IF 215 December 2023-January 2024 by The Intermedia Group

magazine FOR SCREEN CONTENT PROFESSIONALS ISSUE #215, DEC – JAN 2024 $7.95 AUD / WWW.IF.COM.AU

2024

RISING TALENT

THE NEXT BIG THINGS…

INSIDE: FILM: Robert Connolly talks us through making the sequel to The Dry, Force of Nature. TELEVISION: We go behind the scenes of the final season of ABC’s Total Control. VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY: Australian Screen Editors president Danielle Boesenberg argues for more time in post. TAKE TWO: Scarygirl directors Ricard Cussó and Tania Vincent on how they developed a shorthand. WELLBEING: IF examines the mental health and wellbeing strategies of the inaugural Screen Well Award winners.

ISSN 1447-2252

9 771447 225004

Biier Springs, Northern Territory

Biier Springs, Northern Territory (2023)

BOUNDLESS STORIES IN A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER

visit screenterritory.nt.gov.au Desert King (2023)

STORY DEVELOPMENT - PRODUCTION FUNDING - PRODUCTION ATTRACTION

DEC SEP –– JAN OCT 2024 2021

This issue

Editor's letter OUR RISING TALENT issue is always my favourite issue to put together. It is so exciting to highlight people who have new and interesting creative vision, or who have worked their way up the ranks into positions of leadership where they are starting to make waves.

That said, the work that goes on behind-the-scenes to make this list happen is no small task. In addition to our public call out, we directly survey people within the industry to give us their suggestions, and then our team researches every individual put forward. This year, there were a whopping 692 names put to us! That’s a lot of man hours and spreadsheets, let me tell you. In that sense, I also want to note how hard it can be to narrow categories down. There is no shortage of talent out there – this list is just scratching the surface. We hope that highlighting these up-and-comers is a great way to start the year for our readers. 2024 also brings some changes for IF. As you may have also seen on our website, we are transitioning the magazine from a bimonthly publishing frequency to a quarterly schedule. This decision was primarily driven by the way our audience consumes IF content and adopting the recommendations you’ve put to us via IF’s social channels and responses to our reader surveys. As part of this transition, no doubt you have noticed some not too subtle changes on IF’s website. We’ve rebuilt if.com. au as dynamic and mobile-first, and it is fully responsive and W3C compliant. Last May, we introduced premium content, and an In-Production data feed that is more expansive than what we can offer in the mag and includes projects in development. By moving to a quarterly publication, we’ll be able to allocate more time to well researched long-form content and analysis. And we still have a couple of more surprises for you in 2024! Jackie Keast, Editor jkeast@if.com.au

RISING TALENT 2024

These are the names we think the industry needs to stand up and pay attention to.

10 ✪ FEATURE

12 ✪ FEATURE

FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2

Published by: COMMUNICO MEDIA GROUP PTY LTD ABN 69 647 866 091 POST: PO Box 55, Glebe NSW 2037 Australia STREET: 41 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW 2037 Australia PHONE: 61 2 9660 2113 FAX: 02 9660 4419 WEB: www.if.com.au Executive Chair: Simon Grover Managing Director and Group Publisher: Mark Kuban Editor: Jackie Keast, jkeast@if.com.au Journalist: Sean Slatter, sslatter@if.com.au National Sales Manager: Tom Solis, tsolis@intermedia.com.au Senior Designer: Jacqui Cooper Prepress: Tony Willson Production Assistant: Natasha Jara IF was founded by David Barda and Stephen Jenner, co-founded by Martin Zoland.

✪ FEATURE

14 COVER STORY

Circulation and Subscriptions Australian Subscription Rates 1yr 6 issues for $43.50 2yrs 12 issues for $69.60 3yrs 18 issues for $91.35 To subscribe and to view other overseas rates visit www.intermedia.com.au or Call: 1800 651 422 (Mon – Fri 8:30-5pm AEST) Email: subscriptions@intermedia.com.au The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the editor and publisher. This magazine is not to be produced in whole or part without the express permission of the copyright owners.

Robert Connolly talks to us about adapting the next book in Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk series, Force of Nature.

LETTING GO OF TOTAL CONTROL

IF chats to Blackfella Films about the third and final season of the ABC political drama.

Voice of the Industry ASE president Danielle Boesenberg argues for more time to be given to postproduction.

36 CGA Rising Stars This issue is all about talent: We talk to the 12 actors the CGA has deemed Rising Stars.

Take Two Through Brisbane’s Like A Photon Creative, Ricard Cussó and Tania Vincent have forged an enduring partnership.

42 Making wellbeing a priority We examine the approaches of Screen Well Awardwinners NIDA and Erotic Stories.

46 2023 reflections, 2024 intentions Ellenor Cox encourages you to reflect on the year that’s been and envision the year ahead.

REGULARS

4 Letters, 15 Seconds 48 IF I Had A Gadget 50 In Production 58 What’s On

Environmental statement: The Intermedia Group takes its Corporate and Social Responsibilities seriously and is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We continuously strive to improve our environmental performance and to initiate additional CSR based projects and activities. As part of our company policy we ensure that the products and services used in the manufacture of this magazine are sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers. This magazine has been printed on paper produced from sustainably sourced wood and pulp fibre and is accredited under PEFC chain of custody. PEFC certified wood and paper products come from environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests. www.if.com.au 3

LETTERS Heard on Twitter...

Jillian Nguyen.

Follow IF magazine at twitter.com/insidefilm.

Noticeboard

I want to inform all Australians that ‘Napoleon’ features a scene where some Directoire guy is ousted in a coup and he complains that he hasn’t even had his “succulent breakfast” This is democracy manifest! Alexei Toliopoulos @ThisisAlexei

Get asked this a lot. Intermissions in longer films. In my opinion you should just go piss, mate. Not a big deal if you need to. If you love the movie you’ll see it again some time and there’ll be a minute or two for you to enjoy for the first time. Paul Rust @paulrust

Leonard Cohen finishes writing “Hallelujah,” stands up from the piano, calls a close friend on the phone and says “I think I’ve just written the perfect song for the sad montage in Shrek.” Cameron Williams @MrCamW

‘Bluey’ rankings are my Hottest 100, shaking my head, muttering to myself “shoulda been higher” B E Ayshford @episode2480

So terribly sad to hear about Simon Elhari’s sudden passing. Has the great pleasure of working with Simon on Fighting Season and House of Gods. Such a courageous intelligent and thoughtful performer. Had so much more to offer Leena @LeenaVanD

in the spirit of nanowrimo here’s an exercise i wish i’d learned at school: - take your premise - write out all the opinions people could have on that premise happening assign each one to a different character - watch as your protag & antag slowly make themselves known Tom Vaughan @storyandplot

I started out as an actor before I turned to screenwriting. What I learned there about script analysis informs so much of how I write a scene. There are plenty of reasons to take an acting class, but none more than learning to visualize a scene from beat to beat to beat. christopher yost @yost

Diana Giorgiutti passed away, I just found out. She was kind to me when she didn’t need to be, she was an amazing person and gone too soon.

Written in response to ‘Federal Government weighs revenue and expenditure models for streaming regulation’, November 8, 2023

Am I reading this correctly? Some genius in Canberra has decided that documentary will be exempt from the quota? If so, that’s an act of cultural suicide. In a world when the truth has never been more urgently needed, it’s been decreed that real stories now have less value or national significance than made up stories?

- Simon Nasht Written in response to ‘Media Mentors Australia asks: Are you ready to be a head of department?’, published October 6, 2023 The problem isn’t about whether one is ready – it’s about whether the productions will allow women back into the HOD roles they formerly held. Women who have had HOD roles and ATL roles, but took a break for family, are not being respected for their experience, and are not being given jobs or a way back into the industry. Without “recent credits” they are being dismissed as “inexperienced” – but they don’t get offered any job if they are age-wise more senior than the person in the role above the position they apply for. Ageism is very real in the screen industries. Have been discussing with many women, who are having to dumb down their CVs, remove prior credits, lie about their age, and pretend they are new graduates to get any job at all. These are brilliant women who have not been given a path to re-enter the workforce, or who being treated like they became braindead during their break. This is doubly problematic as all this wealth of experience and knowledge is being lost. That’s the experienced mentors that should be training up the next generation. It’s ironic that these women can be guest speakers – but go years without any paid work. This also goes for the ‘lost senior white men’ who are no longer offered work because they don’t tick a diversity box. All these diversity programs are designed for people under 35. One has to wonder what will happen to this generation when they reach middle age and break from their careers? No doubt they will also be swept under the rug and forgotten.

- LfO

(Photo: Daniel Mazzarella)

Mel Campbell @incrediblemelk

Seconds

Jillian Nguyen has recently appeared in ‘One Night’, ‘The Clearing’, ‘Shayda’, ‘Barons’, led the voice cast of ‘Scarygirl’, and is in the upcoming ‘White Fever’.

The biggest issue facing the Australian film or TV industry is:

Funding, more money in general. But it’s vital, in my opinion, to have more initiatives to empower and nurture up-and-coming talent, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. Our cinematic landscape and national cultural identity will only be enriched and illuminated by even more diverse storytelling. If not, we keep seeing the same stories and faces over and over again. It’s so boring. Best movie quote of all time:

“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” – Julia Roberts as Anna in Notting Hill. Iconic. Do you Google yourself?

As a true masochist, I read all reviews of everything I’m in – I see them like report cards. Classics I would like to remake:

I’d love to remake the cult, Japanese horror Audition by director Takashi Miikke and play the sweet but sadistic Asami of course. A dream role. Favourite comedy film/show of all time:

The Office (American).

Favourite guilty pleasure:

Mouth-watering pastries and very good-looking men. Worst filmmaking experience:

The fake answer is sitting on Nicholas Hoult’s lap back in 2018 when I had a walk on role in Justin Kurzel’s Kelly Gang. Highlight of my 20s. Unsung Australian film / TV hero or heroine:

Aaron Pedersen in Ivan Sen’s Mystery Road – he’s our Australian equivalent of True Detective. One of the best leading men ever. You can’t decide if you want to slap him or kiss him. If I weren’t in the film / TV industry I’d be:

A popstar.

In a film about your life, who would play you?

Emma Stone.

I’d spend my last $20 on:

Send your letters to publicity@if.com.au 4 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

My favourite Vietnamese vermicelli noodle soup – ‘bún riêu’ – the original is a spicy, shrimp tomato-based soup with broken up crab meat, and rice noodles, topped with heaps of fresh greens, chilli and lemon, but the tofu version would be good. And a glass of chilled natural wine.

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OPINION

VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

Australian Screen Editors president Danielle Boesenberg argues for more time to be given to post-production.

he work of editors is largely a mystery to others. Quiet, concentrated tasks done alone in dark rooms, then one-on-one with the director or producer, shaping performance and tone, rhythm, and tension, until picture lock. Non-industry friends have asked if my job is just to “top and tail” shots and put them in order on a timeline. Even some industry friends find editing difficult to comprehend. But editing is critical to the success of any production. You could say that the editor is the lightning rod for everything that has come before. We take the best of all the work done in development and pre-production, and make sure it’s being used in the most powerful way. All the time spent in pre, all the demands of production, all the design ideas and rehearsal time, the shot lists and run-throughs, the performance options and lens choices, lead to media on a card: the rushes. These go to your editor, who will begin the process of making definitive choices about what stays and what goes, which performance from which angle, and why. So, if post-production is where these decisions are being made, why do we rush it? It’s not uncommon to have only four or five days with a director to work on an episode of an hourlong drama before starting to incorporate producer and network notes, with each episode having roughly two weeks to get to picture lock. The resulting episode is usually in the vicinity of 50 minutes, or approximately half the length of a feature film, yet no one would suggest a feature film be cut in just four weeks. 6 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

The only way to make such a tight deadline is to rely on experience and instinct. When your director joins you after the show’s shoot, you begin to triage the episodes. You might address structural issues and identify story arcs needing support. Scenes needing the most work take priority, and then you move to the next-most-problematic ones, and so on… The truth is some scenes will never evolve much beyond assembly. There simply isn’t time. Perhaps they are scenes that have come together on first attempt, that are quickly the best they can be. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But doesn’t it make sense to be sure? Why then, are we applying such tight schedules to post-production? The offline edit is one of the cheapest parts of the process, requiring minimal staff and minimal gear. Extending the post schedule is a relatively low-cost method to ensure the best result possible. More time in the edit means more time to distil and maximise everything that has come before. To explore possibilities. To try, and even fail, and then find new solutions. It offers the opportunity for genuine examination to see if there’s a better, more artful alternative that hasn’t been discovered yet. It allows the team to dig deeper. Ask most editors and they’ll tell you their favourite part of the job is when they can play around with the rushes, experimenting with interesting ways to unfold a scene, to re-assess structure, to add sound design and score to help sell the cut, to play with pacing and rhythm, to value add. And then there are the benefits that come with walk-away time. It’s when we solve problems and come

ASE president Danielle Boesenberg.

up with creative alternatives that we can’t always see in the room. It’s the antidote to “I can’t see the wood for the trees”. By extending the time in post, we extend the potential for every artist’s work to hit harder, with more resonance and power. We extend the potential of the work. I realise it’s not a simple solution. Budgets and schedules are linked to often immovable delivery and TX dates, which is why it’s often postproduction that is the most squeezed. And of course, most departments would argue that they could benefit from more flexibility in the schedule, so if we allow more time in the offline, where do we take it from? The thing is, post-production is the end of the line. It’s where the final decisions are being made. Where we go from infinite possibility to actuality. We owe it to our cast and crew to make the best of all their hard work. We feel that responsibility keenly – and we want to deliver on it. It’s no accident that the 2022 AACTA-winning editors were

awarded for their work on Elvis and Mystery Road: Origin. Both productions had longer-than-usual post schedules. Mystery Road: Origin had roughly double the edit period of most premium broadcast shows. And the critically-acclaimed Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which is likely to be a strong contender during the next awards season, worked with a generous schedule allowing for additional time, flexibility and creative freedom. Early episodes weren’t locked until all the episodes had been seen by producers, giving them the opportunity to see the entire series play out before committing to the picture lock of the first episode. This of course allowed the team to revisit earlier episode cuts when interesting creative discoveries were made along the way. They had time to find the best, most cohesive version of the show. In a world where, increasingly, Australian shows are competing against the rest of the world, a little more time will make a lot of difference. It’s that simple.

