The year 2021 marked 10 years in the business for Mars Media, the leading Russian content company founded by Ruben Dishdishyan, who previously set up and ran fellow major player Central Partnership.
At Mars, Dishdishyan and his team initially focused on producing TV, but have since moved more into the film business, at a time when most of the industry seems to be going in the other direction. The pivot to large-screen production has paid dividends, however, with its family movie Palma proving a local hit, and spawning a sequel, while its war pic T-34 was both a local box office success and also made waves in China. On the horizon, Mars’ projects include Woland, the $15M drama starring Inglorious Basterds actor August Diehl in a loose adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s classic novel The Master and Margarita.
Deadline sat down with Dishdishyan to cast our eyes back over a decade of operating in the Russian market.
At Mars, Dishdishyan and his team initially focused on producing TV, but have since moved more into the film business, at a time when most of the industry seems to be going in the other direction. The pivot to large-screen production has paid dividends, however, with its family movie Palma proving a local hit, and spawning a sequel, while its war pic T-34 was both a local box office success and also made waves in China. On the horizon, Mars’ projects include Woland, the $15M drama starring Inglorious Basterds actor August Diehl in a loose adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s classic novel The Master and Margarita.
Deadline sat down with Dishdishyan to cast our eyes back over a decade of operating in the Russian market.
- 12/31/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
“Unforgivable,” a film hailing from El Salvador, won the best of the festival award during the 2021 edition of the Palm Springs International ShortFest.
Directed by Marlén Viñayo, “Unforgivable” follows a hitman for the 18th Street gang as he serves his sentence in an evangelical Salvadorian prison, where he is punished not only for his crimes, but for being gay. Selected by a jury consisting of 2020 ShortFest best of festival winner Bérangère Mc Neese and Sundance Festival programmer Ania Trzebiatowska, “Unforgivable” will receive a $5,000 cash prize. The honorable mention in the best of festival category went to French film “Palma.”
“Step Into the River,” from both China and France, won best animated short at the festival, with French film “Navozande, the Musician” earning an honorable mention. “Step Into the River,” directed by Weijia Ma. Lu and Wei, is a surreal exploration into China’s one-child policy, and was awarded $1,000 in prize money.
Directed by Marlén Viñayo, “Unforgivable” follows a hitman for the 18th Street gang as he serves his sentence in an evangelical Salvadorian prison, where he is punished not only for his crimes, but for being gay. Selected by a jury consisting of 2020 ShortFest best of festival winner Bérangère Mc Neese and Sundance Festival programmer Ania Trzebiatowska, “Unforgivable” will receive a $5,000 cash prize. The honorable mention in the best of festival category went to French film “Palma.”
“Step Into the River,” from both China and France, won best animated short at the festival, with French film “Navozande, the Musician” earning an honorable mention. “Step Into the River,” directed by Weijia Ma. Lu and Wei, is a surreal exploration into China’s one-child policy, and was awarded $1,000 in prize money.
- 6/28/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
After a trio of films that saw François Ozon feeling out the far extremes of his interest and ability — 2016’s monochrome interwar melodrama “Frantz,” the winking De Palma-esque mindfuck “Double Lover,” and last year’s journalistic Catholic priest exposé “By the Grace of God” — the precocious and pétillant “Summer of 85” finds the prolific French auteur circling back to the kind of lurid, playful, and unapologetically queer psychodramas that first made him famous in the late ’90s. But it wouldn’t be right to characterize this stormy coming-of-age story as a return to form, as that would imply some kind of desperate scramble back to the safety of the shore.
In truth, Ozon was never off his game so much as he was simply testing the outer limits of the board. And his 19th feature isn’t a retreat back to the Patricia Highsmith-inflected likes of “See the Sea,...
In truth, Ozon was never off his game so much as he was simply testing the outer limits of the board. And his 19th feature isn’t a retreat back to the Patricia Highsmith-inflected likes of “See the Sea,...
- 9/14/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Some 40 years after “This is Spinal Tap,” the prospect of another mockumentary on self-involved rock stars might not sound so appealing. Fortunately, “The Nowhere Inn” goes beyond the call of duty with a mesmerizing seriocomic descent into the madness of modern fame. This unclassifiable whatsit from singer-songwriter St. Vincent and Bff Carrie Brownstein works overtime to reinvent itself every step of the way, in a hilarious (if sometimes baffling) means of illustrating its outré point.
On its surface, “The Nowhere Inn” centers on St. Vincent’s road trip as she struggles to reconcile her onstage persona with her more grounded identity as Annie Clark. It’s a journey that’s absurd and eerie, ridiculous and deep. Pitched somewhere between traditional rockumentary tropes and a heap of zany Adult Swim shorts, it dips into the deadpan folksy satire of Brownstein’s “Portlandia” before veering into a shapeshifting psychological thriller worthy of vintage De Palma.
On its surface, “The Nowhere Inn” centers on St. Vincent’s road trip as she struggles to reconcile her onstage persona with her more grounded identity as Annie Clark. It’s a journey that’s absurd and eerie, ridiculous and deep. Pitched somewhere between traditional rockumentary tropes and a heap of zany Adult Swim shorts, it dips into the deadpan folksy satire of Brownstein’s “Portlandia” before veering into a shapeshifting psychological thriller worthy of vintage De Palma.
- 1/26/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Exclusive: First-time feature writer-director Priscilla Cameron's The Butterfly Tree will wing to its North American premiere in the Discovery section of the Toronto Film Festival. The film, which stars Melissa George as a former burlesque queen who becomes the object of a grieving father and son's desires, bowed at the Melbourne International Film Festival earlier this month. Check out an exclusive clip above. George (Heartbeat, The Slap, The Good Wife) returns to…...
- 8/22/2017
- Deadline
Teenage lust is complicated by a serious Oedipal complex in The Butterfly Tree, the debut feature from Australian director Priscilla Cameron. Starring Melissa George (The Slap) as a former chanteuse living in the most unlikely residential home in Queensland — a sequin-filled florist's shop and greenhouse that Baz Luhrmann would be envious of — this rather underpowered tale of sexual awakening and grief proceeds at a leisurely pace before a couple of late scenes that strive to outdo each other for sheer melodramatic overreach. Screening in the Toronto International Film Festival's Discovery sidebar next month after premiering at the Melbourne International...
- 8/21/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Craig Carter..
One of Australia.s most respected sound designers, Craig Carter, has died in Melbourne.
The multiple AFI award winner had a heart attack last Friday, aged 60. The sound designer, editor, and recordist worked on more than 100 productions in a career spanning 34 years..
He was working with producer Tait Brady on Clayton Jacobson.s film Sibling Rivalry, now three weeks into production..
Brady, who first collaborated with Carter on Craig Monahan.s Healing, told If: .It.s incredibly sad. .Craig was such a great guy, gentle, thoughtful, so good natured and generous. A perfectionist who always went the extra mile and a very smart, sensitive sound designer who was also a musician and had a great musical ear, which fed into his work..
One of his last projects, PACmen, Luke Walker.s documentary on the inside workings of the controversial Political Action Committees which raise millions to support Us political candidates and causes,...
One of Australia.s most respected sound designers, Craig Carter, has died in Melbourne.
The multiple AFI award winner had a heart attack last Friday, aged 60. The sound designer, editor, and recordist worked on more than 100 productions in a career spanning 34 years..
He was working with producer Tait Brady on Clayton Jacobson.s film Sibling Rivalry, now three weeks into production..
Brady, who first collaborated with Carter on Craig Monahan.s Healing, told If: .It.s incredibly sad. .Craig was such a great guy, gentle, thoughtful, so good natured and generous. A perfectionist who always went the extra mile and a very smart, sensitive sound designer who was also a musician and had a great musical ear, which fed into his work..
One of his last projects, PACmen, Luke Walker.s documentary on the inside workings of the controversial Political Action Committees which raise millions to support Us political candidates and causes,...
- 6/4/2017
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
David Wenham on set of his directorial feature debut, 'Ellipsis'..
In the second part of his interview with If, David Wenham chats about his recent roles in 'Wake in Fright', 'In Like Flynn' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'...
When David Wenham was offered the role of the police sergeant Jock Crawford in the miniseries Wake in Fright he initially recoiled at the idea.
As a passionate admirer of Canadian director Ted Kotcheff.s seminal 1971 movie based on the Kenneth Cook novel he thought the idea of a remake was ridiculous.
Wenham had watched the restored movie twice, at the Sydney Film Festival and at the Chauvel cinema, rating it as a visceral experience and an incredible piece of filmmaking.
However he changed his mind after reading Stephen M. Irwin.s script for the Network Ten two-parter directed by Kriv Stenders.
In the second part of his interview with If, David Wenham chats about his recent roles in 'Wake in Fright', 'In Like Flynn' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'...
