “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
Also Read:
‘The Fabelmans’ Film Review: Steven Spielberg’s Sweet Memory Piece Picks Up Steam as It Goes
In a year with an abundance of high-profile, crowd-pleasing movies in the TIFF lineup, other films in competition for the award included Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” Florian Zeller’s “The Son,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,...
- 9/18/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Updated, 9:45 Am with Steven Spielberg statement:
Here is Steven Spielberg’s full statement upon winning the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice award for The Fabelmans.
“As I said on stage the other night, ‘Above all, I’m glad I brought this film to Toronto!.’ This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family. Thank you to Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures; and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget.”
Previously: The People’s Choice Award from the just-wrapped 2022 Toronto Film Festival has gone to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. First Runner Up is Canada’s own Sarah Polley’s Women Talking.
Here is Steven Spielberg’s full statement upon winning the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice award for The Fabelmans.
“As I said on stage the other night, ‘Above all, I’m glad I brought this film to Toronto!.’ This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family. Thank you to Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures; and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget.”
Previously: The People’s Choice Award from the just-wrapped 2022 Toronto Film Festival has gone to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. First Runner Up is Canada’s own Sarah Polley’s Women Talking.
- 9/18/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
It didn’t take long after watching Jub Clerc’s Sweet As to see the comparison point my mind went to first (The Breakfast Club) was hardly an original thought. It’s an archetypal coming-of-age story for a reason. You see a mixed-bag group of troubled teens forced to confront their hardships during a mandated supervised excursion and allusions to John Hughes’ classic aren’t far behind. Whereas he could get away with making that group consist of white suburban kids with differing degrees of entitlement and affluence, however, today’s landscape needs a bit more complexity beyond chip-on-your-shoulder bullying. By setting their film in the Australian Outback, Clerc and co-writer Steve Rodgers talk about race, poverty, and exploitation atop that superficial baseline. Because these kids aren’t confronting privilege. They’re struggling to survive.
There’s a reason Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan) comes home and pushes her cabinet in front of her room’s door.
There’s a reason Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan) comes home and pushes her cabinet in front of her room’s door.
- 9/11/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Midnight Moves
Korean film sales agent Finecut has struck several deals for action thriller “Project Wolf Hunting” ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section. In Asia, the film has been licensed to Moviecloud for Taiwan, Multivision Multimedia for India, Sahamongkolfilm International for Thailand, The Klockworx for Japan. Finecut also closed a deal with A Contracorriente Films for Spain, Prime Time Media for Cis and Well Go USA for Canada and the U.S. The film set on board a cargo ship which is being used to transport dangerous criminals from the Philippines to Busan, Korea. An escape attempt leads to a riot which in turn unleashes a sinister force. The film is directed by Kim Hongsun and will have a theatrical release in Korea from Sept. 21.
Three Out Of Five Ain’T Bad
Western Australia recently launched a A20 million (13.4 million) production attraction incentive scheme.
Korean film sales agent Finecut has struck several deals for action thriller “Project Wolf Hunting” ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section. In Asia, the film has been licensed to Moviecloud for Taiwan, Multivision Multimedia for India, Sahamongkolfilm International for Thailand, The Klockworx for Japan. Finecut also closed a deal with A Contracorriente Films for Spain, Prime Time Media for Cis and Well Go USA for Canada and the U.S. The film set on board a cargo ship which is being used to transport dangerous criminals from the Philippines to Busan, Korea. An escape attempt leads to a riot which in turn unleashes a sinister force. The film is directed by Kim Hongsun and will have a theatrical release in Korea from Sept. 21.
Three Out Of Five Ain’T Bad
Western Australia recently launched a A20 million (13.4 million) production attraction incentive scheme.
- 9/8/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Goran Stolevski’s “Of An Age” won Australia’s richest film prize of A100,000 at CinefestOz at a gala closing night over the weekend in Busselton, Western Australia.
The Macedonian born, Melbourne based writer and director Stolevski also presented his much-lauded first feature “We Are Not Alone” at the festival.
The CinefestOZ film prize is dedicated to new Australian-made films and consisted of four finalists.The others also included Gracie Otto’s comedy “Seriously Red,”, the world premiere of Matt Nable’s intense drama “Transfusion,” starring Sam Worthington and audience favorite, “Sweet As,” the first-time feature by local indigenous director Jub Clerc.
“Sweet As” was based on Clerc’s own experiences as a teenager traveling on a photographic road trip through the spectacular Pilbara region of Western Australia. (It has also been selected as one of five Australian projects to be screened at the Toronto festival this year.)
The competition...
The Macedonian born, Melbourne based writer and director Stolevski also presented his much-lauded first feature “We Are Not Alone” at the festival.
The CinefestOZ film prize is dedicated to new Australian-made films and consisted of four finalists.The others also included Gracie Otto’s comedy “Seriously Red,”, the world premiere of Matt Nable’s intense drama “Transfusion,” starring Sam Worthington and audience favorite, “Sweet As,” the first-time feature by local indigenous director Jub Clerc.
“Sweet As” was based on Clerc’s own experiences as a teenager traveling on a photographic road trip through the spectacular Pilbara region of Western Australia. (It has also been selected as one of five Australian projects to be screened at the Toronto festival this year.)
The competition...
- 8/30/2022
- by Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
Prizes handed out at 70th anniversary edition of the Australian festival.
Afrofuturist musical Neptune Frost, directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, won the inaugural 96,500 Bright Horizons Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) on Saturday (August 20).
Jub Clerc’s direction in her ovation-inducing coming-of-age debut drama Sweet As took home the 48,000 Innovation Award, open only to Australians.
US-Rwanda co-production Neptune Frost premiered in Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2021 and went on to screen at TIFF, Sundance and the New York Film Festival. Kino Lorber has international rights.
The jury, led by Australian actor/director Shareena Clanton, said the feature...
