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Australian filmmaker Bill Bennett has launched an online short film competition offering up to $50,000 prize money.

picSeeder has attracted a respected international panel of judges comprised of French financier and producer Jean Charles Levy, Us sales agent Robbie Little, Us manager Stephen Gates, Indian producer/assistant director Udayan Baijal, and actor Michelle Ang.

Public funding for short films has fallen in recent years as the focus has shifted to supporting features, TV, and digital media although crowdfunding and lower digital production costs has helped offset the decline.

Bennett said he hopes the picSeeder competition will present an alternative source of financing, "particularly for young filmmakers so they don't have to go cap in hand to the funding bodies."

In December, 2012, Screen Australia said it had spent its entire $42 million drama production budget in just six months although earlier this month it announced $40,000 in support of short musical comedy Emo (The...

Director: Bill Bennett. Review: Adam Wing. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for over 1600 miles off the Northeast coast of Australia; it’s the world’s largest coral reef and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. There are more than 600 islands in all, and Bill Bennett’s Uninhabited is set on one of them. A young couple go to a remote and deserted coral island for a camping holiday, only to find that a ghost seeking retribution for a past outrage has come back to haunt them. Beth (Geraldine Hakewill) and her dim-witted boyfriend Harry (Henry James) arrive on the ‘deserted’ island for a short break, and before you can say, “this is a clichéd horror movie isn’t it?” they discover they’re not alone, because it wouldn’t be much of a horror movie if they were. Strange occurrences threaten to disrupt their peaceful getaway -...

"Uninhabited" On DVD 15 August 2011 Written Directed By Bill Bennett Starring Geraldine Hakewell Henry James A Remote Island Paradise A Nightmare Fight For Survival Based On Actual Events Harry and Beth want a different kind of holiday. So they charter a boat to drop them off on a remote coral island on the Great Barrier Reef. The island is idyllic . surrounded by a wide reef, covered in palms and full of birds and other wildlife, small and totally deserted. Or is it? The young lovers soon come to believe there is someone else on the island. Things go missing from their camp . and then they discover someone else's footprints in the sand. What they didn't realise was that the island has a ghost . a young girl who had died in shocking circumstances some eighty years...

Must be that time of the month for another “based on actual events” horror, this time in the form of Aussie writer/director Bill Bennett’s latest work Uninhabited an Australian scare flick about a loving young couples holiday paradise, that turns into a nightmare struggle for survival - Think we’ve all been on one of those kind of trips. Uninhabited goes on sale in UK August 15. Synopsis: Harry and Beth want a different kind of holiday. So they charter a boat to drop them off on a remote coral island on the Great Barrier Reef. The island is idyllic – surrounded by a wide reef, covered in palms and full of birds and other wildlife, small and totally deserted. Or is it? The young lovers soon come to believe there is someone else on the island. Things go missing from their camp – and then they discover someone else’s footprints in the sand.

Riveting new horror Uninhabitated comes to DVD on 15th August and to mark the release we have 5 copies to give away!

Harry and Beth (Henry James & Geraldine Hakewell) want a different kind of holiday. So they charter a boat to drop them off on a remote coral island on the Great Barrier Reef. The island is idyllic – surrounded by a wide reef, covered in palms and full of birds and other wildlife, small and totally deserted. Or is it?

The young lovers soon come to believe there is someone else on the island. Things go missing from their camp – and then they discover someone else’s footprints in the sand. What they didn’t realise was that the island has a ghost – a young girl who had died in shocking circumstances some eighty years earlier. The ghost at first plays mischievously with the young couple, but then turns malevolent. And...

Island getaways. They're supposed to be fun romps in the sun filled with sandy beaches, swaying palms, and lots of sex and relaxation. Oh, and did we mention the horrors that lay in wait to screw everything up?

Bill Bennett's Uninhabited hits UK DVD on August 15th. Check out the artwork and the trailer below.

Synopsis

Harry and Beth want a different kind of holiday. So they charter a boat to drop them off on a remote coral island on the Great Barrier Reef. The island is idyllic – surrounded by a wide reef, covered in palms and full of birds and other wildlife, small and totally deserted. Or is it? The young lovers soon come to believe there is someone else on the island. Things go missing from their camp – and then they discover someone else’s footprints in the sand. What they didn’t realize was that the...

Bill Bennett's Uninhabited doesn't have a U.S. release date yet, however, we have details on the thriller's UK debut. The film lands on DVD across the pond on August 15 and we've got a few pics to share along with the trailer. Click on the image below to access our gallery or scroll down for the trailer. Synopsis: Harry and Beth want a different kind of holiday. So they charter a boat to drop them off on a remote coral island on the Great Barrier Reef. The island is idyllic . surrounded by a wide reef, covered in palms and full of birds and other wildlife, small and totally deserted. Or is it? The young lovers soon come to believe there is someone else on the island. Things go missing from their camp . and then they discover someone else.s footprints in the sand. What they didn't...

