Naomi Wenck will join Screen Queensland in the newly-created role of production attraction and investment director.
In the position, she will oversee the delivery of the Queensland Government’s Production Attraction Strategy to secure international and interstate production, as well as production investment into content from the state’s creatives.
Wenck has worked in the industry for two decades. As an independent producer, she brought to screen projects such as Strangerland, Newcastle and Ten Empty. She has also held senior executive roles spanning development, financing, production, sales and distribution.
Most recently, Wenck was head of production at Brisbane’s Like A Photon Creative, overseeing the production and delivery of children’s feature films The Wishmas Tree and Combat Wombat within the studio’s animation franchise Tales From Sanctuary City.
Wenck has also been an investment manager at Screen Australia; head of marketing, partnerships and events at Screen Producers Australia (Spa...
In the position, she will oversee the delivery of the Queensland Government’s Production Attraction Strategy to secure international and interstate production, as well as production investment into content from the state’s creatives.
Wenck has worked in the industry for two decades. As an independent producer, she brought to screen projects such as Strangerland, Newcastle and Ten Empty. She has also held senior executive roles spanning development, financing, production, sales and distribution.
Most recently, Wenck was head of production at Brisbane’s Like A Photon Creative, overseeing the production and delivery of children’s feature films The Wishmas Tree and Combat Wombat within the studio’s animation franchise Tales From Sanctuary City.
Wenck has also been an investment manager at Screen Australia; head of marketing, partnerships and events at Screen Producers Australia (Spa...
- 3/24/2021
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
. . . . . . .
Shana Levine.
.
Screen Australia has appointed Lisa Duff and Shana Levine as investment managers on its production team.
Prior to the appointment, Duff been an Investment development manager in the documentary unit for more than a year, where she has managed a large slate of projects and provided advice to filmmakers seeking funding..
Duff was also a producer on Last Cab to Darwin.
Levine has been a member of the Screen Australia Legal team, having held the position of senior lawyer at Screen Australia for more than five years..
During this time, Levine has earned Screen Australia a long list of credits on complex film and TV investment deals, according to a Screen Australia statement..
Levine has also produced Charlie & Boots.
In their new roles, Duff and Levine will report to Sally Caplan, Screen Australia.s Head of Production.
Lisa Duff.
Caplan said: .Lisa and Shana were the outstanding candidates.
Shana Levine.
.
Screen Australia has appointed Lisa Duff and Shana Levine as investment managers on its production team.
Prior to the appointment, Duff been an Investment development manager in the documentary unit for more than a year, where she has managed a large slate of projects and provided advice to filmmakers seeking funding..
Duff was also a producer on Last Cab to Darwin.
Levine has been a member of the Screen Australia Legal team, having held the position of senior lawyer at Screen Australia for more than five years..
During this time, Levine has earned Screen Australia a long list of credits on complex film and TV investment deals, according to a Screen Australia statement..
Levine has also produced Charlie & Boots.
In their new roles, Duff and Levine will report to Sally Caplan, Screen Australia.s Head of Production.
Lisa Duff.
Caplan said: .Lisa and Shana were the outstanding candidates.
- 5/3/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Nicole Kidman.s performance in Kim Farrant.s Strangerland has been praised by Us critics after its multi-platform Us debut last Friday.
Alchemy, which paid a reported $US1.5 million for Us rights, launched the psychological drama co-starring Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving on 22 screens and on VOD.
Continuing the generally positive responses since film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, Deadline.s Pete Hammond enthused, .Nicole Kidman is the best reason to see Strangerland, an atmospheric and weirdly hypnotic but disjointed feature film debut from director Kim Farrant and screenwriters Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons.
.Kidman is in fine form with one of her juiciest and most intriguing parts in a while. It is no surprise as this star is one of Hollywood.s risk takers, always interesting to watch and always challenging herself and audiences..
In a similar vein, the Boston Herald.s James Verniere opined,...
Alchemy, which paid a reported $US1.5 million for Us rights, launched the psychological drama co-starring Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving on 22 screens and on VOD.
Continuing the generally positive responses since film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, Deadline.s Pete Hammond enthused, .Nicole Kidman is the best reason to see Strangerland, an atmospheric and weirdly hypnotic but disjointed feature film debut from director Kim Farrant and screenwriters Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons.
.Kidman is in fine form with one of her juiciest and most intriguing parts in a while. It is no surprise as this star is one of Hollywood.s risk takers, always interesting to watch and always challenging herself and audiences..
In a similar vein, the Boston Herald.s James Verniere opined,...
- 7/12/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The gambit of launching Kim Farrant.s Strangerland and John Maclean.s Slow West in a limited number of cinemas immediately following their Sydney Film Festival premieres looks like paying off.
In a joint marketing exercise between the festival and Transmission Films dubbed Sff Presents, Farrant.s feature debut starring Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Joseph Fiennes opened on about 25 screens on June 11.
.To date we've grossed approximately $100,000 and averaged around $2,000 for each session, which we are very happy with,. Transmission.s co-founder Andrew Mackie tells If.
.We played very limited festival sessions at each location, rather than traditional seasons. We've had numerous sell-outs, which is why many locations carried the film over. It continues this week..
As a mini-festival release the mystery drama produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher is not subject to the usual 120-day home entertainment holdback, so the title will be available on DVD and...