When David Wenham was offered the role of the police sergeant Jock Crawford in the miniseries Wake in Fright he initially recoiled at the idea.
As a passionate admirer of Canadian director Ted Kotcheff.s seminal 1971 movie based on the Kenneth Cook novel he thought the idea of a remake was ridiculous.
Wenham had watched the restored movie twice, at the Sydney Film Festival and at the Chauvel cinema, rating it as a visceral experience and an incredible piece of filmmaking.
However he changed his mind after reading Stephen M. Irwin.s script for the Network Ten two-parter directed by Kriv Stenders.
- 6/2/2017
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Louisa Mellor Jun 1, 2017
Some exciting new UK drama and comedy commissions are making their way to TV over the next year or so…
We know, we know. You still have two episodes of Fargo season two before you can think about starting season three. You’ve already fallen behind on American Gods. Your planner memory is chock-a-block with Big Little Lies and that Oj Simpson thing and some Spanish prison series your workmate bullied you into recording. You’re struggling to make time for Twin Peaks. New Game Of Thrones is just around the corner. And guess what, Netflix UK have just added a whole new season of It’s Always Sunny, those sods. You need a list of new TV show recommendations like you need a hole in the head.
See related Metroid: Other M Nintendo Wii review
And yet, as long as they keep making them, we’ll keep recommending them.
Some exciting new UK drama and comedy commissions are making their way to TV over the next year or so…
We know, we know. You still have two episodes of Fargo season two before you can think about starting season three. You’ve already fallen behind on American Gods. Your planner memory is chock-a-block with Big Little Lies and that Oj Simpson thing and some Spanish prison series your workmate bullied you into recording. You’re struggling to make time for Twin Peaks. New Game Of Thrones is just around the corner. And guess what, Netflix UK have just added a whole new season of It’s Always Sunny, those sods. You need a list of new TV show recommendations like you need a hole in the head.
See related Metroid: Other M Nintendo Wii review
And yet, as long as they keep making them, we’ll keep recommending them.
- 5/31/2017
- Den of Geek
The Easybeats.
Production has begun in Sydney on Playmaker.s.The Easybeats for the ABC.
The two-part mini will follow rise of the iconic 1960s rock band — made up of five immigrants who met in a Sydney hostel — and will star Ashley Zukerman (The Code, Manhatten) alongside newcomers Christian Byers, Will Rush, Mackenzie Fearnley, Du Toit Bredenkamp and Arthur McBain..
The script has been penned by Christopher Lee (Howzat, Paper Giants, Gallipoli), with Matthew Saville (Seven Types of Ambiguity, Please Like Me, The Slap) directing..
Playmaker producers David Taylor and David Maher said: .We.re massive Easybeats fans so to be involved in bringing this incredible story to life is a real honour, and something we.re both proud and excited to be producing for the ABC..
The Easybeats, which has received funding from Screen Australia and Screen Nsw, is set to air later this year..
Production has begun in Sydney on Playmaker.s.The Easybeats for the ABC.
The two-part mini will follow rise of the iconic 1960s rock band — made up of five immigrants who met in a Sydney hostel — and will star Ashley Zukerman (The Code, Manhatten) alongside newcomers Christian Byers, Will Rush, Mackenzie Fearnley, Du Toit Bredenkamp and Arthur McBain..
The script has been penned by Christopher Lee (Howzat, Paper Giants, Gallipoli), with Matthew Saville (Seven Types of Ambiguity, Please Like Me, The Slap) directing..
Playmaker producers David Taylor and David Maher said: .We.re massive Easybeats fans so to be involved in bringing this incredible story to life is a real honour, and something we.re both proud and excited to be producing for the ABC..
The Easybeats, which has received funding from Screen Australia and Screen Nsw, is set to air later this year..
- 5/1/2017
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
The celebrated actor on her new play with Damian Lewis, why performing is an adventure, and leaving London for the country
Sophie Okonedo was born in 1968 in London and studied at Rada. She has worked extensively across theatre, film and TV and was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. On Broadway, she won a Tony award in 2014 for A Raisin in the Sun and two years later was nominated for her performance in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Her TV credits include The Slap, Undercover and The Hollow Crown. She is currently performing alongside Damian Lewis in Edward Albee’s 2002 play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?; she plays Stevie, a woman who discovers her husband is having an affair with an animal.
What was your first reaction on reading The Goat?
I thought I was due a break from theatre, because I’ve been doing a lot,...
Sophie Okonedo was born in 1968 in London and studied at Rada. She has worked extensively across theatre, film and TV and was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. On Broadway, she won a Tony award in 2014 for A Raisin in the Sun and two years later was nominated for her performance in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Her TV credits include The Slap, Undercover and The Hollow Crown. She is currently performing alongside Damian Lewis in Edward Albee’s 2002 play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?; she plays Stevie, a woman who discovers her husband is having an affair with an animal.
What was your first reaction on reading The Goat?
I thought I was due a break from theatre, because I’ve been doing a lot,...
- 4/23/2017
- by Holly Williams
- The Guardian - Film News
Kris Mrksa.
Filming has begun in Wales on Requiem, a 6x60' drama created and written by Aussie writer Kris Mrksa, commissioned by BBC One and co-produced by Netflix.
In 1994 a toddler disappears from a small Welsh town, never to be seen again. Twenty-three years later, talented young cellist Matilda, played by Lydia Wilson (Star Trek Beyond, About Time), has her life turned upside down by her mother.s inexplicable suicide..
In the wake of the tragedy Matilda begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself, embarking on a quest that leads her to that same Welsh village, where the secrets she uncovers threaten to unravel her very identity.
Also in the cast is Animal Kingdom.s James Frecheville, playing an Australian who arrives in town and may not be all that he seems.
This is the first show Mrksa, whose credits include East West 101, Underbelly, Devil.s Dust and Janet King,...
Filming has begun in Wales on Requiem, a 6x60' drama created and written by Aussie writer Kris Mrksa, commissioned by BBC One and co-produced by Netflix.
In 1994 a toddler disappears from a small Welsh town, never to be seen again. Twenty-three years later, talented young cellist Matilda, played by Lydia Wilson (Star Trek Beyond, About Time), has her life turned upside down by her mother.s inexplicable suicide..
In the wake of the tragedy Matilda begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself, embarking on a quest that leads her to that same Welsh village, where the secrets she uncovers threaten to unravel her very identity.
Also in the cast is Animal Kingdom.s James Frecheville, playing an Australian who arrives in town and may not be all that he seems.
This is the first show Mrksa, whose credits include East West 101, Underbelly, Devil.s Dust and Janet King,...
- 4/3/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Supernatural series from Indian Summers producer sets director and cast.
Netflix is in advanced negotiations to join BBC One series Requiem as a co-producer.
The 6 x 60-minute supernatural thriller, which is due to shoot in Wales from next week, will follow a young woman after the death of her mother.
Produced by Indian Summers and The Missing outfit New Pictures, the series is penned by Australian writer Kris Mrksa, who has written episdoes for Australian series including The Slap, Underbelly and Glitch.
Director will be former Screen Star Of Tomorrow Mahalia Belo, whose short Volume premiered at Sundance and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Short Film. Nfts graduate Belo most recently completed Ellen, a single 90 minute drama for Channel4 starring Jessica Barden
Set for a starring role in the series will be emerging UK actress Lydia Wilson, who has previously scored supporting roles in TV series Ripper Street and movies Star Trek Beyond and About Time...
Netflix is in advanced negotiations to join BBC One series Requiem as a co-producer.
The 6 x 60-minute supernatural thriller, which is due to shoot in Wales from next week, will follow a young woman after the death of her mother.
Produced by Indian Summers and The Missing outfit New Pictures, the series is penned by Australian writer Kris Mrksa, who has written episdoes for Australian series including The Slap, Underbelly and Glitch.
Director will be former Screen Star Of Tomorrow Mahalia Belo, whose short Volume premiered at Sundance and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Short Film. Nfts graduate Belo most recently completed Ellen, a single 90 minute drama for Channel4 starring Jessica Barden
Set for a starring role in the series will be emerging UK actress Lydia Wilson, who has previously scored supporting roles in TV series Ripper Street and movies Star Trek Beyond and About Time...
- 3/21/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Shona Martyn..
Former HarperCollins executive Shona Martyn is headed to Lingo Pictures, as the production company looks to respond to the booming business of book adaptation.
Martyn was the publishing director of HarperCollins in Anz until late last year, a role that encompassed local and international fiction and non-fiction.
Prior to that she was the publishing director at Transworld/Random House, arts editor at Vogue, editor of Good Weekend and founding editor of HQ Magazine. She was a member of the Sydney Writer's Festival board from 2003 to 2011.
"I am delighted to be joining the team at Lingo Pictures as their exclusive book scout at a time when the thirst for transforming books into TV and film has never been stronger,. said Martyn.
