BBC Acquires Aussie Spin-Off Of ‘Death In Paradise’
The BBC will air Return to Paradise, an Australia-set spin-off of the long-running series Death in Paradise. Filming next year, the six-part series will be produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia alongside Death in Pardise maker Red Planet Pictures for the ABC, in association with the BBC. Set in the idyllic, beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove,the series will be a “gripping, twisting and fiendishly clever murder mysteries – all against the spectacular backdrop of the Australian coastal landscape.” The plot follows Australian ex-pat Mackenzie Clarke, the seemingly golden girl of the London Metropolitan police force, who is suddenly forced to up sticks and move back to her childhood home of Dolphin Cove. When a murder takes place in Dolphin Cove, Mack can’t help but put her inspired detective brilliance to good use. The series is created and executive produced by Peter Mattessi,...
The BBC will air Return to Paradise, an Australia-set spin-off of the long-running series Death in Paradise. Filming next year, the six-part series will be produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia alongside Death in Pardise maker Red Planet Pictures for the ABC, in association with the BBC. Set in the idyllic, beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove,the series will be a “gripping, twisting and fiendishly clever murder mysteries – all against the spectacular backdrop of the Australian coastal landscape.” The plot follows Australian ex-pat Mackenzie Clarke, the seemingly golden girl of the London Metropolitan police force, who is suddenly forced to up sticks and move back to her childhood home of Dolphin Cove. When a murder takes place in Dolphin Cove, Mack can’t help but put her inspired detective brilliance to good use. The series is created and executive produced by Peter Mattessi,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Jesse Whittock, Liz Shackleton and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road: Origin is underway in Western Australia’s Kalgoorlie-Boulder for the ABC, with a stacked ensemble cast to join Mark Coles Smith as a young Jay Swan.
They include Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Henshall, Lisa Flanagan, Clarence Ryan, Steve Bisley, Caroline Brazier, Hayley McElhinney, Dubs Yunupingu, Kelton Pell, Leonie Whyman, Salme Geransar, Nina Young and rising stars Jayden Popik and Tuuli Narkle, who will play Jay’s first love Mary.
The third season of the series is set in 1999 and follows Constable Jay Swan, a charismatic young officer who arrives at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
The Mystery Road franchise stems back to Ivan Sen’s 2013 film by the same title,...
They include Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Henshall, Lisa Flanagan, Clarence Ryan, Steve Bisley, Caroline Brazier, Hayley McElhinney, Dubs Yunupingu, Kelton Pell, Leonie Whyman, Salme Geransar, Nina Young and rising stars Jayden Popik and Tuuli Narkle, who will play Jay’s first love Mary.
The third season of the series is set in 1999 and follows Constable Jay Swan, a charismatic young officer who arrives at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
The Mystery Road franchise stems back to Ivan Sen’s 2013 film by the same title,...
- 10/12/2021
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
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
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
Mark Coles Smith is set to take the baton from Aaron Pedersen and play a young Jay Swan in Mystery Road: Origin, ABC/Bunya Productions’ latest instalment in the crime drama franchise.
Set in 1999, the series will see Constable Jay Swan as young charismatic officer at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge Detective Jay Swan.
“Audiences have long been intrigued with the enigmatic detective,” said producer Greer Simpkin.
“Now we peel back the layers of Jay Swan, to discover...
Set in 1999, the series will see Constable Jay Swan as young charismatic officer at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge Detective Jay Swan.
“Audiences have long been intrigued with the enigmatic detective,” said producer Greer Simpkin.
“Now we peel back the layers of Jay Swan, to discover...
- 8/23/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Nicole Chamoun will star opposite US actor Thomas Jane in ABC crime drama Troppo, with cameras now rolling in Queensland.
Produced by Beyond Entertainment and Eq Media Group in association with Jane’s production company Renegade Entertainment, the Fnq-set series is created by Yolanda Ramke and based on the novel Crimson Lake by Candice Fox.
Chamoun, best known for her roles in On The Ropes, The Gloaming, Safe Harbour and Romper Stomper, plays Amanda Pharrell, an eccentric Pi with a disturbing criminal past. She begrudgingly recruits disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey (Jane) to investigate the murder of a brilliant research scientist.
As they battle to uncover the truth, and the tightly held secrets of Crimson Lake, their own traumatic pasts are dragged painfully into the present – tearing them apart, as each of them faces their own fight for sanity and survival.
The supporting cast includes David Lyons, Sun Park, Simon Lyndon,...
Produced by Beyond Entertainment and Eq Media Group in association with Jane’s production company Renegade Entertainment, the Fnq-set series is created by Yolanda Ramke and based on the novel Crimson Lake by Candice Fox.
Chamoun, best known for her roles in On The Ropes, The Gloaming, Safe Harbour and Romper Stomper, plays Amanda Pharrell, an eccentric Pi with a disturbing criminal past. She begrudgingly recruits disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey (Jane) to investigate the murder of a brilliant research scientist.
As they battle to uncover the truth, and the tightly held secrets of Crimson Lake, their own traumatic pasts are dragged painfully into the present – tearing them apart, as each of them faces their own fight for sanity and survival.
The supporting cast includes David Lyons, Sun Park, Simon Lyndon,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
AMC Studios and See-Saw Films have partnered to co-produce the original series “Firebite,” which will debut exclusively on AMC Plus.
The series will be filmed in Australia this summer for a planned debut on AMC Plus later this year. The series 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. It follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires.
The season will be comprised of eight, one-hour episodes and will be filmed on the traditional Country of the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people of the Western Desert and Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains in and around Adelaide, the regional town of Coober Pedy and at the Adelaide Studios in South Australia.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be bringing Warwick and...
The series will be filmed in Australia this summer for a planned debut on AMC Plus later this year. The series 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. It follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires.
The season will be comprised of eight, one-hour episodes and will be filmed on the traditional Country of the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people of the Western Desert and Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains in and around Adelaide, the regional town of Coober Pedy and at the Adelaide Studios in South Australia.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be bringing Warwick and...
- 6/8/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
AMC Studios has greenlit series Firebite, helmed by Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher and described as a “high-octane” Indigenous spin on the vampire genre.
Firebite follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the desert – a colony shipped from Britain to Australia in 1788 by the colonial superpower to eradicate the Indigenous population.
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.
A co-production with See-Saw Films, the eight-parter is expected to start shooting in South Australia in the coming months and land on AMC+ in the US later this year. There is no word as yet to an Australian broadcaster.
Thornton and Fletcher have co-created and written the series,...
Firebite follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the desert – a colony shipped from Britain to Australia in 1788 by the colonial superpower to eradicate the Indigenous population.
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.
A co-production with See-Saw Films, the eight-parter is expected to start shooting in South Australia in the coming months and land on AMC+ in the US later this year. There is no word as yet to an Australian broadcaster.
Thornton and Fletcher have co-created and written the series,...
- 6/8/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
AMC Studios has greenlit AMC+ original Firebite, an Australian vampire fantasy series from See-Saw Films, the UK and Aussie producer behind AMC’s Top Of The Lake.
Created, written, and directed by Australia’s Indigenous auteur Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah) and Brendan Fletcher (Mad Bastards), Firebite is billed as a high-octane series that follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the south Australian desert.
The eight-part drama 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...
Created, written, and directed by Australia’s Indigenous auteur Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah) and Brendan Fletcher (Mad Bastards), Firebite is billed as a high-octane series that follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the south Australian desert.
The eight-part drama 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...
- 6/8/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Typecast Entertainment has optioned Tara June Winch’s novel The Yield for the screen, with Tony Briggs and Kodie Bedford to write the script.
Published in 2019, the book follows Albert ‘Poppy’ Gondiwindi, who takes pen to paper, knowing that he will soon die.
Having spent his life on the banks of the Murrumby River at Prosperous House, on Massacre Plains, Albert is determined to pass on the language of his people and everything that was ever remembered.
His granddaughter August Gondiwindi has been living on the other side of the world for ten years when she learns of his passing, prompting her to return home for his burial.
After confronting the love of her kin, she learns Prosperous is to be repossessed by a mining company, leading her to undertake a quest to save their land.
The Yield has garnered widespread acclaim since its release, culminating in the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
Published in 2019, the book follows Albert ‘Poppy’ Gondiwindi, who takes pen to paper, knowing that he will soon die.
Having spent his life on the banks of the Murrumby River at Prosperous House, on Massacre Plains, Albert is determined to pass on the language of his people and everything that was ever remembered.
His granddaughter August Gondiwindi has been living on the other side of the world for ten years when she learns of his passing, prompting her to return home for his burial.