In a joint marketing exercise between the festival and Transmission Films dubbed Sff Presents, Farrant.s feature debut starring Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Joseph Fiennes opened on about 25 screens on June 11.
.To date we've grossed approximately $100,000 and averaged around $2,000 for each session, which we are very happy with,. Transmission.s co-founder Andrew Mackie tells If.
.We played very limited festival sessions at each location, rather than traditional seasons. We've had numerous sell-outs, which is why many locations carried the film over. It continues this week..
As a mini-festival release the mystery drama produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher is not subject to the usual 120-day home entertainment holdback, so the title will be available on DVD and...
- 6/28/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Kim Farrant is attached to direct a UK psychological thriller produced by Michael Winterbottom's company and a Us indie drama as well as developing an ambitious TV anthology series.
The Los Angeles-based director is delighted with the critical and audience responses to her debut film Strangerland, which Transmission launched on about 25 screens on June 11 after its Sydney Film Festival premiere.
The mystery drama starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving is set to open in the Us on July 10.
Alchemy (formerly Millennium Entertainment) will release the film scripted by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons and produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher in cinemas in 15 markets and simultaneously on VOD. She plans to attend the New York premiere.
Farrant is attached to direct Hush Money for Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton.s Revolution Films. The script by Brazilian-born English writer Nico Mensinga follows a groom who is bribed on his wedding day.
The Los Angeles-based director is delighted with the critical and audience responses to her debut film Strangerland, which Transmission launched on about 25 screens on June 11 after its Sydney Film Festival premiere.
The mystery drama starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving is set to open in the Us on July 10.
Alchemy (formerly Millennium Entertainment) will release the film scripted by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons and produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher in cinemas in 15 markets and simultaneously on VOD. She plans to attend the New York premiere.
Farrant is attached to direct Hush Money for Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton.s Revolution Films. The script by Brazilian-born English writer Nico Mensinga follows a groom who is bribed on his wedding day.
- 6/11/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
John Maclean.s Slow West and Kim Farrant.s Strangerland will debut in Palace cinemas and in select regional locations in June immediately after being launched at the Sydney Film Festival.
The Sff is partnering with Transmission Films on the initiative dubbed Sff Presents. Both films had their world premieres in January at the Sundance Film Festival where Slow West, a fresh take on the Western genre, won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic).
.Sff Presents will be at the forefront of a new approach to reaching fans of cinema,. said festival director Nashen Moodley.
.Slow West and Strangerland are both great festival-quality films wider audiences will enjoy. Holding screenings across Australian capital cities immediately following Sydney Film Festival.s premiere is a wonderful new way of sharing the excitement for these films around the country..
Transmission.s Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie said, .We are pleased to be...
The Sff is partnering with Transmission Films on the initiative dubbed Sff Presents. Both films had their world premieres in January at the Sundance Film Festival where Slow West, a fresh take on the Western genre, won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic).
.Sff Presents will be at the forefront of a new approach to reaching fans of cinema,. said festival director Nashen Moodley.
.Slow West and Strangerland are both great festival-quality films wider audiences will enjoy. Holding screenings across Australian capital cities immediately following Sydney Film Festival.s premiere is a wonderful new way of sharing the excitement for these films around the country..
Transmission.s Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie said, .We are pleased to be...
- 4/28/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
A new Us distributor has acquired first-time feature director Kim Farrant.s Strangerland after its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance.
Alchemy (formerly Millennium Entertainment) will release the drama starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving in a deal brokered by CAA. Bill Lee launched Alchemy after a management-buy out of Millennium, backed with a $US40 million credit line.
The deal is worth at least $US1.5 million and will guarantee theatrical release in 15 Us markets, The Wrap reported after Deadline.com broke the story.
Transmission Films has the Australian/Nz rights to the drama produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher, scripted by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons. The plot follows Kidman and Fiennes as they search for their teenage children played by model Maddison Brown in her acting debut and Nicholas Hamilton (Mako: Island of Secrets), who disappear in the Outback.
Weaving portrays the cop who leads the investigation,...
Alchemy (formerly Millennium Entertainment) will release the drama starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving in a deal brokered by CAA. Bill Lee launched Alchemy after a management-buy out of Millennium, backed with a $US40 million credit line.
The deal is worth at least $US1.5 million and will guarantee theatrical release in 15 Us markets, The Wrap reported after Deadline.com broke the story.
Transmission Films has the Australian/Nz rights to the drama produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher, scripted by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons. The plot follows Kidman and Fiennes as they search for their teenage children played by model Maddison Brown in her acting debut and Nicholas Hamilton (Mako: Island of Secrets), who disappear in the Outback.
Weaving portrays the cop who leads the investigation,...
- 1/26/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
A total of six Australian projects have been invited to screen at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival next year.
The South Australian project Sam Klemke's Time Machine will have its world premiere in the New Frontier Film section while Oscar Raby.s Assent will screen in the New Frontier Installations section.
In the Sundance Shorts Competition, Kitty Green.s The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul will have its world premiere as well as Tim Marshall.s Followers.
