AUSTRALIA August 24
IN PRE-PRODUCTION
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
(Wildheart Zizani) Backers: FilmFinance Corporation Australia, New South Wales Film and Television Office, FilmVictoria, ContentFilm. Int'l sales: Content International. Dist: Palace Films(Aust/NZ). Drama. A dancer disappears without a trace for 12 days, then returnsjust as mysteriously. Prod: Al Clark. Dir: Ana Kokkinos. Scr: Andrew Bovell,Kokkinos, from the novel by Rupert Thomson. Shooting in Melbourne from Jan 24to March 18, 2005.
Contact: Al Clark, (61) 2 9368 7233
DECEMBER BOYS
(Becker Films) Backers: Film FinanceCorporation Australia, South Australian Film Corporation. Int'l sales: MBM(German-speaking territories), Aura Entertainment (rest of world). Dist: Becker(Aust/NZ). Drama. Four orphans go for a holiday by the sea. Friendships aretested and new alliances made when rumours emerge that two seaside families arelooking to adopt. Prod: Richard Becker. Line prod: Rocky Bester. Dir: RodHardy. Scr: Marc Rosenberg from the book by Michael Noonan. Shooting in SouthAustralia in late 2004.
Contact: Steve Bickel, Aura Entertainment, (1) 310 278 9991
IRRESISTIBLE
(Irresistible Films) Backers: FilmFinance Corporation Australia, Spice Factory/Movision, Film Victoria, FutureFilms, Royal Bank Of Scotland. Int'l sales: Arclight. Dist: Palace (Aust/NZ),Momentum (UK), Blue Star (Italy). Psychological thriller. Sophie Hartley isconvinced she is being stalked and that her husband's beautiful co-worker,Mara, wants her children, her husband, her life. But no-one believes her.Forced to prove her sanity, she makes a discovery more shocking than her worstfears. Exec prods: Sue Maslin, Michael Cowan, Gary Hamilton, Pete Maggi. Prods:David Parker, Tatiana Kennedy. Co-prod: Franziska Wagenfeld. Dir/scr: AnnTurner. DoP: Martin McGrath. Ed: Ken Sallows. Shooting in Melbourne in late2004.
Contact: Selina Nelson, Cascade Films, (61) 3 9646 4022
JINDABYNE
(April Films) Backers: private viathe April Babcock & Brown Movie Venture, Film Finance CorporationAustralia. Int'l sales/dist: April Films. Ghost story/psychological mystery. Aportrait of the frailty of marriage and human relationships. Exec prods: Philippa Bateman, Garry Charny.Prod: Catherine Jarman.Dir: Ray Lawrence. Scr: BeatrixChristian. DoP: David Williamson. Ed: Karl Sodersten.Production/costume design: Margot Wilson. Shooting in Jindabye in the secondhalf of 2005.
Contact: Philippa Bateman, (61) 2 9360 5811
THE RIVAL
(Centaur Enterprises) Budget: Low.Urban adult drama. A middle-aged widower trains a young girl for the statefemale boxing title. They become lovers. When the trainer is incarcerated for acrime he didn't commit, his son takes over the training and eventually the sex.Then the father is acquitted and heads home to be with who he believes is stillhis lover. Prods: John Meagher, Margie Wentworth. Dir/scr: John Meagher. DoP:Jules O'Loughlan. Shooting in Sydney from September 27.
Contact: John Meagher, (61) 2 9999 0656
HAPPY FEET
(Kennedy Miller) Backers: Warner Bros Pictures,Village Roadshow Pictures. Animated musical. The adventures of a young penguinin Antarctica. Exec prod: Bruce Berman. Prods: Doug Mitchell, Bill Miller,George Miller. Dir: George Miller. Scr: George Miller, John Collee, WarrenColeman, Judy Morris. Music: John Powell. CGI/animation: Animal Logic. Maincast: Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, BrittanyMurphy, Leslie Neilsen, Anthony La Paglia, Steve Irwin, Savion Glover. Shootingin Sydney.