After confronting the love of her kin, she learns Prosperous is to be repossessed by a mining company, leading her to undertake a quest to save their land.
The Yield has garnered widespread acclaim since its release, culminating in the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
- 5/20/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Five-part ABC iview comedy All My Friends Are Racist, written and created by Enoch Mailangi, has kicked off production in Brisbane, with co-executive producer Leah Purcell to star.
Joining Purcell are Davey Thompson and Tuuli Narkle, who will play the lead characters: two young, affluent Aboriginal flatmates – gay social media influencer Casey and budding lawyer, Belle.
The duo are socially outcast after their online ‘burn book’, listing their racist friends, is discovered, and are then faced with a difficult decision as to who and what they are willing to lose.
Purcell will play high court judge and Casey’s mother, Justine Janelle Ray Ao.
Mailangi’s pitch for the series saw them win 2017’s Raw initiative, a First Nations writers workshop conceived by Artology with the support of Purcell, Wayne Blair and Kyas Hepworth.
Directing the project is Bjorn Stewart, with Kodie Bedford having penned the scripts with Mailangi and co-producing.
Joining Purcell are Davey Thompson and Tuuli Narkle, who will play the lead characters: two young, affluent Aboriginal flatmates – gay social media influencer Casey and budding lawyer, Belle.
The duo are socially outcast after their online ‘burn book’, listing their racist friends, is discovered, and are then faced with a difficult decision as to who and what they are willing to lose.
Purcell will play high court judge and Casey’s mother, Justine Janelle Ray Ao.
Mailangi’s pitch for the series saw them win 2017’s Raw initiative, a First Nations writers workshop conceived by Artology with the support of Purcell, Wayne Blair and Kyas Hepworth.
Directing the project is Bjorn Stewart, with Kodie Bedford having penned the scripts with Mailangi and co-producing.
- 3/30/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Ben Lawrence and Beatrix Christian’s Hearts and Bones was named best original feature film screenplay at the Australian Writers’ Guild’s annual Awgie Awards yesterday evening, while Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps took home the adaptation prize for Penguin Bloom.
Two of 2019’s top dramas, The Hunting, written by Niki Aken and Matthew Cormack, and Total Control (Episode 3), by Pip Karmel, were recognised in the television categories, while The Heights, lauded for its depiction of contemporary Australia, won Peter Mattessi the Awgie in the television serial category, ending a run of 16-straight years for Neighbours and Home and Away.
Playwright Suzie Miller’s critically acclaimed one-woman play Prima Facie took out the evening’s highest honours, winning the 2020 Major Award, the David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre, and in the stage category.
The one-woman play holds a mirror up to the Australian legal system, exposing...
Two of 2019’s top dramas, The Hunting, written by Niki Aken and Matthew Cormack, and Total Control (Episode 3), by Pip Karmel, were recognised in the television categories, while The Heights, lauded for its depiction of contemporary Australia, won Peter Mattessi the Awgie in the television serial category, ending a run of 16-straight years for Neighbours and Home and Away.
Playwright Suzie Miller’s critically acclaimed one-woman play Prima Facie took out the evening’s highest honours, winning the 2020 Major Award, the David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre, and in the stage category.
The one-woman play holds a mirror up to the Australian legal system, exposing...
- 12/8/2020
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Cate Blanchett-produced “Stateless” and Shannon Murphy’s feature directing debut “Babyteeth” dominated the nominations for the Australian Film Institute-Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts’ Aacta Awards.
Refugee drama series “Stateless” earned 18 nomination in the TV category, including best telefilm or miniseries, an acting nomination for Jai Courtney, and multiple screenplay and directing nominations. It was also nominated for editing, cinematography, casting and costume design.
The nominations race in the feature film segment was somewhat closer. “Babyteeth” was nominated in 13 categories, ahead of The True History of The Kelly Gang” with 12, and “H Is For Happiness” and The Invisible Man” with ten each.
Best film nominations went to “Babyteeth,” “H is For Happiness,” I Am Woman,” “The Invisible Man,”, The True History of the Kelly Gang,” and “Relic,” which was nominated in four categories. “Babyteeth” picked up four acting nominations for Toby Wallace, Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis.
Refugee drama series “Stateless” earned 18 nomination in the TV category, including best telefilm or miniseries, an acting nomination for Jai Courtney, and multiple screenplay and directing nominations. It was also nominated for editing, cinematography, casting and costume design.
The nominations race in the feature film segment was somewhat closer. “Babyteeth” was nominated in 13 categories, ahead of The True History of The Kelly Gang” with 12, and “H Is For Happiness” and The Invisible Man” with ten each.
Best film nominations went to “Babyteeth,” “H is For Happiness,” I Am Woman,” “The Invisible Man,”, The True History of the Kelly Gang,” and “Relic,” which was nominated in four categories. “Babyteeth” picked up four acting nominations for Toby Wallace, Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis.
- 11/19/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Aacta has unveiled the final set of nominees for its upcoming awards, including the craft categories in television and documentary, as well as those up for the VFX, casting and the Best Asian Film awards.
Leading the charge in television is Matchbox Pictures/Dirty Films’ Stateless, which notched another 11 nominations today, taking its overall tally to 18.
Fellow ABC series Mystery Road, produced by Bunya Productions, follows with a total of 14 nominations.
Stateless helmers Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse are both nominated for Best Direction in A Television Drama or Comedy. They will vie against Mystery Road‘s Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton, and Simon Francis, who shot Anne Edmond’s Amazon stand-up special.
Thornton is a double nominee, also garnering recognition for his cinematography on Mystery Road, up against Marden Dean for The Commons; Martin McGrath for Operation Buffalo, and Bonnie Elliott for Stateless.
Nominated in the TV screenplay category...
Leading the charge in television is Matchbox Pictures/Dirty Films’ Stateless, which notched another 11 nominations today, taking its overall tally to 18.
Fellow ABC series Mystery Road, produced by Bunya Productions, follows with a total of 14 nominations.
Stateless helmers Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse are both nominated for Best Direction in A Television Drama or Comedy. They will vie against Mystery Road‘s Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton, and Simon Francis, who shot Anne Edmond’s Amazon stand-up special.
Thornton is a double nominee, also garnering recognition for his cinematography on Mystery Road, up against Marden Dean for The Commons; Martin McGrath for Operation Buffalo, and Bonnie Elliott for Stateless.
Nominated in the TV screenplay category...
- 11/18/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Rosie Lourde on the set of ‘Romance on the Menu’ (Photo credit: David Fell)
Multi-hyphenate talent Rosie Lourde’s career looks set to accelerate on the back of multiple deals for Romance on the Menu, her feature directing debut produced by the Steve Jaggi Company.
The romantic comedy starring Canadian Cindy Busby (Heartland) and Tim Ross was pre-sold to major European markets, premiered here as a Netflix Original film and has been acquired by an as yet-un-named streamer in the US.
The actor-turned writer, director and producer is currently in talks with production companies about several projects while developing a raft of her own projects, collaborating with the likes of Madeleine Dyer, Daniel Mulvihill, Kodie Bedford, Julie Kalceff, Mithila Gupta, Gretel Vella and the Afro Sistahs Collective.
After making Romance on the Menu on an extremely tight schedule of two weeks of pre-production and a 15-day shoot, followed by four weeks of editing,...
Multi-hyphenate talent Rosie Lourde’s career looks set to accelerate on the back of multiple deals for Romance on the Menu, her feature directing debut produced by the Steve Jaggi Company.
The romantic comedy starring Canadian Cindy Busby (Heartland) and Tim Ross was pre-sold to major European markets, premiered here as a Netflix Original film and has been acquired by an as yet-un-named streamer in the US.
The actor-turned writer, director and producer is currently in talks with production companies about several projects while developing a raft of her own projects, collaborating with the likes of Madeleine Dyer, Daniel Mulvihill, Kodie Bedford, Julie Kalceff, Mithila Gupta, Gretel Vella and the Afro Sistahs Collective.
After making Romance on the Menu on an extremely tight schedule of two weeks of pre-production and a 15-day shoot, followed by four weeks of editing,...
- 10/22/2020
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
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
Enoch Mailangi, Bjorn Stewart and Kodie Bedford.
Writer and creator Enoch Mailangi’s five-part series All My Friends Are Racist is set to go into production for ABC iview in November.
The comedy centres on digital natives Casey and Belle who live together in the big smoke. He’s a gay Aboriginal influencer, she’s an Aboriginal budding lawyer. They are the hottest friendship in town and the party is always at theirs. Life couldn’t get sweeter for these first-generation rich kids. But when their ‘burn book’ wall, where they’ve listed all their friends as racists, is discovered, they are suddenly ousted from the friendship group. The pair need to make a decision on who and what they are willing to lose to finally grow up.