This adds to the previously announced screenings of Kim Kim Farrant.s Strangerland, starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving, and Ariel Kleiman.s Partisan, starring Vincent Cassel, which will screen in competition in the World Cinema Dramatic program.
In a statement released to the media, CEO of Screen Australia, Graeme Mason, said, .It is a great honour to have six of our skilful filmmakers recognised by the leading indie film festival in the world.
The South Australian project Sam Klemke's Time Machine will have its world premiere in the New Frontier Film section while Oscar Raby.s Assent will screen in the New Frontier Installations section.
In the Sundance Shorts Competition, Kitty Green.s The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul will have its world premiere as well as Tim Marshall.s Followers.
This adds to the previously announced screenings of Kim Kim Farrant.s Strangerland, starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving, and Ariel Kleiman.s Partisan, starring Vincent Cassel, which will screen in competition in the World Cinema Dramatic program.
In a statement released to the media, CEO of Screen Australia, Graeme Mason, said, .It is a great honour to have six of our skilful filmmakers recognised by the leading indie film festival in the world.
- 12/12/2014
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
The Babadook producer Kristina Ceyton is teaming with Us producer Russell Ackerman to make Cargo, a post-Apocalyptic thriller adapted from a 2013 Tropfest finalist.
Ceyton met Ackerman, who was Guillermo del Toro.s development executive for six years and worked on films such as Mama, in Los Angeles.
Ackerman approached Ceyton after seeing The Babadook and asked to come on board the project, which will be co-directed by Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling and scripted by Ramke, who collaborated on the short.
The saga of a guy who is stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse and is desperate to protect the precious cargo he carries, his infant daughter, the short has been viewed more than 6.7 million times on YouTube.
Meeting Ackerman, who launched Addictive Pictures with John Schoenfelder last year, was one of the benefits of Ceyton.s six-month attachment with Glen Basner.s production and international sales house FilmNation,...
Ceyton met Ackerman, who was Guillermo del Toro.s development executive for six years and worked on films such as Mama, in Los Angeles.
Ackerman approached Ceyton after seeing The Babadook and asked to come on board the project, which will be co-directed by Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling and scripted by Ramke, who collaborated on the short.
The saga of a guy who is stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse and is desperate to protect the precious cargo he carries, his infant daughter, the short has been viewed more than 6.7 million times on YouTube.
Meeting Ackerman, who launched Addictive Pictures with John Schoenfelder last year, was one of the benefits of Ceyton.s six-month attachment with Glen Basner.s production and international sales house FilmNation,...
- 10/14/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Paris-based sales powerhouse heads to Cannes with American director Mark Osborne’s anticipated feature-length animation The Little Prince, as well as Strangerland, Gentlemen and Red Army.
The $80m The Little Prince is Osborne’s first feature-length work since co-directing DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, which grossed more than $650m worldwide.
The director will attend the market to give an hour-long presentation of the film, which is due for delivery at the end of 2015.
Osborne adapted Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 classic alongside British screenwriter Irena Brignull. The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) is the second most translated book in the world.
“The film intertwines a contemporary tale of a little girl who discovers The Little Prince through a reclusive elderly neighbour,” said Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval.
The feature combines CG animation for the real world of the little girl and stop-motion animation for the world of the book as imagined by her.
The English-language...
The $80m The Little Prince is Osborne’s first feature-length work since co-directing DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, which grossed more than $650m worldwide.
The director will attend the market to give an hour-long presentation of the film, which is due for delivery at the end of 2015.
Osborne adapted Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 classic alongside British screenwriter Irena Brignull. The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) is the second most translated book in the world.
“The film intertwines a contemporary tale of a little girl who discovers The Little Prince through a reclusive elderly neighbour,” said Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval.
The feature combines CG animation for the real world of the little girl and stop-motion animation for the world of the book as imagined by her.
The English-language...
- 5/5/2014
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Paris-based sales powerhouse will also launch sales on Nicole Kidman starrer Strangerland, Gentlemen and Red ArmyWild Bunch will launch sales on American director Mark Osborne’s highly anticipated feature-length animation The Little Prince at Cannes.The $80m work is Osborne’s first feature-length work since co-directing DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, which grossed more than $650m worldwide.The director will be in Cannes
Exclusive: Paris-based sales powerhouse will also launch sales on Nicole Kidman starrer Strangerland, Gentlemen and Red Army
Wild Bunch will launch sales on American director Mark Osborne’s highly anticipated feature-length animation The Little Prince at Cannes.
The $80m work is Osborne’s first feature-length work since co-directing DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, which grossed more than $650m worldwide.
The director will be in Cannes to give an hour-long presentation of the film, which is due for delivery at the end of 2015.
Osborne adapted Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 classic alongside British...
Exclusive: Paris-based sales powerhouse will also launch sales on Nicole Kidman starrer Strangerland, Gentlemen and Red Army
Wild Bunch will launch sales on American director Mark Osborne’s highly anticipated feature-length animation The Little Prince at Cannes.
The $80m work is Osborne’s first feature-length work since co-directing DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, which grossed more than $650m worldwide.
The director will be in Cannes to give an hour-long presentation of the film, which is due for delivery at the end of 2015.
Osborne adapted Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 classic alongside British...