.There are many splendid stories just waiting to be made and many opportunities for authors as a result..
Lingo Pictures is owned by producers Helen Bowden (The Slap,...
Former HarperCollins executive Shona Martyn is headed to Lingo Pictures, as the production company looks to respond to the booming business of book adaptation.
Martyn was the publishing director of HarperCollins in Anz until late last year, a role that encompassed local and international fiction and non-fiction.
Prior to that she was the publishing director at Transworld/Random House, arts editor at Vogue, editor of Good Weekend and founding editor of HQ Magazine. She was a member of the Sydney Writer's Festival board from 2003 to 2011.
"I am delighted to be joining the team at Lingo Pictures as their exclusive book scout at a time when the thirst for transforming books into TV and film has never been stronger,. said Martyn.
.There are many splendid stories just waiting to be made and many opportunities for authors as a result..
Lingo Pictures is owned by producers Helen Bowden (The Slap,...
- 3/20/2017
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Shona Martyn..
Former HarperCollins executive Shona Martyn is headed to Lingo Pictures, as the production company looks to respond to the booming business of book adaptation.
Martyn was the publishing director of HarperCollins in Anz until late last year, a role that encompassed local and international fiction and non-fiction.
Prior to that she was the publishing director at Transworld/Random House, arts editor at Vogue, editor of Good Weekend and founding editor of HQ Magazine. She was a member of the Sydney Writer's Festival board from 2003 to 2011.
"I am delighted to be joining the team at Lingo Pictures as their exclusive book scout at a time when the thirst for transforming books into TV and film has never been stronger,. said Martyn.
.There are many splendid stories just waiting to be made and many opportunities for authors as a result..
Lingo Pictures is owned by producers Helen Bowden (The Slap,...
Former HarperCollins executive Shona Martyn is headed to Lingo Pictures, as the production company looks to respond to the booming business of book adaptation.
Martyn was the publishing director of HarperCollins in Anz until late last year, a role that encompassed local and international fiction and non-fiction.
Prior to that she was the publishing director at Transworld/Random House, arts editor at Vogue, editor of Good Weekend and founding editor of HQ Magazine. She was a member of the Sydney Writer's Festival board from 2003 to 2011.
"I am delighted to be joining the team at Lingo Pictures as their exclusive book scout at a time when the thirst for transforming books into TV and film has never been stronger,. said Martyn.
.There are many splendid stories just waiting to be made and many opportunities for authors as a result..
Lingo Pictures is owned by producers Helen Bowden (The Slap,...
- 3/20/2017
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Cate Shortland has left the German settings of “The Berlin Syndrome” behind for a project set in her homeland.
The award-winning Australian filmmaker behind “Somersault” (starring Abbie Cornish) and the German wartime drama “Lore” will be trying her hand at a true crime limited series, reports If.com. The eight-part series, titled “The Monaro,” is a project that Shortland has been mulling over since her days at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.
Read More: ‘Berlin Syndrome’ Trailer: Teresa Palmer Becomes Her Lover’s Prisoner in Cate Shortland’s Sundance Thriller
The series is set in the 1830s in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia, east of the Snowy Mountains — which is also where the filmmaker shot “Somersault.” That’s all that we know about the plot at the moment.
Shortland has her work cut out for her. “I’m working with this great team of people,...
The award-winning Australian filmmaker behind “Somersault” (starring Abbie Cornish) and the German wartime drama “Lore” will be trying her hand at a true crime limited series, reports If.com. The eight-part series, titled “The Monaro,” is a project that Shortland has been mulling over since her days at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.
Read More: ‘Berlin Syndrome’ Trailer: Teresa Palmer Becomes Her Lover’s Prisoner in Cate Shortland’s Sundance Thriller
The series is set in the 1830s in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia, east of the Snowy Mountains — which is also where the filmmaker shot “Somersault.” That’s all that we know about the plot at the moment.
Shortland has her work cut out for her. “I’m working with this great team of people,...
- 3/15/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Cate Shortland on the set of 'Berlin Syndrome'.
Berlin Syndrome filmmaker Cate Shortland is prepping an eight-part series for Matchbox Pictures.
Titled The Monaro, the series will focus on six women in the 1830s and is based on a true crime case, the director told If.
Shortland will shoot in the titular region, east of the Snowy Mountains, where she also shot her debut feature, Somersault.
.It.s one of my favourite places in the world to shoot so I wanted to do something again there,. the helmer said..
Shortland is an experienced writer for TV, having written episodes of The Slap, Devil.s Playground, Deadline Gallipoli and The Kettering Incident, but this will mark the first series she has directed since The Secret Life of Us in 2003.
She also helmed TV movie The Silence, starring Richard Roxburgh and co-written by Picnic at Hanging Rock.s Alice Addison,...
Berlin Syndrome filmmaker Cate Shortland is prepping an eight-part series for Matchbox Pictures.
Titled The Monaro, the series will focus on six women in the 1830s and is based on a true crime case, the director told If.
Shortland will shoot in the titular region, east of the Snowy Mountains, where she also shot her debut feature, Somersault.
.It.s one of my favourite places in the world to shoot so I wanted to do something again there,. the helmer said..
Shortland is an experienced writer for TV, having written episodes of The Slap, Devil.s Playground, Deadline Gallipoli and The Kettering Incident, but this will mark the first series she has directed since The Secret Life of Us in 2003.
She also helmed TV movie The Silence, starring Richard Roxburgh and co-written by Picnic at Hanging Rock.s Alice Addison,...
- 3/13/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Sean Keenan.
Puberty Blues star Sean Keenan has nabbed the lead role in Ten's Wake in Fright two-parter, which begins shooting today..
Keenan will play John Grant, a young school teacher who descends into his own personal nightmare after being stranded in the small outback mining town of Bundanyabba.—.the role made famous by Gary Bond in Ted Kotcheff's 1971 original.
Keenan just worked with director Kriv Stenders, who's helming both episodes of the TV redo, on Foxtel telemovie Australia Day.
He's joined in the cast by David Wenham (Seachange, Lion), Caren Pistorius (Offspring), Gary Sweet (House Husbands), Alex Dimitriades (The Slap), Robyn Malcolm (Upper Middle Bogan), Lee Jones (The Bastard Executioner), Anna Samson (Winners & Losers), Hannah Frederiksen (Hunters) and Jada Alberts (Wentworth), with filming to take place in Broken Hill and Sydney.
Written by Stephen M. Irwin, the Wake In Fright mini is produced by Helen Bowden (The Slap,...
Puberty Blues star Sean Keenan has nabbed the lead role in Ten's Wake in Fright two-parter, which begins shooting today..
Keenan will play John Grant, a young school teacher who descends into his own personal nightmare after being stranded in the small outback mining town of Bundanyabba.—.the role made famous by Gary Bond in Ted Kotcheff's 1971 original.
Keenan just worked with director Kriv Stenders, who's helming both episodes of the TV redo, on Foxtel telemovie Australia Day.
He's joined in the cast by David Wenham (Seachange, Lion), Caren Pistorius (Offspring), Gary Sweet (House Husbands), Alex Dimitriades (The Slap), Robyn Malcolm (Upper Middle Bogan), Lee Jones (The Bastard Executioner), Anna Samson (Winners & Losers), Hannah Frederiksen (Hunters) and Jada Alberts (Wentworth), with filming to take place in Broken Hill and Sydney.
Written by Stephen M. Irwin, the Wake In Fright mini is produced by Helen Bowden (The Slap,...
- 3/6/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Xavier Samuel and Andrea Demetriades in 'Seven Types of Ambiguity'..
New ABC miniseries.Seven Types of Ambiguity will air April 13. All six episodes will be available on iview after the first episode is broadcast.
The Matchbox Pictures' drama stars Hugo Weaving, Xavier Samuel, Alex Dimitriades, Leeanna Walsman, Andrea Demetriades, Anthony Hayes and Susie Porter.
EPs on the show, which weaves together different perspectives on a child kidnapping, are Tony Ayres and Jacquelin Perske.
Ayres first read Elliot Perlman.s novel, on which the show is based, around five years ago, just after he'd finished up on The Slap.
He was struck by the structural similarities between the two stories, while also noting the differences in the ways they had used the form.
.It was such a challenging and compelling book. I found it very rich and rewarding, frustrating and exciting,. Ayres said. .It was one of those big, ambitious...
New ABC miniseries.Seven Types of Ambiguity will air April 13. All six episodes will be available on iview after the first episode is broadcast.
The Matchbox Pictures' drama stars Hugo Weaving, Xavier Samuel, Alex Dimitriades, Leeanna Walsman, Andrea Demetriades, Anthony Hayes and Susie Porter.
EPs on the show, which weaves together different perspectives on a child kidnapping, are Tony Ayres and Jacquelin Perske.
Ayres first read Elliot Perlman.s novel, on which the show is based, around five years ago, just after he'd finished up on The Slap.