Afrofuturist musical Neptune Frost, directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, won the inaugural 96,500 Bright Horizons Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) on Saturday (August 20).
Jub Clerc’s direction in her ovation-inducing coming-of-age debut drama Sweet As took home the 48,000 Innovation Award, open only to Australians.
US-Rwanda co-production Neptune Frost premiered in Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2021 and went on to screen at TIFF, Sundance and the New York Film Festival. Kino Lorber has international rights.
The jury, led by Australian actor/director Shareena Clanton, said the feature...
- 8/22/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
After 18 days of in-person screenings, over 370 movies and the allocation of a new prize fund totaling 210,000 Aud the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has to be one of the lengthiest, liveliest and now most lucrative film festivals in the world. The winning films were announced at Saturday evening’s closing gala, with Afrofuturist sci-fi musical “Neptune Frost,” a U.S.-Rwandan co-production directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, taking the Bright Horizons top prize of 140,000 Aud. Jub Clerc, the Indigenous Australian director of coming-of-age road movie “Sweet As,” scooped the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award of 70,000 Aud.
This is the first year of the Bright Horizons competition. After being selected from an exceptionally strong 11-film lineup, which included festival favourites like Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” Laura Wandel’s “Playground” and Natalia López Gallardo’s “Robe of Gems,” Williams and Uzeyman were clearly moved while accepting the award via Zoom.
“It...
This is the first year of the Bright Horizons competition. After being selected from an exceptionally strong 11-film lineup, which included festival favourites like Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” Laura Wandel’s “Playground” and Natalia López Gallardo’s “Robe of Gems,” Williams and Uzeyman were clearly moved while accepting the award via Zoom.
“It...
- 8/20/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Slate includes Nigerian comedy-drama ‘Niagara’.
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps and Australian Discovery selection Sweet As.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental,...
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps and Australian Discovery selection Sweet As.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental,...
- 8/9/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Slate includes Australian Discovery selection ‘Sweet As’, Nigerian comedy-drama ‘Niagara’.
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental, A...
Sphere Films International, formerly WaZabi Films, heads to Toronto with sales rights to TIFF Platform pair Viking and Riceboy Sleeps.
Viking is a French and English-language sci-fi drama directed by Montreal’s Stéphane Lafleur about researchers who try to replicate a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of solving conflict among the real crew.
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope produced Viking, which Lafleur co-wrote with Eric K. Boulianne. Hamza Haq stars alongside Fabiola N. Aladin, Marie Brassard and Larissa Corriveau.
Lafleur’s first film Continental, A...
- 8/9/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The WhaleWAVELENGTHS - FEATURESConcrete Valley (Antoine Bourges)De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor)Dry Ground BurningHorse Opera (Moyra Davey)Pacifiction (Albert Serra)Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Ashley McKenzie)Unrest (Cyril Schäublin)Will-o’-the-Wisp (João Pedro Rodrigues)Wavelenghths - SHORTSAfter Work (Céline Condorelli, Ben Rivers)Bigger on the Inside (Angelo Madsen Minax)Eventide (Sharon Lockhart)F1ghting Looks Different 2 Me Now (Fox Maxy)Fata Morgana (Tacita Dean)Hors-titre (Wiame Haddad)I Thought the World of You (Kurt Walker)Moonrise (Vincent Grenier)The Newest Olds (Pablo Mazzolo)Puerta a Puerta (Jessica Sarah Rinland, Luis Arnías )The Time That Separates Us (Parastoo Anoushahpour)What Rules the Invisible (Tiffany Sia)Gala PRESENTATIONSAlice, Darling (Mary Nighy)Black Ice (Hubert Davis)The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly)Butcher’s Crossing (Gabe Polsky)The Hummingbird (Francesca Archibugi)Hunt (Jung-jae Lee)A Jazzman’s Blues (Tyler Perry)Kacchey Limbu (Shubham Yogi)Moving On (Paul Weitz)Paris Memories...
- 8/4/2022
- MUBI
The Toronto International Film Festival lineup continues to unfold, with TIFF announcing the programs for its Midnight Madness, Discovery, and Wavelengths programs on Thursday. The festival runs September 8 through 18.
“For TIFF audiences in the know, the Discovery, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths programmes are where you’re rewarded for taking risks and being adventurous,” offered Anita Lee, TIFF’s chief programming officer. “Whether it’s the discovery of an audacious new auteur, a brilliant visionary work that reimagines storytelling or the most wicked cinematic experience you will ever have, this is where you will find it.”
Discovery
“TIFF’s Discovery program is a showcase of cinema and talent from around the world — a place to unearth work that is bold, distinctive, and, above all, passionate,” said Dorota Lech, Discovery lead and international programmer, TIFF. “This year’s robust program offers 24 films that shook us to the core, filled us with joy,...
“For TIFF audiences in the know, the Discovery, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths programmes are where you’re rewarded for taking risks and being adventurous,” offered Anita Lee, TIFF’s chief programming officer. “Whether it’s the discovery of an audacious new auteur, a brilliant visionary work that reimagines storytelling or the most wicked cinematic experience you will ever have, this is where you will find it.”
Discovery
“TIFF’s Discovery program is a showcase of cinema and talent from around the world — a place to unearth work that is bold, distinctive, and, above all, passionate,” said Dorota Lech, Discovery lead and international programmer, TIFF. “This year’s robust program offers 24 films that shook us to the core, filled us with joy,...
- 8/4/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
New work from Benjamin Millepied, Kim Hongsun, Tim Story populate latest selections.
The Toronto International FiLm Festival has unveiled its Discovery, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths strands.
Midnight Madness returns to its 10-film format and will screen at new venue the Royal Alexandra Theatre. The section opens with Eric Appel’s US biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story featuring Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.