Mailangi’s pitch for the series saw him win 2017’s Raw initiative, a First Nations writers workshop conceived by Artology with the support of Leah Purcell,...
Writer and creator Enoch Mailangi’s five-part series All My Friends Are Racist is set to go into production for ABC iview in November.
The comedy centres on digital natives Casey and Belle who live together in the big smoke. He’s a gay Aboriginal influencer, she’s an Aboriginal budding lawyer. They are the hottest friendship in town and the party is always at theirs. Life couldn’t get sweeter for these first-generation rich kids. But when their ‘burn book’ wall, where they’ve listed all their friends as racists, is discovered, they are suddenly ousted from the friendship group. The pair need to make a decision on who and what they are willing to lose to finally grow up.
Mailangi’s pitch for the series saw him win 2017’s Raw initiative, a First Nations writers workshop conceived by Artology with the support of Leah Purcell,...
- 9/30/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
‘I Am Mother’.
Australia’s production incentives and Indigenous storytelling will be showcased at this year’s virtual IFP Week in New York, thanks to the Australian International Screen Forum and Screen Australia.
Running September 20-24, the event will feature two panels with an Aussie focus, while two local projects have also been selected for the No Borders International Co-Production Market.
In a session moderated by Jenny Cooney, writers Steven McGregor (Sweet Country) and Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road) will discuss the importance of Indigenous Australians telling their own stories, and taking those projects to a global audience.
Kodie Bedford.
Separately, director Grant Sputore and producer Kelvin Munro will break down how they leveraged South Australia’s production incentives and facilities to produce sci-fi I Am Mother, to which Netflix ultimately snapped up the worldwide rights. The discussion will be designed for international filmmakers interested in working with Australians to make...
Australia’s production incentives and Indigenous storytelling will be showcased at this year’s virtual IFP Week in New York, thanks to the Australian International Screen Forum and Screen Australia.
Running September 20-24, the event will feature two panels with an Aussie focus, while two local projects have also been selected for the No Borders International Co-Production Market.
In a session moderated by Jenny Cooney, writers Steven McGregor (Sweet Country) and Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road) will discuss the importance of Indigenous Australians telling their own stories, and taking those projects to a global audience.
Kodie Bedford.
Separately, director Grant Sputore and producer Kelvin Munro will break down how they leveraged South Australia’s production incentives and facilities to produce sci-fi I Am Mother, to which Netflix ultimately snapped up the worldwide rights. The discussion will be designed for international filmmakers interested in working with Australians to make...
- 9/17/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Stars: Nelson Baker, Katherine Beckett, Shakira Clanton, Bernard Curry | Directed by Kodie Bedford, Liam Phillips, Robert Braslin, Perun Bonser, Bjorn Stewart
Apparently commissioned to promote First Australian talent, Dark Place is a ground-breaking anthology feature telling a quintet of indigenous tales, each around 15 minutes in length, and using largely indigenous casts. All of which approach post-colonial Aboriginal Australian history through the though-provoking lenses of historical parallels, horror, gore and fantasy.
Dark Place opens with the short Scout, a a strong opening that sets the tone for the rest of the film – dealing with a group of aboriginal women who’ve been kidnapped as part of a human trafficking ring, touching on the value of life, in particular the life of minorities and how under-valued they really are. It starts out on a downward note, really showing us the despair and danger these women are in, before taking a turn into revenge-film territory.
Apparently commissioned to promote First Australian talent, Dark Place is a ground-breaking anthology feature telling a quintet of indigenous tales, each around 15 minutes in length, and using largely indigenous casts. All of which approach post-colonial Aboriginal Australian history through the though-provoking lenses of historical parallels, horror, gore and fantasy.
Dark Place opens with the short Scout, a a strong opening that sets the tone for the rest of the film – dealing with a group of aboriginal women who’ve been kidnapped as part of a human trafficking ring, touching on the value of life, in particular the life of minorities and how under-valued they really are. It starts out on a downward note, really showing us the despair and danger these women are in, before taking a turn into revenge-film territory.
- 9/2/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
‘Sky Sharks’ to open horror and fantasy film festival.
Seven world premieres will screen as part of the UK’s Frightfest virtual edition running from August 27-31.
A total of 25 films have been selected for the horror and fantasy film festival. All virtual screenings will be geo-locked to UK audiences, which means the London-based festival will be accessible nationwide for the first time.
Frightfest is also planning a physical event for October which will feature an entirely different line-up.
Now in its 21st year, Frightfest 2020 will open with the UK premiere of Marc Fehse’s Sky Sharks, in which flying...
Seven world premieres will screen as part of the UK’s Frightfest virtual edition running from August 27-31.
A total of 25 films have been selected for the horror and fantasy film festival. All virtual screenings will be geo-locked to UK audiences, which means the London-based festival will be accessible nationwide for the first time.
Frightfest is also planning a physical event for October which will feature an entirely different line-up.
Now in its 21st year, Frightfest 2020 will open with the UK premiere of Marc Fehse’s Sky Sharks, in which flying...
- 7/28/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
FrightFest, the UK horror festival that was forced to move online this year because of pandemic disruption, has unveiled a lineup for its 21st edition (August 27-31) including seven world premieres.
The event opens with the UK premiere of Sky Sharks, which features Nazi zombie-piloted airborne killer sharks.
World premieres include Logan Thomas’s There’s No Such Thing As Vampires, Patrick Rea’s I Am Lisa, Ruben Pla’s The Horror Crowd, G-Hey Kim’s Don’t Click, Toby Watts’ Playhouse, Airell Anthony Hayles and Sam Casserly’s They’re Outside, and Francesco Giannini’s Hall.
Industry-focused events will include a panel hosted by Den Of Geek’s UK editor Rosie Fletcher about how the horror genre has been affected by the pandemic.
All online film screenings will be geo-locked to UK audiences and available through FrightFest’s website.
“We will desperately miss seeing all of you in person...
The event opens with the UK premiere of Sky Sharks, which features Nazi zombie-piloted airborne killer sharks.
World premieres include Logan Thomas’s There’s No Such Thing As Vampires, Patrick Rea’s I Am Lisa, Ruben Pla’s The Horror Crowd, G-Hey Kim’s Don’t Click, Toby Watts’ Playhouse, Airell Anthony Hayles and Sam Casserly’s They’re Outside, and Francesco Giannini’s Hall.
Industry-focused events will include a panel hosted by Den Of Geek’s UK editor Rosie Fletcher about how the horror genre has been affected by the pandemic.
All online film screenings will be geo-locked to UK audiences and available through FrightFest’s website.
“We will desperately miss seeing all of you in person...
- 7/28/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Moreblessing Maturure (Photo credit: Kristina Yenko).
Moreblessing Maturure plans to make her screen directing debut on a segment of Masc (working title), an online anthology which examines modern masculinity through female and non-binary lenses.
Separately the Zimbabwean/Australian writer/performer is developing several projects with the Afro Sistahs Collective.
Masc’s key creative drivers, Laura Nagy and Madeleine Gottlieb, invited Maturure to become the eighth member of the team, joining Renée Marie Petropoulos, Hyun Lee, Imogen McCluskey, Shari Sebbens and Cloudy Rhodes.
Developed with Screen Australia’s support, the anthology explores different stages of the subjects’ lives in ascending age, beginning with a young child and ending with an older man.
“The series has a particular focus on diversity, exploring masculinity through the lens of different cultures, sexualities and gender identities,” Easy Tiger’s Rob Gibson, who is co-executive producer with RevLover Films’ Martha Coleman, tells If.
“The development process has been extremely collaborative,...
Moreblessing Maturure plans to make her screen directing debut on a segment of Masc (working title), an online anthology which examines modern masculinity through female and non-binary lenses.
Separately the Zimbabwean/Australian writer/performer is developing several projects with the Afro Sistahs Collective.
Masc’s key creative drivers, Laura Nagy and Madeleine Gottlieb, invited Maturure to become the eighth member of the team, joining Renée Marie Petropoulos, Hyun Lee, Imogen McCluskey, Shari Sebbens and Cloudy Rhodes.
Developed with Screen Australia’s support, the anthology explores different stages of the subjects’ lives in ascending age, beginning with a young child and ending with an older man.
“The series has a particular focus on diversity, exploring masculinity through the lens of different cultures, sexualities and gender identities,” Easy Tiger’s Rob Gibson, who is co-executive producer with RevLover Films’ Martha Coleman, tells If.