He was struck by the structural similarities between the two stories, while also noting the differences in the ways they had used the form.
.It was such a challenging and compelling book. I found it very rich and rewarding, frustrating and exciting,. Ayres said. .It was one of those big, ambitious...
- 2/22/2017
- by Jackie Keast and Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
'Glitch'.
Production has kicked off in Melbourne on the second season of Matchbox Pictures'.Glitch, with directors Emma Freeman and Tony Krawitz at the helm. The shoot will continue on location around the city and in regional Victoria until the end of March.
The first season of the zombie drama, created by Louise Fox (Broadchurch, Dead Europe) and Tony Ayres (The Slap, Cut Snake, Nowhere Boys), followed seven people who had inexplicably returned from the dead.
The second season sees .the Risen. unravel the mystery of how and why they are back while contending with a lethal threat..
In October it was announced that Netflix was coming on board as a production partner for the second season, along with Matchbox and the ABC.
.We can.t wait for our audience to see where the story goes. We want to deliver on the promise of answers and keep the thrills and spills coming,...
Production has kicked off in Melbourne on the second season of Matchbox Pictures'.Glitch, with directors Emma Freeman and Tony Krawitz at the helm. The shoot will continue on location around the city and in regional Victoria until the end of March.
The first season of the zombie drama, created by Louise Fox (Broadchurch, Dead Europe) and Tony Ayres (The Slap, Cut Snake, Nowhere Boys), followed seven people who had inexplicably returned from the dead.
The second season sees .the Risen. unravel the mystery of how and why they are back while contending with a lethal threat..
In October it was announced that Netflix was coming on board as a production partner for the second season, along with Matchbox and the ABC.
.We can.t wait for our audience to see where the story goes. We want to deliver on the promise of answers and keep the thrills and spills coming,...
- 1/23/2017
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Glitch.
The second season of.Glitch will be co-produced by the ABC, Matchbox and Netflix.—.making it the closest thing to a Netflix Original produced locally..
The first season of the zombie drama streams on Netflix Oz and debuted on Netflix U.S. last week (October 15).
According to Chris Oliver-Taylor, MD of Matchbox Pictures and the show's Ep, "Glitch was something that Netflix were interested in very early as a result of the quality of series one."
"Matchbox always tries to produce programs that work for an international audience. The international deal was reasonably simple to construct; the more complicated piece of the puzzle was working with Netflix, NBCUniversal and the ABC to work out the local Australian arrangements, working through windowing and how to manage on-demand."
Oliver-Taylor is excited about what the deal might mean for the local sector.
"We think that by bringing on Netflix to be a...
The second season of.Glitch will be co-produced by the ABC, Matchbox and Netflix.—.making it the closest thing to a Netflix Original produced locally..
The first season of the zombie drama streams on Netflix Oz and debuted on Netflix U.S. last week (October 15).
According to Chris Oliver-Taylor, MD of Matchbox Pictures and the show's Ep, "Glitch was something that Netflix were interested in very early as a result of the quality of series one."
"Matchbox always tries to produce programs that work for an international audience. The international deal was reasonably simple to construct; the more complicated piece of the puzzle was working with Netflix, NBCUniversal and the ABC to work out the local Australian arrangements, working through windowing and how to manage on-demand."
Oliver-Taylor is excited about what the deal might mean for the local sector.
"We think that by bringing on Netflix to be a...
- 10/21/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Jon Bernthal bowled over viewers with his portrayal of Frank Castle in Netflix’s Daredevil, so much so that he’ll become The Punisher in a spin-off series. Earlier this year, the Walking Dead alum has said that we haven’t seen the Punisher really get down to brass tacks, i.e.., shell casings. Castle will engage in much more unsanctioned adjudicating once he’s inhabiting his own corner of Hell’s Kitchen. But that brand of street justice is precisely what’s going to get Bernthal into trouble in his next film role.
Empire Magazine reports that Bernthal will lead the crime-thriller Stingray, from writer-director Anthony Hayes (The Slap). Bernthal’s character will get caught up in a “blood feud” with a “notorious criminal” after he kills that individual’s brother. His punishment for the slip-up (or execution): He’ll have to off one of his own family...
Empire Magazine reports that Bernthal will lead the crime-thriller Stingray, from writer-director Anthony Hayes (The Slap). Bernthal’s character will get caught up in a “blood feud” with a “notorious criminal” after he kills that individual’s brother. His punishment for the slip-up (or execution): He’ll have to off one of his own family...
- 10/18/2016
- by Danette Chavez
- avclub.com
eOne release The Girl on The Train in cinemas October 6.
Since its acquisition by eOne in 2011, Hopscotch-eOne Anz has become a global player. If speaks to three of the team — Jude Troy, eOne Anz.s Evp, TV Development and Acquisitions, Lucy Hill, eOne Anz.s Head of Acquisitions and Maeva Gatineau, Hopscotch Features. Senior Vice President of Production — about the restructure, the distribution game and the landscape in 2016. What are your roles at eOne?
Hill: I head up acquisitions for eOne Australia and New Zealand, which means that I coordinate for our team, which includes Jude as well as Troy Lum, Sandie Don, Jason Hernandez and Kata [Mandic]. We look at which films we want to buy, primarily for theatrical but also for our home entertainment platforms, the landscape for which is changing massively.
Troy: I joined in 2004 as a small partner at Hopscotch. Troy brought me in, [with] Sandie and Frank Cox at the time,...
Since its acquisition by eOne in 2011, Hopscotch-eOne Anz has become a global player. If speaks to three of the team — Jude Troy, eOne Anz.s Evp, TV Development and Acquisitions, Lucy Hill, eOne Anz.s Head of Acquisitions and Maeva Gatineau, Hopscotch Features. Senior Vice President of Production — about the restructure, the distribution game and the landscape in 2016. What are your roles at eOne?
Hill: I head up acquisitions for eOne Australia and New Zealand, which means that I coordinate for our team, which includes Jude as well as Troy Lum, Sandie Don, Jason Hernandez and Kata [Mandic]. We look at which films we want to buy, primarily for theatrical but also for our home entertainment platforms, the landscape for which is changing massively.
Troy: I joined in 2004 as a small partner at Hopscotch. Troy brought me in, [with] Sandie and Frank Cox at the time,...
- 9/12/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
eOne release The Girl on The Train in cinemas October 6.
Since its acquisition by eOne in 2011, Hopscotch-eOne Anz has become a global player. If speaks to three of the team — Jude Troy, eOne Anz.s Evp, TV Development and Acquisitions, Lucy Hill, eOne Anz.s Head of Acquisitions and Maeva Gatineau, Hopscotch Features. Senior Vice President of Production — about the restructure, the distribution game and the landscape in 2016. What are your roles at eOne?
Hill: I head up acquisitions for eOne Australia and New Zealand, which means that I coordinate for our team, which includes Jude as well as Troy Lum, Sandie Don, Jason Hernandez and Kata [Mandic]. We look at which films we want to buy, primarily for theatrical but also for our home entertainment platforms, the landscape for which is changing massively.
Troy: I joined in 2004 as a small partner at Hopscotch. Troy brought me in, [with] Sandie and Frank Cox at the time,...
Since its acquisition by eOne in 2011, Hopscotch-eOne Anz has become a global player. If speaks to three of the team — Jude Troy, eOne Anz.s Evp, TV Development and Acquisitions, Lucy Hill, eOne Anz.s Head of Acquisitions and Maeva Gatineau, Hopscotch Features. Senior Vice President of Production — about the restructure, the distribution game and the landscape in 2016. What are your roles at eOne?
Hill: I head up acquisitions for eOne Australia and New Zealand, which means that I coordinate for our team, which includes Jude as well as Troy Lum, Sandie Don, Jason Hernandez and Kata [Mandic]. We look at which films we want to buy, primarily for theatrical but also for our home entertainment platforms, the landscape for which is changing massively.
Troy: I joined in 2004 as a small partner at Hopscotch. Troy brought me in, [with] Sandie and Frank Cox at the time,...
- 9/12/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Former Grey's Anatomy actress Melissa George was hospitalized Wednesday after being assaulted by her partner, French website Paris Match reports. The 40-year-old Australian reportedly accused her partner Jean-David Blanc, the founder of French movie website Allociné, of causing her injuries that included a swollen face, bodily pain, nausea and dizziness. According to the report, George called the police from her home on Wednesday evening to report the incident. George, who appeared on Grey's from 2008 to 2009 as Dr. Sadie Harris, was hospitalized for over 24 hours at Cochin Hospital in Paris, the report states. The Golden Globe-nominated actress most recently starred in...
- 9/8/2016
- by Natalie Stone, @natalie_j_stone
- PEOPLE.com
Former Grey's Anatomy actress Melissa George was hospitalized Wednesday after being assaulted by her partner, French website Paris Match reports.