Prabhat Chitra Mandal will organise an Australian Film Festival from June 21-27, 2011 in Mumbai, in association with the Australian Consulate in Mumbai and Ffsi.

Eight feature films and one short film from Australia will be screened as part of the festival. The screenings will be held in Chavan Centre on June 21 and 22, and Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre on June 23 and 27. The catalogue of film festival will be provided at the venues. Those interested can register for the festival at the venue.

Schedule for the festival:

Rangswar, Y.B.Chavan Centre

21st June 2011:  Spider & Rose 6.30 p.m.

Tuesday (Australia/1994/ Col./94 Min)

Dir.:-Bill Bennett

Tempted 8.10 p.m.

(Australia/2001/ Col./95 Min)

Dir.:-Bill Bennett

22nd June 2011: Kiss or kill 6.30 p.m.

Wednesday (Australia/1997/Col./96 Min)

Dir.:-Bill Bennett

King of Mykonos 8.10 p.m.

(Australia/2010/ Col./ 90 Min)

Dir.:- Bill Bennett

Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre

23rd June 2011: Uninhabited 6.30 p.

Program for first and only Australian Film Festival of India has been announced. Being held in collaboration with Frames 2011 (www.ficci-frames.com), the 5 day Aussie film festival in Mumbai comes packed with invitation only roundtables on investment and distribution, Australian speakers at various sessions, a Bill Bennett retrospective; some of the best recent Australian features including premieres; a selection of graduate shorts from Aftrs and Vca; and a much needed platform in India for Australian film industry to effectively promote itself in the worlds film industry. Media and Australian film industry representatives alike turned up in force to Fox Studios Australia this afternoon for the much anticipated program announcement for the first ever Australian Film Festival in India. Among the speakers was acclaimed film director Bill Bennett who's retrospective of films was announced as being part of the festival in Mumbai later this month. In addition recent Australian feature films...

Program for first and only Australian Film Festival of India has been announced. Being held in collaboration with Frames 2011 (www.ficci-frames.com), the 5 day Aussie film festival in Mumbai comes packed with invitation only roundtables on investment and distribution, Australian speakers at various sessions, a Bill Bennett retrospective; some of the best recent Australian features including premieres; a selection of graduate shorts from Aftrs and Vca; and a much needed platform in India for Australian film industry to effectively promote itself in the worlds film industry. Media and Australian film industry representatives alike turned up in force to Fox Studios Australia this afternoon for the much anticipated program announcement for the first ever Australian Film Festival in India. Among the speakers was acclaimed film director Bill Bennett who's retrospective of films was announced as being part of the festival in Mumbai later this month. In addition recent Australian feature films...

Uninhabited is text book horror, sadly it is not a debut directorial effort from Bill Bennett as it feels at times like a student production. It does nothing to redefine the genre; it has no new tricks, just tired, overused ones.

 

Two handsome mains Beth and Spiro (Geraldine Hakewill and Billy Milionis respectively) spend a romantic getaway on a lush small island, remote, deserted, so of course, haunted. Cliché music ramps up when things literally go bump in the 'day' as both protagonists argue over what is going on, with very weak logic from Spiro who denies everything whilst Beth gets caught up in the lore and starts to believe. The ominous signs are clearly more than kids having fun, which is why Spiro's character is so unrealistically antagonistic towards what is happening and both characters have very poor chemistry for a couple.

 

They both try to figure out the...

Miff has announced its full program, as well as visits from Ballarat-born, Mexico-based Camera d’Or winner Michael Rowe and his Leap Year; Us director Joe Dante, who will be the recipient of a special tribute; and Entourage star Adrian Grenier and his Teenage Paparazzo.

The Australian films Little Sparrows and The Tree will be screened during next month’s Melbourne International Film Festival; both had their Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival. Bill Bennett’s ghost story Uninhabited will be another local film screening at Miff.

The program includes Cannes titles such as Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid, Sophie Fiennes’ Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme, Olivier Assayas’ 5 hour long Carlos, and Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy starring Juliette Binoche. It will be closed by a biopic on musician Ian Dury, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, starring Andy Serkis.

Miff will feature a spotlight on India,...

As Australia experiences a surge in genre fare everyone's a winner and the choices of horror films just keep increasing. And Bill Bennett's Uninhabited should quell any desires your better half should have about getting away for a romantic weekend. Forget about it. Stay home. Rent a movie. Safer. 

Harry and Beth want a different kind of holiday. So they charter a boat to drop them onto a remote coral island. They are totally alone in paradise - or are they? 

The young lovers soon come to believe there is someone else on the island - taunting them mischievously. And then their dream holiday quickly becomes a terrifying nightmare. 