Contact: Erin Jamieson, Roadshow, (61) 3 9829 0666
POBBY AND DINGAN
(AcademyProductions [UK], Sherman Pictures [Australia]) Backers: BBC Films, UK FilmCouncil's Premier Fund, South Australian Film Corporation. Int'l sales:Renaissance Films. Dist: Icon (Aust/NZ), Gaga (Japan), A-Film (Benelux),Cinelibre (Indonesia). Drama. Pobby and Dingan are invisible and live in anAustralian opal town. Their inexplicable disappearance has a big impact notjust on their nine-year-old friend Kellyanne and her family but also on thewhole town. Exec prods: Angus Finney, Robert Jones, David Thompson, Ben Rice,Finola Dwyer. Prods: Lizie Gower, Nick Morris, Emile Sherman. Assoc prod: KateMyers. Dir: Peter Cattaneo. Scr: Cattaneo, Rice, Phil Trail, based on a novellaby Rice. Line prod: Elisa Argenzio. First asst dir: Brendan Campbell. DoP:Robert Humphreys. Ed: Jim Clark. Prod design: Elizabeth Mary Moore. Costumedesign: Ruth De La Lande. Casting dir: Nikki Barratt. Main cast: VinceColosimo, Jacqueline McKenzie. Shooting in South Australia from August 19 untilOctober 21, 2004.
Contact: Fiona Searson, DDA, (61) 2 9907 6950
POST-PRODUCTION
3 THE HARD WAY
(BrainBOW Films) Budget: Low. Action. Four hit men, three slackers, twohackers and a man called Fink: Three stories, one outcome ... 3 The Hard Way.Exec prods: Byron Brimstone, John Bowring. Prods: Peter Taylor, Chris Murray.Dir/scr: Tim Boyle. Executive consultant: Jim Frazier. DoP: Caz Dickson. Ed:David Kelly. Prod design: Viola Rok. Costume design: Cath Lindsey.Hair/make-up: Alison McGirr. Main cast: Sam Worthington, Steve Bastoni, BrettStiller, Johnny Boxer, Jason Crewes, Selwyn, Brian Cobb, John Schwartz, DavidWheeler. Shooting in Sydney from April 7 to June 19.
Contact: Peter Taylor, (61) 418 641 395
AFFAIR
(Baby Banksia Productions) Budget:Low. Drama. Five separate but intertwined stories examine infidelity andsecrecy. The characters of different ages, social groups and gender preferencesgo about having affairs in different ways and judge infidelity with differentrules. Prod: Don Linke. Dir/scr: Kate Gorman. DoP: Greg Parish. Ed: Sarah Low.Prod design: Rolland Pike. Costume design: Vicki Car, Charmaine Gorman.Hair/make-up: Peta Hastings. Prod mgr: Malakai Milner. Main cast: Amanda Douge,Alex Papps, Annie Jones, Brett Swain, Sally Mcdonald. Shooting in Melbournefrom August 5 to 27.
Contact: Don Linke, (61) 3 8379 2018
THE EXTRA
(Extra Extra Film Productions)Backers: Macquarie Nine Film and Television Fund, Film Victoria. Int'l sales:Nine Films and Television. Dist: Hoyts (Aust/NZ). Romantic comedy. A normal JoeBlow sees movie stars living the high life and says 'why not me''. Exec prods:Jennie Hughes, Posie Graeme-Evans. Prods: Bruno Charlesworth, Steve Luby, MarkRuse. Dir: Kevin Carlin. Scr: Jimeoin McKeown. DoP: Mark Wareham. Ed: AngieHiggins. Prod design: Ben Morieson. Costume design: Kitty Stuckey.Hair/make-up: Kirsten Veysey. Music supervisor: Norman Parkhill. Main cast:Jimeoin, Rhys Muldoon, Kristy Hinze, Katherine Slattery, Helen Dallimore, BobFranklin. Shooting at Central City Studios in Melbourne from March 5 to April23.
Contact: Kerrie Theobald, (61) 3 9509 0229
HATING ALISON ASHLEY
(HAA Films) Backers: Film Finance Corporation Australia, The MovieNetwork, Film Victoria, The Australian Children's Television Foundation, NewSouth Wales Film and Television Office. Int'l sales: Universal Pictures (Aust,NZ and UK rights), Arclight (rest of world). Dist: Hoyts (Aust/NZ), Universal(UK). Coming-of-age drama. The trials and tribulations of being a teenager andpeer rivalry, but also discovering the value of true friendship. Exec prod: John Brousek. Co-exec prods: Gary Hamilton, VictorSyrmis. Prods: JohnBrousek, Elizabeth Howatt-Jackman. Line prod: Sue Wild. Dir: Geoff Bennett.Scr: Christine Madafferi from the book by Robin Klein. DoP: Steve Newman. Ed: Suresh Ayar. Prod design: Ralph Moser. Costumedesign: Paul Warren. Hair/make-up: Christine Miller. Music: Cezary Skubiszewski. Main cast: Delta Goodrem, SaskiaBurmeister. Shooting in Melbourne from April 5 to May 21.