- 5/5/2014
- ScreenDaily
Outback Australian film stars Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
Us company Worldview Entertainment is a key financier of debut director Kim Farrant’s outback children-missing mystery drama Strangerland, an unofficial Irish/Australian co-production starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
“We had Screen Australia and the Irish Film Board and Screen Nsw and (Australian distributor) Transmission and (sales agent) Wild Bunch and were looking for an international financier and executive producer,” Naomi Wenck, from Australian company Dragonfly Pictures, told Screen. She and Irish producer Macdara Kelleher of Fastnet Films are producing.
“We noticed that Worldview Entertainment was supporting such interesting directors as Atom Egoyan and Andrew Dominik and John Hillcoat – a few of them Australians making films in the Us – and a slate of interesting films that were making it into the top five festivals.”
Kidman and Fiennes play the on-screen parents of two missing teenagers (Nicholas Hamilton and model Maddison Brown) and Weaving...
Us company Worldview Entertainment is a key financier of debut director Kim Farrant’s outback children-missing mystery drama Strangerland, an unofficial Irish/Australian co-production starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
“We had Screen Australia and the Irish Film Board and Screen Nsw and (Australian distributor) Transmission and (sales agent) Wild Bunch and were looking for an international financier and executive producer,” Naomi Wenck, from Australian company Dragonfly Pictures, told Screen. She and Irish producer Macdara Kelleher of Fastnet Films are producing.
“We noticed that Worldview Entertainment was supporting such interesting directors as Atom Egoyan and Andrew Dominik and John Hillcoat – a few of them Australians making films in the Us – and a slate of interesting films that were making it into the top five festivals.”
Kidman and Fiennes play the on-screen parents of two missing teenagers (Nicholas Hamilton and model Maddison Brown) and Weaving...
- 3/27/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Outback Australian film stars Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
Us company Worldview Entertainment is a key financier of debut director Kim Farrant’s outback children-missing mystery drama Strangerland, an unofficial Irish/Australian co-production starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
“We had Screen Australia and the Irish Film Board and Screen Nsw and (Australian distributor) Transmission and (sales agent) Wild Bunch and were looking for an international financier and executive producer,” Naomi Wenck, from Australian company Dragonfly Pictures, told Screen. She and Irish producer Macdara Kelleher of Fastnet Films are producing.
“We noticed that Worldview Entertainment was supporting such interesting directors as Atom Egoyan and Andrew Dominik and John Hillcoat – a few of them Australians making films in the Us – and a slate of interesting films that were making it into the top five festivals.”
Kidman and Fiennes play the on-screen parents of two missing teenagers (Nicholas Hamilton and model Maddison Brown) and Weaving...
Us company Worldview Entertainment is a key financier of debut director Kim Farrant’s outback children-missing mystery drama Strangerland, an unofficial Irish/Australian co-production starring Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
“We had Screen Australia and the Irish Film Board and Screen Nsw and (Australian distributor) Transmission and (sales agent) Wild Bunch and were looking for an international financier and executive producer,” Naomi Wenck, from Australian company Dragonfly Pictures, told Screen. She and Irish producer Macdara Kelleher of Fastnet Films are producing.
“We noticed that Worldview Entertainment was supporting such interesting directors as Atom Egoyan and Andrew Dominik and John Hillcoat – a few of them Australians making films in the Us – and a slate of interesting films that were making it into the top five festivals.”
Kidman and Fiennes play the on-screen parents of two missing teenagers (Nicholas Hamilton and model Maddison Brown) and Weaving...
- 3/27/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Teenage Australian model Maddison Brown makes her acting debut in Strangerland, the Kim Farrant-directed mystery drama which has started shooting in Sydney. Nicole Kidman and Joseph Fiennes play a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the Australian desert. Hugo Weaving plays the cop who leads the investigation. Brown and Nicholas Hamilton (Mako: Island of Secrets) play the missing kids. Lisa Flanagan (The Gods of Wheat Street, Redfern Now) portrays an Indigenous woman who is having an affair with Weaving's character and Meyne Wyatt (The Sapphires, Redfern Now) is a handyman who works for the couple. Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons wrote the screenplay. The producers are Dragonfly Pictures. Naomi Wenck and Fastnet Films. Macdara Kelleher. An Australian/Irish co-production, it.s the first feature directed by Farrant, whose credits include TV.s Rush and the documentary Naked on the Inside. Kidman said, .I...
- 3/26/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Joseph Fiennes has replaced Guy Pearce as the co-lead in Strangerland, the Kim Farrant-directed drama about a couple whose teenage kids disappear. . The .news was broken by Deadline.com, which did not explain why Pearce dropped out. However Variety reports that Pearce is in talks to play Whitey Bulger.s brother in Warner Bros.' Black Mass, which will star Johnny Depp as Bulger, the Boston crime boss and FBI informant. Joel Edgerton is also on board that film, which will be directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart). Nicole Kidman and Hugo Weaving are attached to star in Strangerland,. which is scripted by Fiona Seres and Michael Kiniron and produced by Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher. . Transmission is the Australian distributor and Wild Bunch is selling international rights. Screen Australia is among the investors. Shooting is due to start soon in and around Broken Hill. The DoP is P.J. Dillon,...
- 3/14/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The technicians. union and the producers of the Australian mystery drama Strangerland have signed an industrial agreement which the union hopes will set a precedent for Australian films.
