Ellie and Abbie star Zoe Terakes has made history ahead of this year’s Aacta Awards, becoming the first non-binary Australian actor in consideration for Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film.
Terakes enters the category for their role as Abbie, the love interest of Year 12 student and school captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) in Monica Zanetti’s romantic comedy. The film premiered at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in 2020 as the first Australian film in 27 years to open the festival and received a national theatrical release on November 19, 2020
In a group statement, Aacta said while there had been other non-binary entrants and nominees in the past, Terakes was the first non-binary actor to have engaged them in conversation and exercised their right to choose which award suited them.
The organisation also believes they are the first person to enter a gendered award for a role portraying a different gender character.
Terakes enters the category for their role as Abbie, the love interest of Year 12 student and school captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) in Monica Zanetti’s romantic comedy. The film premiered at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in 2020 as the first Australian film in 27 years to open the festival and received a national theatrical release on November 19, 2020
In a group statement, Aacta said while there had been other non-binary entrants and nominees in the past, Terakes was the first non-binary actor to have engaged them in conversation and exercised their right to choose which award suited them.
The organisation also believes they are the first person to enter a gendered award for a role portraying a different gender character.
- 10/14/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
To mark the release of Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt) on 19th July, we’ve been 3 copies to give away on DVD.
School captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) has a serious crush on her classmate Abbie (Zoe Terakes), and is worrying over inviting her to the Year 12 formal. When Ellie accidentally spills the beans to her mum (Marta Dusseldorp) and outs herself in the process, things start to get complicated and a little bit spooky. Enter her deceased aunt Tara (Julia Billington), a lesbian activist from the ‘80s who returns from the dead to act as a kind of fairy godmother to Ellie, guiding her through the trials and tribulations of her first love.
Sophie Hawkshaw plays Ellie and non-binary actor Zoe Terakes, is Abbie (ABC’s Janet King). Julia Billington is Aunt Tara and Marta Dusseldorp is Erica, Ellie’s mother. Marta is one of Australia’s most recognised actresses,...
School captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) has a serious crush on her classmate Abbie (Zoe Terakes), and is worrying over inviting her to the Year 12 formal. When Ellie accidentally spills the beans to her mum (Marta Dusseldorp) and outs herself in the process, things start to get complicated and a little bit spooky. Enter her deceased aunt Tara (Julia Billington), a lesbian activist from the ‘80s who returns from the dead to act as a kind of fairy godmother to Ellie, guiding her through the trials and tribulations of her first love.
Sophie Hawkshaw plays Ellie and non-binary actor Zoe Terakes, is Abbie (ABC’s Janet King). Julia Billington is Aunt Tara and Marta Dusseldorp is Erica, Ellie’s mother. Marta is one of Australia’s most recognised actresses,...
- 7/12/2021
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Well-intentioned gay coming-of-age ghost story haunted by a naive storyline and an easily avoided 15 certificate
It could have been a sweet, gay coming-of-age story about a girl whose sexual awakening is complicated by unwelcome gay mentorship from the ghost of her lesbian aunt. But there’s a disconnect between the naive but well-intentioned storytelling and the explosive swearing that ensures a 15 certificate and places the film out of reach of the younger teen audience who might, otherwise, have been its most receptive. Still, as Ellie and Abbie respectively, Sophie Hawkshaw and Zoe Terakes make light work of a somewhat heavy-handed screenplay.
It could have been a sweet, gay coming-of-age story about a girl whose sexual awakening is complicated by unwelcome gay mentorship from the ghost of her lesbian aunt. But there’s a disconnect between the naive but well-intentioned storytelling and the explosive swearing that ensures a 15 certificate and places the film out of reach of the younger teen audience who might, otherwise, have been its most receptive. Still, as Ellie and Abbie respectively, Sophie Hawkshaw and Zoe Terakes make light work of a somewhat heavy-handed screenplay.