“The development process has been extremely collaborative,...
- 7/26/2020
- 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
Jub Clerc.
Two weeks ago Jub Clerc was scheduled to go into a writers’ room on the webseries Shady Ladeez in the remote community of Ngukurr in East Arnhem Land.
But knowing that the elderly and people with pre-disposed illnesses – “all my mob” – are most vulnerable to the coronavirus, the filmmaker cancelled the trip and instead took part via Skype for a much lower fee.
Two days later she got an email from Bunya Productions advising the inaugural Bunya Talent Indigenous Hub in Los Angeles, to which she and 12 other Indigenous practitioners had been invited, had been postponed.
“The opportunity to pitch a feature film idea to Netflix was super exciting but my decision to cancel on Ngukurr made it an easier pill to swallow,” Clerc, who made her TV directing debut on season 2 of the ABC’s The Heights, she tells If.
“I feel like one of the lucky ones though.
Two weeks ago Jub Clerc was scheduled to go into a writers’ room on the webseries Shady Ladeez in the remote community of Ngukurr in East Arnhem Land.
But knowing that the elderly and people with pre-disposed illnesses – “all my mob” – are most vulnerable to the coronavirus, the filmmaker cancelled the trip and instead took part via Skype for a much lower fee.
Two days later she got an email from Bunya Productions advising the inaugural Bunya Talent Indigenous Hub in Los Angeles, to which she and 12 other Indigenous practitioners had been invited, had been postponed.
“The opportunity to pitch a feature film idea to Netflix was super exciting but my decision to cancel on Ngukurr made it an easier pill to swallow,” Clerc, who made her TV directing debut on season 2 of the ABC’s The Heights, she tells If.
“I feel like one of the lucky ones though.
- 3/18/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Cate Blanchett in ‘Stateless.’ (Photo: Ben King).
The first two episodes of Matchbox Pictures’ Stateless and the second series of Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road will have their world premieres at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series.
In addition, Goalpost’s Dark Victory from writer-director Matthew Saville is among eight titles selected for the Co-Pro Series 2020, which seeks to link projects with international partners.
Adapted from the book by David Marr and Marian Wilkinson, Dark Victory is the story of the Howard government’s refusal to allow Norwegian frieghter Tampa, with hundreds of mainly Afghan refugees on board, to enter Christmas Island.
The Berlinale Series line-up consists of eight series from around the world including Damien Chazelle’s Paris-set musical-drama The Eddy for Netflix, Jason Segel’s AMC series Dispatches from Elswehere and the BBC-HBO Max’s Trigonometry.
“An abundance of topics and...
The first two episodes of Matchbox Pictures’ Stateless and the second series of Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road will have their world premieres at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series.
In addition, Goalpost’s Dark Victory from writer-director Matthew Saville is among eight titles selected for the Co-Pro Series 2020, which seeks to link projects with international partners.
Adapted from the book by David Marr and Marian Wilkinson, Dark Victory is the story of the Howard government’s refusal to allow Norwegian frieghter Tampa, with hundreds of mainly Afghan refugees on board, to enter Christmas Island.
The Berlinale Series line-up consists of eight series from around the world including Damien Chazelle’s Paris-set musical-drama The Eddy for Netflix, Jason Segel’s AMC series Dispatches from Elswehere and the BBC-HBO Max’s Trigonometry.
“An abundance of topics and...
- 1/14/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Ewen Leslie and Emma Booth filming The Gloaming (Photo credit: Stan).
For Vicki Madden, Blake Ayshford, Glendyn Ivin and no doubt myriad other content creators, the challenge is to find unique Australian stories which resonate internationally and can cut through the worldwide glut of English-language drama.
More broadly, Madden calls for more respect for writers from some producers and networks, telling If: “At times there is too much interference and the stories become bland and impersonal.”
Ayshford welcomes increasing collaboration between experienced writers and newer voices and predicts: “I think the next few years could be transformational for our industry and usher in a new generation of voices and stories.”
Ivin is excited by the competition from streaming services but wonders how many consumers can afford to spend more than $100 a month to subscribe to multiple platforms.
However Ivin, the director of The Cry, Safe Harbour and Penguin Bloom, the...
For Vicki Madden, Blake Ayshford, Glendyn Ivin and no doubt myriad other content creators, the challenge is to find unique Australian stories which resonate internationally and can cut through the worldwide glut of English-language drama.
More broadly, Madden calls for more respect for writers from some producers and networks, telling If: “At times there is too much interference and the stories become bland and impersonal.”
Ayshford welcomes increasing collaboration between experienced writers and newer voices and predicts: “I think the next few years could be transformational for our industry and usher in a new generation of voices and stories.”
Ivin is excited by the competition from streaming services but wonders how many consumers can afford to spend more than $100 a month to subscribe to multiple platforms.
However Ivin, the director of The Cry, Safe Harbour and Penguin Bloom, the...
- 1/14/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Jub Clerc and Kodie Bedford.
Capitalising on the significant gains made by Indigenous screen storytellers over the past few years, Kodie Bedford wants to see more Indigenous writers emerging this year – and more respect accorded to Indigenous writers.
Fellow Indigenous filmmaker Jub Clerc suggests film schools should implement further Indigenous content protocols as part of their classes so graduates can make informed, inclusive and creative choices when they enter the industry.
“Indigenous voices have enjoyed a bumper few years as our stories have reached far and wide and the amount of exciting emerging Indigenous talent coming through is remarkable,” says Bedford, whose screenwriting credits include Mystery Road, Grace Beside Me, Robbie Hood and the horror short Scout commissioned by Screen Australia and the ABC, which was her directing debut.
“Of course I would love to see more of it, especially diversity across Indigenous voices, sexual orientation, gender identity, people with disability and new voices.
Capitalising on the significant gains made by Indigenous screen storytellers over the past few years, Kodie Bedford wants to see more Indigenous writers emerging this year – and more respect accorded to Indigenous writers.
Fellow Indigenous filmmaker Jub Clerc suggests film schools should implement further Indigenous content protocols as part of their classes so graduates can make informed, inclusive and creative choices when they enter the industry.
“Indigenous voices have enjoyed a bumper few years as our stories have reached far and wide and the amount of exciting emerging Indigenous talent coming through is remarkable,” says Bedford, whose screenwriting credits include Mystery Road, Grace Beside Me, Robbie Hood and the horror short Scout commissioned by Screen Australia and the ABC, which was her directing debut.
“Of course I would love to see more of it, especially diversity across Indigenous voices, sexual orientation, gender identity, people with disability and new voices.
- 1/9/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Blake Ayshford.
Blake Ayshford is writing a pilot for the BBC, a comedy-drama set in the near future in which an Uber-like app provides emotional labour for time-poor people.
The writer-producer likens the project entitled Hearts to a cross between the Netflix series Black Mirror and The Breaker Upperers, the Kiwi comedy created by Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek.
The app enables people to employ ‘hearts’ to undertake such tasks as having dinner with him or her after their spouse has died, or simply attending a work function as a proxy.
Ayshford is writing the pilot for Castlefield, a Fremantle backed, Manchester-based production company founded by ex-BBC North producers Hilary Martin and Simon Judd.
“It’s been a lot of fun working on it so far but we are only at pilot stage so not exactly a story yet,” he tells If.
The writer’s first UK...
Blake Ayshford is writing a pilot for the BBC, a comedy-drama set in the near future in which an Uber-like app provides emotional labour for time-poor people.
The writer-producer likens the project entitled Hearts to a cross between the Netflix series Black Mirror and The Breaker Upperers, the Kiwi comedy created by Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek.
The app enables people to employ ‘hearts’ to undertake such tasks as having dinner with him or her after their spouse has died, or simply attending a work function as a proxy.
Ayshford is writing the pilot for Castlefield, a Fremantle backed, Manchester-based production company founded by ex-BBC North producers Hilary Martin and Simon Judd.
“It’s been a lot of fun working on it so far but we are only at pilot stage so not exactly a story yet,” he tells If.
The writer’s first UK...
- 1/7/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Maddie Dyer and Rachel Griffiths.
After bonding on Ride Like a Girl, Rachel Griffiths and emerging writer-director Madeleine Dyer are jointly developing a TV comedy series based on a prominent Australian actor.
Describing Rachel’s concept as a new age, male version of Eliza Dolittle, Dyer says the plot will follow the actor as he learns to be ‘woke’ in how he relates to women and conducts himself in the current social climate.
They envisage an Extras-style series where actors and celebrities will play versions of themselves and are still in discussions with the actor about his participation.