TAKE TWO

ANIMATION ALLIES

Ricard Cussó and Tania Vincent.

Through Brisbane’s Like A Photon Creative, Ricard Cussó and Tania Vincent have forged a partnership that has spanned various titles from the Tales from Sanctuary City franchise, including The Wishmas Tree, Combat Wombat and Daisy Quokka: World’s Scariest Animal, as well as Scarygirl, and the upcoming Combat Wombat: Back to Back and The Sloth Lane. Sean Slatter speaks to the directors about how they developed their shorthand.

RICARD CUSSÓ

first worked Tania in 2018 when she was hired as an animator on The Wishmas Tree, which was my feature directorial debut. She was brought on as one of the leads and she was just incredible; her way of understanding the story and her actual animation skills were so, so good. We very quickly got on the same page and from there, we did Combat Wombat, and Daisy Quokka: World’s Scariest Animal. With those films Tania cemented her role as a lead animator within the studio. A new studio executing three films back-to-back like that was something I don’t think had been done before. A lot of us hadn’t worked on features previously within the production team, so it was a great experience. We made sure to surround ourselves with experienced heads of department and have people like Tania on board. We had the opportunity with Scarygirl to bring in a director’s attachment, which was orchestrated by Like A Photon. At the time, there had never been a female director for an animated feature film. Tania had shown incredible skill, not only in animation, but also in her understanding of story, so we thought we would give her a crack. She came on as co-director and very quickly became an instrumental part of the production. I come from a live-action point of view, so I have more of a cinematography approach, but my understanding of animation is limited – I’ve never studied animation and I don’t know the lingo, although I did my best to learn by talking to animators. Tania has that experience because she has been in the industry for who knows how long. She’s an incredible screenwriter as well. Her understanding of story and character was incredible, and she brought in a lot of insight to Scarygirl. We were hand-in-hand directing the film together and getting that story from the script to the screen. We’ve got very similar sensibilities towards cinema in general. She’s an incredible person and human. She is so giving with everything, and she’ll put her heart and soul into absolutely everything she does. It makes my life so much easier to have the constant support of someone that takes ideas 8 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

and gives you ideas. In collaborating, we find great ways to enhance a story and the look of the film, but all that is supported through a great friendship.

TANIA VINCENT

I started at Like A Photon working on The Wishmas Tree as a senior animator, whose job is mainly to get the hardest shots in the film. Everyone I’ve ever worked with in the animation industry has come from animation, but Ricard’s background was live action, so one of the things that I really enjoyed was that he approached the animation more like a live-action director, which means he would just talk to us like we were actors. It wasn’t about the technicalities of everything; it was about, “This is how the character thinks and this is how the character feels”, and I think, as an animator, you dream of having that direction given to you. He went out of his way to learn all the technical terms that we use in 3D animation, which really bonded him to the team. He’s followed on with that on the other films, in terms of trying to learn what every department does and ingraining himself in the animation world. Prior to co-directing Scarygirl, I had been an animator for 16 years and been an animation director on some smaller projects, but the film was my first big step into that role. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of. I’d heard horror stories about the role of codirector, one of which was that they sit you in a corner and they just call on you when they need

you. What Ricard did amazingly with me was he brought me into the fray. In every single meeting, he would say his ideas to the team and they would pitch ideas back to him, at which point he would always turn to me and be like, “Tania, what do you think?”. It really shocked me early on how involved he let me be. By the end of film, we both found where our strengths were in the animation industry, and I really appreciated that he fully embraced the knowledge I could bring to the project. I really admire Ricard’s cinematography. Coming from animation, we care so much about the acting and the story side of things like they do in live action, but he really brought a care and attention for what the cameras are doing, which is something actually quite rare in animation. It shouldn’t be but it definitely is. I’ve learned so much from him in regards to that. It’s a skill that I almost didn’t realise how much I wanted to learn and I was really grateful that he imparted so much of that knowledge to me. Recently, the two of us fully directed an animated movie called The Sloth Lane. That was one that I got the chance to write on. He just took this massive step back and just really let me run with it. He’s directing something on his own, which I am going to animation direct on, so I think me and him are always going to be intertwining. I love bringing my animation knowledge to his stuff, and a lot of what I make is under the umbrella of his company, Cosmic Dino, so it’s cool he’ll always be the person that I go and show the reels to. I think it’s going to be a creative friendship that just keeps growing.

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FILM

BACK ON THE CASE

Eric Bana as Aaron Falk in ‘Force of Nature’.

After The Dry made more than $20 million in 2021, it was perhaps inevitable the creative team would look to adapt the next book in Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk series, Force of Nature, for the big screen. Writer, director and producer Robert Connolly talks to Jackie Keast about the follow up – and hints there may be a third film yet.

obert Connolly never really imagined he’d direct a sequel. It’s not that he’d never been asked. Pressure once saw him consider a follow-up to his 2015 family hit Paper Planes – “I did for a while explore the idea of Paper Boats, believe it or not” – but he never managed to get his head around how it might work. However, in 2021, his adaptation of Jane Harper novel The Dry, starring Eric Bana as Federal Agent Aaron Falk, became a summer phenomenon, earning $20.7 million at the box office, making it the 15th highest grossing Australian film of all time. Naturally, Connolly then went to re-visit the next book in Harper’s Falk series, Force of Nature. He took notes and spent the next six months contemplating if, and exactly how, it could work both as a sequel and standalone film. 10 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

Force of Nature: The Dry 2, once again produced by Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky, Connolly for Arenamedia and Bana for Pick Up Truck Pictures, follows five women that take part in a corporate hiking retreat, from which only four come out on the other side. Bana’s Falk, along with fellow Federal Agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie), heads deep into the Victorian mountain ranges to investigate in the hopes of finding their whistle-blowing informant, Alice Russell (Anna Torv), alive. Deborra-lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, and Lucy Ansell play the remaining hikers. Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor, Ash Ricardo, Richard Roxburgh, Tony Briggs and Kenneth Radley also star.

While there are many familiar elements from the first film, Connolly feels blessed that Harper gifted him a wholly different story. Force of Nature does not follow on in a linear sense from The Dry; it’s set in an entirely different location, allowing for a different aesthetic, and besides Falk and his parents, there are a whole new set of characters. Central to the sequel is the ensemble of five women who are lost in the bush, which Connolly feels is something different to what we have seen in Australian cinema. “The first film’s called The Dry, so the very first shot of this film is under the water with Aaron Falk swimming. It’s like saying ‘Okay, it’s different now’,” Connolly tells IF. “But there’s still a lot of things for people who love The Dry. In the same way, it throws down the challenge to the audience: Can you work out what happened before Aaron Falk does? It’s not passive. It’s fun for the audience to try to work out.” A key motivator for the writer-director in crafting the sequel was a chance to explore the mindset, motivations and sensibilities of Falk further, in the tradition of other detective mysteries. One of the things that he enjoyed most about The Dry was the way it explored how Falk’s past informs his present, with the film straddling dual timelines. In that sense, he has elaborated on an element of Harper’s Force of Nature – with her blessing – so that once again the main story is presented in parallel with a story from when the detective was a teenager. And like the first film, there two crimes the film is exploring on screen – a corporate crime and a missing person case. “As a director, it’s such rich stuff,” Connolly says. “But much like The Dry, it’s tricky; this is a very tricky genre to direct and edit. How do you keep these crimes going? How do you tease the audience? How do you make the audience feel like they might be able to solve it themselves? How do you balance clues and secrets, but then not lose track of those deep, humanist themes that are what I think people really love about Jane’s books too?” Alongside Bana, Force of Nature pulls a stellar cast, balanced with newer faces. Connolly gives due credit for the ensemble to his wife, casting director Jane Norris – “if I was to direct a film without her casting it, it’d be like having both my hands tied behind my back”. “She really keeps me honest, and she pushes me. She has a view that our national cinema can have an ultra-Australian cast – The Dry and Force of Nature are all Australian actors. “An ultra-Australian cast, that can have big stars like Eric, but always needs emerging talent. In this one, she was really big on the two sisters played by Sisi Stringer and Lucy Ansell; she introduced them to me, I didn’t know their work. “One of the other things Jane pushes me to do is to look to iconic Australian actors who maybe we haven’t seen for a while... She says ‘Make it a big, ultra-Australian cast, have a big star like Eric, have young actors, people we’ve never seen, but don’t forget people like Deborra-Lee Furness, Jacqui McKenzie, Richard Roxburgh, these great actors.’”

FILM

(Photo: Narelle Portanier)

‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’.

understanding” of Bana’s position. “One of Eric’s great passions when he releases a film is talking to audiences about it, taking it out, standing in front of audiences, getting on radio. “So when he was unavailable to do any press due to the strike, it just seemed crazy. It wouldn’t have been as much fun for audiences, and it would have denied us the chance to have a good old-fashioned roadshow. “And lot of the issues that were being grappled with at that point in the SAG strike were something I knew Eric felt passionately about – using his status to be in solidarity with the actors – so politically, it felt like the right choice too.” Part of Connolly’s desire to tour the film comes from his convictions about the power of cinema. He is optimistic about the future of the big screen, arguing filmmakers just need to be more innovative today than ever before and engage

Writer, director and producer Robert Connolly on set.

(Photo: Narelle Portanier)

One of the other parallels between The Dry and Force of Nature is the depiction of landscape. That said, the country of the sequel, filmed in the Dandenong Ranges, the Otways and the Yarra Valley, is vastly different to first, which shot in the wheat belt of the Wimmera Mallee region. Indeed, where the first film was called The Dry, Force of Nature could just have easily been titled The Wet. “One of the biggest and most exciting challenges of the adaptations is the way Jane Harper depicts landscapes,” Connolly says. “Force of Nature, in some ways for me is quite a personal thing. I grew up in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, and in the Australian bush; a lot of my childhood was my father taking my brother and I bushwalking. I have a great sense of it in my life, and Australians do – we go out into it, we bushwalk, we camp, we investigate the environs of our nation. “For me that was a very personal appeal of the book, and I knew that this would be a landscape film, in that it’s a character, and that visually the screen language of the film would need to be an intoxicating journey into this world.” That lead to what Connolly calls a “crazy production”, taking crew deep into bush that had never seen a camera before, in the middle of winter, in pouring rain. It was a tough shoot; he jests there were a lot of references to The Revenant on set. “But then I just think cinema is a great adventure for an audience that takes you to places you’ve never been; when you watch a film you are transported somewhere. That’s why I’ve never filmed in a studio. I love shooting on location.” Roadshow Films, who returns as the distributor of the sequel, originally dated Force of Nature for August 24, 2023. However, in the wake of SAG-AFTRA strike, the film was then delayed indefinitely, before being redated for February. At the time, Bana released a statement noting the postponement came with “some regret, but a large amount of conviction”. Connolly says he was “completely

more with exhibition. He staunchly believes Australian filmmakers can make “big films”; he shot Force of Nature, The Dry and his recent film Blueback in large format, believing the cinema is the optimum way to view each. “We work with our friends at Roadshow to do big theatrical releases on hundreds of screens, but it goes both ways. You can only do that if you’re willing to support exhibition and tell exhibition, ‘This will be backed up. We’re here. We’ll be doing press. We’ll be doing everything we can; coming to as many cinemas as we can. We’ll be flying around the country and introducing screenings.’ “People always get worried and they go ‘Oh, the future’s streaming’. I just don’t believe it. I think streaming is amazing and I think the quality of the work has revolutionised the content we can watch at home. But I also think people love going out to the movies. You can see it with the Barbie, Oppenheimer weekend, where it was an event for people. “The challenge thrown down to us as filmmakers is to make works that are more cinematic than ever. That’s why Force of Nature is an intoxicating portrait of the Australian bush; a celebration, a love letter to the bush. You’re going to feel immersed and taken into it.” Late last year, Harper released the third and final book in the Aaron Falk series, Exiles. An obvious question for Connolly – will there be a third film? “Once Force of Nature is out, audiences have seen it and we start hearing how people react, I think we’ll sit down and have a look at Exiles… and toss around the way, the means and whether audiences want or don’t want it. “It’s a great book and it’s really exciting to contemplate the possibility of making a trilogy; The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy would be my comparable. But we’ll see how we go with Force of Nature.” Roadshow will release ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’ in cinemas February 8.

www.if.com.au 11

FEATURE

Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair and Rob Collins.