The section presents Finecut’s Project Wolf Hunting (South Korea) by Kim Hongsun, whose genre oeuvre includes Metamorphosis and The Chase. Finland has been stepping up its festival presence of late and Jalmari Helander will premiere...
The Toronto International FiLm Festival has unveiled its Discovery, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths strands.
Midnight Madness returns to its 10-film format and will screen at new venue the Royal Alexandra Theatre. The section opens with Eric Appel’s US biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story featuring Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.
The section presents Finecut’s Project Wolf Hunting (South Korea) by Kim Hongsun, whose genre oeuvre includes Metamorphosis and The Chase. Finland has been stepping up its festival presence of late and Jalmari Helander will premiere...
- 8/4/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness sidebar will open with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, with Daniel Radcliffe playing the prolific musician behind humorous songs like “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise.”
Eric Appel directs the biopic for The Roku Channel that also stars Evan Rachel Wood and will have a world premiere Sept. 8 at TIFF at the Royal Alexandra Theater.
“I couldn’t have hoped for a more appropriate opening night film than Weird: The Al Yankovic Story — a beautifully deranged biopic made in the great Midnight movie tradition of challenging conventions and forging one’s own path, no matter how weird,” Midnight Madness curator Peter Kuplowsky said in a statement Thursday.
The latest additions to the Toronto Film Festival also include the lineups for the Discovery and Wavelengths programs unveiled Thursday.
The gore-filled Midnight Madness program has world bows for Tim Story...
The Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness sidebar will open with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, with Daniel Radcliffe playing the prolific musician behind humorous songs like “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise.”
Eric Appel directs the biopic for The Roku Channel that also stars Evan Rachel Wood and will have a world premiere Sept. 8 at TIFF at the Royal Alexandra Theater.
“I couldn’t have hoped for a more appropriate opening night film than Weird: The Al Yankovic Story — a beautifully deranged biopic made in the great Midnight movie tradition of challenging conventions and forging one’s own path, no matter how weird,” Midnight Madness curator Peter Kuplowsky said in a statement Thursday.
The latest additions to the Toronto Film Festival also include the lineups for the Discovery and Wavelengths programs unveiled Thursday.
The gore-filled Midnight Madness program has world bows for Tim Story...
- 8/4/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Boutique West Australia film festival, CinefestOZ announced its 2022 program featuring 270 film screenings and events.
In its 15th edition, the six day destination film festival will be held from Aug. 23-28, 2022 across 35 locations in Western Australia’s South West, famous as a top wine producing region.
Veteran actor, Richard Roxburgh was named as chair of the Jury that will award a A100,000 film prize for best Australian feature film or feature-length documentary.
Competing for the prize is director Gracie Otto’s feature film debut “Seriously Red” (which screened at SXSW earlier this year) which stars the film’s writer Krew Boylan as a Dolly Parton impersonator. It also stars Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale.
The competition also includes: the world premier of “Transfusion,” the directing debut of actor Matt Nable and stars Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) as a man who attempts to connect to his young son after a devastating loss; “Sweet As,...
In its 15th edition, the six day destination film festival will be held from Aug. 23-28, 2022 across 35 locations in Western Australia’s South West, famous as a top wine producing region.
Veteran actor, Richard Roxburgh was named as chair of the Jury that will award a A100,000 film prize for best Australian feature film or feature-length documentary.
Competing for the prize is director Gracie Otto’s feature film debut “Seriously Red” (which screened at SXSW earlier this year) which stars the film’s writer Krew Boylan as a Dolly Parton impersonator. It also stars Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale.
The competition also includes: the world premier of “Transfusion,” the directing debut of actor Matt Nable and stars Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) as a man who attempts to connect to his young son after a devastating loss; “Sweet As,...
- 7/22/2022
- by Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
‘Transfusion’ starring Sam Worthington among those in the running.
Australia’s CinefestOZ has announced that the finalists for its lucrative annual film prize are Gracie Otto’s Seriously Red, Matt Nable’s Transfusion, Jub Clerc’s Sweet As and Goran Stolevski’s Of An Age.
The winner of the 68,000 prize will be revealed at the 15th edition of the festival, which is set to run from August 23-28 in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. It is the country’s only film festival dedicated solely to Australian cinema.
Transfusion marks the feature directorial debut of actor, screenwriter and novelist...
Australia’s CinefestOZ has announced that the finalists for its lucrative annual film prize are Gracie Otto’s Seriously Red, Matt Nable’s Transfusion, Jub Clerc’s Sweet As and Goran Stolevski’s Of An Age.
The winner of the 68,000 prize will be revealed at the 15th edition of the festival, which is set to run from August 23-28 in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. It is the country’s only film festival dedicated solely to Australian cinema.
Transfusion marks the feature directorial debut of actor, screenwriter and novelist...
- 7/1/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Newly-appointed Screen Australia head of First Nations Angela Bates is taking an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to the role, insisting her focus is on furthering the strides made by her predecessors.
Bates, who first joined the department in early 2019 as development and investment manager, had the opportunity to work closely with previous head Penny Smallacombe, who vacated the position in May after more than six years.
Speaking to If, she said she would draw on the five strategic pillars identified in The Next 25 Years, a strategy that Smallacombe developed in consultation with filmmakers and industry stakeholders during the department’s 25th anniversary year in 2018.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here,” she said.
“There are five key pillars that underpin The Next 25 Years strategy – Indigenous storytelling, identifying stories and talent, developing talent, connecting talent, and advocating for indigenous representation and leadership.
“I...
Bates, who first joined the department in early 2019 as development and investment manager, had the opportunity to work closely with previous head Penny Smallacombe, who vacated the position in May after more than six years.
Speaking to If, she said she would draw on the five strategic pillars identified in The Next 25 Years, a strategy that Smallacombe developed in consultation with filmmakers and industry stakeholders during the department’s 25th anniversary year in 2018.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here,” she said.