Dyer spent five months with Griffiths on a Screen Australia-funded director’s attachment and director’s assistant on pre-production and principle shoot of the Michelle Payne biopic starring Teresa Palmer and Sam Neill.
That collaboration prompted Griffiths to laud Dyer as a “sister zeitgeist hunter” during her Hector Crawford memorial lecture at Screen Forever.
After bonding on Ride Like a Girl, Rachel Griffiths and emerging writer-director Madeleine Dyer are jointly developing a TV comedy series based on a prominent Australian actor.
Describing Rachel’s concept as a new age, male version of Eliza Dolittle, Dyer says the plot will follow the actor as he learns to be ‘woke’ in how he relates to women and conducts himself in the current social climate.
They envisage an Extras-style series where actors and celebrities will play versions of themselves and are still in discussions with the actor about his participation.
Dyer spent five months with Griffiths on a Screen Australia-funded director’s attachment and director’s assistant on pre-production and principle shoot of the Michelle Payne biopic starring Teresa Palmer and Sam Neill.
That collaboration prompted Griffiths to laud Dyer as a “sister zeitgeist hunter” during her Hector Crawford memorial lecture at Screen Forever.
- 11/25/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
(L-r) Moreblessing Maturure, Ratidzo Mambo, Taryne Laffar.
Screen Australia today announced the 11 creatives who have been selected to take part in the Developing the Developer workshop for 2019.
Held in Sydney from November 21-24, the workshop aims to diversify the pool of professionals developing Australian stories for the screen.
It will be co-run by script developer Louise Gough and Screen Australia’s industry development executive Bali Padda, who participated in the first Developing the Developer workshop in 2017,
The presenters will include Julie Kalceff, Kodie Bedford, and Penelope Chai (Other People’s Problems).
Among the creatives who took part in Developing the Developer last year, seven went on to secure work placements: Sarah Bassiuoni at Fremantle, Amy Stewart at Matchbox Pictures, Hiroki Kobayashi at Berg Shanley Productions, Dan Prichard at Lingo Pictures, Li-Kim Chuah at ABC, Vidya Rajan at Tony Ayres Productions, Jean Tong at Goalpost Pictures and Leticia Cáceres at Seven Studios.
Screen Australia today announced the 11 creatives who have been selected to take part in the Developing the Developer workshop for 2019.
Held in Sydney from November 21-24, the workshop aims to diversify the pool of professionals developing Australian stories for the screen.
It will be co-run by script developer Louise Gough and Screen Australia’s industry development executive Bali Padda, who participated in the first Developing the Developer workshop in 2017,
The presenters will include Julie Kalceff, Kodie Bedford, and Penelope Chai (Other People’s Problems).
Among the creatives who took part in Developing the Developer last year, seven went on to secure work placements: Sarah Bassiuoni at Fremantle, Amy Stewart at Matchbox Pictures, Hiroki Kobayashi at Berg Shanley Productions, Dan Prichard at Lingo Pictures, Li-Kim Chuah at ABC, Vidya Rajan at Tony Ayres Productions, Jean Tong at Goalpost Pictures and Leticia Cáceres at Seven Studios.
- 11/12/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Faboriginal’. (Photo: Kelly Gardner)
Art, camp and Indigenous culture collide in the Nitv/Sbs-commissioned quiz show Faboriginal, produced by Noble Savage Pictures.
Hosted and co-created by actor and comedian Steven Oliver, the 8 x 30 serial trivia show features an all Indigenous cast and guest panellists who are challenged by the quizmaster on Indigenous art and culture. Production has recently wrapped, to air early 2020 on Nitv followed by Sbs On Demand.
“We’ve built a show that is wickedly funny, entertaining, smart and political. Faboriginal is unapologetically black, unapologetically camp and unapologetically art focused,” says Noble Savage Pictures producer Majhid Heath.
Heath saw taking on the light entertainment format space as natural new ground to break. It was a way of engaging audiences with Indigenous art and culture with levity and comedy, while celebrating established and emerging Indigenous actors, writers, musicians and artists.
“After all the recent success Indigenous filmmakers have had in documentary,...
Art, camp and Indigenous culture collide in the Nitv/Sbs-commissioned quiz show Faboriginal, produced by Noble Savage Pictures.
Hosted and co-created by actor and comedian Steven Oliver, the 8 x 30 serial trivia show features an all Indigenous cast and guest panellists who are challenged by the quizmaster on Indigenous art and culture. Production has recently wrapped, to air early 2020 on Nitv followed by Sbs On Demand.
“We’ve built a show that is wickedly funny, entertaining, smart and political. Faboriginal is unapologetically black, unapologetically camp and unapologetically art focused,” says Noble Savage Pictures producer Majhid Heath.
Heath saw taking on the light entertainment format space as natural new ground to break. It was a way of engaging audiences with Indigenous art and culture with levity and comedy, while celebrating established and emerging Indigenous actors, writers, musicians and artists.
“After all the recent success Indigenous filmmakers have had in documentary,...
- 9/26/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Aaron Pedersen and Jada Alberts in ‘Mystery Road 2’ (Photo: David Dare Parker).
Swedish actress Sofia Helin, who starred in all four seasons of The Bridge, is co-starring with Aaron Pedersen in the second series of Bunya Productions’ ABC crime drama Mystery Road.
Helin, who played Saga Norén, a homicide detective from Malmö, in the Swedish/Danish film noir crime series which screened here on Sbs, is cast as archaeologist Professor Sondra Elmquist.
The professor is conducting a dig near a remote coastal town when she encounters Pedersen’s Detective Jay Swan, who has moved to the town to be closer to his family and is investigating a grisly case.
Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair are sharing the directing duties on the six episodes produced by David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, with Thornton as the Dop.
Two weeks into the 10 weeks shoot in Broome and the Dampier Peninsular, the series is...
Swedish actress Sofia Helin, who starred in all four seasons of The Bridge, is co-starring with Aaron Pedersen in the second series of Bunya Productions’ ABC crime drama Mystery Road.
Helin, who played Saga Norén, a homicide detective from Malmö, in the Swedish/Danish film noir crime series which screened here on Sbs, is cast as archaeologist Professor Sondra Elmquist.
The professor is conducting a dig near a remote coastal town when she encounters Pedersen’s Detective Jay Swan, who has moved to the town to be closer to his family and is investigating a grisly case.
Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair are sharing the directing duties on the six episodes produced by David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, with Thornton as the Dop.
Two weeks into the 10 weeks shoot in Broome and the Dampier Peninsular, the series is...
- 7/24/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood’.
The 2019 Melbourne International Film Festival is being touted as the largest yet, with some 259 features, 123 shorts and 16 Vr experiences, including Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood.
The 1969-set film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, will screen on the opening weekend in the Astor Theatre on 35mm. An elegy to the Golden Age of Hollywood, it also features Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate and Damon Herriman as Charles Manson, as well as Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Damien Lewis and Luke Perry.
Of his first program, which includes 44 films straight from Cannes, Miff artistic director Al Cossar said: “I am absolutely thrilled to share my first festival with Melbourne in 2019. Rich in its diversity, this program is a true celebration of cinema: promising countless adventures into the kinds of places and people,...
The 2019 Melbourne International Film Festival is being touted as the largest yet, with some 259 features, 123 shorts and 16 Vr experiences, including Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood.
The 1969-set film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, will screen on the opening weekend in the Astor Theatre on 35mm. An elegy to the Golden Age of Hollywood, it also features Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate and Damon Herriman as Charles Manson, as well as Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Damien Lewis and Luke Perry.
Of his first program, which includes 44 films straight from Cannes, Miff artistic director Al Cossar said: “I am absolutely thrilled to share my first festival with Melbourne in 2019. Rich in its diversity, this program is a true celebration of cinema: promising countless adventures into the kinds of places and people,...
- 7/10/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
‘Robbie Hood’ writer-director Dylan River (front) and (L-r) actors Jordan Johnson, Pedrea Jackson and Levi Thomas.
Sbs’s Robbie Hood puts a new spin on the Robin Hood folk tale, setting it in modern day Alice Springs. It follows 13-year-old Robbie and his two friends Blue and Little Johnny, who together set about rectifying injustices they see in their community – though things don’t always go to plan.
The short-form series – 6 x 10 minutes – is the result of a partnership between Ludo Studio and 1788 Productions, and was supported by Screen Australia, Screen Territory and Screen Queensland.
Writer-director Dylan River says the show is based on both his own and his family’s experiences growing up in Alice.
“It’s a gift to the youth of Alice Springs, and I guess the whole town, making light of some more problematic issues and things that we see day-to-day here.”
River penned the scripts with Kodie Bedford,...