The 40-year-old Australian reportedly accused her partner Jean-David Blanc, the founder of French movie website Allociné, of causing her injuries that included a swollen face, bodily pain, nausea and dizziness.
According to the report, George called the police from her home on Wednesday evening to report the incident.
George, who appeared on Grey's from 2008 to 2009 as Dr. Sadie Harris, was hospitalized for over 24 hours at Cochin Hospital in Paris, the report states.
The Golden Globe-nominated actress most recently starred in...
The 40-year-old Australian reportedly accused her partner Jean-David Blanc, the founder of French movie website Allociné, of causing her injuries that included a swollen face, bodily pain, nausea and dizziness.
According to the report, George called the police from her home on Wednesday evening to report the incident.
George, who appeared on Grey's from 2008 to 2009 as Dr. Sadie Harris, was hospitalized for over 24 hours at Cochin Hospital in Paris, the report states.
The Golden Globe-nominated actress most recently starred in...
- 9/8/2016
- by Natalie Stone, @natalie_j_stone
- People.com - TV Watch
Ted Kotcheff's Wake in Fright (1971)
Network Ten has commissioned a new adaptation of Wake In Fright, Kenneth Cook.s classic Australian novel.
Wake In Fright is the story of John Grant, a young school teacher who descends into his own personal nightmare after being stranded in the small outback mining town of Bundanyabba.
Cook.s novel also birthed Ted Kotcheff's iconic 1971 film, which starred Donald Pleasance, Chips Rafferty, Jack Thompson, John Meillon and Gary Bond.
Ten.s two-part series will be produced by Lingo Pictures in association with Endemol Shine Australia, with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.
The news follows on from Foxtel.s announcement earlier this week that it plans to adapt the iconic Picnic at Hanging Rock into a six-part series.
Network Ten head of drama Rick Maier said there are few Australian stories as original or compelling as Wake in Fright.
.Kenneth Cook.s novel,...
Network Ten has commissioned a new adaptation of Wake In Fright, Kenneth Cook.s classic Australian novel.
Wake In Fright is the story of John Grant, a young school teacher who descends into his own personal nightmare after being stranded in the small outback mining town of Bundanyabba.
Cook.s novel also birthed Ted Kotcheff's iconic 1971 film, which starred Donald Pleasance, Chips Rafferty, Jack Thompson, John Meillon and Gary Bond.
Ten.s two-part series will be produced by Lingo Pictures in association with Endemol Shine Australia, with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.
The news follows on from Foxtel.s announcement earlier this week that it plans to adapt the iconic Picnic at Hanging Rock into a six-part series.
Network Ten head of drama Rick Maier said there are few Australian stories as original or compelling as Wake in Fright.
.Kenneth Cook.s novel,...
- 9/8/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Alice Bell.
Prolific screenwriter Alice Bell has an enviable list of credits: The Slap, Puberty Blues, The Beautiful Lie. She speaks to If about life as a scribe and her latest project — a collaboration with producer Imogen Banks which aims to mentor young female writers through the process of developing a TV series through to network pitch. ..
Congrats on the funding through Gender Matters for Smart Like A Girl: Roar. Why did you want to set up this program?.
Imogen and I are often approached by young writers asking how to become a screenwriter for television and the answer is: there.s no clear path. It.s a frustrating thing. You could be a note-taker in a story room but that doesn.t mean you.ll necessarily get to write an episode. You could write your own web series or a pilot, but then you.re competing with experienced writers and the world,...
Prolific screenwriter Alice Bell has an enviable list of credits: The Slap, Puberty Blues, The Beautiful Lie. She speaks to If about life as a scribe and her latest project — a collaboration with producer Imogen Banks which aims to mentor young female writers through the process of developing a TV series through to network pitch. ..
Congrats on the funding through Gender Matters for Smart Like A Girl: Roar. Why did you want to set up this program?.
Imogen and I are often approached by young writers asking how to become a screenwriter for television and the answer is: there.s no clear path. It.s a frustrating thing. You could be a note-taker in a story room but that doesn.t mean you.ll necessarily get to write an episode. You could write your own web series or a pilot, but then you.re competing with experienced writers and the world,...
- 9/1/2016
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Prolific screenwriter Alice Bell has an enviable list of credits: The Slap, Puberty Blues, The Beautiful Lie. She speaks to If about life as a scribe and her latest project — a collaboration with producer Imogen Banks which aims to mentor young female writers through the process of developing a TV series through to network pitch. ..
Congrats on the funding through Gender Matters for Smart Like A Girl: Roar. Why did you want to set up this program?.
Imogen and I are often approached by young writers asking how to become a screenwriter for television and the answer is: there.s no clear path. It.s a frustrating thing. You could be a note-taker in a story room but that doesn.t mean you.ll necessarily get to write an episode. You could write your own web series or a pilot, but then you.re competing with experienced writers and the world,...
Congrats on the funding through Gender Matters for Smart Like A Girl: Roar. Why did you want to set up this program?.
Imogen and I are often approached by young writers asking how to become a screenwriter for television and the answer is: there.s no clear path. It.s a frustrating thing. You could be a note-taker in a story room but that doesn.t mean you.ll necessarily get to write an episode. You could write your own web series or a pilot, but then you.re competing with experienced writers and the world,...
- 9/1/2016
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Noah Taylor and Yael Stone (and soundie) on set. (Photo: Sean O'Reilly)
An old shed on Glebe Island wharf, littered with boat-building machinery and tools, sets the tone for one of the dramatic final scenes of Sbs.s new four-part series, Deep Water, starring Noah Taylor and Yael Stone..
Stone and Taylor play detectives investigating a brutal murder case which appears to be connected to the real-life gay hate crimes that swept through Sydney in the .80s and .90s.
But it was a more recent murder which spurred Blackfella Films. producers Darren Dale and Miranda Dear to get the series moving.
Dear and Dale, coincidentally were both in Potts Point, Sydney, when a particularly violent murder took place.
.He [Darren] was leaving and I was heading in and we both saw fire engines, ambulances, police cars and Darren stopped at the Atm near the building and heard from residents what had happened,...
An old shed on Glebe Island wharf, littered with boat-building machinery and tools, sets the tone for one of the dramatic final scenes of Sbs.s new four-part series, Deep Water, starring Noah Taylor and Yael Stone..
Stone and Taylor play detectives investigating a brutal murder case which appears to be connected to the real-life gay hate crimes that swept through Sydney in the .80s and .90s.
But it was a more recent murder which spurred Blackfella Films. producers Darren Dale and Miranda Dear to get the series moving.
Dear and Dale, coincidentally were both in Potts Point, Sydney, when a particularly violent murder took place.
.He [Darren] was leaving and I was heading in and we both saw fire engines, ambulances, police cars and Darren stopped at the Atm near the building and heard from residents what had happened,...
- 8/31/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Hugo Weaving as Dr Alex Klima.
Seven Types of Ambiguity, a six-part drama produced by Matchbox Pictures and set to air on the ABC, weaves together different perspectives of a child kidnapping, exploring the nature of love and relationships..
Matchbox.s Tony Ayres first read Elliot Perlman.s novel, on which the show is based, around five years ago, just after he'd finished up on The Slap.
He was struck by the structural similarities between the two stories, while also noting the differences in the ways they had used the form..
.It was such a challenging and compelling book. I found it very rich and rewarding, frustrating and exciting,. Ayres told If..
.It was one of those big, ambitious projects that entices you as a producer..
A six-part series shot in and around Melbourne, Ayres described.Seven Types of Ambiguity as .a relationship drama, wrapped in a mystery...
.I think...
Seven Types of Ambiguity, a six-part drama produced by Matchbox Pictures and set to air on the ABC, weaves together different perspectives of a child kidnapping, exploring the nature of love and relationships..
Matchbox.s Tony Ayres first read Elliot Perlman.s novel, on which the show is based, around five years ago, just after he'd finished up on The Slap.
He was struck by the structural similarities between the two stories, while also noting the differences in the ways they had used the form..
.It was such a challenging and compelling book. I found it very rich and rewarding, frustrating and exciting,. Ayres told If..
.It was one of those big, ambitious projects that entices you as a producer..
A six-part series shot in and around Melbourne, Ayres described.Seven Types of Ambiguity as .a relationship drama, wrapped in a mystery...
.I think...
- 8/4/2016
- by Jackie Keast and Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Hugo Weaving as Dr Alex Klima.
Seven Types of Ambiguity, a six-part drama produced by Matchbox Pictures and set to air on the ABC, weaves together different perspectives of a child kidnapping, exploring the nature of love and relationships..
Matchbox.s Tony Ayres first read Elliot Perlman.s novel, on which the show is based, around five years ago, just after he'd finished up on The Slap.
He was struck by the structural similarities between the two stories, while also noting the differences in the ways they had used the form..