CONTROLLED OUTCOME ABC political drama Total Control will conclude with its third season, bringing an end to five-year journey for production company Blackfella Films. Sean Slatter speaks with producers Darren Dale and Erin Bretherton, and director Jub Clerc.

ince Gilligan is known as the mastermind behind Breaking Bad, but he also inadvertently had a role in creation of Total Control, according to Darren Dale. The Blackfella Films producer had just finished listening to an in-depth discussion with Gilligan at ACMI, held as part of Series Mania in 2018, when he was approached by actress Rachel Griffiths. “She asked me if I was Darren Dale from Blackfella Films, I said ‘yes’ and then told me she had a great idea for a TV show,” Dale tells IF. “The next day I called her and said I thought the idea was really fantastic before going to Sally Riley at the ABC, who said, ‘I want that show’. Everyone loved it.” More than five years later, the journey is coming to an end, with the third and final season of the political drama to air on the ABC in January. It picks up two years after the end of season two, which saw main character Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) survive an attack outside Parliament House to assist Labor operative Paul Murphy (Wayne Blair) to become the nation’s first Indigenous Prime Minister. 12 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

In the next chapter, Irving is completely at home in the nation’s capital. However, she is soon faces with the greatest test of her political career when it’s discovered the think tank run by former Prime Minister Rachel Anderson’s (Griffiths) reprobate advisor Nick Pearse (Alex Dimitriades), which made substantial donations to her election campaign, was backed by private interests in order to buy political influence. Alex and Rachel battle to control their political destinies and uncover the truth about who was behind the dark money amid corruption allegations that threaten to destroy them both. Dale says while it is difficult to say goodbye to a character like Alex, it was good they went out with a bang. “This show is all the great things you want in drama; there are high stakes and it is slightly elevated in terms of the [political] plays, such as the backstabbing and the wheeling and dealing,” he says. “I think the saddest thing is not getting to work with Deb as that character anymore, but we’ve worked together for the past 20 years, so I’m sure we’ll work together again.” Mailman stepped into what was her first television lead role to play Irving, an Indigenous woman from outback Queensland who heads into the world of federal politics on the back of a tragic event. She and Griffiths have since formed the backbone of a cast that, along with Blair and Dimitriades, has included Rob Collins, Anthony Hayes, Wesley Patten, Steph Tisdell, Daniela

Farinacci, Lisa Flanagan, Benedict Hardie, Anita Hegh, Huw Higginson and Trisha MortonThomas, with Catherine McClements, Fayssal Bazzi, and Josef Ber joining for the new season. Dale says the political subject matter of the series has always demanded a big cast, crediting Mailman and Griffiths for helping to attract “such a breadth of actors”. “I think actors are always after great roles, and the personal and professional side of politics gives room to have complex characters,” he says. “Also, when you start a show with Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths as the two leads, I think good actors want to work with other good actors.” There is also no shortage of high profile talent behind the camera. Rachel Perkins directed season one, while Blair took over duties for the second. This time around, he shares the role with Sweet As director Jub Clerc, working off scripts penned by returning writers Stuart Page and Pip Karmel, and new additions Julia Moriarty and Meyne Wyatt. Clerc came on board after catching up with Dale, one of her “darling dear friends”, at last year’s Content London. “He just started dropping these little funny hints,” Clerc tells IF. “Saying stuff like, ‘Do you work away from home a lot? How did you feel about that? What are you doing next year?’. On one of the last days of Content London, I just said, ‘Are you going to ask me if I want a job or what because I’ve got things I’ve got to do next year.”

FEATURE

Blackfella Films producer Darren Dale with director Jub Clerc.

While the plan was initially for Clerc to direct one episode, she ended splitting the season with Blair down the middle, working on episodes three, four, and five, while he helmed one, two and six. Dale says being able to have “two First Nations directors at the top of their game” was “so gratifying”. “It’s just so exciting to have a First Nations woman from the Kimberley directing world-class TV drama,” he says “I think you’re going to see a lot more of her doing great work, and for us, having that depth of talented directors, really just adds to that authenticity.” While Clerc is no stranger to directing ABC titles, having worked on Turn Up the Volume and The Heights, walking on the third season of a political drama represented new territory. She credits the “dream team” for helping her settle in. “I have a very long relationship with a lot of the actors like Deb and Wayne, and I was able to connect really quickly with Steph and Rob because that’s just easy for us mob,” she says. “There’s also Rachel Griffiths, who is just so seasoned. It was hard because it’s such a huge production and you have to be on top of everything all the time with the political storylines, but their guidance and intimate knowledge of this story and those characters meant I was never struggling to get what I needed out of the day.” Central to bringing to the political storylines to life throughout the program’s run has been the use of Canberra as a shooting location. The first two seasons shot in the Senate, and the corridors and courtyard of Parliament House, even reportedly managing to fool gallery journalists into thinking fictional press conferences were the real thing on more than one occasion.

(Photo: Lisa Tomasetti)

Deborah Mailman in ‘Total Control’.

Deborah Mailman, producer Darren Dale, and Wayne Blair.

For the latest season, the access was expanded even further, with the production allowed an extra four days of shooting in Parliament House, bringing the overall total to nine. Renovations to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, which doubles for the House of Representatives in the series, meant interior shots were also filmed at NSW Parliament House for four days, while the regional NSW town of Trangie was also used as a location during the three-month shoot. According to Erin Bretherton, who produces the third season with Dale after having been an associate producer on season two, the greater freedom within the walls of Parliament House came on the back of the change in government after the 2022 election. “It really does feel [with this season] like there is a great level of support and acknowledgement of the arts as not just a creative practice, but an economic contributor, which has been lovely,” she says. Labor’s victory and the growing influence of the teal independents bear similarities to the events of Total Control’s second season, during which six independents are swept to power. Bretherton says the predictive nature of the series is no accident. “Mostly none of it is influenced by what is already happening,” she says. “We still want to be in touch with the world, but if we tried to write what’s happening in the moment we are writing, everything would feel quite ripped from the headlines because development, production and post comes to a little over 12 months, so writing what’s happening now wouldn’t feel fresh on screen. “It’s sort of about pitching what might be coming next and to that I think we’re incredibly well researched. We consult really widely with

politicians, lawyers, and other experts in different fields of Australian legislation about what topics the show could talk about.” However, she says it is more important for the program to have “something to say about who we are as a nation”, as seen by the prospect of an Indigenous Prime Minister, something she says we “may still be a way off from”. “In the first season, I know they talked about the potential for Alex to end up Prime Minister,” she says. “That’s not where our show goes and had we held onto that, we probably never would have ended up finding the Paul Murphy character or the other chess moves she could make. I think it has been a more interesting show because we haven’t gone, ‘Oh we’re just heading for that flag over there’.” For Dale, the “aspirational” element of Indigenous Prime Minister and an influential Aboriginal woman in Parliament on the back of recent real-life events, such as the failed Voice referendum, almost made him question whether it was the right time to end the series. “I did watch this season and think, ‘Oh god, you could actually do another season’,” he says. “But then I thought it would be better to go out on a high and we’ve certainly designed this to be the final season, although no one dies.” While he didn’t rule out revisiting the characters, he says it would be in another setting. “I think that world of [Total Control] is very particular,” he says. “We’d have to take Deb Mailman off to a completely different world. I think what’s exciting is a brand new show. The challenge for us is coming up with material she wants to do.” Total Control season three will premiere Sunday January 14, 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. www.if.com.au 13

RISING TALENT

RISING TALENT 2024

The IF Rising Talent list for 2024 is made up of people we think will shift and lead our industry into the future. Some are newer faces, others have recently stepped into senior roles where they’re now making waves. We think you’ll want to work with all of them. We put this list together through a public call out and extensive insdustry outreach. This year, we had a staggering 692 names put forward. As always, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of talent that’s out there in Australia.

ACTORS

GEORGIA FLOOD

NGALI SHAW

Georgia Flood was most recently cast in the role of Savannah in Peacock series Apples Never Fall, alongside Annette Bening, Sam Neill and Alison Brie. Prior to this she spent most of 2022 filming the female lead role for series Nautilus, based on the Jules Verne novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Her feature film work includes action thriller Blacklight, starring Liam Neeson, and on stage, Flood recently played Celia in As You Like It for the Melbourne Theatre Company, directed by Simon Phillips. Her first international role was in 2019 as the lead in the Lifetime series American Princess, produced by Jamie Denbo and Jenji Kohan. In TV, Flood had a lead role in ABC miniseries Anzac Girls, for which she received a Best Actress Nomination at the Golden Nymph Awards in Monte Carlo, and main cast or recurring roles in Wentworth, Home & Away, House Husbands, Tangle and Here Come the Habibs. Guest appearances include Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You, True Story with Hamish and Andy and Talkin’ Bout Your Generation. Flood is represented by CP Artist Management in Australia and the Gersh Agency in the US.

Ngali Shaw is from the Wiradjuri, Murawari and Kunja tribes. He made his television debut in Seven’s RFDS in 2021, and went on to star opposite Sam Neill and Marta Dusseldorp in Foxtel series The Twelve. He will next be seen in the TV adaptation of Ladies in Black for ABC and Stan feature film Windcatcher. In 2023, Shaw made his theatre debut in the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Jacky, and he’ll return to the MTC stage in 2024 to lead 37, directed by Isaac Drandic. As a professionally trained dancer, Shaw has learnt tap, ballet, hip hop, classical, modern contemporary and Capoeira. He was selected for the NSW Public Schools Aboriginal Dance Company and invited to participate in a one-week training camp with Bangarra Dance Company. Under dance teacher Doug Gordon, Ngemba and Yuwalayaay Custodian, he has trained in Aboriginal/Indigenous dance since 2017. Shaw is proud of his culture and identity and wishes to inspire the next generation to dance and keep their stories alive. He is repped by Nathan Culliver Management.

HOA XUANDE

BERNIE VAN TIEL

Hoa Xuande is best known for his role of Lin in Netflix’s 2021 live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop. His other screen credits include Paramount+’s Last King of the Cross, SBS’s Hungry Ghosts, ABC’s Ronny Chieng International Student, Foxtel’s Fighting Season and Top of the Lake 2: China Girl, ABC’s Cleverman and Black Comedy. Xuande has also appeared in the feature films A Stitch in Time, OtherLife and Careless Love. In 2022, Xuande was announced as the star of the upcoming HBO/A24 television series The Sympathizer, starring opposite Robert Downey Jr and Sandra Oh. The series will be released internationally in April 2024. Xuande is a WAAPA graduate and is represented by Morrissey Management in Australia and Industry Entertainment in the US.

Bernie Van Tiel (aka BVT) is a Sydney based actor, voice over artist, hip hop/R&B artist, beatboxer and producer. She will next be seen on SBS’s Swift Street, alongside Tanzyn Crawford and Cliff Curtis, and her other screen credits include SBS’s Erotic Stories, Amazon’s Class of ‘07, Del Kathryn Barton feature Blaze, ABC Studio International’s Reef Break, web series The Mother Load and short films Yellow and Risen. Van Tiel played the lead in 2017 web series Jade of Death, for which she received Best Female Performance at the International Academy of Web Television Awards. As a queer person of colour, Van Tiel’s mission is to make the marginalised feel seen and represented through her art whilst bearing her culture as a future ancestor. She was named a Rising Star by the Casting Guild of Australia in 2023. Van Tiel is repped by Sophie Jermyn Management.

(Photo credit: Rebecca Hitch) 14 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

KARTANYA MAYNARD Kartanya Maynard is a proud Truwulway and Nunga actor. She recently joined the second season of Netflix’s Heartbreak High as a series regular and can be seen in Amazon series Deadloch, ABC’s The Messenger and in the ABC/CBS series Gold Diggers. She was named one of the Casting Guild of Australia’s Rising Stars in 2023. In 2024, Maynard will make her mainstage debut at the Sydney Theatre Company in Stolen.

In 2020, she performed in Archipelago’s production of Angus Cerini’s The Bleeding Tree alongside Marthaa Dusseldorp. Residing in Hobart, Maynard is also a singer with a Bachelor in Music who has performed at music festivals across the country. Maynard is repped by Kubler Auckland Management.

AFTRS is proud to rank among THR’s top international film schools. Flexible study options & scholarships available. Short courses. Award courses. aftrs.edu.au

Australia’s Premier Screen School

RISING TALENT

CASTING DIRECTORS STEPHANIE PRINGLE AND ALISON FOWLER

Photo credit: Jes Lindsay

Stephanie Pringle and Alison Fowler are the co-founders of Chicken and Chips Casting, launched in 2015, and work across advertising, TV and film. Their recent projects include Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s Birdeater, winner of the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival and due to screen at SXSW in March; the AACTA nominated A Savage Christmas, directed by Madeleine Dyer; Monica Zanetti’s AACTA-winning Ellie & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt); Canneseriesselected horror anthology Deadhouse Dark, and Angela How’s upcoming feature My Eyes, starring Adam Garcia and Tsu Shan Chambers. Pringle and Fowler have received several Casting Guild of Australia nominations, most recently for short film Pasifika Drift in 2023. They are dedicated to fostering collaboration among directors, producers and actors, and have earned a reputation for advocating on-screen diversity. The pair are strong believers in providing grassroots opportunities for actors and offer accessible resources and workshops to demystify the casting process.