Sbs’s Robbie Hood puts a new spin on the Robin Hood folk tale, setting it in modern day Alice Springs. It follows 13-year-old Robbie and his two friends Blue and Little Johnny, who together set about rectifying injustices they see in their community – though things don’t always go to plan.
The short-form series – 6 x 10 minutes – is the result of a partnership between Ludo Studio and 1788 Productions, and was supported by Screen Australia, Screen Territory and Screen Queensland.
Writer-director Dylan River says the show is based on both his own and his family’s experiences growing up in Alice.
“It’s a gift to the youth of Alice Springs, and I guess the whole town, making light of some more problematic issues and things that we see day-to-day here.”
River penned the scripts with Kodie Bedford,...
- 7/9/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Lauren Elliott.
Mad Kids co-founder and managing director Lauren Elliott is launching a new production company focused on long-form television and features, Galactic Baby.
Elliott founded the Perth-based Mad Kids seven years ago with Henry Inglis and Matt Lovkis. It has produced a variety of content such as the Aacta-nominated Small Town Hackers for Saturday Night Live’ digital platform Above Average; The Big Spaghetti (which won director Zoe Pepper an Australian Directors’ Guild Award); Lucy Durack’s Lift for 10Peach, Dafuq? for ABC iview and The Legend of Gavin Tanner for ABC1.
ABC iview comedy series Kgb, which launches this Sunday and stars Clarence Ryan, Bjorn Stewart, Mark Coles Smith, Aaron McGrath and Genevieve Morris, will be the last project under the Mad Kids banner.
Having produced 11 web series to date, Elliott tells If she feels ready to take the next step in her career and move into longer-form with Galactic Baby.
Mad Kids co-founder and managing director Lauren Elliott is launching a new production company focused on long-form television and features, Galactic Baby.
Elliott founded the Perth-based Mad Kids seven years ago with Henry Inglis and Matt Lovkis. It has produced a variety of content such as the Aacta-nominated Small Town Hackers for Saturday Night Live’ digital platform Above Average; The Big Spaghetti (which won director Zoe Pepper an Australian Directors’ Guild Award); Lucy Durack’s Lift for 10Peach, Dafuq? for ABC iview and The Legend of Gavin Tanner for ABC1.
ABC iview comedy series Kgb, which launches this Sunday and stars Clarence Ryan, Bjorn Stewart, Mark Coles Smith, Aaron McGrath and Genevieve Morris, will be the last project under the Mad Kids banner.
Having produced 11 web series to date, Elliott tells If she feels ready to take the next step in her career and move into longer-form with Galactic Baby.
- 7/3/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Niki Aken.
When screenwriter Niki Aken started writing TV shows seven years ago, she was the only one with an Asian or non-white heritage in the room.
That situation did not change until two years ago when the writer, who has a Malaysian father and an Aussie mother, and Benjamin Law began developing a show for Fremantle.
“For the first five years nearly everyone I worked with was middle class, Anglo and aged 40-plus,” she tells If.
As a founder member of Australian Writers’ Guild’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee alongside Law, Kodie Bedford, Jaime Browne, Mithila Gupta and Que Minh Luu, she has been heartened by the much greater diversity on screen and in writers’ rooms in the past couple of years.
One show she is developing with Ian Collie’s Easy Tiger is emblematic of the advances in pluralism across the industry. Based on an idea by Collie,...
When screenwriter Niki Aken started writing TV shows seven years ago, she was the only one with an Asian or non-white heritage in the room.
That situation did not change until two years ago when the writer, who has a Malaysian father and an Aussie mother, and Benjamin Law began developing a show for Fremantle.
“For the first five years nearly everyone I worked with was middle class, Anglo and aged 40-plus,” she tells If.
As a founder member of Australian Writers’ Guild’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee alongside Law, Kodie Bedford, Jaime Browne, Mithila Gupta and Que Minh Luu, she has been heartened by the much greater diversity on screen and in writers’ rooms in the past couple of years.
One show she is developing with Ian Collie’s Easy Tiger is emblematic of the advances in pluralism across the industry. Based on an idea by Collie,...
- 6/16/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Danielle MacLean.
Considering Danielle MacLean’s original ambition was to be a stills photographer, her 23-year career as a writer, producer and director is quite remarkable.
Currently MacLean is juggling numerous projects including preparing a short film for the anthology feature Cook 2020: Our Right of Reply, writing an episode of the second series of Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road and signing on to direct at least one episode of the third season of Ned Lander Media’s Little J and Big Cuz.
In addition, she is developing a raft of projects including drama series Rough Justice with frequent collaborator Steven McGregor, children’s animated series Yellow Water Billabong and kids series The Barrumbi Kids with Ambience Entertainment.
“I have found my voice and I have a strong team of people around me,” she tells If. She credits Screen Australia’s Indigenous department, originally headed by Wal Saunders, followed by Sally Riley and now Penny Smallacombe,...
Considering Danielle MacLean’s original ambition was to be a stills photographer, her 23-year career as a writer, producer and director is quite remarkable.
Currently MacLean is juggling numerous projects including preparing a short film for the anthology feature Cook 2020: Our Right of Reply, writing an episode of the second series of Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road and signing on to direct at least one episode of the third season of Ned Lander Media’s Little J and Big Cuz.
In addition, she is developing a raft of projects including drama series Rough Justice with frequent collaborator Steven McGregor, children’s animated series Yellow Water Billabong and kids series The Barrumbi Kids with Ambience Entertainment.
“I have found my voice and I have a strong team of people around me,” she tells If. She credits Screen Australia’s Indigenous department, originally headed by Wal Saunders, followed by Sally Riley and now Penny Smallacombe,...
- 6/13/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
(L-r) Craig Silvey, Ben Young, Melissa Kelly and Ryan Hodgson, the team behind ‘Cage In the Wild’.
Monash, a drama about army officer John Monash from Bruce Beresford; a thriller from Jasper Jones author Craig Silvey and director Ben Young, Cage in the Wild; and a TV adaptation of novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart from Sarah Lambert and Made Up Stories are among the 21 projects to have recently received story development funding from Screen Australia.
The agency today announced seven television series, four online projects and 10 feature films will share in nearly $700,000.
Since July 2018, Screen Australia has had two strands for development funding: the Premium Fund for higher budget projects from established screen content makers, and the Generate Fund for lower budget projects with an emphasis on supporting emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks.
CEO Graeme Mason said: “It’s great to see such...
Monash, a drama about army officer John Monash from Bruce Beresford; a thriller from Jasper Jones author Craig Silvey and director Ben Young, Cage in the Wild; and a TV adaptation of novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart from Sarah Lambert and Made Up Stories are among the 21 projects to have recently received story development funding from Screen Australia.
The agency today announced seven television series, four online projects and 10 feature films will share in nearly $700,000.
Since July 2018, Screen Australia has had two strands for development funding: the Premium Fund for higher budget projects from established screen content makers, and the Generate Fund for lower budget projects with an emphasis on supporting emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks.
CEO Graeme Mason said: “It’s great to see such...
- 5/28/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Kodie Bedford.
When Kodie Bedford sets out to create a project or is offered a writing gig, she looks for three elements: Strong female characters, a regional setting which harks back to her childhood in country Wa, and a genre piece.
So far everything the Indigenous writer has accomplished in her burgeoning career has ticked all three boxes, with credits on Grace Beside Me, Robbie Hood and Mystery Road as well as the horror short Scout, which marks her directing debut.
“I pinch myself every day as I get to tell stories; I am living the dream,” she tells If. She turned to screenwriting after working as a cadet journalist for Sbs before moving to the ABC as a researcher on documentary series Message Sticks.
A graduate of the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Communications and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney,...
When Kodie Bedford sets out to create a project or is offered a writing gig, she looks for three elements: Strong female characters, a regional setting which harks back to her childhood in country Wa, and a genre piece.
So far everything the Indigenous writer has accomplished in her burgeoning career has ticked all three boxes, with credits on Grace Beside Me, Robbie Hood and Mystery Road as well as the horror short Scout, which marks her directing debut.
“I pinch myself every day as I get to tell stories; I am living the dream,” she tells If. She turned to screenwriting after working as a cadet journalist for Sbs before moving to the ABC as a researcher on documentary series Message Sticks.
A graduate of the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Communications and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney,...
- 5/15/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Timothy Lee on location in ‘Mystery Road.’
After serving as a script editor on three seasons of House Husbands and writing episodes of Rush and Serangoon Road, Timothy Lee’s career has gone up a couple of gears.