- 6/12/2021
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Monica Zanetti’s Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) opens in UK cinemas today via Kaleidoscope, with Arcadia Films also announcing a range of sales in other territories, including the US.
The queer rom-com, written and directed by Monica Zanetti, follows Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw), a high-school high-flyer who aces her academic work but can’t figure out a way to talk to Abbie (Zoe Terakes), the person with whom she’s hopelessly in love – or ask them to the formal.
Then a miracle happens: her dead lesbian aunt Tara (Julia Billington) returns as fairy godmother to offer plain-speaking advice from beyond the grave, but she hasn’t dated since the 1980s, and Gen Z dating norms aren’t easy for her to grasp.
Marta Dusseldorp, Rachel House, and Bridie Connell also star.
MahVeen Shahraki and Patrick James are the producers for Brazen Lot, with executive producers Brian Cobb, Steve Jaggi,...
The queer rom-com, written and directed by Monica Zanetti, follows Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw), a high-school high-flyer who aces her academic work but can’t figure out a way to talk to Abbie (Zoe Terakes), the person with whom she’s hopelessly in love – or ask them to the formal.
Then a miracle happens: her dead lesbian aunt Tara (Julia Billington) returns as fairy godmother to offer plain-speaking advice from beyond the grave, but she hasn’t dated since the 1980s, and Gen Z dating norms aren’t easy for her to grasp.
Marta Dusseldorp, Rachel House, and Bridie Connell also star.
MahVeen Shahraki and Patrick James are the producers for Brazen Lot, with executive producers Brian Cobb, Steve Jaggi,...
- 6/11/2021
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
What is it with adults? At the times in teenagers' lives when they most need to figure things out on their own, they're always intruding, offering advice that might have worked a century ago but would make you a laughing stock now, trying to micromanage your love life long after they've forgotten what it's like to be in your position. Yes, Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) is a lesbian, and yes, that still comes with challenges that straight people don't have to face, but it's not like it was in the past and the last thing she needs is her aunt Tara (Julia Billington) sticking her nose in - especially as Tara has been dead since before she was born.
Monica Zanetti's sweet-natured teen romcom has been a hit at LGBTQ+ festivals around the world and is now ready for a wider audience. It's a largely character-driven piece focused on Ellie and her.
Monica Zanetti's sweet-natured teen romcom has been a hit at LGBTQ+ festivals around the world and is now ready for a wider audience. It's a largely character-driven piece focused on Ellie and her.
- 6/9/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Steven Oliver in ‘Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky’.
Local films from directors Jo-Anne Brechin and Steven McGregor are among the 12 world premieres to feature on the line-up for Miff 68½ – Melbourne International Film Festival’s upcoming digital-only iteration.
To run August 6-23, the event will encompass some 69 features and 44 shorts from 56 countries – an impressive number given the rights complications inherent in putting together an online showcase. Forty-nine per cent of films are from a female director, and all films are available to stream across Australia.
Miff artistic director Al Cossar said: “I’m delighted to say that, despite the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, Miff’s ‘radical act’ is to keep going and continue on our mission to bring you the world through unforgettable screen experiences. At Miff, we are driven by a deep understanding that film has the ability to entertain, inspire, illuminate and empower audiences in a way that few other...
Local films from directors Jo-Anne Brechin and Steven McGregor are among the 12 world premieres to feature on the line-up for Miff 68½ – Melbourne International Film Festival’s upcoming digital-only iteration.
To run August 6-23, the event will encompass some 69 features and 44 shorts from 56 countries – an impressive number given the rights complications inherent in putting together an online showcase. Forty-nine per cent of films are from a female director, and all films are available to stream across Australia.
Miff artistic director Al Cossar said: “I’m delighted to say that, despite the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, Miff’s ‘radical act’ is to keep going and continue on our mission to bring you the world through unforgettable screen experiences. At Miff, we are driven by a deep understanding that film has the ability to entertain, inspire, illuminate and empower audiences in a way that few other...
