All articles by Sandy George – Page 32
-
News
AFC selects eight projects for low-budget development lab
Chopper producer Michele Bennett and Robyn Kershaw, whose credits include Looking For Alibrandi, are among the eight teams that have projects selected by the Australian Film Commission's (AFC) development laboratory for low-budget films. The series of workshops aim to simultaneously develop a film's script, the director's vision and the production ...
-
News
Lionsgate to open Aus/NZ distribution outfit
After many rumours that it was seeking to buy an existing Australian distributor, US-based producer-distributor Lionsgate has confirmed that it is establishing its own operation to cover Australia and New Zealand. ' Australia is a key territory and to not be the person selling your own content is crazy,' said ...
-
News
Cowan to head Adelaide Film Festival jury
Adelaide Film Festival director Katrina Sedgwick today named the 12 films in its inaugural competition and announced that Toronto International Film Festival director Noah Cowan is president of the jury. She also revealed that Adelaide filmmaker Rolf de Heer will be presented with the 2007 Don Dunstan Award in recognition ...
-
News
Adelaide festival to open with Rowland's Lucky Miles
Michael James Rowland's almost completed debut film Lucky Miles is to open the Adelaide Film Festival on Feb 22 while Rolf de Heer's Dr Plonk is to close the event on March 4. Festival director Katrina Sedgwick also announced today that Australia's newest capital city film festival will this year ...
-
News
Arclight sets up Australian production office with US to follow
Sales agent Arclight Films has appointed former Instinct Entertainment producer Nigel Odell to set up a Melbourne-based office to produce and co-finance Australian films. It will establish a US production office in the near future under Harrison Kordestani, who is already based there. Arclight wants to work with bankable Australian ...
-
News
Australia 's 2006 box-office grosses second highest on record
Australia's gross box office was $675.5m (A$866.609m) last year, a rise of 6% over 2005 and the second-highest year on record according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA). The best year to date for earnings was 2004 when $707.2m (A$907.2) was spent on cinema tickets. This figure ...
-
News
Happy Feet breaks Aussie opening record for local film
Most cinemagoers probablydon't know Happy Feet is Australian,but the animated musical set in Antarctica hasbroken the record for the biggest opening week by an Australian film.Distributor Roadshowreported that the film has entered the history books with a gross of $9.66m(A$12.128m) between and including Boxing Day (Dec 26) and New Year's ...
-
News
AFC continues support for low-budget pictures
Two low-budget thrillers, Cactus and Cedar Boys, have received production funding from the AustralianFilm Commission (AFC), while a third film, TheBullet Boy, was promised money for post-production.Writer/director JasmineYuen-Carrucan, producer Paul Sullivan and executive producer Bryan Brown, whois best known internationally as an actor, are behind Cactus. The film tells the ...
-
News
Chambers takes CEO role with Australian state film agency
Tania Chambers is to become the chief executive of the News South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO), the government film agency in the Australian state that hosts the most production.She will relocate to the east coast from the opposite side of the country once she has stepped down from ...
-
News
FFC greenlights Scott Hicks' The Boys Are Back In Town
Film Finance CorporationAustralia (FFC) has given three features a green light, including director ScottHicks' comic drama The Boys Are Back InTown, his first film back in Australia since he made Shine over 10 years ago.The other films that werefinanced are Mary & Max, thefirst feature from animator Adam Elliot who ...
-
News
AFC outlines plans for digital cinema network
The Australian FilmCommission (AFC), which has been planning a digital cinema network in regional Australia for quite some time, has at last gone public withits plans. Eight independently-ownedregional cinemas - one in each state and two in New South Wales - will receivedigital equipment on loan and in exchange will ...
-
News
Ten Canoes sweeps the board at AFI Awards
Auteur director Rolf deHeer's Ten Canoes, which he producedwith Julie Ryan, was crowned best film at the Australian Film Institute Awardson Thursday night (Dec 7) in Melbourne.While its untrainedindigenous cast failed to take home any acting awards, it won six of the 10categories for behind-the-camera roles including best screenplay for ...
-
News
Kenny takes top film prize at IF Awards
Hit comedy Kenny took home four Inside Film Awards, including best film and best script, while Ten Canoes and Suburban Mayhem took home three each. Ten Canoes, the first Australian feature to be made entirely in the indigenous language, earned Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr best director, and Crusoe ...
-
News
Ten Canoes and Jindabyne shine at critics awards
It was always going to be a film that pleased the critics and Ten Canoes did just that, winning best film at the Film Critics Circle of Australia awards. Rolf de Heer's film, which brings to life the story an Aboriginal hunter tells his younger companion while on an expedition, ...
-
News
Kenny takes top film prize at IF Awards
The hit comedy Kenny tonight took home four Inside Film Awards, includingbest film and best script, while Ten Canoes and Suburban Mayhem took home three each. Ten Canoes, the first Australian feature to be made entirely inthe indigenous language, earned Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr best director,and Crusoe Kurddal ...
-
News
RGM starts shoots for first two productions
The Girl In The Park, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winningauthor David Auburn, and Pushing UpDaisies, a black comedy written and directed by Chaz Thorne, both went intoproduction this week and are the first two films to carry the name RGM, one ofAustralia's most prominent agencies.RGM director Robyn Gardinerand ...
-
News
Lightning takes international sales rights for Kenny
Lightning Entertainment has secured international sales rights for the local hit comedy Kenny, which has earned A$7 million and is still in Australian cinemas after 13 weeks.The documentary-style film, distributed by Madman, is about an ordinary man who works for a company that provides toilets for events. It has hit ...
-
News
Australia reviews tax as foreign shoots plummet
The number of big foreign productions shooting in Australia has crashed over the last year.In the 12 months to June 30, production spending from foreign productions was just $17.6m (A$23m), compared with $168m (A$243m) for the previous year - which included shoots for Superman Returns and Charlotte's Web.Earnings for 2005-2006 ...
-
News
Watts and Weaving among Australian Film Institute awards noms
TheAustralian Film Institute (AFI) has announced the nominees for itsinternational awards categories.Theyinclude Naomi Watts for her performance as a damsel in distress in King Kong, Hugo Weaving for bringing to life the protagonist in V for Vendetta, despite his mask, and Roger Donaldson for the quality of The World'sFastest Indian.Mostof ...
-
News
Ten Canoes, Jindabyne shine at Oz critics awards
It was always going to be afilm that pleased the critics and TenCanoes did just that on the weekend, winning best film at the Film CriticsCircle of Australia awards, held in Melbourne. But the most awards went tothe drama Jindabyne, which won bestdirector for Ray Lawrence, supporting actor for Deborra-Lee ...