AMY METE Originally from Far North Queensland, Amy Mete is a trained dancer and was drawn to Melbourne to continue her career in performing arts. She worked at a performing arts school and dance and musical theatre agency before starting at Nick Hamon Casting as a casting assistant in 2011. From 2013, she assisted Hamon on several TV productions including It’s A Date seasons 1-2, Open Slather, The Divorce, and How To Stay Married seasons 1-3. More recently, she was casting associate on the kids sci-fi television series Planet Lulin, which just went to air on ABCME. In 2019, Mete landed her first casting director credit on the drama series Why Are You Like This, which aired on ABC in Australia and Netflix worldwide. She also served as casting director on the Poppy Stockelldirected dramedy web series Triple Oh!, which has screened at queer festivals around the world and will soon air on SBS. Mete has received several nominations at the Casting Guild of Australia Awards, and has had two wins for her casting work on TVCs for Flybuys and R U OK?.

ANNABEL CLAYTON

WILL PEARCE

Drawing from a background in production, Annabel Clayton moved into casting in 2018. In 2019, she established the web series department at Highway Casting, driven by a commitment to diverse and innovative content. Her work as casting director includes TikTok series Love Songs and Scattered, which have each amassed more than 5 million views worldwide. In the commercial sphere, Clayton has worked on TVCs for brands such as Nintendo, ANZ, Mastercard, Coles and Target. Clayton is a proud member of the Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) and currently sits on the Executive Committee. She has been nominated for several CGA Awards, including achievement in casting for web series Celebration Nation in 2022.

Will Pearce’s casting career started in London, where he worked with some of the UK’s top casting directors. After moving to Australia in 2017, Pearce then joined McGregor Casting and worked his way up from assistant to associate on local and international projects such The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Babyteeth, Foe, Evil Dead Rise, The Twelve S2, Apples Never Fall, The Wilds, Fisk and The Deb. As a casting director, Pearce has several TVCs and short films under his belt, including 14 in February, nominated for Best Casting in a Short Film at the 2023 Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) awards. This year, Pearce will co-cast season 3 of ABC’s Fisk alongside Kirsty McGregor. Pearce is an active member of the CGA, passionate about developing strong working relationships with fellow creatives and strives to look further afield to unearth new talent.

NATALIE WALL Natalie Wall is an independent casting director currently affiliated with Barrett Casting. Her credits as casting director include the feature films Inside, Of an Age, Blaze, The Sapphires and Holding the Man, and TV series Black Snow (for which she was nominated for a Casting Guild of Australia Award), The PM’s Daughter and Bay of Fires. During her time as casting associate for Nikki Barrett, Wall gained experience working across more than 40 Australian 16 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

and international productions including Elvis, Fury Road, Carmen, The Invisible Man, Peter Rabbit, Aquaman, Breath, The Great Gatsby, The Babadook and series Pieces of Her, Jack Irish and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Wall has been a guest presenter on casting at AFTRS and facilitated numerous audition workshops for actors in Sydney and Melbourne. Wall tries in her approach to be creative, empathetic and curious, with a particular focus on character analysis and finding truth in performance.

RISING TALENT

CINEMATOGRAPHERS ALEX CARDY

GRÉGOIRE LIÈRE

Cinematographer Alex Cardy’s work traverses drama, documentary and moving-image installation. Her recent long-form projects include Stan’s Year Of, the ABC’s The Search for the Palace Letters, and The Defenders for Amazon, winner of the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival 2023. With a passion for hybrid and instinctual filmmaking, Cardy’s work on short doc ZEF (dir. Jessica Lawton) won her an ACS Gold Award in 2020. In the same year she won a Bronze ACS Award for her collaboration with artist Patricia Piccinini, We Travel Together, the centrepiece of Rising Festival 2022. Cardy’s early work as 2nd unit DOP for cinematographer Ari Wegner on Michael Cody and Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s feature drama Ruin, selected for the Venice Film Festival, led her to seek out collaborations with directors interested in intimate and visually bold drama. Many of her short films have been selected at top-tier festivals, including Bonnie Moir’s We’re Not Here, Madeleine Gottlieb’s You and Me, Before and After and Rhys Graham’s Multiply, which also won her ACS Gold. Cardy is attached to features The Tides, directed by Graham, and Sweet Milk Lake, directed by Harvey Zielinski, among other projects. She is also one of the founders of Sissy Screens, an organisation and publication championing queer screen culture.

Grégoire Lière is a French-Australian cinematographer working across film, television, documentary, commercials, and music videos. He studied cinematography at AFTRS and the École Nationale Supérieure Louis Lumière in Paris, and is currently based in Sydney. His short film Snare was nominated for an AACTA in 2019 and had its world premiere in competition at SXSW. Directed by Madeleine Gottlieb, Snare went on to screen at Tribeca, Seattle International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival. Lière then reunited with Gottlieb on the SBS Digital Original series Latecomers, his first broadcast credit. Latecomers screened in competition at Séries Mania and is nominated for an AACTA Award. Last year saw Lière shoot his first feature film, Stan’s Jones Family Christmas, directed by Stef Smith. Other recent credits include the Netflix documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos, which had its world premiere at SXSW Sydney. Lière is currently in pre-production on feature film All Manner of Good for director James Litchfield.

SEAN RYAN

MICHAEL TESSARI

Sean Ryan comes to cinematography with a background in VFX supervision. Ryan recently completed shooting his first feature as cinematographer, The Moogai, for director Jon Bell and Causeway Films. The Indigenous psychological thriller premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight program and has been selected for SXSW in March. Ryan also shot the AACTA-nominated short film of the same name, which was awarded Best Australian Short Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2020 and the Midnight Shorts Jury Award at SXSW 2021. Other notable shorts include Eliza Scanlen’s How Can I Help you? and Joanna Griffiths’ Generations of Men, which won him a Gold ACS Award last year. In addition to his work in narrative, Ryan has shot a wealth of music videos and commercials for such clients as Volvo, Samsung, Vodafone, Apple, Audi, R.M Williams and Fiji Tourism.

Michael Tessari is a South Australian cinematographer working on narrative, commercials and music videos. Recent work includes the sci-fi thriller Monolith (dir. Matt Vesely), which won an ACS Gold Award and was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in Cinematography at the 2023 SXSW festival in Austin. Tessari was recognised by the ACS with the Cliff Ellis award for Emerging Cinematographer of the Year in 2013 and the Milton Ingerson award for the best in show, entry of the year, at the 2017 awards in South Australia. Following this, he has worked consistently on narrative long-form projects, starting with horror feature Awoken. The Netflix Original series Gymnastics Academy followed, and then Monolith, which screened at festivals such as SXSW, Adelaide Film Festival, FreightFest, Bifan, Melbourne International Film Festival and Sitges. Last year ended with Tessari wrapping production on Kelly Schilling’s With or Without You, set to premiere at Adelaide Film Festival in 2024.

JACLYN PATERSON Jaclyn Paterson is a Filipino-Australian cinematographer from south-west Sydney, with a background in digital media (College of Fine Arts/UNSW Art & Design) and colour grading (AFTRS). Her early career was spent in art photography and post-production, encompassing editorial and commercial digital composite before

moving into film as a colourist. With beginnings in music video and live music film experimentation, Paterson is now a cinematographer working in short and long-form narrative film. Her narrative debut as DOP was on the AACTA-nominated Mud Crab, which won her Best Cinematography at the 2023 St Kilda

Film Festival 2023. This was followed with short We Used to Own Houses, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2023. Her upcoming projects include feature film Colossus, directed by David Robinson-Smith, as well as multiple short films currently in development. www.if.com.au 17

RISING TALENT

COMPOSERS PETRA SALSJÖ

LUNA PAN

JOSIE MANN

JAMES MOUNTAIN

Born in Sweden, Petra Salsjö started her musical journey via the piano at a young age. She has a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the VCA and undertook postgraduate studies in composition at the University of Melbourne. Her career in screen composing began with 2011 short The Telegram Man, which won the BAFTA LA Prize. Across the last decade, she has worked as a composer on shorts, documentaries and feature films such as The Flood. Salsjö was the inaugural recipient of Screen Australia and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers’ Credit Maker program in 2023, resulting in a co-composing role on Binge’s Love Me and additional scoring on the ABC’s Crazy Fun Park, supported by Electric Dreams Studio. An accomplished pianist, Salsjö continues to perform recitals of her neo-classical repertoire and is midway through recording a collection of bespoke miniatures The Droplets. In early 2025, she will embark on a four-week residency in Sweden at the Visby International Centre for Composers.

Sydney-based composer Luna Pan works across film and TV, advertising and games. She studied piano and music theory from a young age, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Orchestration for Film, Games and Television from University of Chichester. Pan’s recent credits include documentary The Carnival, which won her an LIT Talent Award for Best Original Score, feature film Streets of Colour and short film Jia. She has also worked on soundtracks for TV series such as The Block, The Traitors, Food Stars, Bondi Rescue, The Traitors and Bluey, and on commercials for brands such as Dove, Dermalogica, YD, Coo-E. Pan is a two-time finalist and the winner of the 2023 APRA AMCOS Professional Development Award. In 2019, APRA AMCO also selected Pan for of a Women in Music mentorship in TV composition. Her composition recorded with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Evolution, was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award in 2021 and her orchestral piece recorded with Smecky Music Studio, The Masquerade, nominated again in 2022.

Josie Mann is a composer, songwriter and vocalist, specialising in layering and manipulating her voice. A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Mann joined the team at Sonar Music in 2022, composing for Bump seasons two, three and four. Her other credits include the SBS doc Inconceivable and anthology Erotic Stories, composed alongside Antony Partos. Her TVC credits include McDonalds, Vanguard and Made by Dyslexia, which received a best composition nomination at the 2023 AWARD Awards. Mann also composes for podcasts, her most recent commission being the theme track to Audiocraft’s Flirties. As a vocal arranger and session vocalist, Mann has sung on Wellmania and Five Bedrooms for composer Matteo Zingales, as well as And Mrs, Being Betty Flood and A Savage Christmas for Jason Fernandez. Mann creates songs under her artist persona Jofi. She is currently in the final stages of completing her debut album.

James Mountain is a Sydneybased composer for screen, stage and concert. With a background in classical guitar, he studied composition at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music before completing a Master of Arts Screen (Music) at AFTRS. In 2023, he won a Screen Music Award for his score to short Mud Crab, and was also nominated for Best Soundtrack Album. Other recognitions for the score include Best Original Music in an Australian Short Film at Flickerfest, Best Original Score at St Kilda Film Festival, and Best Score (National) at Canberra Short Film Festival. Mountain’s concert music includes the guitar solo Between Tall Trees which won First Place and the Under 25 Emerging Composer Award in the 2016 Matt Withers Australian Music Composition Competition, and the piano trio Moons We Live With which was awarded second in the 2019 Athenaeum Club Composition Competition. He has also written music for theatre, including an original one-act musical, Green Room.

Rhyan Clapham, aka DOBBY, is a Filipino and Aboriginal rapper, composer, producer and drummer, whose roots run deep in the Muruwari and Ngemba lands of Weilmoringle and Brewarrina, NSW. Clapham was the inaugural participant selected for the NATSIMO Screen Composer Intensive in 2022, which saw him mentored by Amanda Brown,

Antony Partos and Jessica Wells. His screen composing credits include SBS’s Erotic Stories, NITV’s Rebel With a Cause and Marringa Lullaby for ABC Kids. Clapham also composed the music for WINHANGANHA, the debut feature of Wiradjuri poet and artist Jazz Money. As DOBBY, Clapham has performed in Germany, UK, US and

the Netherlands, as well as locally at festivals such as Bluefest and Boomarang Festival, OzAsia Festival and PARRTJIMA Festival, and at the Sydney Opera House. In 2022, he was awarded the NIMA Archie Roach Foundation Award, which recognises emerging First Nations artists who show exceptional talent and promise in their chosen field.

RHYAN CLAPHAM

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RISING TALENT

COSTUME DESIGNERS CAITLIN MURRAY

TEXX MONTANA

TESS TORRISI

ROMA D’ARRIETTA

Caitlin Murray is a Sydney-based costume designer, who most recently designed Paramount+’s Paper Dolls, diving back into the 2000s to costume the girl-band characters, and design unique Y2K pop outfits. Her other long-form credits as designer include Stan’s Totally Completely Fine, season three and four of Bump, and the ABC’s The PM’s Daughter. Murray graduated the University of Technology, Sydney with a Bachelor of Design with Honours in 2011 and began her career in the industry by assisting and then transitioning into costume buying. Simultaneously, she designed short films and web series, most notably The Moogai, produced by Causeway Films, and On Hold: The Musical which took out Best Short Film at the 2018 Flickerfest. In 2019 she was awarded APDG’s Thelma Afford Award for Design in Costume Stage and Screen.

