AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND Prod Lists - May 9 2003

Copyright: Screen International

DECK DOGZ
(b:j Films) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, The Movie Network. Int'l sales: Arclight. Dist: UIP (Aust/NZ), Universal International (UK, Japan, Lat Am). Teen. The one big aim of a trio of skateboard riders is to meet their hero. Exec prod: Richard Sheffield. Prods: Jennifer Bennett, Bill Bennett. Dir/scr: Steven Pasvolsky. Shooting in Sydney from July.
Contact: b:j Films, (612) 9519 4466

ILLUSTRATED FAMILY DOCTOR
(Pod Film) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, New South Wales Film And Television Office, SBS Independent, PMP/Showtime. Int'l sales: Moviehouse UK. Dist: Palace (Aust/NZ). Dark comedy. A young man haunted by his father's recent death discovers the body was 'harvested' for organ transplants. Prod: Catherine Kerr. Dir: Kriv Stenders. Scr: Stenders, David Snell from Snell's novel of the same name. DoP: Kevin Heywood. Prod des: Elizabeth Mary Moore. Cast: Samuel Johnson. Shooting in Sydney from August 2003.
Contact: Pod Film, (612) 9281 6499

MORE THAN SCARLET
(Red Carpet Productions) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, Showtime, New South Wales Film And Television Office. Int'l sales: Fortissimo. Dist: Hopscotch (Aust/NZ). Drama. An adolescent girl discovers the difference between sex and love in the winter landscape of an Australian ski resort town. Exec prod: Jan Chapman. Prod: Anthony Anderson. Dir/scr: Cate Shortland. Shooting in Jindabyne from Sept 1 to Oct 10.
Contact: Red Carpet Productions, (612) 9356 8677

POWER SURGE
(City Productions) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation. Int'l sales: ContentFilm. Psychological thriller. A couple take a heartbroken agoraphobic hostage in an isolated house. Exec prod: John Schmidt. Prods: Andrew Mason, Ed Pressman, Lizzie Bryant. Dir: Stuart McDonald. Scr: Dave Warner. Shooting in Sydney from mid-2003.
Contact: City Productions, (612) 9380 2111

STAR WARS EPISODE III
(JAK Australia Pty Ltd [US]) Backers/int'l sales: 20th Century Fox. Sci-fi. Prod: Rick McCallum. Dir/scr: George Lucas. Prod supervisor: Stephen Jones. First AD: Colin Fletcher. Prod des: Gavin Bocquet. Supervising art dirs: Peter Russell, Ian Gracie. DoP: David Tattersall. Cost des: Trisha Biggar. Make-up supervisor: Nikki Gooley. Ed: Roger Barton. Prod co-ord: Virginia Murray. Stunt co-ord: Nick Gillard. Prod accountant: Kevin Plummer. Props master: Ty Teiger. Set decorator: Richard Roberts. Creatures supervisor: Dave Elsey. Gaffer: Eddie Knight. Construction mgr: Greg Hajdu. Shooting at Fox Studios in Sydney from late June 2003.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
(Instinct Entertainment) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, Becker Group, Film Victoria. Int'l sales: Eden Rock Media. Dist: Becker (Aust/NZ). Comedy. Two old-timers in a small country town declare themselves a same-sex couple on a tax return so one of them can escape a sticky financial situation. Exec prod: Thomas Augsberger. Prods: David Redman, Nigel Odell. Dir: Dean Murphy. Scr: Murphy, Stewart Faichney. DoP: Roger Lanser. Ed: Peter Carrodus. Prod des: Ralph Moser. Cost des: Jeanie Cameron. Hair/make-up: Christine Miller. Cast: Michael Caton. Shooting in Yackandandah from mid-2003.
Contact: Instinct Entertainment, (613) 9646 0955

WEST
(City Productions). Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation. Int'l sales: ContentFilm. Dist: tba (Network Ten, Australian TV presale). Drama. A group of young men are in desperate pursuit of a better life. Exec prods: John Schmidt, Lizzie Bryant. Prods: Andrew Mason, Ed Pressman. Co-prod: Matt Reeder, Anne Robinson. Dir/scr: Daniel Krige. Shooting in Sydney from mid-2003.
Contact: City Productions,(612) 9380 2111