We've got the trailer loaded up onto the Twitch Video Player. Find it after the jump!

Thanks to Simon for doing all the leg work on this one for me.

Right back to early cult classics Wake in Fright, Razorback and Roadgames, Australian films have loved grabbing bright-eyed tourists and putting them in extreme danger.

Now, thanks to the more recent success of Wolf Creek and Black Water, "tourists-in-peril" is now an entire Aussie genre and the next few years promises to give audiences a bucketload of terrifying movies that pit travellers against all sorts of craziness in the outback.

The latest entry in the genre is Uninhabited - from seasoned director Bill Bennett (The Nugget, Kiss or Kill), who may not consistently make quality but at least consistently makes movies - and we have the new poster!

And who says you can't work a Zoolander quote into everything you do?...

In case you are unfamiliar, the Uninhabited is a film that will be releasing in Australia later this year (2010). The film will also play Cannes and director Bill Bennett has been gracious enough to stop by the site here on 28Dla with some comments on the "inspired by actual events" tag that has been placed on the film. Bill has said of the Uninhabited and the truth behind the story that: "[the...

Uninhabited is releasing in theatres during the month of May throughout Austalia and for North American fans there is a new poster for the film, with a synopsis here. The film is directed by Bill Bennett (In a Savage Land) and stars Geraldine Hakewill (first film), Bob Baines (U-Turn), Billy Milionis (Death's Requiem), and Henry James (first film). This mostly amateur cast will be pitted against...

Here's a tip for your travelers out there ... If a place is known to be either remote, secluded, away from it all, and or Uninhabited, it may not be the best of places to pick for your holiday. Why? Because seldom are they as advertised. You could be getting yourself into just about anything with no one to call for help. Make sense? Of course it does, but by all means -- please continue to be adventurous! Natural selection yields meat for the beast!

The first two bits of artwork for writer/director Bill Bennett's first stab at the horror genre, Uninhabited, have made their way online, and as always we have a look at them for you.

This new supernatural horror flick tells the story of what happens when ”a young couple go to a remote and deserted coral island for a camping holiday, only to find that...

A pair of one-sheets for Bill Bennett's Australian production Uninhabited starring Geraldine Hakewill and Henry James. The pair play a young couple who go to a remote and deserted coral island for a camping holiday, only to find that the island is inhabited by a ghost seeking retribution for a past outrage. The thriller opens in Australia next month.

Writer/director Bill Bennett might not be a genre mainstay, but he’s certainly been in the filmmaking business a long time. He’ll be taking his first stab at the genre with his newest film, Uninhabited, and we’ve got your first look at it.

Pb Phase put up a groovy little collection of images from this supernatural horror flick in which ”a young couple go to a remote and deserted coral island for a camping holiday, only to find that the island is inhabited by a ghost seeking retribution for a past outrage.”

Click the below image for the full gallery, and watch this space for more, folks. We’ll give it as we get it. We're good like that. We're good in other ways, too, but if we went into those kind of details, this would be a far different website.

- MattFini

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

A new Australian horror picture has entered post-production called Uninhabited from writer-director Bill Bennett. Sounding slightly like a riff on Long Weekend , Geraldine Hakewill and Henry James star as a young couple who go to a remote and deserted coral island for a camping holiday, only to find that the island is inhabited by a ghost seeking retribution for a past outrage. A slew of behind-the-scenes stills can be found in this gallery . Bennett directed Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary in Two If By Sea in '96.

An Australian horror movie about a young couples holiday paradise that turns into a nightmare struggle for survival, yeah we might be interested. Actually truth be told we’ve been tracking news and Aussie writer/director Bill Bennett’s latest work Uninhabited for some time, and now the movie has hit post, we’ve finally started to turn up some things of interest. First to surface; some early promo poster art, stills from the movie, and on set pics. Uninhabited stars Geraldine Hakewill and Henry James and tells the story of a young couple whose deserted, coral island paradise getaway becomes a nightmare, when they discover that the island harbours something a long time dead, and it really doesn’t want them there. Uninhabited is due to screen at this years Cannes film festival, so it will hopefully pick up some international sales. Uninhabited pics...

An Australian horror movie about a loving young couples holiday paradise that turns into a nightmare struggle for survival, yeah we might be interested. Actually truth be told we’ve been tracking news and Aussie writer/director Bill Bennett’s latest work Uninhabited for some time, and now the movie has finished post, we’ve finally started to turn up some things of interest. First to surface; some early promo poster art, stills from the movie, and a load of on set pics. Uninhabited stars Geraldine Hakewill and Henry James and tells the story of a young couple whose deserted, coral island paradise getaway becomes a living hell, when they discover that the island harbours something a long time dead, and it really doesn’t want them there. Uninhabited is due to screen at this years Cannes film festival, so fingers crossed it will pick up some international sales.