Based in Perth, Texx Montana entered the screen industry after years of working in the fashion industry as a buyer and designer. Her early career saw her working on a wide range of short-form content, such as Sparkles, I’m Not Hurting You, Evie and SBS’s Iggy and Ace. These projects led her to work around Australia within design, art finishing and extras coordinating. Montana completed a costume attachment on Disney+’s upcoming Last Days of the Space Age, and has also worked in the costume department for projects such as Mystery Road: Origin, Deadloch and Prosper. David Vincent Smith’s He Ain’t Heavy, shot in January 2023, was Montana’s first time working as the head of the costume department on a feature film. Montana is currently in designing Zoe Pepper’s Birthright and is attached as costume designer to Miley Tunnecliffe’s Proclivitas, slated for production this year.

Sydney-based costume designer Tess Torrisi is a NIDA Design for Performance graduate, with a background in fashion design and branding. Torrisi has designed costumes for feature films such as Dane McCusker’s The Big Dog and Parish Malfitano’s upcoming Salt Along the Tongue (with 2023 Rising Talent Victoria Perry), and shorts such as James Elazzi’s YANNIS and Steve Anthopoulos’ Voice Activated. Her costume department credits include The Fall Guy, Stars on Mars, Last King of the Cross and Transfusion. Torrisi enjoys the psychology behind costumes and leaving Easter eggs for the audience to collect.

Growing up in Sydney with a musician father and a mother who worked as an art director and stylist, Roma D’Arrietta was primed for a life in the creative industries, studying at both the University of Technology, Sydney and AFTRS. Her film career then began in 2010 as a costume buyer, working under designers such as Emily Seresin, Lisa Meagher and Joanna Mae Park. In 2015, D’Arrietta made the leap to costume designer for TVCs and commercial photography, and over the past nine years she has worked alongside directors at companies such as Scoundrel, Revolver, Good Oil, Finch and Collider. She has also worked within the costume department on projects such as Buckley’s Chance, The Unusual Suspects, Stateless, Palm Beach and Top of the Lake. In 2023, she transitioned into long-form as the costume designer for SBS/Lingo Pictures’ anthology series Erotic Stories, bringing eight different character worlds to life.

Steph Hooke grew up between northeast Victoria and the Surf Coast, and studied fashion at The Gordon. She would go on to become a stylist, working across fashion editorial for Marie Claire and Instyle Magazines and advertising campaigns, before moving into TVCs. After a stint in London, working across fashion, advertising and music videos, Steph returned to Melbourne and began working

as a costume buyer in film and television. Her costume department credits include Glitch, Banished, Holding the Man and Stateless, and she has worked under designers such as Wendy Cork, Cappi Ireland and Lizzie Gardiner. In 2017, Hooke designed costume for Charles Williams’ Palme d’Or winning short All These Creatures, and won the Webfest Award for Best Achievement in Production

for Bruce at Raindance Film Festival in London. Hooke recently served as costume designer for Colin and Cameron Cairnes’ Late Night With the Devil which premiered last year at SXSW and screened at Sitges, BFI London Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival. She is currently in preproduction designing a series for the ABC.

STEPH HOOKE

www.if.com.au 19

RISING TALENT

DIRECTORS ADRIAN CHIARELLA

BONNIE MOIR

MOHINI HERSE

In 2023, Adrian Chiarella made his television directing debut with an episode of Stan’s Totally Completely Fine. This was immediately followed by directing two episodes of the fourth season of Five Bedrooms for Paramount+. Additionally, Chiarella made his episodic writing debut, with his own episode of Erotic Stories for SBS. Prior to this, Chiarella wrote and directed several short films. 2014’s Touch earned him an Australian Directors’ Guild Award (ADG) nomination and 2018’s Black Lips, funded by Create NSW and SBS, screened at numerous festivals, including Palm Springs International Shortfest, St Kilda Film Festival, BFI Flare, Outfest Fusion, and Melbourne Queer Film Festival, where it won best short film. In 2021, Dwarf Planet, funded through the ADG, premiered in competition at Clermont-Ferrand before playing as a finalist in the Dendy Awards at Sydney Film Festival, and was nominated for an AACTA for Best Short Drama.

Bonnie Moir began her career collaborating with some Australia’s most celebrated directors, including Garth Davis, Glendyn Ivin and Mark Molloy as a second unit director and assistant director. This led to an appreciation Photo: Alice Englert for detail oriented, cinematic and actorfocused work. In 2022, Moir directed all six episodes of season two of Love Me for Warner Bros. Television Production Australia and Foxtel/Binge, her first broadcast credit as director. Her latest project is the six-part series Exposure, commissioned by Stan and distributed by All3Media International, which will be released in 2024. The series is produced through Thirdborn by producers Nicole O’Donohue, Shaun Grant and Justin Kurzel. Moir’s short film Not Dark Yet is nominated for the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Short Film. It premiered at the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival where she was selected to be a part of the Accelerator program.

Mohini Herse is writer and director best known for creating Appetite, an SBS and Screen Australia Digital Original mystery drama which had its world premiere at Canneseries in 2023. As well as developing her own projects such feature film Hair, Herse is currently in production as set up director for Four Years, an Indian/Australian romance for SBS created by Mithila Gupta. Herse’s other credits include directing both seasons of Australia’s first Instagram series, The Out There. In 2021, she served as Taika Waititi’s assistant on Thor: Love and Thunder. In late 2023 Herse was awarded Screen Australia Enterprise funding to embark on a placement in London with the production company Merman (Catastrophe, This Way Up, Bad Sisters) for six months.

DAVID ROBINSON-SMITH

JACK CLARK AND JIM WEIR

David Robinson-Smith is a writer and director who grew up and is based in Budgewoi on NSW’s Central Coast. His work centres around themes of ambiguity, regret, memory, and class, and he seeks to find nuance in these areas, particularly through morally flawed characters. His credits include short film Mud Crab, which screened at Santa Barbara International Film Festival in the US, Raindance Film Festival and BAFTA Aesthetica Short Film Festival in the UK and the Melbourne International Film Festival. Mud Crab has won multiple awards, including an Australian Directors’ Guild (ADG) Award for Robinson-Smith, as well as further prizes at CILECT, St Kilda Film Festival and Flickerfest. It is nominated for Best Short Film at the 2024 AACTA Awards. Robinson-Smith’s latest short film is We Used To Own Houses, which had its world premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival as part of the 2023 Accelerator Lab, and went on to screen at SXSW Sydney. It was nominated for Best Direction in a Short Film at the ADG Awards. Robinson-Smith is currently in development on his debut feature film Colossus, alongside executive producer Michele Bennett and producer Julia Corcoran. He was recently added to the Good Oil Films roster.

Filmmaking duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir met while studying at AFTRS, co-founding the independent production company Fax Machine shortly after graduating. Both Clark and Weir are previous nominees of Byron Bay Film Festival’s Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award for their respective shorts, Threshold and Julia. The pair have since been collaborating as co-directors, utilising their shared strength in framing genre elements from thriller and horror films in new, subversive contexts. Clark and Weir’s breakout debut feature, Birdeater, premiered at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Best Australian Narrative Feature. It will have its international premiere at SXSW in Austin in March and will be released theatrically later this year. Clark and Weir are currently in development with Sweetshop & Green for their follow-up feature, a coming-of-age thriller set on Schoolies. Joel Edgerton is attached as executive producer.

20 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

POST-PRODUCTION SPONSORED CONTENT

SOUNDFIRM SETTLES IN SYDNEY AS BUSINESS FOCUS EXPANDS

ver the past four decades, Soundfirm has established itself as one of the country’s largest and most decorated sound postproduction companies. Now, the business is aiming to further grow its footprint across the VFX and picture markets. Having relocated from the Disney Studios lot to a new Sydney location at 100 Queen Street, Beaconsfield, Soundfirm provides full postproduction services, offering everything from dailies through to sound and picture post, VFX, mastering and deliverables. Comprising 800 square metres across two floors, the facility includes two 4K laser Christie projectors, HDR grading suites, several Atmos mix rooms, and ADR capabilities, as well as parking on-site. General manager Shaun Richards said the team wanted to get the word out that Soundfirm Sydney was now better able to meet the future needs of film, television and documentary projects across picture and sound. “A lot of people obviously know Soundfirm for sound and we’re trying to make more of the market aware we do high-end picture as well, and work on a lot of large feature films and TV series,” he said. “In terms of the VFX department, we are seeing a lot of opportunities to do VFX on the projects we are finishing. We’ve built out the VFX department over several years, and we have a real focus on growing that over the next 24 months.” The team includes COO John Fleming, who

joined Soundfirm after seven years in the UK, where he was VP of post-production and digital services for Technicolor. Richards said Fleming was a “really positive hire” for the company that was focused on aligning the Sydney and Melbourne facilities to offer the “same level of service to everyone that walks through the door”. “He’s always looking to implement ways in which content production pathways can be streamlined and made more accessible to filmmakers and stakeholders in an increasingly fast moving and often geographically challenging production landscape,” he said. The connectivity between Soundfirm’s different locations was highlighted in its postproduction work on Jane Campion’s Academy Award-winning drama The Power of the Dog, a film shot in New Zealand that completed postproduction in Australia with a requirement that tasks be done between Melbourne and Sydney. Richards said his team’s problem-solving skills ended up being singled out for praise by the filmmakers. “With the ambitious nature of the film we were constantly challenged to provide innovative solutions to the production in order to showcase the brilliant filmmaking and bring the story to life with the end result showing that this approach was justly deserved.” More recently, Soundfirm was hired to process the dailies for Sony rom-com Anyone But You,

starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. This involved setting up the workflow so they could process the media and send it back to the editorial team in LA. The film had several pick-up shoots, one of which could only take place after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, meaning the material had to be shot, processed, and uploaded to ensure the delivery process could start within days to meet the pre-Christmas holiday release. According to Richards, the company used “multiple different methods” to make sure it met the deadline, adding the film was part of an ongoing relationship with Sony that stemmed from working on the two Peter Rabbit films. “Generally, Soundfirm does get a lot of repeat business. I’d like to think that comes down to the client experience we offer. We have a lot of repeat customers, and we get a lot of positive feedback about how we go about things. “Part of that is we really care about the craft, and creatives can see the respect we have for that. This passion comes from the highly talented and award-winning sound and picture team on staff at Soundfirm, however we can also support our client’s creative choice and build a team around them if needed”.

Get in touch with Soundfirm Sydney on 02 8294 7602 or via soundfirm.com.

www.if.com.au 21

RISING TALENT

EDITORS DELANEY MURPHY

KEVIN LUK

Delaney Murphy is a freelance documentary film and commercial editor based in Melbourne. She began her career working closely with Amiel Courtin-Wilson as an additional editor on feature films Carnation and Man on Earth. In 2020, she edited the short doc ZEF (dir. Jessica Barclay Lawton) which premiered on Nowness and amassed more than 3 million views. She went on to edit another Barclay Lawton short, The Sweetness, which premiered at Sydney Film Festival and earned her a nomination for Most Exciting Off-Screen Talent at ReelGood Film Festival. In 2023, Murphy edited two feature documentaries: Bromley: Light After Dark (dir. Sean McDonald), which won the Adelaide Film Festival’s Feature Documentary Audience Award, and Rewards for the Tribe (dir. Rhys Graham) which had its world premiere at Adelaide. She is currently working on her third feature documentary as editor, Queens of Concrete (dir. Eliza Cox), which is due to premiere later this year. Murphy is also known for her commercial work across Melbourne and Sydney, and in 2023 was recognised by Shots Asia Pacific for her work in advertising with the Silver - Editor of the Year award.

Kevin Luk is an editor and visual effects artist based in Melbourne. A proud graduate of the Australian Screen Editors’ mentor program, Luk has worked across short and long-form content, with a focus on narrative storytelling. His credits include the AACTA-nominated short Rebooted (for which he received an Ellie Award), ABC children’s project The Legend of Burnout Barry, Neighbours spin-off Erinsborough High and the AACTAnominated animated series The Future of Everything. Luk was an edit assistant on the ABC drama Bay of Fires through a VicScreen attachment, and the assembly editor on feature documentary Ellis Park, directed by Justin Kurzel. His most recent project is the ABC and Screen Australia Fresh Blood project Ruby Rai P.I., which will premiere in mid-2024. Luk received two Ellie Award nominations in 2023, for The Future of Everything and commercial Walk With Care.

ASHLEIGH DEGROOT

JOSEF SWITAK

Originally from Perth, Ashleigh deGroot got her first opportunity to work in TV through Screenwest’s assistant editor attachment program on the Discovery series Aussie Gold Hunters. From there, deGroot shifted into TV drama with an assistant role on The Heights, and began a freelance career. She has since worked on 130 TV episodes as an assembly editor and a first assistant editor, on projects such as Disney+’s The Artful Dodger, Paramount+’s Paper Dolls and Last King of the Cross, Stan’s Year Of and Netflix’s The Mole. deGroot has also worked on feature films, including as assembly editor for Molly Haddon’s The Longest Weekend. Now based in Sydney, deGroot recently gained her first broadcast credit as editor on season 4 of Stan’s Bump.