A MAN'S GOTTA DO
(Oilrag Productions) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, New South Wales Film And Television Office, The Movie Network. Int'l sales: The Works. Dist: Hopscotch (Aust/NZ). Comedy. A man's gotta do what he's gotta to do to keep an eccentric family together. Prods: Chris Kennedy, John Winter. Dir/scr: Kennedy. DoP: Kim Batterham. Ed: Emma Hayes. Prod des: Elizabeth Moore. Cost des: Jane Johnston. Hair/make-up: Sherry Hubbard. Cast: John Howard, Rebecca Frith, Alyssa McClelland, Gyton Grantley. Shooting in New South Wales from May 5.
Contact: The Works, (44 20) 7612 1080

MISSING TOM
(Rescued Films/Fandango Australia) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, Film Victoria, PMP/Showtime. Int'l sales: Cinemavault. Dist: Palace Films (Aust/NZ), Fandango Distuzione (It). Drama. A worker throws in his job, runs away and enters an urban hell. Exec prods: Domenico Procacci, Sue Murray. Prods: Alkinos Tsilimidos, Daniel Scharf. Dir: Alkinos Tsilimidos. Scr: Daniel Keene. Line prod: Anna Molyneaux. DoP: Toby Oliver. Ed: Ken Sallows. Prod des: Dan Potra. Cost des: Jill Johansen. Cast: Colin Friels, Rachael Blake, Loene Carmen, Bill Hunter, Dan Spielman, David Field. Shooting in Melbourne from May 2 to June 8.
Contact: Sue Murray, Fandango, (612) 9267 0609

PEACHES
(Point Blank Pictures) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, South Australian Film Corporation, PMP/Showtime. Int'l sales: Cinemavault (excluding Aust/NZ). Dist: Hopscotch (Aust/NZ). Drama. A love story that deals with accepting loss and change. Exec prod: Nick Stiliades. Prods: Craig Monahan, Don Reynolds. Dir: Monahan. Scr: Sue Smith. DoP: Ernie Clark. Ed: Surresh Ayyer. Prod des: Robert Herriot. Music: David Hirschfelder. Cast: Hugo Weaving, Jacqueline McKenzie. Shooting in Adelaide until to May 9.
Contact: Hopscotch,(612) 9319 0233

THE CROP
(Miracle Productions) Backers: Private. Romantic comedy. Exec prod/scr: George Elliot. Prod: David Wood. Dir: Scott Patterson. DoP: Roger Lanser. Ed: Tim Wellburn. Prod des: Darrel Lass. Cost des: Danni Haski. Cast: Rhys Muldoon, Holly Brisley, Tony Barry, Bruce Venables, Rob Steele. Shooting in Sydney from Sept 16 to Oct 25.
Contact: Miracle Productions,(612) 9880 9833

GETTIN' SQUARE
(Squared Productions) Backers: Macquarie Nine Film & Television Investment Fund, Australian Film Finance Corporation. Int'l sales: Universal Pictures/StudioCanal/UIP. Dist: Hoyts (Aust/NZ). Crime. A ex-con, fresh out of prison, is determined to go straight. But like his ex cell-mates, a heroin addict and a reformed gangster, he discovers that gettin' square is a lot harder than he thought. Prods: Martin Fabinyi, Tim White, Trish Lake. Co-prod/scr: Chris Nyst. Dir: Jonathan Teplitzky. DoP: Garry Phillips. Ed: Ken Sallows. Prod des: Nicholas McCallum. Costume des: Jackline Sassine. Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Timothy Spall, Gary Sweet, Freya Stafford.
Contact: Mushroom,(612) 9360 6255

GRIM
(Paperbark Films, Rough Beast) Backers: Private. Dark modern fairytale. Two lovers search for a happy ending. Prod: Gregory Read. Dir: Jon Hewitt. Scr: Hewitt, Belinda McClory. DoP: Franc Biffone. Ed: Cindy Clarkson. Cost des: Catherine Raven. Hair/make-up: Annie Single. Art dir: Kate Saunders. Cast: Belinda McClory, Aaron Pedersen, Anthony Phelan, Sandy Gore, Chris Baz, David Bonney, James Wardlaw, Paul Capsis.
Contact: Paperbark Films,(612) 9365 5300

LOVE'S BROTHER
(Great Scott Productions, Sarah Radclyffe Productions [UK]) Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, Film Victoria. Int'l sales: Arclight Films. Dist: Palace (Aus), Mikado (It). Romantic comedy. An Italian woman arrives in Australia to marry a man -whose brother she falls in love with. Prods: Jane Scott, Sarah Radclyffe. Dir/scr: Jan Sardi. DoP: Andrew Lesnie. Prod des: Paul Heath. Costume des: Anna Borghesi. Sound record: Gary Wilkins. Prod mgr: Lorelle Adamson. Ed: Veronika Jenet. Make-up: Lesley Vanderwalt. Hair: Paul Pattison. Music: Stephen Warbeck. Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Garcia, Amelia Warner, Silvia De Santis, Barry Otto.
Contact: Arclight (612) 9955 8825