“There are five key pillars that underpin The Next 25 Years strategy – Indigenous storytelling, identifying stories and talent, developing talent, connecting talent, and advocating for indigenous representation and leadership.
“I...
- 10/5/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Members of the Australian Directors’ Guild have had the chance to hear from some of the country’s most established filmmakers over the past five months as part of the Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ sessions.
Consisting of 40 weekly one-hour webinars fronted by industry mentors, the initiative is due to start again this week following a short break, with Claire McCarthy (The Turning) to share insights from her career on Thursday.
It comes after contributions from Gillian Armstrong, Rachel Perkins, Rolf de Heer, Samantha Lang, Corrie Chen, Ben Lawrence, Ana Kokkinos, Megan Riakos, Josephine Mackerras, Robert Connolly, Garth Davis, Sally Aitken, Jub Clerc, Kriv Stenders, Tom Zubrycki, Anna Broinowski, Peter Andrikidis, Jasmin Tarasin, and Glendyn Ivin.
The sessions are moderated by Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary who is responsible for collating questions from those tuning in.
She has tried to focus on topics covering the practical aspects of directing that cannot be learned from a book,...
Consisting of 40 weekly one-hour webinars fronted by industry mentors, the initiative is due to start again this week following a short break, with Claire McCarthy (The Turning) to share insights from her career on Thursday.
It comes after contributions from Gillian Armstrong, Rachel Perkins, Rolf de Heer, Samantha Lang, Corrie Chen, Ben Lawrence, Ana Kokkinos, Megan Riakos, Josephine Mackerras, Robert Connolly, Garth Davis, Sally Aitken, Jub Clerc, Kriv Stenders, Tom Zubrycki, Anna Broinowski, Peter Andrikidis, Jasmin Tarasin, and Glendyn Ivin.
The sessions are moderated by Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary who is responsible for collating questions from those tuning in.
She has tried to focus on topics covering the practical aspects of directing that cannot be learned from a book,...
- 9/6/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Yael Stone, Rob Collins, Callan Mulvey and Shantae Barnes-Cowan are the topline cast for AMC Studios and See-Saw Films’ vampire series, Firebite, now shooting in South Australia.
The brainchild of Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher, the eight-part series follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson (Collins) and Shanika (Barnes-Cowan), on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the Sa desert.
It is set in a remote desert mining town, a hive for the last vampire stronghold shipped from Britain to Australia in 1788 by the colonial superpower to eradicate the Indigenous populations. Sheltering from the sun in the underground mines and tunnels that surround the town until the present day, the colony’s numbers and hunger is growing. War is coming. Tyson and Shanika stand vanguard to the war. But what hope does an expertly reckless man full of bravado and a 17-year-old orphan possibly have...
The brainchild of Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher, the eight-part series follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson (Collins) and Shanika (Barnes-Cowan), on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the Sa desert.
It is set in a remote desert mining town, a hive for the last vampire stronghold shipped from Britain to Australia in 1788 by the colonial superpower to eradicate the Indigenous populations. Sheltering from the sun in the underground mines and tunnels that surround the town until the present day, the colony’s numbers and hunger is growing. War is coming. Tyson and Shanika stand vanguard to the war. But what hope does an expertly reckless man full of bravado and a 17-year-old orphan possibly have...
- 8/24/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
US producer Alan Poul will be the industry guest speaker for this month’s CinefestOZ Industry Program.
Poul’s producing and directing credits include Netflix’s The Eddy, and Tales of the City, BBC’s MotherFatherSon, as well as HBO’s Westworld, The Newsroom, and Six Feet Under.
He has also directed episodes of HBO’s Rome, and Big Love, as well as Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and the pilots for the TNT series Perception.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer is in the midst of executive producing the upcoming HBO Max series Tokyo Vice at Endeavour Content, where his company Boku Films is based.
Poul, whose appearance will be presented via the American Film Showcase, will be joined by local, national, and international guests in the two-day program, which incorporates 10 sessions across August 26-27.
Available online and in-person, the discussions are set to address the contemporary challenges faced...
Poul’s producing and directing credits include Netflix’s The Eddy, and Tales of the City, BBC’s MotherFatherSon, as well as HBO’s Westworld, The Newsroom, and Six Feet Under.
He has also directed episodes of HBO’s Rome, and Big Love, as well as Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and the pilots for the TNT series Perception.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer is in the midst of executive producing the upcoming HBO Max series Tokyo Vice at Endeavour Content, where his company Boku Films is based.
Poul, whose appearance will be presented via the American Film Showcase, will be joined by local, national, and international guests in the two-day program, which incorporates 10 sessions across August 26-27.
Available online and in-person, the discussions are set to address the contemporary challenges faced...
- 8/13/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Shantae Barnes-Cowan leads the cast of Jub Clerc’s debut feature Sweet As, about to wrap a five week shoot in Port Hedland, Western Australia.
The young actor, who has had roles in Total Control, Operation Buffalo and the upcoming Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, plays 16-year-old Indigenous girl, Murra.
After a volatile fight with her mother, Murra is abandoned, but with intervention from her uncle, she ventures on a journey of self-discovery.
Starring alongside the 2019 Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star are Tasma Walton, Mark Coles Smith and Ngaire Pigram.
A Nyul Nyul and Yawuru writer/director, Clerc penned the script with long-time collaborator Steve Rodgers, the dramaturge on her first play, ‘The Fever and the Fret’.
The film is partly based on her own experience growing up in the Pilbara and The Kimberley. It stems from a long-standing ambition between her and close friend, Arenamedia producer Liz Kearney, to create a feature together.
The young actor, who has had roles in Total Control, Operation Buffalo and the upcoming Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, plays 16-year-old Indigenous girl, Murra.
After a volatile fight with her mother, Murra is abandoned, but with intervention from her uncle, she ventures on a journey of self-discovery.