Josef Switak is a Brisbane-based editor who has worked across animation, live-action narrative and documentary. Recently he served as editor on season three of Bluey, cutting 50 episodes, including the half-hour special The Sign, and edited upcoming animated feature film The Sloth Lane. His other credits include animated features Combat Wombat 2: Back to Back and The Lost Tiger, as well as live-action drama web-series Two Weeks, short docu-series Bananas, and factual TV series’ Snake Boss and Making Marvels. He is currently editing Santa.com, an animated feature for Cosmic Dino Studio.

PHOENIX CHISHOLM Phoenix Chisholm is an editor based in Sydney. He started his career as an assistant editor and in 2022, stepped up to the role of additional editor on the first season of Netflix’s Heartbreak High. This saw him go on to be nominated for the Australian Screen Editors’ emerging editor award and shortlisted for the guild’s First Cut initiative. Last year, Chisholm then stepped up further to serve as an editor on Heartbreak High 22 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

season 2, marking his first broadcast credit as editor. Chisholm’s other editor credits include SBS’s Latecomers and a series of feature length concert films for the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He has worked as an assistant editor on projects such as The Convert, The Pope’s Exorcist, Wellmania, Ithaka, The Unusual Suspects and Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra.

RISING TALENT

HAIR AND MAKEUP CAMILLA LEARY

HELEN TUCK

KATE ANDERSON

Camilla Leary is a make-up artist who has been working across the Australian and Canadian industries over the last seven years. Leary just completed her first season as head of hair and makeup on The Voice Australia, and also worked as key makeup on season one of Heartbreak High for Netflix, head of hair and makeup on Seven’s Con Girl and head of hair and makeup on feature film The Nut Farm. In addition, Leary has worked with high-profile individuals such as Winnie Harlow for NYFW Tommy Hilfiger, Glen Powell for Anyone But You press days, Karena Evans for the BET Awards and Aaron Sorkin for VIVID. She has also headed up commercials for major brands like Doritos, Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Koala. Leary’s work also extends to education, conducting workshops and launching major products for The Body Shop and Samsung. Going forward, Leary plans to split her time between Australia and the US, balancing her work in the film and TV industry with red-carpet and celebrity makeup artistry.

Based in Sydney, Helen Tuck has been working as a hair, makeup and SFX artist for more than a decade. Her artistic background saw her initially focus on studying traditional art at university, but her passion for makeup, prosthetics and film from a young age meant she made the leap over to studying makeup, and she never looked back. Tuck has worked as designer on several indie features including Sissy and Ruby’s Choice, as well as Amazon’s The Moth Effect and supervisor on SBS’s recent Erotic Stories. She has also worked in the additional team for projects such as Thor: Love and Thunder, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Furiosa and The Fall Guy. Regularly found elbow deep in monsters and gore, Tuck was also a prosthetics artist on Talk To Me, currently nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Hair and Makeup.

Kate Anderson is a hair, makeup and prosthetics artist based in Boorloo/ Perth. After completing her diploma in makeup, she dived into every screen opportunity, and further studies in prosthetics solidified the industry as home. Anderson has worked in the makeup team for projects such as The Surfer, Deadloch, Thor: Love and Thunder (The Guardians Drax Team), Stranger Things S4 (Dacre Montgomery), Mortal Kombat, Mystery Road: Origin, and Hounds of Love, for which she received an AACTA nomination alongside Hayley Atherton. She has recently stepped up to head of department on projects such as He Ain’t Heavy, Sweet As, How to Please a Woman and Itch.

GEM WOODS

BRYDIE STONE

At 11 years old, Gem Woods dreamed of being a makeup artist in TV/ film after watching Beetlejuice. These aspirations were forgotten until she met prosthetics artist Larry Vanduynhove, who was a hairdressing client of hers for three years. He convinced her to leave the salon to pursue her dreams and introduced her to many of her mentors in the Melbourne industry. Woods went on to study makeup, prosthetics and wigs across Sydney, New York and London, leading to a diverse skillset of hairdressing, wig knotting, wig dressing, character makeup and prosthetics, and a love of period projects and hyper stylised characters. Her career highlights include studying in London and landing a job on a feature film as an assistant wig knotter, later resulting in another job back in London on Death on The Nile as an artist. Woods is now based in Sydney, with hair and makeup department credits on projects such as Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Poker Face. She just designed her first TV series, Paramount+’s Paper Dolls.

Brydie Stone is a hair and makeup artist who specialises in prosthetics, and has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. She loves being on set making up characters, as well as working off set in prosthetics workshops, fabricating and art finishing. In recent years, Stone has moved into key and supervising roles, and just completed her first film as designer, Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage. Stone’s career kicked off locally and internationally after landing her dream job in the creature department for Spike Jones’ 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. It has also spanned several George Miller films, including working with Oscar-winning makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt on Mad Mad: Fury Road and Furiosa, and as key prosthetic artist for Idris Elba’s The Djinn on Three Thousand Years of Longing. Her credits also include Mortal Kombat, You Won’t Be Alone, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Berlin Syndrome, prosthetics and creature work on Ash vs Evil Dead season 3 and Wellington Paranormal season two, The Great Gatsby, and Australia.

www.if.com.au 23

RISING TALENT

PRODUCERS BETTINA HAMILTON

TESSA MANSFIELD-HUNG

Bettina Hamilton has worked as production manager and line producer in South Australia for several years, and in 2022, produced her first narrative feature, Monolith. Directed by Matt Vesely and written by Lucy Campbell, Monolith was funded via the South Australian Film Corporation and Adelaide Film Festival’s Film Lab: New Voices program, made its international debut at SXSW, and is nominated for the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film. At the end of 2023, Hamilton produced Tim Piper’s dramedy Kangaroo Island with Peter Hanlon, Piper and Daniel Rosenberg. Starring Rebecca Breeds and Erik Thomson, it will premiere later this year at Adelaide Film Festival. Hamilton is also in development on a new film with the creative team behind Monolith, which she hopes to have in production next year. As the production and development manager at Timothy White and Anna Vincent’s production company Southern Light Alliance, Hamilton co-produced 2016 documentary Embrace. Through the Screen Australia Brilliant Careers initiative, she also worked closely with producer Rebecca Summerton from Closer Productions on several of its projects.

At Exile Entertainment, Tessa MansfieldHung has produced three features since 2020 alongside Alexandros Ouzas. These include Sam Odlum’s Time Addicts, winner of won Best Australian Feature Film at Monsterfest 2023, Jason Raftopoulos’ Voices in Deep, which premiered at the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival, and James Vinson’s 2022 film Slant, starring Sigrid Thornton. She is one of Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch for 2023, and is currently being mentored by Arcadia’s Lisa Shaunessy Mansfield-Hung’s credits also include ARIA-nominated music videos for artists such as Sampa the Great and Amy Shark, short films and multimedia projects, including contributing to the video projection design for David Bowie’s Lazarus musical with director Natasha Pincus. In long-form, Mansfield-Hung was associate producer of Raftopoulos’ AACTA-nominated West of Sunshine, which premiered at Venice Film Festival, producer manager of Screen Australia-supported horror anthology Dark Place, and camera operator on documentary The Art of Incarceration. Mansfield-Hung holds a Bachelor of Film and Digital Media from Deakin University and a Graduate Certificate in Creative Business from the University of Canberra.

MAHVEEN SHAHRAKI

ALICE WILLISON

Originally from Iran, MahVeen Shahraki discovered her film family in Australia and co-founded Thousand Mile Productions, dedicated to captivating and socially conscious projects. Her credits include Ellie & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt), winner of the 2021 AACTA Award Best Indie Film, and the first Australian film to open Mardi Gras Film Festival. As an executive producer, Shahkari collaborated with the French company Georges Films on The Translator starring Miranda Tapsell and David Field. Her most recent project, Mark Leonard Winter’s The Rooster, starring Hugo Weaving and Phoenix Raei, received four AACTA nominations at the 2024 awards and will be released theatrically in late February. Shahraki was named among Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch in 2020, and was mentored by Tracey Vieira, chief content officer of Hoodlum Entertainment.

Producer Alice Willison is the founder of production company Rhapsody Films, specialising in scripted live-action drama. Prior to establishing the business, Willison worked as an in-house producer for Aquarius Films and Revolver Films. Willison recently produced Stan/ Sundance Now’s Totally Completely Fine with Fremantle. Her other credits as producer include season 2 of Stan’s The Other Guy with Aquarius Films and Wooden Horse, which sold to Hulu in the US and was nominated for Best Comedy Series at the 2020 AACTA Awards, and season 1 of the ABC’s The PM’s Daughter with Fremantle, nominated for Best Children’s Program at the 2022 AACTA Awards. Willison’s other screen credits include production executive on Dirt Music, associate producer on The Unlisted, co-producer on Season 1 of The Other Guy, and producer’s assistant on Berlin Syndrome.

YINGNA LU Yingna Lu is a creative producer with a background in advertising. She co-founded Spaceboy Studios with Steve Anthopoulos, which received Screen Australia Enterprise funding in 2023. Lu’s first gig was with Bill Leimbach, working in feature development and music management for Lime Cordiale. From there, Lu produced scripted digital shows for ABC and Foxtel with Matilda and Bryan Brown and numerous Vimeo Staff Pick videos, including music clips for Rüfüs Du Sol, SBCR and short film We’re All Going to Die. Lu was among Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch in 2016, winning Screen Australia’s $20,000 screen Internship. Her 2017 short Tangles and Knots, directed by Renée 24 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

Petropoulos, was selected for Berlinale, SXSW, Melbourne and Sydney Film Festival. Her 2022 short Voice Activated, written and directed by Anthopoulos, premiered internationally in Tribeca, was nominated for an AACTA and won Short Film Production of the Year at the 2023 SPA Awards. Her other short-form credits include My Summer in the Human Resistance, Science+, Love Bug and Atomic Love, and she was an assistant producer on SBS’s New Gold Mountain. Lu produced the ABC’s AACTA-nominated second season of The PM’s Daughter with Fremantle, and is now in development on the Spaceboy slate including feature Keep Walking (w/d Petropoulos, EP Liz Watts), supported by Screen NSW’s Short to Feature Fast Track initiative.

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RISING TALENT

PRODUCTION DESIGNERS RUTH LEVI

ESTHER ROSENBERG

PERNELL MARSDEN

Ruth Levi is a WAAPA graduate whose design work spans film, TV, advertising, stills photography, theatre and events. As a production designer, her credits include Stan’s Dom and Adrian 2020, Bunya Entertainment’s Nice Shorts, short films The Hitchhiker and Let’s See How Fast This Baby Will Go, and ABC comedy series DAFUQ? and The Legend of Gavin Tanner, for which she was nominated for Best Production Design at the WA Screen Awards. Her first feature film credit as a production designer was for Pinch, an independent production that won Best Film over commercial favourites at the 2015 WA Screen Awards. As an art director, her credits include Nine’s After the Verdict, the second season of the ABC’s The Letdown, web series Patricia Moore and 10’s For Real. Levi has worked with leading designers such as Roger Ford and Annie Beauchamp, and was recognised as a key contributor for her work on Three Thousand Years of Longing under set decorator Lisa Thompson at the 2023 Australian Production Design Guild Awards. Most recently, Levi has focused on designing in the commercial space with production companies such as Photoplay, Powered Studios, Revolver, Brightworks, Rabbit, Elastic Studios, Infinity2, Chisel, Jungle Entertainment, Foxtel, The Creative Foundry, Heckler, Engineroom and Clemenger BBDO.

Esther Rosenberg is a Sydney-based production designer who has spent the past three years working between Sydney, Melbourne and Byron Bay. Coming from a fine art background, Rosenberg honed her craft at the Julian Ashton Art School, where she was awarded the John Olsen Scholarship in 2014. She completed her studies at the Production Art Department under Wayne Haag and Tony Lovett. Rosenberg’s credits as production designer include Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, for which she was nominated for the Australian Production Design Guild (APDG) Award for Best Design for a Feature Film, and Take My Hand and Fear Below, both in post-production. She also was nominated for an APDG Award for Best Design for a Commercial (2019) for her work on the Sydney Film Festival launch program and Emerging Designer for Screen for her set design on horror short Pseudomonas. Rosenberg’s practice as a designer is informed by her art department experience, including work as props master Netflix’s Heartbreak High and as a storyboard artist on Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2. More recently, Rosenberg joined the creative team of SBS’s Safe Home as props master, and documentary The Australian Wars as set decorator.

Pernell Marsden is a production designer who has worked in the film industry in Australia and the UK since 2012. She began her career assistant directing and in production departments, where she worked on productions for Disney and the BBC. In 2019, she graduated with a Master of Production Design for Screen from VCA and in 2021 participated in the VicScreen professional attachment program, shadowing production designer Chris Kennedy on Paramount+ series Shantaram. In 2023, Marsden earned her first production design credit for a feature film on the upcoming Strange Creatures and later that year received the Australian Production Design Guild Award for Emerging Designer for a Screen Production for her work on the film Small. Pernell was also production designer of the ABC short Namaste Yoga and art director on ABC’s The Search for the Palace Letters. As a designer, Pernell most enjoys the unique collaboration between the director, cinematographer, production designer and costume designer in creating a film’s visual language. She is also passionate about designing with environmental impact and waste reduction in mind.