PICTURE THIS
(Wincap Motion Pictures). Backers: Private. Comedy. Three psychology students researching an assignment pose as cable installers in order to secretly videotape a hapless household. Prod: Tena Lennon. Dir/scr: John Fisk. DoP: Paul Howard. Prod des: Carey Harvey. Music: Wei-han Liao. Cast: Drayton Morley, Victoria Hill, Rachel Terry, Luke Rex.
Contact: Wincap Motion Pictures,(612) 9664 2444

THUNDERSTRUCK
(Wildheart Films, Eddie Wong Films). Backers: Australian Film Finance Corporation, New South Wales Film And Television Office, South Australian Film Corporation, ScreenWest, Sony Music Entertainment (Australia), PMP/Showtime. Int'l sales: BV International Pictures. Dist: Icon (Aust/NZ), Legend (Ger). Comedy. Five AC/DC fans make a pact to bury whoever dies first next to their idol Bon Scott. Eleven years later, four of them have to honour the promise. Exec prods: Al Clark, Andrena Finlay. Prod: Jodi Matterson. Dir: Darren Ashton. Scr: Shaun Angus Hall, Ashton. DoP: Geoffrey Hall. Ed: Martin Connor. Prod des: Karen Harborow. Costume des: Ariane Weiss. Music: David Thrussell, Francois Tetaz. Cast: Damon Gameau, Stephen Curry, Ryan Johnson, Callan Mulvey, Sam Worthington.
Contact: Eddie Wong Films,(612) 9368 7233

UNDER THE RADAR
(Pictures In Paradise) Backers: Macquarie Nine Film & Television Investment Fund, Pacific Film And Television Commission, Australian Film Finance Corporation, Pandala Films. Int'l sales: Nine Films. Dist: Hoyts (Aust/NZ). Black comedy thriller. Three twentysomething boys and a girl set off for the coast, each with their own agenda. Brandon wants to get to the surf competition, Trevor blackmails Brandon to be included, Jo is on the run and Adrian can't remember who or where he is - or what he wants. Exec prods: Posie Graeme-Evans, Jennie Hughes. Prods: Chris Brown, Chris Fitchett. Assoc prods: Defrim Isai, Tom Hoffie. Dir: Evan Clarry. Scr: Steve Pratt. DoP: Philip M Cross. Ed: Antonio Mestres. Cast: Nathan Phillips, Steady Eddy, Chloe Maxwell, Clayton Watson.
Contact: Pictures In Paradise, (617) 5510 8466

CASTLE OF LIES
(First Sun (NZ), Parallel Pictures [UK]) Int'l sales: BV International Pictures. Period drama. A young woman breaks free from the shackles of her Victorian family life and marries a much older man - but instead of marriage liberating her, she becomes increasingly drawn to her stepson. Exec prods: Bjorg Veland, Jonathan Duncan, Ann Geim, Graham Breadstreet. Prod: Dave Gibson. Co-prod: Bill Chamberlain. Dir: Yvonne Mackay. Scr: Emma Frost, based on Michaelanne Forster's play Larnach. DoP: Richard Bluck. Ed: Paul Sutorius. Prod des: Clive Memmott. Cost des: Kate Hawley. Shooting mid-2003 in Wellington and Rotorua.
Contact: First Sun, (644) 384 7789

THE LAST SAMURAI
(Samurai Pictures) Backer/int'l sales/dist: Warner Bros. Epic action drama. An American military officer is hired by the Emperor of Japan in the 1870s to train the country's first army in modern warfare and help eradicate the Samurai. But he is unexpectedly affected by his encounters with the legendary warrior class and is placed at odds with two eras and worlds, with only his own sense of honour to guide him. Exec prods: Chuck Mulvehill, Rick Solomon. Prods: Marshall Herskovitz, Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Scott Kroopf, Tom Engelman. Dir: Edward Zwick. Scr: John Logan, Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz. DoP: John Toll. Ed: Steve Rosenblum. Prod des: Lilly Kilvert. Cost des: Ngila Dickson. Make-up: Lois Burwell. Hair: Janice Alexander. Cast: Cruise, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Ken Watanabe. Shooting in New Plymouth area from Jan 11 (already shot in Japan and California).
Contact: Publicity unit,(646) 759 5900