The deal is similar to that negotiated with the producers of The Water Diviner, the drama directed by and starring Russell Crowe as an Australian who journeys to Turkey to search for his two sons who disappeared after the battle of Gallipoli.
Malcolm Tulloch, director of the entertainment crew and sport section of the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, tells If the agreement will enable the Strangerland producers to hire crew without having to go through a bargaining process.
.It.s the first .greenfields. production agreement signed by the Meaa,. says Tulloch. .It sets out the working conditions and wages well in advance of when the film is due to go into pre-production and it gives certainty to the producers when they go...
The deal is similar to that negotiated with the producers of The Water Diviner, the drama directed by and starring Russell Crowe as an Australian who journeys to Turkey to search for his two sons who disappeared after the battle of Gallipoli.
Malcolm Tulloch, director of the entertainment crew and sport section of the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, tells If the agreement will enable the Strangerland producers to hire crew without having to go through a bargaining process.
.It.s the first .greenfields. production agreement signed by the Meaa,. says Tulloch. .It sets out the working conditions and wages well in advance of when the film is due to go into pre-production and it gives certainty to the producers when they go...
- 2/6/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Two music-themed films and a love story from The Rocket director Kim Mordaunt are among the 15 features to secure new development money from Screen Australia.
The Musician, produced by Brian Rosen and Su Armstrong, is about how Richard Goldner, a violinist who arrived in Australia from Vienna as a refugee, set up Musica Viva, one of the largest presenters of chamber music in the world.
Clara, which is being developed by producer Sue Maslin and writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse, tells of the deep bonds between Clara Schumann, one of the foremost classical pianists of the Romantic era, her husband, the composer Richard Schumann, and their protégé Johannes Brahams – and that included a love triangle.
“Jocelyn has wanted to tell this story for years,” Maslin told ScreenDaily, adding that the film is set in Austria and Germany.
“It is a very international film, with great music and a story that’s little known.”
Maslin and Moorhouse...
The Musician, produced by Brian Rosen and Su Armstrong, is about how Richard Goldner, a violinist who arrived in Australia from Vienna as a refugee, set up Musica Viva, one of the largest presenters of chamber music in the world.
Clara, which is being developed by producer Sue Maslin and writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse, tells of the deep bonds between Clara Schumann, one of the foremost classical pianists of the Romantic era, her husband, the composer Richard Schumann, and their protégé Johannes Brahams – and that included a love triangle.
“Jocelyn has wanted to tell this story for years,” Maslin told ScreenDaily, adding that the film is set in Austria and Germany.
“It is a very international film, with great music and a story that’s little known.”
Maslin and Moorhouse...
- 12/12/2013
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving are set to re-team for Kim Farrant's new mystery drama feature "Strangerland".
The story follows a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert.
Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons penned the film while Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher will produce.
This will mark the first screen teaming of Pearce and Kidman. Weaving and Pearce acted together on 1995's comedy classic "The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert". Weaving and Kidman acted together in the acclaimed 1989 mini-series "Bangkok Hilton".
The project was announced as part of Screen Australia's $5.4 million investment in six upcoming Australian features.
Source: Screen Australia...
The story follows a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert.
Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons penned the film while Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher will produce.
This will mark the first screen teaming of Pearce and Kidman. Weaving and Pearce acted together on 1995's comedy classic "The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert". Weaving and Kidman acted together in the acclaimed 1989 mini-series "Bangkok Hilton".
The project was announced as part of Screen Australia's $5.4 million investment in six upcoming Australian features.
Source: Screen Australia...
- 10/21/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Screen Australia today announced a $5.4 million investment in six feature films, including director Kim Farrant's Strangerland , which will star Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving. The other films include Backyard Ashes , Women He's Undressed , Force of Destiny , Last Cab to Darwin and Maya the Bee Movie . .Kim Farrant's 'Strangerland' has an incredible cast including Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, a strong creative vision and massive A-list festival potential," said Screen Australia's Chief Executive Ruth Harley. Strangerland is a mystery drama about a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert. The film is written by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons and is produced by Naomi Wenck and...
- 10/21/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce to set to star in Strangerland, an Australian mystery drama following a couple who's teen kids go missing in the Outback. Variety reports that Kim Farrant is directing the film from the screenplay by Michael Kinirons and Fiona Seres, with production tentatively set to start some time in March next year. Fastnet Films' Macdara Kelleher and Dragonfly Pictures' Naomi Wenck...
- 10/21/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Sydney -- Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving will headline the cast of new independent thriller, Strangerland, which local agency Screen Australia said on Monday it had greenlit for production financing. The story centers on Catherine and Matthew Parker, whose relationship is pushed to the brink when their two teenage children disappear into the remote Australian desert and they are forced to confront the mystery of their children's fate. Story: 'Grace of Monaco' Director Bashes Harvey Weinstein's 'Pile of Shit' Edit Plans Kim Farrant is directing from a script by Fiona Seres and Michael Kinirons. Producers are Naomi Wenck and Macdara Kelleher
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- 10/20/2013
- by Pip Bulbeck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screen Australia is investing $5.4 million in six feature films from directors Gillian Armstrong,. Jeremy Sims and Paul Cox and rising filmmakers Kim Farrant, Mark Grentell and Alexs Stadermann.
Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving will star in Farrant.s Strangerland, a mystery drama about a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert.
Michael Caton and Jacki Weaver are attached to star in Sims. Last Cab to Darwin, a comedy-drama about a dying man.s final journey based on Reg Cribb's play Last Cab to Darwin.
Caton will play Rex, a terminally ill cab driver who drove 3,000 km from his home in Broken Hill to Darwin in the early 1990s in hopes of taking advantage of the Northern Territory's voluntary euthanasia laws. Ningali Lawford has been cast as Polly, an Aboriginal woman who is Rex.s next door neighbour and occasional lover,...
Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving will star in Farrant.s Strangerland, a mystery drama about a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert.
Michael Caton and Jacki Weaver are attached to star in Sims. Last Cab to Darwin, a comedy-drama about a dying man.s final journey based on Reg Cribb's play Last Cab to Darwin.
Caton will play Rex, a terminally ill cab driver who drove 3,000 km from his home in Broken Hill to Darwin in the early 1990s in hopes of taking advantage of the Northern Territory's voluntary euthanasia laws. Ningali Lawford has been cast as Polly, an Aboriginal woman who is Rex.s next door neighbour and occasional lover,...
- 10/20/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has committed almost $700,000 in development support across 23 feature projects.
Fifteen new projects have been added to Screen Australia.s development slate, while eight teams will receive continued support to develop their projects.
Two Australian filmmakers will also be supported to undertake overseas internships: producer Ma.ara Bobby Romia will work for six months with Screentime Group in New Zealand and director Ariel Martin-Merrells will work under the mentorship of director James Foley in Los Angeles for five months.
Screen Australia.s head of development Martha Coleman said in a statement: .Following a now well-established tradition, the development slate announced today includes a diverse range of compelling stories from both established and emerging filmmakers. The high calibre of screenplays coming through our door backs up positive feedback we are getting from the domestic and international marketplace and I.m looking forward to seeing the best of these projects make...
Fifteen new projects have been added to Screen Australia.s development slate, while eight teams will receive continued support to develop their projects.
Two Australian filmmakers will also be supported to undertake overseas internships: producer Ma.ara Bobby Romia will work for six months with Screentime Group in New Zealand and director Ariel Martin-Merrells will work under the mentorship of director James Foley in Los Angeles for five months.
Screen Australia.s head of development Martha Coleman said in a statement: .Following a now well-established tradition, the development slate announced today includes a diverse range of compelling stories from both established and emerging filmmakers. The high calibre of screenplays coming through our door backs up positive feedback we are getting from the domestic and international marketplace and I.m looking forward to seeing the best of these projects make...
- 8/29/2012
- by Staff reporter
- IF.com.au
The story of Rupert Murdoch’s rise to become the world’s biggest media mogul looks set to become an Australian TV telemovie,
Screen Australia has provided funding development for the work which is being written by Bob Ellis and Stephen Ramsay.
The announcement comes days after Southern Star’s production of Howzat, the story of how Australian media mogul Kerry Packer took on the cricket establishment delivered the Nine Network with 2m+ ratings.
The series has the working title of The News of the World.
The British Sunday tabloid the telemovie is named after was closed by Murdoch last year in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
Bob Ellis wrote the Australian journalism drama Newsfront and most recently ABC’s Infamous Victory: Ben Chifley’s Battle for Coal while Stephen Ramsey wrote and directed The Baby Boomers Picture Show and Flashbacks.
Ellis told Mumbrella: “What we have...
Screen Australia has provided funding development for the work which is being written by Bob Ellis and Stephen Ramsay.
The announcement comes days after Southern Star’s production of Howzat, the story of how Australian media mogul Kerry Packer took on the cricket establishment delivered the Nine Network with 2m+ ratings.
The series has the working title of The News of the World.
The British Sunday tabloid the telemovie is named after was closed by Murdoch last year in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
Bob Ellis wrote the Australian journalism drama Newsfront and most recently ABC’s Infamous Victory: Ben Chifley’s Battle for Coal while Stephen Ramsey wrote and directed The Baby Boomers Picture Show and Flashbacks.
Ellis told Mumbrella: “What we have...
- 8/28/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Screen Australia has announced a new round of funding for 18 filmmaking teams to develop feature projects including teams led by producer Emile Sherman (The King’s Speech), director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog) and director Gillian Armstrong.
The funding totals $500,000.
Sherman is working with Clayton Jacobsen (Kenny) to develop crime film The Docks with writers Jamie Browne and Kris Mrksa.
Auteur director and cancer sufferer Paul Cox is working with executive producer Shaun Miller and producer Maggie Miles to develop his own memoir Tales from the Cancer Ward into drama script Force of Destiny.
Screen Australia also continues its investment in producer Marian Macgowan’s The Great, with writer Tony McNamara and director Gillian Armstrong on the adaptation of McNamara’s play of the same name.
Red Dog director Kriv Stenders works with his Lucky Country writer Andy Cox to develop their comic romance script F*****! A Romance.
Screen Australia has...
The funding totals $500,000.
Sherman is working with Clayton Jacobsen (Kenny) to develop crime film The Docks with writers Jamie Browne and Kris Mrksa.