.It was such a challenging and compelling book. I found it very rich and rewarding, frustrating and exciting,. Ayres told If..
.It was one of those big, ambitious projects that entices you as a producer..
A six-part series shot in and around Melbourne, Ayres described.Seven Types of Ambiguity as .a relationship drama, wrapped in a mystery...
.I think...
Seven Types of Ambiguity, a six-part drama produced by Matchbox Pictures and set to air on the ABC, weaves together different perspectives of a child kidnapping, exploring the nature of love and relationships..
Matchbox.s Tony Ayres first read Elliot Perlman.s novel, on which the show is based, around five years ago, just after he'd finished up on The Slap.
He was struck by the structural similarities between the two stories, while also noting the differences in the ways they had used the form..
.It was such a challenging and compelling book. I found it very rich and rewarding, frustrating and exciting,. Ayres told If..
.It was one of those big, ambitious projects that entices you as a producer..
A six-part series shot in and around Melbourne, Ayres described.Seven Types of Ambiguity as .a relationship drama, wrapped in a mystery...
.I think...
- 8/4/2016
- by Jackie Keast and Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Ed Oxenbould in The Butterfly Tree.
Writer-director Priscilla Cameron.s debut feature, The Butterfly Tree, has commenced filming around Tamborine Mountain, Queensland.
The Butterfly Tree, formerly titled Bloom, stars Melissa George (Heartbeat, The Slap), Ewen Leslie (Top of the Lake, The Daughter), Ed Oxenbould (Paper Planes, Puberty Blues), and Sophie Lowe (The Beautiful Lie, The Returned).
The film tells the story of Evelyn, an ex-burlesque queen, who bewitches single dad Al and his teenage son Fin with her zest for life.
When father and son discover they are competing for the affections of the same woman, it reopens old wounds over the death of Fin.s mother.
The Butterfly Tree is being produced by Bridget Callow-Wright from Cowlick Entertainment.
"We are excited to see cameras rolling on The Butterfly Tree and congratulate Priscilla and Bridget for their original story going into production," said Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira.
"Sq...
Writer-director Priscilla Cameron.s debut feature, The Butterfly Tree, has commenced filming around Tamborine Mountain, Queensland.
The Butterfly Tree, formerly titled Bloom, stars Melissa George (Heartbeat, The Slap), Ewen Leslie (Top of the Lake, The Daughter), Ed Oxenbould (Paper Planes, Puberty Blues), and Sophie Lowe (The Beautiful Lie, The Returned).
The film tells the story of Evelyn, an ex-burlesque queen, who bewitches single dad Al and his teenage son Fin with her zest for life.
When father and son discover they are competing for the affections of the same woman, it reopens old wounds over the death of Fin.s mother.
The Butterfly Tree is being produced by Bridget Callow-Wright from Cowlick Entertainment.
"We are excited to see cameras rolling on The Butterfly Tree and congratulate Priscilla and Bridget for their original story going into production," said Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira.
"Sq...
- 7/21/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
The Family Law.
Sbs has announced today that a second season of The Family Law is in production. Filming will begin in Queensland later this year, and the series will air in 2017. Written and created by Benjamin Law, and based on his memoir of the same name, The Family Law is a coming-of-age story told through the eyes of teenager Benjamin as he navigates growing up amidst the chaos of his hilarious, heart-warming and dysfunctional family. In season two, Benjamin and the Laws are excited to explore fresh careers, fresh ambitions, even fresh romances. Series creator Law said that one of the most satisfying things about season one was seeing how many audience members — Asian and non-Asian Australian alike — felt their own families were finally reflected back at them. .We.re excited to be putting a 90 per cent Asian-Australian cast on TV again, and picking right up from where we left the Laws.
Sbs has announced today that a second season of The Family Law is in production. Filming will begin in Queensland later this year, and the series will air in 2017. Written and created by Benjamin Law, and based on his memoir of the same name, The Family Law is a coming-of-age story told through the eyes of teenager Benjamin as he navigates growing up amidst the chaos of his hilarious, heart-warming and dysfunctional family. In season two, Benjamin and the Laws are excited to explore fresh careers, fresh ambitions, even fresh romances. Series creator Law said that one of the most satisfying things about season one was seeing how many audience members — Asian and non-Asian Australian alike — felt their own families were finally reflected back at them. .We.re excited to be putting a 90 per cent Asian-Australian cast on TV again, and picking right up from where we left the Laws.
- 6/27/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Melissa George..
Screen Queensland is the primary investor on feature film Bloom by first-time writer and director, Queensland-based Priscilla Cameron, to be produced by Bridget Callow-Wright.
Melissa George (Heartbeat, The Slap.and Felony) and Sophie Lowe (The Beautiful Lie, What Lola Wants) are confirmed to star in the dramatic feature which will be shot exclusively in Queensland..
Other investors of the production include the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) Premiere Fund, Vendetta, Film Victoria, Cowlick Entertainment Group and 108 Media.
Bloom will spend more than $1.2m in Queensland, with production commencing in South East Queensland in July. Post-production will be completed by The Post Lounge in Victoria.
Bloom tells the story of Evelyn, an ex-burlesque queen, who bewitches single dad Al and his 13-year-old boy Fin with her zest for life..
When father and son discover they are competing for the affections of the same woman, it reopens old wounds...
Screen Queensland is the primary investor on feature film Bloom by first-time writer and director, Queensland-based Priscilla Cameron, to be produced by Bridget Callow-Wright.
Melissa George (Heartbeat, The Slap.and Felony) and Sophie Lowe (The Beautiful Lie, What Lola Wants) are confirmed to star in the dramatic feature which will be shot exclusively in Queensland..
Other investors of the production include the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) Premiere Fund, Vendetta, Film Victoria, Cowlick Entertainment Group and 108 Media.
Bloom will spend more than $1.2m in Queensland, with production commencing in South East Queensland in July. Post-production will be completed by The Post Lounge in Victoria.
Bloom tells the story of Evelyn, an ex-burlesque queen, who bewitches single dad Al and his 13-year-old boy Fin with her zest for life..
When father and son discover they are competing for the affections of the same woman, it reopens old wounds...
- 4/8/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Dp Terry Zumalt with director Emma Bell.
Australian producers Tessa Saville and Bel Deliá have teamed up with The Walking Dead star Emma Bell for her directorial debut on short film Scratch..
Bell has appeared in The Walking Dead, Dallas, Arrow, Supernatural, Dollhouse and Final Destination 5. In keeping with her CV, Bell's debut short is a horror film.
Saville has previously developed a range of television formats including Picture This and NBC Universal's E! Host Australia Search, while producer-actress Deliá previously played Natasha Warner in the Australian online horror film The Tunnel.
Scratch is about a repressed 1950.s housewife left alone by her philandering husband who makes a horrifying discovery, and was written by Helen Shang (NBC.s Hannibal)..
The film, lensed by DoP Terry Zumalt, recently wrapped principal photography.
Also on the production are Australians Valentino del Toro (The Slap, Terra Nova) and editor Geoff Saville.
www.facebook.
Australian producers Tessa Saville and Bel Deliá have teamed up with The Walking Dead star Emma Bell for her directorial debut on short film Scratch..
Bell has appeared in The Walking Dead, Dallas, Arrow, Supernatural, Dollhouse and Final Destination 5. In keeping with her CV, Bell's debut short is a horror film.
Saville has previously developed a range of television formats including Picture This and NBC Universal's E! Host Australia Search, while producer-actress Deliá previously played Natasha Warner in the Australian online horror film The Tunnel.
Scratch is about a repressed 1950.s housewife left alone by her philandering husband who makes a horrifying discovery, and was written by Helen Shang (NBC.s Hannibal)..
The film, lensed by DoP Terry Zumalt, recently wrapped principal photography.
Also on the production are Australians Valentino del Toro (The Slap, Terra Nova) and editor Geoff Saville.
www.facebook.
- 3/29/2016
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Like a mom blasting Iggy Azalea from her Kia Sedona in the middle-school pickup lane, NBC’s new medical drama Heartbeat is so desperate to be cool, it’ll make you reflexively wince, then pretend you can’t see it.
Melissa George (The Slap, Alias) stars as Dr. Alex Panttiere, a woman who requests a fire-department escort to a routine biopsy just so she can test the ability of her convertible to go from zero to 80, then drops groan-inducing one-liners like, “I love the smell of lung burning first thing in the morning!”
RelatedJustified‘s Joelle Carter Joins NBC...
Melissa George (The Slap, Alias) stars as Dr. Alex Panttiere, a woman who requests a fire-department escort to a routine biopsy just so she can test the ability of her convertible to go from zero to 80, then drops groan-inducing one-liners like, “I love the smell of lung burning first thing in the morning!”
RelatedJustified‘s Joelle Carter Joins NBC...
- 3/21/2016
- TVLine.com
Noah Taylor in the Spierig Bros' Predestination.