Starring alongside the 2019 Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star are Tasma Walton, Mark Coles Smith and Ngaire Pigram.
A Nyul Nyul and Yawuru writer/director, Clerc penned the script with long-time collaborator Steve Rodgers, the dramaturge on her first play, ‘The Fever and the Fret’.
The film is partly based on her own experience growing up in the Pilbara and The Kimberley. It stems from a long-standing ambition between her and close friend, Arenamedia producer Liz Kearney, to create a feature together.
- 7/23/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Writer-director David Vincent Smith is poised to make his feature debut, with his project Burden awarded $750,000 in production funding via Screenwest’s West Coast Visions initiative.
Burden, produced by No Labels Media, is described as tense family drama about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances.
The film explores themes of mental health and addiction as it challenges audiences to ponder the question; “How far would you go to save someone you love?”
Smith has worked on swathe of short films and music videos over the last decade, including We Were Here which won four Wa Screen Awards, and is a former recipient of Screenwest’s Feature Navigator program.
His script The Jesus Machine was shortlisted for the Australian Writers’ Guild’s John Hinde Award in 2019.
“I feel incredibly honoured to receive West Coast Visions from Screenwest, who have always been so supportive of my filmmaking. I’m so proud to...
Burden, produced by No Labels Media, is described as tense family drama about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances.
The film explores themes of mental health and addiction as it challenges audiences to ponder the question; “How far would you go to save someone you love?”
Smith has worked on swathe of short films and music videos over the last decade, including We Were Here which won four Wa Screen Awards, and is a former recipient of Screenwest’s Feature Navigator program.
His script The Jesus Machine was shortlisted for the Australian Writers’ Guild’s John Hinde Award in 2019.
“I feel incredibly honoured to receive West Coast Visions from Screenwest, who have always been so supportive of my filmmaking. I’m so proud to...
- 7/22/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Experienced board advisor and corporate lawyer Emma Scotney has been announced as the newest board member of CinefestOz.
Based north of Perth near Dandaragan, Scotney will work closely with chief executive Malinda Nixon, chair Helen Shervington, and deputy chair Margaret Buswell to bring the August event to life.
She joins co-founder David Barton, Jennifer Burrows, Jub Clerc, Gary Evershed, Warren Griffiths, Pauline Vukelic, and Diane Wearing Smith on the board, which consists entirely of community volunteers.
Scotney said she hoped to learn more about the Australian film industry through her role.
“I am looking forward to making a meaningful contribution to the huge effort and commitment it takes to bring such a rich festival like CinefestOZ together,” she said.
“I have witnessed first-hand the dedication throughout the CinefestOZ team – from the leadership provided by the board and its CEO right through to the many community volunteers.”
Scotney brings more than...
Based north of Perth near Dandaragan, Scotney will work closely with chief executive Malinda Nixon, chair Helen Shervington, and deputy chair Margaret Buswell to bring the August event to life.
She joins co-founder David Barton, Jennifer Burrows, Jub Clerc, Gary Evershed, Warren Griffiths, Pauline Vukelic, and Diane Wearing Smith on the board, which consists entirely of community volunteers.
Scotney said she hoped to learn more about the Australian film industry through her role.
“I am looking forward to making a meaningful contribution to the huge effort and commitment it takes to bring such a rich festival like CinefestOZ together,” she said.
“I have witnessed first-hand the dedication throughout the CinefestOZ team – from the leadership provided by the board and its CEO right through to the many community volunteers.”
Scotney brings more than...
- 6/15/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
To celebrate the 40 years since its inception, the Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) will launch a series of mentoring sessions from some of its most high profile members, starting this week.
Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ consists of 40 60-minute Zoom forums in a moderated Q&a format that will be held each Tuesday and Thursday from April 8.
Each Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ webinar will be provided free-of-charge to Adg members across Australia and will include on-notice and ‘from the floor’ questions.
Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary will moderate the forums, with president Samantha Lang to introduce the inaugural session mentor – Adg’s first president, Gillian Armstrong.
Armstrong said she was “delighted” to have the opportunity to “hopefully assist and inspire” the next generation of director members.
“It’s hard to believe it’s 40 years since a passionate and noisy group of us gathered around my kitchen table to form some sort of guild to protect Australian directors,...
Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ consists of 40 60-minute Zoom forums in a moderated Q&a format that will be held each Tuesday and Thursday from April 8.
Each Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ webinar will be provided free-of-charge to Adg members across Australia and will include on-notice and ‘from the floor’ questions.
Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary will moderate the forums, with president Samantha Lang to introduce the inaugural session mentor – Adg’s first president, Gillian Armstrong.
Armstrong said she was “delighted” to have the opportunity to “hopefully assist and inspire” the next generation of director members.
“It’s hard to believe it’s 40 years since a passionate and noisy group of us gathered around my kitchen table to form some sort of guild to protect Australian directors,...
- 4/5/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Australians in Film (AiF) has announced the 10 ambassadors for its inaugural Untapped professional development program.
Corrie Chen, Jub Clerc, Brooke Goldfinch, Liv Hewson, Julie Kalceff, Gemma Bird Matheson, Daniel Monks, Mitchell Stanley, Nicholas Verso and Steve Vidler will front the selection committee for the initiative, which is supported by Screen Australia and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Geared towards undiscovered and underrepresented members of the Australian screen industry, the program features a series of masterclasses by filmmakers, including Taika Waititi, Alma Ha’rel (Honey Boy), and Warwick Thornton, as well as a four-month development lab with production companies, such as LuckyChap Entertainment, Blossom Films and Made Up Stories.
AiF executive director Peter Ritchie said the ambassadors were “changing the face” of the Australian industry, internationally and at home, with their work.
“We couldn’t be prouder to have supported them in their careers, in some small way, and are so...