Contact: Fiona Nix, publicist, (61) 2 9380 4933
LOOK BOTH WAYS(formerly LIFE STORY)
(Hibiscus Film) Backers: FilmFinance Corporation Australia, Adelaide Film Festival, South Australian FilmCorporation, Film Victoria, SBS Independent. Int'l sales: Fortissimo. Dist:Footprint (Aust/NZ). Drama (live action with animated sequences). Over afiercely hot weekend, four people grapple with life-changing news, wonderingwhether their fate is deserved or earned, and how happiness might be possible.Prod: Bridget Ikin. Assoc prods: Barbara Masel, Vicki Sugars. Dir/scr: SarahWatt. DoP: Ray Argall. Prod design: Rita Zanchetta. Costume design: EdieKurzer. Sound recordist: Toivo Lember. Ed: Denise Haratzis. Sound design:Ashley Klose Main. Main cast: William McInnes, Justine Clark, Anthony Hayes,Andrew Gilbert, Lisa Flanagan, Daniela Farinacci, Sacha Horler. Shooting inAdelaide from March 15 to April 30, 2004.
Contact: Wouter Barendrecht, Fortissimo, (852) 2311 8081
MODERN LOVE
(Cine-Godelle [French]) Budget: 1million Euros. Backers: Monique Godelle, Catherine Powell, David Black.Psychological thriller. A married couple move with their son into a small shackat a strange lake-side town. Things start to get very strange for the husbandas he re-acquaints himself with the odd-ball townspeople from his longforgotten youth. Exec prods: Monique Godelle, Alex Frayne. Prod/dir/ed: AlexFrayne. Script/DoP: Nick Matthews. Sound design: Tom Heuzenroeder. Prod design:Robert Webb. Costume design/hair/make-up: Heather Wallace. Cast: MarkConstable, Victoria Hill, William Traeger. Shooting in South Australia fromMarch 6 to July 23 (excluding May).
Contact Alex Frayne, (61) 414 455 920.
THREE DOLLARS
(Arenafilm) Backers: Film FinanceCorporation Australia, PMP/Showtime, private equity. Int'l sales: Becker FilmsInternational. Dist: Dendy/Footprint (Aust/NZ), Fandango (Italy). Comedy drama.An honest decent man unfairly finds himself, at age 38, with a wife and childand three dollars. Prod: John Maynard. Dir: Robert Connolly. Scr: Connolly,Elliot Perlman, from a book by Perlman. DoP: Tristan Milani. Prod design: LuigiPittorini. Ed: Nick Meyers. Music: Alan John. Main cast: David Wenham, FrancesO'Connor, Sarah Wynter. Shooting in Melbourne from March 8 to May 1.
Contact: John Maynard, (61) 2 9319 7011 or mail@ arenafilm.com.au
TWISTS OF FATE
(On The Mark Productions) Budget:low. Drama. Trudy thinks life couldn't get worse than being the loner at schoolwho gets her head flushed down the toilet. So when new student Chelsy befriendsher it is a pleasant surprise. Chelsy soon introduces her to drugs, alcohol andparties, but the fun can only last so long. Exec prod/dir/ed: Mark Eder. Scr:Eder, Robert Luxford. Prod: Annmaree Bell. Assoc prod: Lily Ng. DoP: DionWilton. Camera op: Robert Agganis. Set design: Amanda Starr Crawford, MeganRiakos. Costume design: Amanda Starr Crawford. Hair/make-up: Tim Claydon. Cast:Sophie Scarf, Jessica Vaby, Leigh Martin, Kelly Butler, Lindsay Farris.Shooting on the New South Wales Central Coast from April 13 to May 3.
Contact: Lily Ng, (61) 408 008 318 or l.ng@bigpond.com
WOLF CREEK
(GMF Pty Ltd). Budget: low. Backers:Film Finance Corporation Australia, South Australian Film Corporation, privateinvestors. Int'l sales: Arclight. Dist: Arclight/Mushroom (Aust/NZ).Horror/thriller. Nighmarish events take over a group of young people in theremote and inhospitable Australian outback. Based on actual events. Exec prods:Martin Fabinyi, Gary Hamilton, Matt Hearn, Simon Hewitt. Prods: DavidLightfoot, Greg McLean. Dir/scr: Greg McLean. DoP: Will Gibson. Ed: JasonBallantine. Prod design: Rob Webb. Costume design: Nicola Dunn. Makeup: JenLamphee. Music: Franc Tetaz. Main cast: John Jarratt, Nathan Phillips, KestieMorassi and Cassandra Mcgrath. Shooting in outback South Australia from May 17to June 25, 2004.