Noah Taylor and Orange is the New Black's Yael Stone will star in Sbs.s new four-part crime drama series, Deep Water, produced by Blackfella Films.
Joining them in the crime thriller are Stone's husband Dan Spielman (The Code, Accidental Soldier, Offspring), William McInnes (The Time of Our Lives, The Slap), Danielle Cormack (Wentworth, Rake, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries), Craig McLachlan (The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Ben Oxenbould (The Kettering Incident, Old School, Rake), Simon Burke (Devil.s Playground), John Brumpton (Catching Milat, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries) and others..
Sbs are billing Deep Water as its first "cross-genre, cross-platform event which will include a four-part drama series, a feature documentary and unique online web series and content".
The series is executive produced by Sbs.s Sue Masters, produced by Blackfella Films. Miranda Dear and Darren Dale and written by Kris Wyld...
Noah Taylor and Orange is the New Black's Yael Stone will star in Sbs.s new four-part crime drama series, Deep Water, produced by Blackfella Films.
Joining them in the crime thriller are Stone's husband Dan Spielman (The Code, Accidental Soldier, Offspring), William McInnes (The Time of Our Lives, The Slap), Danielle Cormack (Wentworth, Rake, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries), Craig McLachlan (The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Ben Oxenbould (The Kettering Incident, Old School, Rake), Simon Burke (Devil.s Playground), John Brumpton (Catching Milat, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries) and others..
Sbs are billing Deep Water as its first "cross-genre, cross-platform event which will include a four-part drama series, a feature documentary and unique online web series and content".
The series is executive produced by Sbs.s Sue Masters, produced by Blackfella Films. Miranda Dear and Darren Dale and written by Kris Wyld...
- 3/21/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Kris Mrksa
Australian screenwriter Kris Mrksa (Glitch, Janet King, The Slap, Underbelly, The Secret Life of Us) will write a six-part series for BBC Drama..
Requiem will be made by New Pictures (coming off the back of a great success with The Missing, starring Australia's Frances O'Connor) and will consist of six one-hour episodes. The show will be executive produced by Willow Grylls, Elaine Pyke and Charlie Pattinson for New Pictures and Polly Hill for BBC One.
A thriller which flirts with the supernatural, Requiem is the story of a young woman who discovers, in the wake of her mother's death, that everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie.
So: expect a more adult, ambiguous, and female version of Harry Potter.
"Requiem is the show I've always wanted to make", Mrksa said. "To be making it with the team at New Pictures, and for the BBC, a...
Australian screenwriter Kris Mrksa (Glitch, Janet King, The Slap, Underbelly, The Secret Life of Us) will write a six-part series for BBC Drama..
Requiem will be made by New Pictures (coming off the back of a great success with The Missing, starring Australia's Frances O'Connor) and will consist of six one-hour episodes. The show will be executive produced by Willow Grylls, Elaine Pyke and Charlie Pattinson for New Pictures and Polly Hill for BBC One.
A thriller which flirts with the supernatural, Requiem is the story of a young woman who discovers, in the wake of her mother's death, that everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie.
So: expect a more adult, ambiguous, and female version of Harry Potter.
"Requiem is the show I've always wanted to make", Mrksa said. "To be making it with the team at New Pictures, and for the BBC, a...
- 1/6/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
A co-founder and former MD of Matchbox Pictures and an ex-FremantleMedia Australia executive have launched a production company
Helen Bowden, who departed NBCUniversal-owned Matchbox last year, and Jason Stephens, who was creative director and director of development at FremantleMedia for 10 years, are partners in Lingo Pictures.
Their Sydney-based outfit will create scripted and unscripted content for both the local and international markets.
.We aim to build strong partnerships and new business models, while putting together an ambitious production slate,. the duo said.
Bowden, whose credits include The Slap, Underground: The Julian Assange Story and Devil.s Playground, is the MD and Stephens (Mr and Mrs Murder, Devil.s Dust, Better Man) is creative director.
The two had not met until last year, realised they had similar goals and began discussing a partnership in February. By July they figured out it was the right fit.
Bowden said they expect to...
Helen Bowden, who departed NBCUniversal-owned Matchbox last year, and Jason Stephens, who was creative director and director of development at FremantleMedia for 10 years, are partners in Lingo Pictures.
Their Sydney-based outfit will create scripted and unscripted content for both the local and international markets.
.We aim to build strong partnerships and new business models, while putting together an ambitious production slate,. the duo said.
Bowden, whose credits include The Slap, Underground: The Julian Assange Story and Devil.s Playground, is the MD and Stephens (Mr and Mrs Murder, Devil.s Dust, Better Man) is creative director.
The two had not met until last year, realised they had similar goals and began discussing a partnership in February. By July they figured out it was the right fit.
Bowden said they expect to...
- 11/16/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Cate Shortland's untitled feature film starring Teresa Palmer will begin filming at Docklands Studio, Melbourne this week.
The film, directed by Shortland, was written by Shaun Grant, who wrote Justin Kurzel.s Snowtown and is based on Melanie Joosten.s book Berlin Syndrome,.
It sees Palmer (Warm Bodies, Wish You Were Here and the upcoming Point Break), return to Australia to star alongside Max Riemelt (Sense8).
Shortland.s film tells the story of an Aussie photojournalist Clare (Palmer), who travels to Berlin and meets a charismatic local named Andi (Riemelt)..
Their attraction is instant, and after a day wandering the streets of Berlin together, a night of passion ensues..
But what initially appears to be the start of a romance suddenly takes an unexpected and sinister turn when Clare wakes the following morning to discover Andi has left for work and locked her in his apartment..
An easy mistake to make,...
The film, directed by Shortland, was written by Shaun Grant, who wrote Justin Kurzel.s Snowtown and is based on Melanie Joosten.s book Berlin Syndrome,.
It sees Palmer (Warm Bodies, Wish You Were Here and the upcoming Point Break), return to Australia to star alongside Max Riemelt (Sense8).
Shortland.s film tells the story of an Aussie photojournalist Clare (Palmer), who travels to Berlin and meets a charismatic local named Andi (Riemelt)..
Their attraction is instant, and after a day wandering the streets of Berlin together, a night of passion ensues..
But what initially appears to be the start of a romance suddenly takes an unexpected and sinister turn when Clare wakes the following morning to discover Andi has left for work and locked her in his apartment..
An easy mistake to make,...
- 11/4/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Nowhere Boys: Book of Shadows is set to hit Australian cinemas on January 1.
After two seasons on ABC television, the 82-minute family film will bring together Felix (Dougie Baldwin, Andy (Joel Lok), Sam (Rahard Adams) and Jake (Matt Testro) for one final spell when Felix discovers a sealed Book of Shadows.
The ABC3 series, aimed at the 8-14-year-old market, began when the four teens got lost during a school excursion and found themselves in a parallell world.
The feature film will add rising star Angourie Rice to the cast. Rice first came to the screen in These Final Hours and will soon be seen in Us feature The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling.
Series regulars Darci McDonald (Ellen), Sean Ree-Wemyss (Oscar), Michala Banas (Phoebe), Victoria Thaine (Alice), Ben Keller (Bear), Tamala Shelton (Mia) and Michelle Gerster (Viv) willl also return for the film..
The film was produced by Beth Frey for Matchbox Pictures.
After two seasons on ABC television, the 82-minute family film will bring together Felix (Dougie Baldwin, Andy (Joel Lok), Sam (Rahard Adams) and Jake (Matt Testro) for one final spell when Felix discovers a sealed Book of Shadows.
The ABC3 series, aimed at the 8-14-year-old market, began when the four teens got lost during a school excursion and found themselves in a parallell world.
The feature film will add rising star Angourie Rice to the cast. Rice first came to the screen in These Final Hours and will soon be seen in Us feature The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling.
Series regulars Darci McDonald (Ellen), Sean Ree-Wemyss (Oscar), Michala Banas (Phoebe), Victoria Thaine (Alice), Ben Keller (Bear), Tamala Shelton (Mia) and Michelle Gerster (Viv) willl also return for the film..
The film was produced by Beth Frey for Matchbox Pictures.
- 10/6/2015
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Amanda Higgs has joined Matchbox Pictures as creative producer as she prepares to start production on the ABC TV drama Barracuda.
Higgs, who was script editor on Matchbox Pictures/ABC's The Slap, most recently produced two series of The Time of Our Lives for the public broadcaster.
Before that she served as acting head of drama and commissioning editor at the ABC, where she also executive produced dramas and comedies. She was also consultant Ep for Fox8 on SLiDE.
At Southern Star she co-created and produced Network 10.s The Secret Life of Us, the most watched Oz. drama in the 16-39 year old demographic.
Based on the book of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda follows young Olympic hopeful Danny Kelly as he deals with the pressure of obsession. Rob Connolly is directing with scripts by Belinda Chayko and Blake Ayshford.