EMILY JANSZ

OCEA SELLAR

Emily Jansz is a Sydney-based production designer working across film, television and TVCs. Her AFTRS graduate short Mumlife premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 as part of the La Cinef section. She was also production designer for TikTok series The Formal, as well as several short films. Jansz has been working consistently in the art department since 2017, with credits including buyer/ dresser on The Artful Dodger, props buyer on Totally Completely Fine, as well as design assistant on Wellmania, The Office Australia and Critical Incident. She is currently serving as an emerging designer representative on the Australian Production Design Guild’s National Executive, and is dedicated to positively contributing to the next generation of production designers whilst growing her skillset. Jansz holds a Bachelor of Art (2017) and a Masters of Arts in Production Design (2021) from AFTRS.

Ocea Sellar has worked freelance in art departments across film, commercials and television since 2012. Her art department credits include Dirt Music, Breath, The Furnace and Stan’s Bump and The Other Guy, and she was the set decorator on feature film Long Story Short. Sellar has served as a production designer on projects such as ABC web series comedy KGB, as well as several short films. She is currently in production on her debut feature as production designer, Zoe Pepper’s Birthright.

26 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

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RISING TALENT

SOUND DANIEL HACKETT

GEORGIA COLLINS

JONATHAN MENDOLICCHIO

PAUL DEVESCOVI

Daniel Hackett is a Sydney-based audio engineer, specialising in post-production for film and TV. He started his career in the music industry, studying and working at The Grove Studios on the Central Coast, before going on to study at SAE, where he majored in post‑production. Hackett works across a broad range of specialties including sound design, sound effects, foley, ADR, dialogue and mix stage engineering. His credits include Elvis, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Heartbreak High, Wellmania, The Moogai, Sting, Wizards!, Boy Swallows Universe and The Fall Guy. He is currently working on a number of short films and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Hackett has won a number of Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards, most recently for his work across Three Thousand Years of Longing (Best Sound Mixing) and Elvis (Best Sound for a Feature Film).

Armed with a Bachelor’s of Audio Engineering and Sound Production from JMC Academy, Georgia Collins started her career as a recording engineer for Sydney bands like Body Type and Erthlings before turning her hand to post-production. One of a handful of female commercial sound designers in Australia, she has made her mark on campaigns for companies like Nike, Adidas, VW, Google, RM Williams and Jeep. Her film and television credits include sound effects editor for Spencer Frost and Guy Willimont’s documentary Corners of the Earth – Kamchatka, sound designer and mixer for Eliza Scanlan’s short film, How Can I Help You?, and music editor for Safe Home.

Jonathan Mendolicchio is an assistant sound editor at The Post Lounge in Sydney, where he has worked on projects such as the AACTA-nominated Savage River, Scarygirl, OneFour: Against All Odds and Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles. Canberra-raised, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and Sound Design from UTS and a Masters of Arts Screen (Sound) from AFTRS. Mendolicchio was the sound designer for The Big Dog, which was runner up in Sydney Film Festival’s Audience Awards, and received a nomination for the Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award 2023 in the Verna Fields Student Film category for short film Enemy Alien. In 2023, Mendolicchio was also nominated for an Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) Award for his work on The Cape (Best Sound for a Documentary).

Paul Devescovi has more than seven years’ experience in audio postproduction, across sound design and editing, sound supervision, ADR recording and directing. His recent credits include sound supervisor and sound effects editor for Erotic Stories, as well as sound effects editor for After the Party, Queen of Oz, The Messenger, and both seasons of Upright and The Secret She Keeps. In 2019, Devescovi won both an AACTA and Australian Screen Sound Guild Award for his work on Foxtel miniseries Lambs of God. His other credits include Head Above Water, Home & Away, Orange is the New Brown and The EX-PM.

HAMISH KEEN Hamish Keen is a South Australian sound designer and re-recording mixer. After graduating from the VCA and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at The University of Melbourne, Keen trained at Arts Centre Melbourne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Ballet and the Melbourne Theatre Company while designing independent film and TV projects. Some 60+ short films later, he returned to Adelaide to work as a staff sound editor and mix tech with Artisan Post Group. Now practising freelance across supervision/design, dialogue, and re-recording departments, Keen’s 2023 credits include The Moogai and Housekeeping for Beginners for Causeway Films, Limbo, Black Snow, and eight short films. Keen has been nominated for four Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG) awards for his work on Home, Limbo, Monolith and You’ll Never Find Me. He is a member of the both the ASSG and Australian Guild of Screen Composers, and an advocate for the needs and growth of the local industry in SA. 28 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

RISING TALENT

VFX AND ANIMATION HEATHER ECK

SHEREE CHUANG

CALEB DE LEON

Heather Eck began her career in 2014 as a runner at The Mill in New York, and is now a lead compositor at Fin Design and Effects in Sydney. She got her feet wet in commercial work for Apple, Cartier, and Hennessey, but since immigrating to Australia, has switched to film and episodic work. Her credits include Penguin Bloom and The Dry at Alt.Vfx, and at Fin Design, Thor: Love and Thunder, Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Creator. As a compositor, Eck works mostly in Nuke. She prides herself on speed and accuracy of comps, and has used many out of the box techniques to accomplish shots that don’t have time to go through the full pipe. As a lead, she has mentored many new artists and is currently involved in setting up formal training at Fin Design.

Sheree Chuang is a lighting technical director at Industrial Light & Magic in Sydney. Chuang graduated with a Bachelor of 3D Art & Animation from the Design Centre Enmore in 2014, before landing her first job in the industry as a 3D modeling intern at Iloura Sydney in 2015. Prior to joining ILM, Chuang worked at Rising Sun Pictures in Adelaide and Framestore in Melbourne. Given the opportunity to explore different aspects of the VFX pipeline before honing her skills, she ultimately found passion in the lighting department. With an enthusiasm for cinematography and solid foundation in painting, Chuang blends her creative skills and technical expertise as a VFX artist to tackle complicated sequences. Her notable credits include Game of Thrones: Battles of the Bastards (Emmy winner for best VFX), Disney’s Christopher Robin (Oscarnominated for best VFX), John Wick 2 and 3, and most recently Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Caleb De Leon is a VFX supervisor with more than 10 years’ experience across commercials, TV and feature films. Graduating from Griffith Film School in 2014, De Leon already had five years’ experience working in 3DCG and motion graphics for outside broadcast. His career in visual effects started at Alt.Vfx as a visual effects assistant. By 2019, he was a gun-for-hire visual effects supervisor, flame artist and colourist across South East Asia. In 2021 he found a home at Queensland’s Chop Shop Post as their creative director and VFX supervisor, where he built their visual effects department from the ground up to deliver sequences for Paramount+, Netflix and Amazon Studio projects. In 2024, De Leon is stepping into role of creative director and VFX supervisor at 3P Studio, leading their team of VFX and CG artists and growing the studio’s long-form post production offering. He is also passionate about nurturing and mentoring the next generation of artists.

JAKE DUCZYNSKI

LACHLAN PENDRAGON

Jake Duczynski is a proud Gomeroi and Mandandanji writer, director and animator who is committed to First Nations representation on screen and fortifying a space for Indigenous voices in the animation industry. Duczynski is the co-writer and director of ABC short-form series Cooked, and was the animator and illustrator of the Walkley awardwinning SBS interactive animation My Grandmother’s Lingo, which also won Best Responsive Website at the SXSW Festival and a 2017 Webby Award for Best Use of Interactive Video. In 2021 Duczynski launched Studio Gilay in partnership with James Hackett. Duczynski is development on Orcy & JJ, co-created with Taboo from BackEyed Peas, and co-partners Studio Gilay and Flying Bark. Other projects in development include Cooked: An Ownerous Deed, Gali and Dreaming Country. Duczynski recently directed the ABC Kids Lullaby, Ninganah, written and performed by Troy Cassar-Daley. His animation commemorating the 25th anniversary of the landmark Mabo High Court decision was projected onto Sydney’s Maritime Museum, and he helped design From the Sails: Light Years, a 17-minute motion artwork projected onto the Sydney Opera House’s sails for its 50th anniversary.

Lachlan Pendragon is a Brisbanebased stop-motion animator and filmmaker. After completing a Bachelor of Animation at Griffith Film School, Pendragon continued into higher degree research specialising in stop-motion animation, which he developed a strong passion for. As part of his research, he wrote, directed and animated short film An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It, which went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short and won the Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards. Pendragon shot the film over 10 months during COVID lockdowns in his mum’s living room. The meta-comedy, a meditation on the art of stop-motion, is also nominated for the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Short Film, and won Best Australian Short Film at Melbourne International Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Graduation Short at Annecy and shortlisted for the Yugo BAFTA Student Awards. Pendragon is currently completing his Doctor of Visual Art and is in development on a number of feature film ideas.

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RISING TALENT

WRITERS THOMAS WILSON-WHITE

ALISTAIR BALDWIN

RA CHAPMAN

BOYD QUAKAWOOT

Thomas Wilson-White is a director and screenwriter. His TV writing credits include both seasons of Netflix’s Heartbreak High and Paramount+’s Paper Dolls. WilsonWhite’s episode of Heartbreak High, ‘Bin Chicken’ was shortlisted for the Betty Roland Prize in Scriptwriting at the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Wilson-White is currently writing his second feature film Wildflowers with the support of Screen Australia and script editor Anna Seifert-Speck (Ammonite, God’s Own Country), and adapting a best-selling novel for television. His 2021 debut feature The Greenhouse screened at BFI Flare and Frameline, won Best Direction in a Feature Film (budget under $1m) at the 2021 Australian Directors’ Guild Awards and was acquired by Netflix. Wilson-White is the creator of autobiographical TV series Sick to Death, whose development has been supported by Screen Australia and Screen NSW, in collaboration with Rhapsody Films. He is a graduate of the VCA and AFTRS, and is represented in Australia by Mollison Keightley Management and Anonymous Content in the US.

Alistair Baldwin is a writer, director and comedian. His credits include writing the episode ‘Bound’ for SBS’s AACTA-nominated anthology Erotic Stories, as well as staff writing on ABC’s The Weekly, Hard Quiz, and Get Krack!n (the latter of which he also stars in as overworked personal assistant Matthew). Badlwin served as head writer for Live & Proud, the official global broadcast of the Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert, and was both head writer and host of ABC’s disability arts special ReFrame 2022. His debut play Telethon Kid premiered at Malthouse Theatre in 2023, and was shortlisted for the Griffin Award and Highly Commended in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Baldwin made his directorial debut with the second episode of SBS’s Latecomers. He has provided freelance development services on a range of projects, including the Amazon’s Deadloch and ABC’s upcoming Return To Paradise. He is currently co-writing a feature adaptation 45+47 Stella Street with regular collaborator Vidya Rajan and development support from Screen Australia. He is repped by Creative Representation.

Ra Chapman a Korean-Australian playwright, screenwriter and actor. She is the creator, writer, star and producer of upcoming ABC comedy White Fever, currently in postproduction and due to air this year. Chapman also wrote and starred in a episode of SBS’s Night Bloomers, for which she has been nominated for an AWGIE Award. Her script Jane the Waegukin was the runner up for the Australian Writers’ Guild Monte Miller Award (long-form) in 2022. Chapman is an alumni of the Besen Writers Group and was awarded the 2018 Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Playwright Fellowship. Her play KBox, won the 2021 Patrick White Playwright Award. She recently co-wrote Because The Night (a Hamlet adaptation) for the Malthouse Theatre, and is currently developing various projects for stage and screen. She is under commission by the Malthouse Theatre, where she is also an artist in residence. On screen, Chapman is known for her role as Kim Chang on Wentworth, and won an IF Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her role in David Williamson’s Face to Face. Chapman is repped by Cameron’s Management.

Boyd Quakawoot is a South Sea Islander and a man of Indigenous descent from Mackay in North Queensland who identifies with the Yawibara people. In 2019-2020, Quakawoot wrote on season four of the ABC’s Black Comedy. His first one-hour series credit was on Stan’s Black Snow, followed by an episode of the second season of Troppo for the ABC. He is also the writer of upcoming feature film Windcatcher, a Stan Original directed by Tanith Glynn-Maloney and starring Jessica Mauboy, Kelton Pell and Pia Miranda. Quakawoot is in development on horror feature Uncle, and a comedy series, Aunty Phil & Uncle Dorothea, based on his own eccentric extended family. Boyd was shortlisted for the Australian Writers’ Guild Monte Miller Award in 2020 with script Dawg and the Stonefish and shortlisted twice for the David Unaipon Award at the Queensland Literary Awards. He is repped by RGM.

TIG TERERA Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Australia, Tig Terera is the creator, writer and set-up director of Swift Street, set to premiere on SBS this year. A crime drama, Swift Street follows dysfunctional father-daughter duo Elsie and Robert and the mending of their fractured relationship after they team up to protect Robert from a ruthless crime boss. Prior to his work in television, Terera created several short films, including Chenge, Solibet, Charlotte and Tinashé, the latter of which won a Special Mention award at the 2022 Berlinale in the Generation section and screened at Sydney Film Festival as a finalist in the Dendy Awards. Terara’s resume also spans TVC’s, music videos and film projects that he filmed in London, Paris and Singapore. He is repped by RGM. 32 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

POST-PRODUCTION SPONSORED CONTENT

3P STUDIO OPENS DOORS TO NEW CREATIVE HUB 3P Studio has announced the opening of its state-of-the-art, inner city post-production facility in Milton, Brisbane. This remarkable achievement represents a significant stride in delivering unrivalled post-production services to clients in South-East Queensland and beyond.