Corrie Chen, Jub Clerc, Brooke Goldfinch, Liv Hewson, Julie Kalceff, Gemma Bird Matheson, Daniel Monks, Mitchell Stanley, Nicholas Verso and Steve Vidler will front the selection committee for the initiative, which is supported by Screen Australia and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Geared towards undiscovered and underrepresented members of the Australian screen industry, the program features a series of masterclasses by filmmakers, including Taika Waititi, Alma Ha’rel (Honey Boy), and Warwick Thornton, as well as a four-month development lab with production companies, such as LuckyChap Entertainment, Blossom Films and Made Up Stories.
AiF executive director Peter Ritchie said the ambassadors were “changing the face” of the Australian industry, internationally and at home, with their work.
“We couldn’t be prouder to have supported them in their careers, in some small way, and are so...
- 3/14/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
After six and half years, Screen Australia head of Indigenous Penny Smallacombe will depart the agency in June.
Smallacombe joined Screen Australia in 2014, and during her tenure has helped shepherd to screen some of the Indigenous Department’s most high-profile projects, including ABC series Mystery Road and Total Control, feature films Sweet Country and Goldstone, and documentaries Maralinga Tjarutja, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky and She Who Must Be Loved.
The highly-regard executive also stewarded the “The Next 25 Years” – the Indigenous department’s new strategy, the culmination of extensive consultation that occurred throughout the department’s 25th anniversary year (2018).
While at the federal agency, she has also overseen numerous initiatives, including Bunya Talent Hub LA, Songlines on Screen, Pitch Black Shorts, Shock Treatment, State of Alarm, [Black Space] and the Producers Initiative.
“Heading up Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department for the past six years has been one of the best jobs I...
Smallacombe joined Screen Australia in 2014, and during her tenure has helped shepherd to screen some of the Indigenous Department’s most high-profile projects, including ABC series Mystery Road and Total Control, feature films Sweet Country and Goldstone, and documentaries Maralinga Tjarutja, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky and She Who Must Be Loved.
The highly-regard executive also stewarded the “The Next 25 Years” – the Indigenous department’s new strategy, the culmination of extensive consultation that occurred throughout the department’s 25th anniversary year (2018).
While at the federal agency, she has also overseen numerous initiatives, including Bunya Talent Hub LA, Songlines on Screen, Pitch Black Shorts, Shock Treatment, State of Alarm, [Black Space] and the Producers Initiative.
“Heading up Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department for the past six years has been one of the best jobs I...
- 3/5/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
For many in our industry, 2020 was an incredible challenge. From the cancellation of film shoots and festivals, to the shutdown of cinemas and theatres. From the shake-up of the Producer Offset, to the initial suspension and then watering down of Australian content sub-quotas. For those of us releasing an independent feature in this changing and unpredictable landscape, we’ve had to become even more flexible and innovative to ensure our films not only reach audiences, but that we remain viable in a market where the obstacles continue to multiply.
This time last year we were in the midst of a successful festival run for my second feature: Australia’s first women’s horror anthology Dark Whispers – Volume 1 featuring 11 women directors from across the country. The project combined my love for dark genre with my passion for advocacy for gender equality in the screen industry by spotlighting female voices in horror.
This time last year we were in the midst of a successful festival run for my second feature: Australia’s first women’s horror anthology Dark Whispers – Volume 1 featuring 11 women directors from across the country. The project combined my love for dark genre with my passion for advocacy for gender equality in the screen industry by spotlighting female voices in horror.
- 1/28/2021
- by Megan Riakos
- IF.com.au
The ten Indigenous-led productions due to participate in Bunya Talent Lab LA will each receive development funding and participate in a companion writing program with Netflix.
Originally scheduled for May 2020 in LA, the five-day incubator program was delayed due to travel restrictions but will now take place virtually in early February 2021.
In order for the creatives to maintain momentum and utilise the extra time ahead of the event, Screen Australia’s Indigenous department and Netflix will give each team development funding to further develop their projects with Bunya producers.
As part of the hub, each project will also receive one-on-one international mentorship for their production from Australians in Film (AiF).
A final pitch session to Netflix commissioners in early 2021 will see one of the projects land a formal development deal with Netflix, with Bunya Productions engaged as producers.
Projects include a range of feature film and TV series ideas encompassing comedy,...
Originally scheduled for May 2020 in LA, the five-day incubator program was delayed due to travel restrictions but will now take place virtually in early February 2021.
In order for the creatives to maintain momentum and utilise the extra time ahead of the event, Screen Australia’s Indigenous department and Netflix will give each team development funding to further develop their projects with Bunya producers.
As part of the hub, each project will also receive one-on-one international mentorship for their production from Australians in Film (AiF).
A final pitch session to Netflix commissioners in early 2021 will see one of the projects land a formal development deal with Netflix, with Bunya Productions engaged as producers.
Projects include a range of feature film and TV series ideas encompassing comedy,...
- 11/12/2020
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Clockwise from top right: Sue Maslin, Nick Murray, Jub Clerc and Daley Pearson.
When this writer re-joined If in 2017, Netflix had an estimated 2.8 million subscribers, Stan had about 800,000 customers and the highest-rating entertainment show, The Block finale, attracted 2.5 million viewers in the five mainland capitals.
Today the streaming giant has approximately 5.8 million subs, Stan has 2.2 million and, major sporting events aside, broadcasters can only dream about that kind of reach.
Tim Worner was CEO of Seven West Media, Michelle Guthrie was the ABC’s not widely admired MD, Michael Ebeid drove Sbs and Paul Anderson ran Network 10 – all gone.
Among the heads of the screen agencies were Screen Queensland’s Tracey Vieira, Create Nsw’s Michael Brealey, Film Victoria’s Jenni Tosi, the South Australian Film Corporation’s Annabelle Sheehan and Screenwest’s Ian Booth.
Mitch Fifield was the largely ineffectual Minister for Communications and the Arts, Chris Hilton steered Essential Media,...