Matchbox MD Chris Oliver-Taylor said: .Amanda.s track record is formidable,...
Higgs, who was script editor on Matchbox Pictures/ABC's The Slap, most recently produced two series of The Time of Our Lives for the public broadcaster.
Before that she served as acting head of drama and commissioning editor at the ABC, where she also executive produced dramas and comedies. She was also consultant Ep for Fox8 on SLiDE.
At Southern Star she co-created and produced Network 10.s The Secret Life of Us, the most watched Oz. drama in the 16-39 year old demographic.
Based on the book of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda follows young Olympic hopeful Danny Kelly as he deals with the pressure of obsession. Rob Connolly is directing with scripts by Belinda Chayko and Blake Ayshford.
Matchbox MD Chris Oliver-Taylor said: .Amanda.s track record is formidable,...
- 9/16/2015
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
Game of Thrones is bringing in The Babadook, or at least its star. Essie Davis, best known for her outstanding work in the 2014 horror film, has been cast in a Season 6 role on the HBO fantasy drama, and she’s portraying a character that many viewers will be familiar with: Cersei Lannister. However, don’t worry, Game of Thrones fans: Lena Headey isn’t going anywhere. As EW.com explains, Davis is playing “a member of a traveling theater troupe in Braavos that stages a play called ‘The Bloody Hand’ — a version of all the King’s Landing intrigue that’s gone down on the show since the series began (apparently, even in the wild continent of Essos, the Lannisters’ antics are considered pretty dramatic stuff). During this play-within-the-show, Davis portrays Cersei Lannister.” In addition to The Babadook, Davis also appeared in in both Matrix sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions. Additionally,...
- 9/14/2015
- by Chris King
- TVovermind.com
Game of Thrones is getting another lean, mean queen.
Australian actress Essie Davis, who played beleaguered mom Amelia in the horror film The Babadook, will join the HBO series in Season 6, EW.com reports.
PhotosFall TV Spectacular: Exclusive Scoop and Photos on 43 Returning Favorites!
Davis reportedly will play Cersei Lannister — but don’t worry, Lena Headey isn’t going anywhere. Davis will don the queen regent’s blonde wig as part of a Braavosi theater troupe’s dramatization of the goings-on in King’s Landing.
Other Season 6 castings include Richard E. Grant (Downton Abbey), Freddie Stroma (UnREAL), Pilou Asbæk (The Borgias...
Australian actress Essie Davis, who played beleaguered mom Amelia in the horror film The Babadook, will join the HBO series in Season 6, EW.com reports.
PhotosFall TV Spectacular: Exclusive Scoop and Photos on 43 Returning Favorites!
Davis reportedly will play Cersei Lannister — but don’t worry, Lena Headey isn’t going anywhere. Davis will don the queen regent’s blonde wig as part of a Braavosi theater troupe’s dramatization of the goings-on in King’s Landing.
Other Season 6 castings include Richard E. Grant (Downton Abbey), Freddie Stroma (UnREAL), Pilou Asbæk (The Borgias...
- 9/13/2015
- TVLine.com
Red Rock Pictures has secured award-winning Us composer Deborah Lurie for the feature While It Lasts, based on the New York Times best-selling novel by. Abbi Glines.
The third in a series of Sea Breeze books, While It Lasts is set in in the steamy coastal Alabama town of Sea Breeze, where an interconnected group of older teens hook up and break up. The protagonist is Cage York, who looked set for a free ride to college for baseball until a DUI. His coach orders him to spend the summer baling hay, where he meets uptight, snarky brunette Eva Brooks. Eva's long-time beau Josh has just been killed along with four other soldiers near Baghdad.
Red Rock Pictures' Gary O.Toole will produce and write the screenplay, Glines has agreed to serve as associate producer and Aussie actor Addam Bramich will co-produce. Bramich, whose credits include Blinder, The Slap and several short films,...
The third in a series of Sea Breeze books, While It Lasts is set in in the steamy coastal Alabama town of Sea Breeze, where an interconnected group of older teens hook up and break up. The protagonist is Cage York, who looked set for a free ride to college for baseball until a DUI. His coach orders him to spend the summer baling hay, where he meets uptight, snarky brunette Eva Brooks. Eva's long-time beau Josh has just been killed along with four other soldiers near Baghdad.
Red Rock Pictures' Gary O.Toole will produce and write the screenplay, Glines has agreed to serve as associate producer and Aussie actor Addam Bramich will co-produce. Bramich, whose credits include Blinder, The Slap and several short films,...
- 6/8/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Paging Melissa George fans — the actress is pregnant! NBC confirmed on Friday, June 5, that the Alias alum is expecting her second child. Due to her pregnancy, the network revealed that the premiere of George's new medical drama, Heartbreaker, will now be pushed back. Dick Wolf's highly anticipated Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. spinoff, Chicago Med, will take its place for a fall debut. The Australian actress, 38, previously played Rosie on the TV mini-series The Slap. She also guest starred on The Good Wife from 2013 [...]...
- 6/5/2015
- Us Weekly
Simon Baker will make his feature directing debut, Matchbox Pictures will adapt another Christos Tsiolkas. novel for the ABC and Endemol Australia will produce a female-driven drama for the Nine Network in projects funded by Screen Australia.
Among other funding recipients are a TV spin-off of Tomorrow, When the War Began, a Nowhere Boys telemovie for the ABC and a relationships comedy directed by Tim Ferguson and Marc Gracie.
In total Screen Australia is investing $13.4 million in 12 film and television projects which will trigger production worth $64.3 million.
Baker (The Mentalist) will direct and star in the screen adaptation of Tim Winton.s novel Breath, scripted by Top of the Lake.s Gerard Lee.
The producers are Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Notebook), Baker and See Pictures. Jamie Hilton (Backtrack, The Little Death).
Arclight is pitching the 1970s-set project to prospective buyers at the Cannes Film Market. The novel focusses on two teenagers,...
Among other funding recipients are a TV spin-off of Tomorrow, When the War Began, a Nowhere Boys telemovie for the ABC and a relationships comedy directed by Tim Ferguson and Marc Gracie.
In total Screen Australia is investing $13.4 million in 12 film and television projects which will trigger production worth $64.3 million.
Baker (The Mentalist) will direct and star in the screen adaptation of Tim Winton.s novel Breath, scripted by Top of the Lake.s Gerard Lee.
The producers are Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Notebook), Baker and See Pictures. Jamie Hilton (Backtrack, The Little Death).
Arclight is pitching the 1970s-set project to prospective buyers at the Cannes Film Market. The novel focusses on two teenagers,...
- 5/13/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
NBC has released some information, images, and a video preview of their upcoming primetime dramatic series, Heartbreaker. The hour-long series will debut this fall and air on Tuesday nights at 9pm -- following The Voice.
Here's the information:
Heartbreaker
Based on the real life and achievements of Dr. Kathy Magliato, this unique character-driven medical drama follows Dr. Alex Panttiere (Melissa George, "The Slap"), an outspoken, world-renowned heart transplant surgeon, one of the few women in her field. Stubborn and fearless, Alex always operates on her own terms. She revels in a racy personal life that's a full-time job in itself, manages the daily demands of skeptical faculty and dutiful interns, and pushes the boundaries of medical science to impressive new heights.
Here's the information:
Heartbreaker
Based on the real life and achievements of Dr. Kathy Magliato, this unique character-driven medical drama follows Dr. Alex Panttiere (Melissa George, "The Slap"), an outspoken, world-renowned heart transplant surgeon, one of the few women in her field. Stubborn and fearless, Alex always operates on her own terms. She revels in a racy personal life that's a full-time job in itself, manages the daily demands of skeptical faculty and dutiful interns, and pushes the boundaries of medical science to impressive new heights.
- 5/11/2015
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
NBC has unveiled its full primetime schedule for the upcoming 2015 TV season, and along with it, they’ve also released full-length trailers for a number of their new shows. Below is the schedule along with descriptions and trailers for their new line-up which includes the mysterious drama Blindspot from Greg Berlanti (the producer of Arrow and The Flash); along with Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, which promises to be good thanks to the multi-talented star at the center of the show; as well as the hotly anticipated Heroes Reborn.
Blindspot:
From executive producer Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “The Mysteries of Laura”) comes “Blindspot”: A vast international plot explodes when a beautiful Jane Doe, completely covered in mysterious, intricate tattoos, is discovered naked in Times Square with no memory of who she is or how she got there. But there’s one tattoo that is impossible...
Blindspot:
From executive producer Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “The Mysteries of Laura”) comes “Blindspot”: A vast international plot explodes when a beautiful Jane Doe, completely covered in mysterious, intricate tattoos, is discovered naked in Times Square with no memory of who she is or how she got there. But there’s one tattoo that is impossible...
- 5/11/2015
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.