An adaptation of the SouthAfrican novel Disgrace, to star JohnMalkovich, and Mary & Max, ananimated feature by the team who made Oscar-winning short Harvie Krumpet, have been given the thumbs up by Film FinanceCorporation Australia (FFC).

Both have the backing of localdistributor Dendy Films while sales agent Fortissimo Films has also thrown itsweight behind Disgrace, adding to thelikelihood that all deals will be locked in.

Strictly Ballroom producer Tristram Miall also has a letter-of-intent in his hand forfirst-time director Elissa Down's coming-of-age film The Black Balloon, which is backed by Icon.

The fourth FFC vote ofconfidence has gone to The Kingdom,about two men - one played by Vince Colosimo (Lantana, Chopper) - whostrike an uneasy alliance on a rugged island off the coast of Australia. JapaneseStory producer Sue Maslin is working as executive producer with first-timewriter/director Fin Edquist and producer Michele Armstrong on this project.

Animated features rarelyemerge from the contemporary Australian industry but producer Melanie Coombs'and writer/director Adam Elliott have managed to get Mary & Max this far under Coombs' Melodrama Pictures banner.The claymation tracks the lifelong pen-friendship between a lonely suburbangirl in Melbourne and a New Yorker.

Disgraceis being directed by Steve Jacobs from a script by his partner, the actorAnna-Maria Monticelli, who is also producing alongside Emile Sherman. It isbased on the Booker Prize-winning novel by South African JM Coetzee, who nowlives in Australia, and sees Malkovich playing a disgraced universityprofessor.

These four FFC letters-of-intentare among 32 provided since the FFC began to make subjective decisions on someprojects: 20 of the 32 have lead to films getting the go-ahead.

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