When this writer re-joined If in 2017, Netflix had an estimated 2.8 million subscribers, Stan had about 800,000 customers and the highest-rating entertainment show, The Block finale, attracted 2.5 million viewers in the five mainland capitals.
Today the streaming giant has approximately 5.8 million subs, Stan has 2.2 million and, major sporting events aside, broadcasters can only dream about that kind of reach.
Tim Worner was CEO of Seven West Media, Michelle Guthrie was the ABC’s not widely admired MD, Michael Ebeid drove Sbs and Paul Anderson ran Network 10 – all gone.
Among the heads of the screen agencies were Screen Queensland’s Tracey Vieira, Create Nsw’s Michael Brealey, Film Victoria’s Jenni Tosi, the South Australian Film Corporation’s Annabelle Sheehan and Screenwest’s Ian Booth.
Mitch Fifield was the largely ineffectual Minister for Communications and the Arts, Chris Hilton steered Essential Media,...
- 10/29/2020
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
LevelK has acquired Swedish erotic queer drama “The Schoolmaster Games,” a film adaptation of Kristofer Folkhammar’s popular novel “Magisterlekarna,” which has just gone into production.
Written and directed by first-time director Ylva Forner, the daring film is set at the St Sebastian Academy, an all-male school where homosexuality is the norm.
The helmer described “The Schoolmaster Games” as a “melodrama for the 2020s.” “In a universe inspired by high school movies and 90s boy bands, pulsating with burning desires, we tell a story of hierarchies and power structures that has been demolished and rebuilt again,” said Forner.
Forner added that the setting of “The Schoolmaster Games” is “heightened and playfully camp, but as the story unravels, the film’s unique Academy becomes a mirror of our everyday world and turns into a conversation about the deep universal urge to belong to something – someone – and to be loved for who you really are.
Written and directed by first-time director Ylva Forner, the daring film is set at the St Sebastian Academy, an all-male school where homosexuality is the norm.
The helmer described “The Schoolmaster Games” as a “melodrama for the 2020s.” “In a universe inspired by high school movies and 90s boy bands, pulsating with burning desires, we tell a story of hierarchies and power structures that has been demolished and rebuilt again,” said Forner.
Forner added that the setting of “The Schoolmaster Games” is “heightened and playfully camp, but as the story unravels, the film’s unique Academy becomes a mirror of our everyday world and turns into a conversation about the deep universal urge to belong to something – someone – and to be loved for who you really are.
- 9/30/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Top: Ngaire Pigram, Mitch Torres, Kodie Bedford, Kelli Cross. Bottom: Karla Hart, Jub Clerc, Debbie Carmody, Chantelle Murray.
Kodie Bedford, Debbie Carmody, Jub Clerc, Kelli Cross, Karla Hart, Chantelle Murray, Ngaire Pigram and Mitch Torres are the eight writer-directors who will helm Red, the feature anthology from Pink Pepper, Ramu Productions and Brown Sugar Apple Grunt, which will explore the theme of missing Indigenous women.
Supported by Screenwest, each practitioner will write and direct a ten minute short, to be then compiled into the anthology. Development workshops will take place online due to current Covid-19 travel restrictions, and it is anticipated that the project will go into production in 2021 once fully financed.
Screenwest will be making approaches to potential partners interested in supporting such a project.
Red follows the format developed by Brown Sugar Apple Grunt’s Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton with films Waru and Vai, which successfully launched Maori and Pacific filmmakers internationally.
Kodie Bedford, Debbie Carmody, Jub Clerc, Kelli Cross, Karla Hart, Chantelle Murray, Ngaire Pigram and Mitch Torres are the eight writer-directors who will helm Red, the feature anthology from Pink Pepper, Ramu Productions and Brown Sugar Apple Grunt, which will explore the theme of missing Indigenous women.
Supported by Screenwest, each practitioner will write and direct a ten minute short, to be then compiled into the anthology. Development workshops will take place online due to current Covid-19 travel restrictions, and it is anticipated that the project will go into production in 2021 once fully financed.
Screenwest will be making approaches to potential partners interested in supporting such a project.
Red follows the format developed by Brown Sugar Apple Grunt’s Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton with films Waru and Vai, which successfully launched Maori and Pacific filmmakers internationally.
- 9/30/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Jub Clerc. (Photo: Martine Perrett)
Writer-director Jub Clerc’s debut feature Sweet As is due to shoot on location in the Pilbara early next year, after receiving major production funding from Screen Australia’s Indigenous department.
Set in the Pilbara, the coming-of-age film follows 15-year-old Indigenous girl Murra, who finds herself abandoned after an argument with her mother.
When an unusual lifeline is thrown her way by her Uncle Ian, a local cop, in the form of a travelling Photo Safari, Murra finds herself careening down a dusty highway with a bus full of ‘at risk’ teens and two peculiar team leaders.
A Nyal Nyal/Yawaru woman, the dramedy is inspired by Clerc’s own experience growing up in the Pilbara and The Kimberley; she did a photo safari with National Geographic when she was growing up.
While the story is embellished for screen, the writer-director says the characters are...
Writer-director Jub Clerc’s debut feature Sweet As is due to shoot on location in the Pilbara early next year, after receiving major production funding from Screen Australia’s Indigenous department.
Set in the Pilbara, the coming-of-age film follows 15-year-old Indigenous girl Murra, who finds herself abandoned after an argument with her mother.
When an unusual lifeline is thrown her way by her Uncle Ian, a local cop, in the form of a travelling Photo Safari, Murra finds herself careening down a dusty highway with a bus full of ‘at risk’ teens and two peculiar team leaders.
A Nyal Nyal/Yawaru woman, the dramedy is inspired by Clerc’s own experience growing up in the Pilbara and The Kimberley; she did a photo safari with National Geographic when she was growing up.
While the story is embellished for screen, the writer-director says the characters are...