Auteur director and cancer sufferer Paul Cox is working with executive producer Shaun Miller and producer Maggie Miles to develop his own memoir Tales from the Cancer Ward into drama script Force of Destiny.
Screen Australia also continues its investment in producer Marian Macgowan’s The Great, with writer Tony McNamara and director Gillian Armstrong on the adaptation of McNamara’s play of the same name.
Red Dog director Kriv Stenders works with his Lucky Country writer Andy Cox to develop their comic romance script F*****! A Romance.
Screen Australia has...
- 12/12/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Los Angeles, CA (May 16, 2011) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the ten winning film projects of the 2011 PGA Producers Showcase (ProShow) competition, taking place in conjunction with the third annual Produced By Conference (Pbc) in association with Afci Locations on June 3-5, 2011 at The Walt Disney Studios. The goal of ProShow film project competition, which was developed by the PGA’s International Committee, is to help film producers initiate business relationships, co-develop compelling projects and spearhead investment involving the producing community, a panel of financiers, as well as local and international film commissions. The 2011 ProShow accepted submissions for both international and domestic projects. The winning projects and producers are: • 7 On Ice – Robert Gill (Canada) • Band Of Angels – Dana Kuznetzkoff (USA) • Highways To War – Naomi Wenck (New South Wales) • Sable Island Radio – Christopher Zimmer (Nova Scotia) • Sightings - 3D – Sean Hoessli (USA) • Spain In Flames – Pepe Flores Caballer (Spain...
- 5/16/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
Venue: Sydney Film FestivalSYDNEY -- Untangling the snarl of family ties proves the principal diversion in the melodramatic family saga “Ten Empty.” It’s the first film from Roguestar Productions, the company formed by fellow Aussie actors Brendan Cowell and Anthony Hayes. A terrific performance in a minor role shows again what a major talent Cowell is as an actor. It’s a pity the same can’t be said for his writing skills: The script, co-written with Hayes, who also directs, is an overcooked melange of familial disaffection, long-hidden secrets and mental illness, seasoned with some colloquial humor.
It’s hard to see domestic audiences being drawn in great numbers to yet another dark tale of suburban dysfunction when it opens locally in limited release on July 3.
Elliot (Daniel Frederiksen), whose character is largely defined by the fact he drinks pinot noir, returns to Adelaide with a city-slick veneer after 10 years in the “big smoke” of Sydney. He’s come back for his half-brother’s christening, reunited with the family he ran away from after his mother died.
In that time, Elliot’s belligerent drunk of a father (Geoff Morrell) has married his late wife’s sister (Lucy Bell). Elliot is to become godfather to the offspring of that union. His younger brother Brett (Tom Budge), meanwhile, has locked himself in his room and cowers among his dead mother’s belongings, including 10 empty painter’s canvases, refusing to speak.
The supporting cast, including Jack Thompson, Blazey Best and Cowell as Elliot’s larrikin mate, creates properly lived-in characters. Grim production design and Tristan Milani’s claustrophobic cinematography lend kitchen-sink realism.
Production companies: Yeah Right Films, Dragonfly Pictures. Cast: Daniel Frederiksen, Geoff Morrell, Tom Budge, Lucy Bell, Jack Thompson, Brendan Cowell. Director: Anthony Hayes. Screenwriters: Anthony Hayes, Brendan Cowell. Producer: Naomi Wenck. Co-producers: Anthony Hayes, Brendan Cowell. Director of photography: Tristan Milani. Production designer: Robert Webb. Music: Ollie Browne and Art of Fighting. Costume designer: Polly Smyth. Editor: Luke Doolan. Sales Agent: Icon Films. No MPAA rating, 95 minutes.
It’s hard to see domestic audiences being drawn in great numbers to yet another dark tale of suburban dysfunction when it opens locally in limited release on July 3.
Elliot (Daniel Frederiksen), whose character is largely defined by the fact he drinks pinot noir, returns to Adelaide with a city-slick veneer after 10 years in the “big smoke” of Sydney. He’s come back for his half-brother’s christening, reunited with the family he ran away from after his mother died.
In that time, Elliot’s belligerent drunk of a father (Geoff Morrell) has married his late wife’s sister (Lucy Bell). Elliot is to become godfather to the offspring of that union. His younger brother Brett (Tom Budge), meanwhile, has locked himself in his room and cowers among his dead mother’s belongings, including 10 empty painter’s canvases, refusing to speak.
The supporting cast, including Jack Thompson, Blazey Best and Cowell as Elliot’s larrikin mate, creates properly lived-in characters. Grim production design and Tristan Milani’s claustrophobic cinematography lend kitchen-sink realism.
Production companies: Yeah Right Films, Dragonfly Pictures. Cast: Daniel Frederiksen, Geoff Morrell, Tom Budge, Lucy Bell, Jack Thompson, Brendan Cowell. Director: Anthony Hayes. Screenwriters: Anthony Hayes, Brendan Cowell. Producer: Naomi Wenck. Co-producers: Anthony Hayes, Brendan Cowell. Director of photography: Tristan Milani. Production designer: Robert Webb. Music: Ollie Browne and Art of Fighting. Costume designer: Polly Smyth. Editor: Luke Doolan. Sales Agent: Icon Films. No MPAA rating, 95 minutes.