Lee, who graduated from Aftrs in 2006, modestly credits his progression in part to the talent drain which has resulted in numerous Aussie writers plying their trade in the Us and the UK.
“That has created opportunities for the next generation of writers,” says Lee, who got his start as a script assistant/researcher on Rescue Special Ops after securing an Australian Writers’ Guild internship with Southern Star, mentored by Sarah Smith.
That led to writing episodes of the Nine Network drama and the fourth season of Network Ten’s cop show Rush. Working on Playmaker Media’s House Husbands, he reflects, “was good for my craft but not so good for my profile.
After serving as a script editor on three seasons of House Husbands and writing episodes of Rush and Serangoon Road, Timothy Lee’s career has gone up a couple of gears.
Lee, who graduated from Aftrs in 2006, modestly credits his progression in part to the talent drain which has resulted in numerous Aussie writers plying their trade in the Us and the UK.
“That has created opportunities for the next generation of writers,” says Lee, who got his start as a script assistant/researcher on Rescue Special Ops after securing an Australian Writers’ Guild internship with Southern Star, mentored by Sarah Smith.
That led to writing episodes of the Nine Network drama and the fourth season of Network Ten’s cop show Rush. Working on Playmaker Media’s House Husbands, he reflects, “was good for my craft but not so good for my profile.
- 5/13/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Dark Place.’
Five horror shorts by emerging Indigenous filmmakers commissioned by the ABC and Screen Australia will premiere as a 75-minute anthology at the Sydney Film Festival.
Under the banner Dark Place, the 15-minute films address post-colonial Indigenous history through the lenses of horror and fantasy.
Female oppression and revenge take centre stage in Kodie Bedford’s Scout while Bjorn Stewart unleashes small pox-infected zombies in the splatter comedy Killer Native.
An insomniac questions her sanity in Liam Phillips’ Foe, supernatural forces infiltrate a housing commission estate in Rob Braslin’s gritty Vale Light and Gothic horror shrouds the woods in Perun Bonser’s The Shore.
The casts include Leonie Whyman, Tasia Zalar, Jolie Everett, Clarence Ryan, Charlie Garber, Lily Sullivan, Natasha Waganeen, Katie Beckett, Shakira Clanton, Tamala Shelton, Nelson Baker, Nicholas Hope, Hugh Sheridan, Luka May Glynn-Cole and Bernard Curry.
ABC head of Indigenous Kelrick Martin commissioned the anthology...
Five horror shorts by emerging Indigenous filmmakers commissioned by the ABC and Screen Australia will premiere as a 75-minute anthology at the Sydney Film Festival.
Under the banner Dark Place, the 15-minute films address post-colonial Indigenous history through the lenses of horror and fantasy.
Female oppression and revenge take centre stage in Kodie Bedford’s Scout while Bjorn Stewart unleashes small pox-infected zombies in the splatter comedy Killer Native.
An insomniac questions her sanity in Liam Phillips’ Foe, supernatural forces infiltrate a housing commission estate in Rob Braslin’s gritty Vale Light and Gothic horror shrouds the woods in Perun Bonser’s The Shore.
The casts include Leonie Whyman, Tasia Zalar, Jolie Everett, Clarence Ryan, Charlie Garber, Lily Sullivan, Natasha Waganeen, Katie Beckett, Shakira Clanton, Tamala Shelton, Nelson Baker, Nicholas Hope, Hugh Sheridan, Luka May Glynn-Cole and Bernard Curry.
ABC head of Indigenous Kelrick Martin commissioned the anthology...
- 5/8/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Nicholas Verso (l) and Samuel Ireland on the ‘Itch’ set (Photo credit: David Dare Parker).
Nicholas Verso has worked with children so often since his 2016 debut feature Boys in the Trees the writer-director says it’s a blessing whenever an adult appears on set.
Not that he is complaining: Verso has relished nurturing young talent in Matchbox Pictures’ Nowhere Boys, Magpie Pictures’ Grace Beside Me, Aquarius Films’ The Unlisted and the ABC Me-commissioned action-adventure Itch.
However he looks forward to getting into adult territory with horror movie The Ice Cream Man, The Lairdbalor adapted from Kathleen Kaufman’s dark fantasy novel, and psychological thriller Sleep to Dream.
In addition he is developing with producer Joanna Werner Crazy Fun Park, a TV series set in an abandoned amusement park populated by the corpses of kids who died there. That isn’t as dark as it sounds, he explains, observing: “It’s...
Nicholas Verso has worked with children so often since his 2016 debut feature Boys in the Trees the writer-director says it’s a blessing whenever an adult appears on set.
Not that he is complaining: Verso has relished nurturing young talent in Matchbox Pictures’ Nowhere Boys, Magpie Pictures’ Grace Beside Me, Aquarius Films’ The Unlisted and the ABC Me-commissioned action-adventure Itch.
However he looks forward to getting into adult territory with horror movie The Ice Cream Man, The Lairdbalor adapted from Kathleen Kaufman’s dark fantasy novel, and psychological thriller Sleep to Dream.
In addition he is developing with producer Joanna Werner Crazy Fun Park, a TV series set in an abandoned amusement park populated by the corpses of kids who died there. That isn’t as dark as it sounds, he explains, observing: “It’s...
- 4/15/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Canneseries will again this year shine a light on the up-and-coming short-form series format. Featuring promising and innovative formats which frequently end up on platforms popular among young audiences, the competition embraces new ways in which series can and are being consumed.
Emmy winning writer-producer Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl”) heads the Short-Form Competition jury which includes French actress-director Fanny Sidney (“Mesrine”) and Norwegian actress Josefine Frida Petersen (“Skam”). The Best Short Form Series award will be handed out during the festival’s closing ceremony which will be broadcasted live on Canal Plus.
Three of the competition’s entries come from Canada – one from last year’s winning production company St Laurent TV – two from Argentina and Australia, and one each from the U.S., France and the U.K.
The series will screen April 9 and 10.
Taking place behind closed doors, “Do Not Disturb” is a sometimes sexy, sometimes...
Emmy winning writer-producer Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl”) heads the Short-Form Competition jury which includes French actress-director Fanny Sidney (“Mesrine”) and Norwegian actress Josefine Frida Petersen (“Skam”). The Best Short Form Series award will be handed out during the festival’s closing ceremony which will be broadcasted live on Canal Plus.
Three of the competition’s entries come from Canada – one from last year’s winning production company St Laurent TV – two from Argentina and Australia, and one each from the U.S., France and the U.K.
The series will screen April 9 and 10.
Taking place behind closed doors, “Do Not Disturb” is a sometimes sexy, sometimes...
- 4/7/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
(L-r) Peta Astbury-Bulsara, Que Minh Luu and Warren Clarke (Photo credit: Bohdan Warchomij).
The ABC had greenlit the development of The Heights when Que Minh Luu, who co-created the drama serial with Warren Clarke, was alerted to a job vacancy at the public broadcaster.
Sally Riley, the ABC’s head of drama, comedy and Indigenous, suggested Luu apply for the role of an executive producer.
That presented a dilemma for the Matchbox Pictures development executive. “On one hand I was keen to see the show through to completion,” she tells If. “On the other hand I wanted to get into producing, jobs like that are rare and I may not have had the opportunity again.”
So she applied, got the position and continued to oversee the 30-episode production from Matchbox and Peta Astbury-Bulsara’s For Pete’s Sake Productions as an Ep.
Clarke and Luu had set up the writers...
The ABC had greenlit the development of The Heights when Que Minh Luu, who co-created the drama serial with Warren Clarke, was alerted to a job vacancy at the public broadcaster.
Sally Riley, the ABC’s head of drama, comedy and Indigenous, suggested Luu apply for the role of an executive producer.
That presented a dilemma for the Matchbox Pictures development executive. “On one hand I was keen to see the show through to completion,” she tells If. “On the other hand I wanted to get into producing, jobs like that are rare and I may not have had the opportunity again.”
So she applied, got the position and continued to oversee the 30-episode production from Matchbox and Peta Astbury-Bulsara’s For Pete’s Sake Productions as an Ep.
Clarke and Luu had set up the writers...
- 4/2/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Alison Bell, Kodie Bedford and Niki Aken.
Screen Australia has announced it will support a delegation of 13 creatives to travel to New York in March to attend the Australian International Screen Forum and participate in professional development and networking opportunities.
“There is an increasing appetite for Australian stories in the USA, most recently evident at the Sundance Film Festival where our films were making substantial sales,” said Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason.
“Talent USA is an important opportunity to showcase and promote some of our best creative talent to the North American market and help elevate their projects to be in the best position to compete and be seen internationally.