- 9/15/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Jub Clerc and Aaron Pedersen.
Fans of Aaron Pedersen’s Detective Jay Swan can look forward to more Mystery Road adventures on the big and small screens.
Ivan Sen has written the first draft of the script for the third movie in Bunya Productions’ franchise, the follow-up to Goldstone, and Pedersen hopes to shoot in Coober Pedy, with Sen again directing.
In Jub Clerc’s first Deadly Yarns webinar for Australians in Film yesterday, Pedersen also said he is in discussions with Bunya’s David Jowsey for a third series of Mystery Road.
Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton co-directed the second season, which rated strongly for the ABC.
The series was sold widely by All3Media International, including to BBC2 in the UK, Arte in France/Germany and Acorn TV in North America
Jowsey tells If a third movie had long been planned, observing: “Jay Swan is a great character and...
Fans of Aaron Pedersen’s Detective Jay Swan can look forward to more Mystery Road adventures on the big and small screens.
Ivan Sen has written the first draft of the script for the third movie in Bunya Productions’ franchise, the follow-up to Goldstone, and Pedersen hopes to shoot in Coober Pedy, with Sen again directing.
In Jub Clerc’s first Deadly Yarns webinar for Australians in Film yesterday, Pedersen also said he is in discussions with Bunya’s David Jowsey for a third series of Mystery Road.
Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton co-directed the second season, which rated strongly for the ABC.
The series was sold widely by All3Media International, including to BBC2 in the UK, Arte in France/Germany and Acorn TV in North America
Jowsey tells If a third movie had long been planned, observing: “Jay Swan is a great character and...
- 7/24/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Robert Connolly.
Arenamedia and a broad coalition of industry players today called on the Federal Government to create an Innovation Fund to support new and emerging talent and diverse creative voices.
Managed by Screen Australia, the fund would also explore innovative approaches to creating and distributing new work for Australian and global audiences.
“Diversity would be a key guiding principle of this fund, addressing areas of our national storytelling that have been neglected on our screens and remain under-represented,” Arenamedia says in its submission to the government’s options paper review, co-signed by 13 production companies and distributors plus filmmakers Jub Clerc and Daniel Nettheim.
While there is no dollar figure attached to the initiative, it would be funded by a combination of increased government support and other funds proposed by the options paper.
Crucially, the submission envisions the fund would be freed from market-based decision making that attempts to anticipate what is commercial,...
Arenamedia and a broad coalition of industry players today called on the Federal Government to create an Innovation Fund to support new and emerging talent and diverse creative voices.
Managed by Screen Australia, the fund would also explore innovative approaches to creating and distributing new work for Australian and global audiences.
“Diversity would be a key guiding principle of this fund, addressing areas of our national storytelling that have been neglected on our screens and remain under-represented,” Arenamedia says in its submission to the government’s options paper review, co-signed by 13 production companies and distributors plus filmmakers Jub Clerc and Daniel Nettheim.
While there is no dollar figure attached to the initiative, it would be funded by a combination of increased government support and other funds proposed by the options paper.
Crucially, the submission envisions the fund would be freed from market-based decision making that attempts to anticipate what is commercial,...
- 6/21/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
For Charmaine Bingwa, the last eight minutes and 46 seconds of George Floyd’s life under the knee of a white cop is a powerful reminder to people everywhere to check their biases and consider the implications of what they are saying or silently condoning.
As an Indigenous woman, Larissa Behrendt felt a personal connection to police brutality in the Us, drawing a parallel with the death of David Dungay and more than 430 other Aboriginal deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission.
Gemma Bird Matheson suggests five ways in which a white person can deal with guilt, including telling white friends how he or she is contributing to anti-blackness and white supremacy; learning about Australia’s black history; and donating to families of First Nations who have suffered at the hands of Australian police.
Striking a similar tone, Eka Darville declares: “White Australia now it’s your turn – it starts with you.
As an Indigenous woman, Larissa Behrendt felt a personal connection to police brutality in the Us, drawing a parallel with the death of David Dungay and more than 430 other Aboriginal deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission.
Gemma Bird Matheson suggests five ways in which a white person can deal with guilt, including telling white friends how he or she is contributing to anti-blackness and white supremacy; learning about Australia’s black history; and donating to families of First Nations who have suffered at the hands of Australian police.
Striking a similar tone, Eka Darville declares: “White Australia now it’s your turn – it starts with you.
- 6/14/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Robert Connolly.
In the 25 years since he graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School Robert Connolly has never been more excited about the future of the film industry.
Reflecting his boundless optimism, his company Arenamedia’s production and development slate is the biggest and most ambitious in its 15-year history.
“The future path for us is having many and varied collaborations and partnerships and not trying to be proprietorial,” Connolly tells If.
“Our creative team are backing our love and passion for cinema, without disparaging in any way this amazing era we’re in with television.
“We’re excited by the future of cinema. We think there will be innovation and new ways of watching cinema.”
The company is collaborating with an unprecedented number of established and emerging writers and directors. The latter cohort includes the Strange Colours creative team of Alena Lodkina and Kate Laurie, Zambian-Australian writer...
In the 25 years since he graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School Robert Connolly has never been more excited about the future of the film industry.
Reflecting his boundless optimism, his company Arenamedia’s production and development slate is the biggest and most ambitious in its 15-year history.
“The future path for us is having many and varied collaborations and partnerships and not trying to be proprietorial,” Connolly tells If.
“Our creative team are backing our love and passion for cinema, without disparaging in any way this amazing era we’re in with television.
“We’re excited by the future of cinema. We think there will be innovation and new ways of watching cinema.”
The company is collaborating with an unprecedented number of established and emerging writers and directors. The latter cohort includes the Strange Colours creative team of Alena Lodkina and Kate Laurie, Zambian-Australian writer...
- 5/31/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
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