- 7/15/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Joel Edgerton will produce and star in Thomas M Wright’s ‘The Unknown Man’.
Amid turbulent times for the sector, Screen Australia has some positive news, announcing production funding for three feature films, four television series, a children’s series and two online projects.
Overall, the projects, including Thomas M Wright’s The Unknown Man, produced by See-Saw Films and Anonymous Content, and starring Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris, will share in $8.5 million of production funding.
Other projects include family drama The Midwife from Playmaker Media for Nine; a comedy created by Kitty Flanagan called Entitled for the ABC, and the debut feature film from artist Del Kathryn Barton, Puff, produced by Causeway Films.
“We’re blown away by the projects in this slate and it’s great to see such a wide range of genres. I am particularly delighted to support Puff, the directorial debut of renowned artist Del Kathryn Barton,...
Amid turbulent times for the sector, Screen Australia has some positive news, announcing production funding for three feature films, four television series, a children’s series and two online projects.
Overall, the projects, including Thomas M Wright’s The Unknown Man, produced by See-Saw Films and Anonymous Content, and starring Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris, will share in $8.5 million of production funding.
Other projects include family drama The Midwife from Playmaker Media for Nine; a comedy created by Kitty Flanagan called Entitled for the ABC, and the debut feature film from artist Del Kathryn Barton, Puff, produced by Causeway Films.
“We’re blown away by the projects in this slate and it’s great to see such a wide range of genres. I am particularly delighted to support Puff, the directorial debut of renowned artist Del Kathryn Barton,...
- 4/20/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Sophie Hawkshaw (L) and Zoe Terakes in ‘Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)’.
Since Zoe Terakes came out, the proudly gay actor has not been offered any screen roles as straight characters – but that has not hindered the 19-year-old’s flourishing career.
There is no such discrimination in the theatre world and Zoe is currently performing in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at the Ensemble Theatre, directed by Iain Sinclair.
She made her stage debut as Catherine, a college student who is romantically involved with Italian immigrant Rodolpho, in the Old Fitz Theatre production of the play while she was studying for the Hsc.
Miller’s play has been a talisman for her as she appeared in the Melbourne Theatre Company production, also directed by Sinclair, earlier this year.
Terakes is gratified by the growing acceptance of Lgbtqi actors and storylines but she tells If: “In the...
Since Zoe Terakes came out, the proudly gay actor has not been offered any screen roles as straight characters – but that has not hindered the 19-year-old’s flourishing career.
There is no such discrimination in the theatre world and Zoe is currently performing in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at the Ensemble Theatre, directed by Iain Sinclair.
She made her stage debut as Catherine, a college student who is romantically involved with Italian immigrant Rodolpho, in the Old Fitz Theatre production of the play while she was studying for the Hsc.
Miller’s play has been a talisman for her as she appeared in the Melbourne Theatre Company production, also directed by Sinclair, earlier this year.
Terakes is gratified by the growing acceptance of Lgbtqi actors and storylines but she tells If: “In the...
- 8/4/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Sophie Hawkshaw (L) and Zoe Terakes in ‘Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)’.
Since Zoe Terakes came out, the proudly gay actor has not been offered any screen roles as straight characters – but that has not hindered the 19-year-old’s flourishing career.
There is no such discrimination in the theatre world and Zoe is currently performing in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at the Ensemble Theatre, directed by Iain Sinclair.
She made her stage debut as Catherine, a college student who is romantically involved with Italian Rodolpho, in the Old Fitz Theatre production of the play while she was studying for the Hsc.
Miller’s play has been a talisman for her as she appeared in the Melbourne Theatre Company production, also directed by Sinclair, earlier this year.
Terakes is determined to overcome the attitude prevalent in sections of the screen industry that gay actors can’t be convincing as straight characters.
Since Zoe Terakes came out, the proudly gay actor has not been offered any screen roles as straight characters – but that has not hindered the 19-year-old’s flourishing career.