“Attending the Screen Forum will give these delegates an opportunity to hear from key Us players on latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the current global market. This year the Talent USA delegation will also benefit from the Forum’s ambassadors Deborra-Lee Furness,...
Screen Australia has announced it will support a delegation of 13 creatives to travel to New York in March to attend the Australian International Screen Forum and participate in professional development and networking opportunities.
“There is an increasing appetite for Australian stories in the USA, most recently evident at the Sundance Film Festival where our films were making substantial sales,” said Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason.
“Talent USA is an important opportunity to showcase and promote some of our best creative talent to the North American market and help elevate their projects to be in the best position to compete and be seen internationally.
“Attending the Screen Forum will give these delegates an opportunity to hear from key Us players on latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the current global market. This year the Talent USA delegation will also benefit from the Forum’s ambassadors Deborra-Lee Furness,...
- 2/6/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Mithila Gupta.
After screenwriter Mithila Gupta began her career in the Neighbours writers’ room in 2010, she often found she was the “only brown person” in the room.
Nine years on, Gupta is a torch-bearer for diversity in her craft, with an impressive resume that includes Winners & Losers, Playing for Keeps, Network 10’s upcoming Five Bedrooms and the ABC’s The Heights.
“We’re taking the right steps,” Mithila tells If. “The biggest challenge is having more people of colour in the writers’ room. This isn’t just ticking boxes, it is getting authentic voices who can provide a fresh perspective. Diversity is personal to me; it is emotional.”
The Indian-born writer who came to Australian when she was three hails the formation last year of the Australian Writers Guild’s diversity and inclusion advisory committee as a big breakthrough. She is serving on the committee alongside Niki Aken, Kodie Bedford,...
After screenwriter Mithila Gupta began her career in the Neighbours writers’ room in 2010, she often found she was the “only brown person” in the room.
Nine years on, Gupta is a torch-bearer for diversity in her craft, with an impressive resume that includes Winners & Losers, Playing for Keeps, Network 10’s upcoming Five Bedrooms and the ABC’s The Heights.
“We’re taking the right steps,” Mithila tells If. “The biggest challenge is having more people of colour in the writers’ room. This isn’t just ticking boxes, it is getting authentic voices who can provide a fresh perspective. Diversity is personal to me; it is emotional.”
The Indian-born writer who came to Australian when she was three hails the formation last year of the Australian Writers Guild’s diversity and inclusion advisory committee as a big breakthrough. She is serving on the committee alongside Niki Aken, Kodie Bedford,...
- 1/28/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
L-r Candy Bowers, Julietta Boscolo, Kodie Bedford and Que Minh Luu.
ABC executive producer Que Minh Luu, writer/director Julietta Boscolo and writers Candy Bowers and Kodie Bedford will take part in Australians in Film (AiF) and Screen Australia’s annual Mentor La program.
The mentors for the year-long program are executive producer Betsy Beers, writer/producer Yahlin Chang (The Handmaid’s Tale), Emmy-nominated director Jamie Babbit and comedy writer and executive producer Peter Saji (Blackish).
This year, Mentor La encouraged applications from creatives currently under-represented in the Australian screen industry with unique stories to tell, matching them with mentors that champion diversity and inclusion.
AiF president Kate Marks said: “Mentor La was established to create new and exciting pathways to help grow the careers of young screen professionals and as a by-product, the Australian industry as a whole. Que, Julietta, Candy and Kodie all have a dynamic and a...
ABC executive producer Que Minh Luu, writer/director Julietta Boscolo and writers Candy Bowers and Kodie Bedford will take part in Australians in Film (AiF) and Screen Australia’s annual Mentor La program.
The mentors for the year-long program are executive producer Betsy Beers, writer/producer Yahlin Chang (The Handmaid’s Tale), Emmy-nominated director Jamie Babbit and comedy writer and executive producer Peter Saji (Blackish).
This year, Mentor La encouraged applications from creatives currently under-represented in the Australian screen industry with unique stories to tell, matching them with mentors that champion diversity and inclusion.
AiF president Kate Marks said: “Mentor La was established to create new and exciting pathways to help grow the careers of young screen professionals and as a by-product, the Australian industry as a whole. Que, Julietta, Candy and Kodie all have a dynamic and a...
- 11/21/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Tegan Higginbotham.
Screen Australia is providing more than $400,000 in story development funding for 16 projects including feature films, television and online series, featuring such talent as Bruna Papandrea, Nick Verso, Priscilla Cameron, Lisa Shaunessy, Anthony Mullins, Kodie Bedford and Tegan Higginbotham.
The slate includes The Agency, a musical comedy about moral corruption in the advertising industry, comedic horror Gnomes centered on grudge-bearing garden gnomes in a fictional regional town, and the feature Misfit, which looks at a woman who suffers from an identity disorder.
Eleven projects were funded through the Generate fund, two via the Premium fund and three through the legacy development program which has been discontinued.
Head of development Nerida Moore said: “The new development guidelines have now been in action for five months. We drastically reduced eligibility barriers and will now fund projects for any screen platform. We’ve had a fantastic response from the industry and the...
Screen Australia is providing more than $400,000 in story development funding for 16 projects including feature films, television and online series, featuring such talent as Bruna Papandrea, Nick Verso, Priscilla Cameron, Lisa Shaunessy, Anthony Mullins, Kodie Bedford and Tegan Higginbotham.
The slate includes The Agency, a musical comedy about moral corruption in the advertising industry, comedic horror Gnomes centered on grudge-bearing garden gnomes in a fictional regional town, and the feature Misfit, which looks at a woman who suffers from an identity disorder.
Eleven projects were funded through the Generate fund, two via the Premium fund and three through the legacy development program which has been discontinued.
Head of development Nerida Moore said: “The new development guidelines have now been in action for five months. We drastically reduced eligibility barriers and will now fund projects for any screen platform. We’ve had a fantastic response from the industry and the...
- 11/21/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Mystery Road.’
BBC4 in the UK has acquired Bunya Productions’ six-part drama Mystery Road in a deal with All3Media International.
The series starring Aaron Pedersen and Judy Davis, a spin-off of Ivan Sen’s feature film, will premiere as a weekly double bill at 9 pm on Saturday September 22.
Directed by Rachel Perkins, the show launched last month in the Us on Acorn TV, which bills itself as North America’s most popular streaming service for British and international television. Acorn also picked up secondary rights in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
BBC2 bought the Mystery Road movie which screened on September 2 and is still available to stream.
Sue Deeks, BBC head of program acquisition, said: “Mystery Road is set in a uniquely stark and beautiful landscape and features a cast of some of the best acting talent around. We’re thrilled to be bringing this compelling and visually stunning drama to BBC viewers.
BBC4 in the UK has acquired Bunya Productions’ six-part drama Mystery Road in a deal with All3Media International.
The series starring Aaron Pedersen and Judy Davis, a spin-off of Ivan Sen’s feature film, will premiere as a weekly double bill at 9 pm on Saturday September 22.
Directed by Rachel Perkins, the show launched last month in the Us on Acorn TV, which bills itself as North America’s most popular streaming service for British and international television. Acorn also picked up secondary rights in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
BBC2 bought the Mystery Road movie which screened on September 2 and is still available to stream.
Sue Deeks, BBC head of program acquisition, said: “Mystery Road is set in a uniquely stark and beautiful landscape and features a cast of some of the best acting talent around. We’re thrilled to be bringing this compelling and visually stunning drama to BBC viewers.
- 9/12/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Includes world premieres of Succession and The Split.
The world premiere of the 60-minute pilot episode of HBO’s Succession, written by Jesse Armstrong, the UK creator of Peep Show and Fresh Meat, and directed by Adam McKay, whose credits include The Big Short and Anchorman, will open the ninth edition of Series Mania in Lille on April 27.
Brian Cox, Hiam Abbass and Matthew Macfadyen head the ensemble cast of Succession, which follows the travails of a dysfunctional media dynasty.
Additionally, the Official Competition is comprised of 10 world premieres of original global TV series. They include BBC and Sundance TV series The Split,...
The world premiere of the 60-minute pilot episode of HBO’s Succession, written by Jesse Armstrong, the UK creator of Peep Show and Fresh Meat, and directed by Adam McKay, whose credits include The Big Short and Anchorman, will open the ninth edition of Series Mania in Lille on April 27.
Brian Cox, Hiam Abbass and Matthew Macfadyen head the ensemble cast of Succession, which follows the travails of a dysfunctional media dynasty.
Additionally, the Official Competition is comprised of 10 world premieres of original global TV series. They include BBC and Sundance TV series The Split,...
- 3/28/2018
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
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