- 6/30/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Venue: Sydney Film Festival
Sun-drenched and hormonally charged, the Australian surf movie "Newcastle" boasts an almost fetishistic amount of teenage skin. But dramatically it's a wipe out. Its musty dysfunctional-family storyline stands in stark contrast to the breezy fun of the visuals, although there's a hint of freshness in the casual integration of a gay teen.
Cinematographer Richard Michalak's gorgeous water-based action shots guarantee the young target audience will want to head straight out for surf lessons, but there's even less dramatic heft here than in the superior "Blue Crush".
The addition of a couple of beach babes to the testosterone-heavy cast of unknowns should lift commercial prospects when "Newcastle" is released domestically later in the year, ensuring there really is something for everyone in the way of eye candy.
Jesse (Lachlan Buchanan) is a particularly sulky teen who lives in the industrial city of Newcastle, a coastal paradise marred only by the coal tankers squatting on the horizon.
He sees victory in the upcoming Junior Surf Pro as a way of avoiding the fate that befell his bad-boy older brother Victor (Reshad Strik, ) a once-promising surfer now bitter divorced dad working on one of the ships.
An early setback provides the perfect excuse for a diversionary weekend away, so Jesse and his buddies round up some local girls and head for a remote beach to camp in the dunes.
Jesse's embarrassed to be joined by his emo twin brother Fergus (Xavier Samuels), who is self-consciously grappling with his sexuality, but all is soon forgotten in a wild spree of youthful flirting, surfing and horseplay.
Writer-director Dan Castle, making his feature debut, is mostly content to let the good times roll along in this fashion, rudely interrupted by a rogue wave and a tragedy, before winding things up with a classic sports-film cliche.
With its erratic pubescent mood swings, "Newcastle" is like an Antipodean episode of "The O.C"., albeit with big-screen production values and photography so tactile you can almost feel the saltwater on your skin.
Production companies: Film Finance Corporation Australia, IFF/CINV and Newcastle Pictures, in association with 3 Dogs & a Pony and Shadowfire Entertainment. Cast: Lachlan Buchanan, Xavier Samuel, Reshad Strik, Shane Jacobson, Barry Otto. Director/screenwriter: Dan Castle. Executive producers: Charles Hannah, Megumi Fukasawa, Satoru Iseki, Akira Ishii, Nick Carpenter. Co-executive producers: Mike Thomas, Jonathan Page. Producer: Naomi Wenck. Director of photography: Richard Michalak. Production designer: Marc Barold. Music: Michael Yezerski. Costume designer: Catherine Wallace. Editor: Rodrigo Balart. Sales: Icon Distribution.
No MPAA rating, 106 minutes.
Sun-drenched and hormonally charged, the Australian surf movie "Newcastle" boasts an almost fetishistic amount of teenage skin. But dramatically it's a wipe out. Its musty dysfunctional-family storyline stands in stark contrast to the breezy fun of the visuals, although there's a hint of freshness in the casual integration of a gay teen.
Cinematographer Richard Michalak's gorgeous water-based action shots guarantee the young target audience will want to head straight out for surf lessons, but there's even less dramatic heft here than in the superior "Blue Crush".
The addition of a couple of beach babes to the testosterone-heavy cast of unknowns should lift commercial prospects when "Newcastle" is released domestically later in the year, ensuring there really is something for everyone in the way of eye candy.
Jesse (Lachlan Buchanan) is a particularly sulky teen who lives in the industrial city of Newcastle, a coastal paradise marred only by the coal tankers squatting on the horizon.
He sees victory in the upcoming Junior Surf Pro as a way of avoiding the fate that befell his bad-boy older brother Victor (Reshad Strik, ) a once-promising surfer now bitter divorced dad working on one of the ships.
An early setback provides the perfect excuse for a diversionary weekend away, so Jesse and his buddies round up some local girls and head for a remote beach to camp in the dunes.
Jesse's embarrassed to be joined by his emo twin brother Fergus (Xavier Samuels), who is self-consciously grappling with his sexuality, but all is soon forgotten in a wild spree of youthful flirting, surfing and horseplay.
Writer-director Dan Castle, making his feature debut, is mostly content to let the good times roll along in this fashion, rudely interrupted by a rogue wave and a tragedy, before winding things up with a classic sports-film cliche.
With its erratic pubescent mood swings, "Newcastle" is like an Antipodean episode of "The O.C"., albeit with big-screen production values and photography so tactile you can almost feel the saltwater on your skin.
Production companies: Film Finance Corporation Australia, IFF/CINV and Newcastle Pictures, in association with 3 Dogs & a Pony and Shadowfire Entertainment. Cast: Lachlan Buchanan, Xavier Samuel, Reshad Strik, Shane Jacobson, Barry Otto. Director/screenwriter: Dan Castle. Executive producers: Charles Hannah, Megumi Fukasawa, Satoru Iseki, Akira Ishii, Nick Carpenter. Co-executive producers: Mike Thomas, Jonathan Page. Producer: Naomi Wenck. Director of photography: Richard Michalak. Production designer: Marc Barold. Music: Michael Yezerski. Costume designer: Catherine Wallace. Editor: Rodrigo Balart. Sales: Icon Distribution.
No MPAA rating, 106 minutes.
- 6/30/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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