There is no such discrimination in the theatre world and Zoe is currently performing in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at the Ensemble Theatre, directed by Iain Sinclair.
She made her stage debut as Catherine, a college student who is romantically involved with Italian Rodolpho, in the Old Fitz Theatre production of the play while she was studying for the Hsc.
Miller’s play has been a talisman for her as she appeared in the Melbourne Theatre Company production, also directed by Sinclair, earlier this year.
Terakes is determined to overcome the attitude prevalent in sections of the screen industry that gay actors can’t be convincing as straight characters.
- 8/3/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Julia Billington
When Julia Billington was at the National Institute of Dramatic Art there was a tacit belief among sections of the screen industry that a gay actor could not come out.
“It wasn’t spoken about but it was an undercurrent, a hangover from the past decade,” she tells If. “If you were queer, you should keep it on the down-low.”
Since she graduated from Nida in 2008 clearly there has been growing acceptance of the Lgbtqi community, although it’s far from universal.
Citing the 38.4 per cent of respondents who voted no in the same sex marriage plebiscite in 2017, she says: “We can pat ourselves on the back but there is still a long way to go.”
Currently Billington is relishing playing Tara, a lesbian who died in the 1980s and is reincarnated as a fairy godmother in Monica Zanetti’s rom-com Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt).
Adapted...
When Julia Billington was at the National Institute of Dramatic Art there was a tacit belief among sections of the screen industry that a gay actor could not come out.
“It wasn’t spoken about but it was an undercurrent, a hangover from the past decade,” she tells If. “If you were queer, you should keep it on the down-low.”
Since she graduated from Nida in 2008 clearly there has been growing acceptance of the Lgbtqi community, although it’s far from universal.
Citing the 38.4 per cent of respondents who voted no in the same sex marriage plebiscite in 2017, she says: “We can pat ourselves on the back but there is still a long way to go.”
Currently Billington is relishing playing Tara, a lesbian who died in the 1980s and is reincarnated as a fairy godmother in Monica Zanetti’s rom-com Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt).
Adapted...
- 4/28/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Top (l-r) Sophie Hawkshaw, Zoe Terakes; Bottom (l-r) Rachel House, Marta Dusseldorp.
As a teenager Monica Zanetti searched in vain for gay rom-coms which she could watch with her mother, while Neil Armfield’s same-sex romantic drama Holding the Man was a major influence.
That has inspired the writer-director to make her feature directing debut on Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), which, unlike Armfield’s film has a happy ending.
Shooting in Sydney started today, starring Marta Dusseldorp, fellow Janet King alumni Julia Billington, Kiwi Rachel House, Zoe Terakes and newcomer Sophie Hawkshaw.
Zanetti adapted the screenplay from her eponymous play which was staged in 2017 at The Depot Theatre in Marrickville, her second feature credit after Jonnie Leahy’s 2014 drama Skip Deep.
Hawkshaw’s Ellie is 18 and struggling to find the courage to ask classmate Abbie (Terakes) to the formal. Luckily her aunt Tara (Billington), a lesbian who died in the 80s,...
As a teenager Monica Zanetti searched in vain for gay rom-coms which she could watch with her mother, while Neil Armfield’s same-sex romantic drama Holding the Man was a major influence.
That has inspired the writer-director to make her feature directing debut on Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), which, unlike Armfield’s film has a happy ending.
Shooting in Sydney started today, starring Marta Dusseldorp, fellow Janet King alumni Julia Billington, Kiwi Rachel House, Zoe Terakes and newcomer Sophie Hawkshaw.
Zanetti adapted the screenplay from her eponymous play which was staged in 2017 at The Depot Theatre in Marrickville, her second feature credit after Jonnie Leahy’s 2014 drama Skip Deep.
Hawkshaw’s Ellie is 18 and struggling to find the courage to ask classmate Abbie (Terakes) to the formal. Luckily her aunt Tara (Billington), a lesbian who died in the 80s,...
- 4/23/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
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