Contact: Gary Hamilton, Arclight, (61) 2 9955 8825
NEW ZEALAND
PRE-PRODUCTION
NUMBER 2
(Colonial Encounters) Backers: New Zealand FilmCommission, Working Title Films. Int'lsales: NZ Film. Dist: Miramax (Aust/NZ), Working Title (UK). Drama. A fractured Fijian family comes together forone day when their matriarch decides to name her successor. Prods:Tim White, Lydia Livingston, Philipa Campbell. Dir/scr: Toa Fraser.
Contact: Kathleen Drumm, New Zealand Film, (64) 4 382 7685
THECHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
(Walden Media) Backers: Walt Disney Studios. Fantasy. Four children inWorld War II England enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe. Theydiscover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs,centaurs and giants, but facing an eternal winter due to the evil White Witch,Jadis. They fight the curse alongside the noble mystical lion Aslan,. Execprods: Andrew Adamson, Philip Steuer. Prod: Mark Johnson. Dir: Andrew Adamson.Scr: Adamson, Anne Peacock, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, from the bookby CS Lewis. DoP: Donald McAlpine. Eds: Sim Evan-Jones, Jim May. Prod design:Roger Ford. Costume design: Isis Mussenden. Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams.VFX super: Dean Wright. VFX prod: Randy Starr. VFX: Rhythm & Hues, SonyImageworks. Main cast: Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Kiran Shah, Jim Broadbentand James Cosmo, voice actors Ray Winstone, Rupert Everett and Dawn French,child stars Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, William Moseley.Shooting in Auckland, Queenstown, Oamaru, Christchurch, London and the CzechRepublic from June 28 to January 2005.
Contact: Ernie Malik, location publicist, (64) 27 258 9165
KING KONG
(Big Primate Pictures Limited) Backers: Universal Pictures. Drama.Remake of the 1933 classic. Prods: Peter Jackson, Jan Blenkin, CarolynneCunningham. Dir: Peter Jackson. Scr: Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens. Unitproduction manager: Anne Bruning. DoP: Andrew Lesnie. Prod design: Grant Major.Supervising art dir: Dan Hennah. Music: Howard Shore. Main cast: Naomi Watts.Shooting at Miramar in Wellington, New Zealand, from April 30.
Contact: Melissa Booth, publicity department, (64) 4 380 6880
FIFTY WAYS OF SAYING FABULOUS
(MF Films) Budget: NZ$2.5 million. Backers: New Zealand Film Commission.Int'l sales: NZ Film. Drama. Coming of age story of a boy in a small southerntown. Prod: Michele Fantl. Dir: Stewart Main. Scr: Main from Grame Aitken'snovel. DoP: Simon Raby. Ed: Peter Roberts. Prod design: Ken Turner. Costumedesign: Kirsty Cameron. Hair/make-up: Tracey Sharman. Music: Peter Scholes.Main cast: Rima te Wiata, Michael Dorman. Shooting in Central Otago fromFebruary 10 to March 27, 2004.
Contact: Kathleen Drumm, NZ Film, (64) 4 382 7685.
PERFECT CREATURE
(Crimbil Equities [NZ], Roc Media [UK]) Budget: NZ$20 million. Backers:New Zealand Film Production Fund, New Zealand Film Commission, Movision, RoyalBank Of Scotland, Roc Media. Int'l sales: Arclight (worldwide), NZ Film(Aust/NZ, South East Asia). Dist: Nikatsu (Japan), Scanbox (Scandinavia).Futuristic vampire thriller. An original retelling of the vampire myth. Prods:Tim Sanders, Russel Fischer, Haneet Vaswani, Michael Cowan, Jason Piette.Dir/script: Glenn Standring. DoP: Leon Narbey. Ed: Chris Blunden. Prod design:Phil Ivey. Costume design: Kirsty Cameron. Composer: Anne Dudley. Cast: DougrayScott, Saffron Burrows, Stuart Wilson, Scott Wills, Leo Gregory. Shooting inDunedin and Auckland, New Zealand, from May 23 until August 12, 2004.
Contact: Tim Sanders, New Zealand Film Commission, (64) 4 382 7680
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