P Studio’s new Brisbane facilities showcase an impressive array of post-production suites that elevate the creative process by fostering seamless collaboration and catering to the diverse needs of the screen industry. The new creative hub, located in Milton, includes nine edit and finishing suites, three sound suites and two recording facilities. Additionally, the studio boasts 30 VFX and animation stations, breakout workspaces, and meeting rooms - all meticulously designed

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to facilitate production crews and clients. These exceptional features establish 3P Studio as one of Queensland’s largest independently artist-owned postproduction companies, solidifying its position as one of the premier leaders in the industry. 3P Studio’s founder Haley McDonald expressed her enthusiasm about the new facilities, stating: “We really threw everything we could at the Black Street build. Our goal was to create an exceptional facility that fosters and embraces collaboration across

all aspects of post-production, from editing to sound, VFX to finishing and delivery. Since day one our mission has been to lead the industry while upholding the timeless values of exceptional client service and creating outstanding work that exceeds expectations.” From humble beginnings as a freelance editor seven years ago to leading a team of 30+ artists across multiple departments today, McDonald says the secret to 3P’s accelerated success in such a short time is simple: “It’s the people that make 3P a special place to come

and create beautiful work. We have a loyal and supportive client base in Queensland and have truly expanded our presence interstate and overseas, collaborating with the industry’s finest.” In addition to establishing a strong reputation in advertising through collaboration and delivering high-end work for clients, 3P Studio eagerly anticipates further embracing long-form and features projects within its Milton facilities. The implementation of advanced technological infrastructure and a commitment to unparalleled comfort make 3P Studio an attractive destination for ventures in the longform domain. With the convenience of consolidated editing, sound engineering and VFX capabilities under one roof, 3P Studio extends a warm invitation to production companies, producers and directors, providing an optimal environment to bring their creative visions to life within our beautifully designed suites. With the introduction of Screen Queensland’s Post, Digital & Visual Effects (PDV) 15 per cent incentive program, 3P Studio is poised to further enhance its offerings in the post-production landscape. This incentive program will undoubtedly contribute to the growth and success of projects undertaken at 3P Studio, providing additional support and financial benefits to filmmakers and production teams. As 3P Studio continues to evolve and solidify its position in the industry, it reaffirms 3P’s commitment to fostering a thriving creative community in Australia.

3P Studio 3pstudio.com.au +61 7 3226 5090

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O N L I N E

FEATURE

UP AND COMERS

In 2023, the Casting Guild of Australia expanded its group of Rising Stars from ten actors to 12. The guild believes each has potential to break out on the world stage. Here, they talk to IF.

BERNIE VAN TIEL

RAJ LABADE

Credits include: Swift Street, Erotic Stories, Class of ’07, Blaze

Credits include: Appetite, The Office Australia

Why did you decide you wanted to act?

I feel it’s natural as a person of colour to become a storyteller. Our ancestors did it for generations to pass on lessons, keep each other safe and celebrate the beauty of our culture. As someone deeply rooted in their Filipinx identity, I take the role of decolonising my culture very seriously. Representation matters. And as a future ancestor, I am proud to be one portion of a legacy that’s bigger than me.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

Before I give credit my to college, I first must give props to my high school, Murwillumbah High. Even though it was an under-resourced school out in the sticks, it really nourished anyone who identified as a creative. I had a lot of “rawness” that needed harnessing. The International Screen Academy helped a lot. Not only did I learn acting for screen, but I learned how to do other jobs on set. This expanded my skillset, taught me how to make my own short films/showreels, and most importantly, respect everyone else’s job too.

Favourite role so far and why?

This is HARD. I love all the people I’ve portrayed. Perhaps I could switch the lens to “which role challenged you/taught you the most?” The answer to that is Aisha from SBS series Swift Street. She was like a river; calm and serene from an outside perspective, but if you’re not a strong swimmer you’ll get lost in her turbulent current. She had a duality of calm and chaos. She wants her every action to be led with love as the intention, but there was a tightrope to walk, because she is ﬁercely protective of those she loves, too. And violence isn’t out of the question when those she loves are under threat.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

1. Get an industry specialist for taxes because that stuﬀ can be tricky and regular accountants often scratch their head at your job. 2. Take the job seriously, but not yourself. If you lose your inner child and ability to play, you are restricting your range. It’s okay to try something and look silly or fail. Nothing bad will happen. 3. Saying “no” won’t jeopardise your career. Operating from a scarcity mindset will only lead to burnout. There are opportunities in abundance! Don’t let fear control your actions. You will not be fulﬁlled if you do.

I decided pretty early on that acting was something I wanted to do. I always loved doing sketches and musicals in primary school. In high school, when I was 14, I decided that’s what I was going to do. And aside from obviously enjoying it, I just happened to be one of the few things I was really good at, and in most other things I was probably quite mediocre. I think in that way it made sense, it didn’t feel like I had the ability to discover anything or do anything original in other subjects, but in acting that’s exactly what you do and there’s no right way to do it, which is what I loved.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

I studied at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) I did a 3-year BA of Acting. But I think I learnt most of my craft by watching and working with amazing actors, that was the case for drama school too. We had some amazing teachers and guest lecturers, but I learnt most of my craft from the incredible actors in my year and in the other years.

Favourite role so far and why?

I was lucky enough to be in an independent production at Belvoir St theatre called Never Closer in 2022. It is still one of the best scripts I’ve ever read with an amazing part and team behind it. We all made no money, but it was one of the most fulfilling and satisfying experiences I’ve had on any project.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out.

I think I got lots of good advice before I started and it’s so easy to find it these days with actors talking about process on YouTube. But I think the best advice I got from teachers at drama school was that it’s not always going to be fun. There will be a lot of days where it really feels like work, and you put up with a tremendous amount of self-doubt. The advice was to learn how to cope with that and do your job, so you can earn those moments where you are reminded of why you love what you do.

Who would you like to work with in the future?

I used to have celebrities in mind when I pondered this question. But now, I just want to work with anyone I can learn valuable lessons from. I feel if I walk away from an experience having to think and rethink, perhaps I am growing.

Who would you like to work with in the future? Andrew Scott, he’s extraordinary.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as? Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

Anything that contributes to racism or misrepresentation of a community.

Last ﬁlm or TV show you really loved?

I really loved Orange is The New Black. To this day I refuse to watch the last episode, because once I do, it’s over, and I don’t think I want to come to terms with the idea that wherever those people end up, is their ﬁnal narrative. I haven’t had a show do that to me before. So I guess that’s a credit to the rich writing and brilliant story-telling abilities of the actors involved. 36 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

I think I’d just dislike that generally, I’m often craving the opposite of whatever I find myself doing. I’d just like to be able to work cross genre and medium, from drama to comedy, screen and stage. To be limited I think would be difficult for any actor.

Last film or TV show you really loved?

The Stranger with Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris. It was one of the best films of last year and easily one of the best Australian true crime dramas ever made.

FEATURE

EMMA HARVIE

Why did you decide you wanted to act?

Credits include: Colin From Accounts, RFDS, In Limbo, Frayed

I loved performing and didn’t like the idea of working in an oﬃce. It’s the best job I can think of. Where did you study or learn your craft? I studied theatre/media at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, where I learnt the foundations of storytelling and theatre-making. Then I went to the Actors Centre Australia; it was based in a Church in Surry Hills at the time and I was sceptical. Best decision I made.

regular TV role and she had so many great one-liners. It was a really fun set, plus I love a period piece – it’s set in ‘80s Newcastle. I didn’t get crazy costumes because I was mostly in uniform, but I did get a smart pair of navy-blue culottes and a sweeping side fringe.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

Put your energy towards building the career you want now, worry about a back-up plan when you need to. Trust that no-one else can do you. A salary is not a measure of success, if you love what you’re doing, keep doing it!

Favourite role so far and why?

Hard to pick a favourite but I loved playing Oﬃcer Emily Sutherland in Frayed season two. It was my ﬁrst

Who would you like to work with in the future? Kristen Wiig. John Turturro. Ruben

COSTA D’ANGELO

CARLOS SANSON JR.

Credits include: Neighbours, Crazy Fun Park, Wog Boys Forever

Credits include: Ladies in Black, Paper Dolls, Bump, Sweet As

Why did you decide you wanted to act?

It started when I was around 12 years old, almost a decade ago now. I would always go to the cinemas with my dad or watch movies at home with him. I guess that’s where my love for film started. Storytelling would make me feel a type of way, bring out emotions and make me forget about all the stuff a 12-year-old would go through. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I’m just lucky my parents believed in it as much as I did.

Favourite role so far and why?

Definitely Eden on Neighbours. I’m not sure how much I can say, but playing someone living a double life was almost like playing two characters in a way. Every decision had to be calculated; this character needed a certain intelligence to make his way through life or he would lose everything. The team and I worked so hard on bringing a grittiness to the show that works brilliantly. Also having a real character journey is so special, there is a clear arc in Eden’s time on screen. I can’t ask for much more as an actor.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

I would tell myself to enjoy it a bit more. I felt a constant pressure to “make it” at such a young age, feeling like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders before every performance, when in reality I’m not saving lives, I’m acting. I’m proud of my young self for working so hard and being so committed to learning the craft, but I’d tell young Costa to find more joy in the journey of making it.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as

Being typecast as a douchebag character wouldn’t be fun. I wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed into any role to be honest. I feel like I have lots to give to any character. I think everyone does.

Last film or tv show you really loved?

I just did my annual Star Wars marathon with a friend who had never seen them. I’m a massive Star Wars nerd so to go back and explain all the little details to my buddy was so exciting. I discovered new things too. They’re just great, those films. Everything you want in storytelling; strong characters, redemption arcs, love interests, great action. And obviously lightsabers. I think my dream role would be anything in that franchise.

I think I always wanted to be an actor; as a young boy drama was always my favourite subject, I enjoyed public speaking, I got a kick out being the class clown. There was something that drew me to entertaining, in whatever form. But I didn’t have the courage to speak it until I started performing properly in front of audiences in high school. With every performance came this incredibly fulfilling sense of purpose. And then I remember it kind of clicked, like “Oh, this is what I’m here to do”. Moving people to tears, to laughs or to just feel anything became this addicting pursuit for me. I loved watching the impact I could have on people through story telling.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

I studied for two years full-time at Screenwise, in Sydney. Since graduating I’ve kept busy in classes: Les Chantery, Kim Farrant, Anthony Meindl, Jeff Seymour. I have to credit these teachers. They’ve been amazing for me, all in different ways. But I also have to credit all the crazy incredible memories I have with my friends, my travels, my life experiences. These have been the most valuable things to draw on in my work.

Östlund. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle. Taika Waititi. Greta Gerwig. Cousin Greg from Succession.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

Indian/Sri Lankan girl. You’ll be getting that regardless. I’ve been lucky to play great roles where my ethnicity was crucial to the character, and roles where it hasn’t been a factor. A lot of POC actors haven’t had the same experience.

Last ﬁlm or TV show you really loved?

Obsessed with Pen15 and White Lotus (both seasons). Just ﬁnished The Newsreader, it’s so good, I am now embracing power suits and big hair.

Favourite role so far and why?

I just recently played a young Cuban boxer ‘Andreas’ in a short film produced earlier this year. It was a real taste of the kind of work I want to continue being a part of, and the direction (tonally) of what I want to do next. It got me very excited for what the future holds. Stay tuned for Why We Fight in next year’s festival circuit.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out? “This too shall pass...”

Who would you like to work with in the future? Goran Stolevski or anyone from Blue-Tongue Films.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

The boy next door, the hot guy, the love interest... no thanks.

Last film or TV show you really loved?

Incendies - Denis Villeneuve. If you haven’t seen it, you need to. www.if.com.au 37

FEATURE

PERRY MOONEY

BEN TURLAND

NATHALIE MORRIS

Credits include: Population 11, Gold Diggers, Romance on the Menu

Credits include: The Deb, Paper Dolls, Riptide, Neighbours, Home & Away

Credits include: Bump, Petrol

Why did you decide you wanted to act? There was never really a conscious decision. It’s something that I think has always been in my spirit. I’ve always loved stories and most storytelling mediums, so it just feels natural to me.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

I didn’t really study anywhere; I took drama in my last two years of high school. As much as I’d like to say that I paid attention in class, I was off with the fairies more often than not, but I still enjoyed it. The learning, for me, comes from chucking myself headfirst into things and not really knowing which way is up until a project is done.

Favourite role so far and why?

That I’ve played, or that I love in general? Because that’d be a great question. Fav role that I’ve played was a character called Vic in Gold Diggers. She’s like the big sister I would have had if I wasn’t already the eldest. She’s tough and ridiculously hard working but she has a lighter and calmer side and she doesn’t hide it either. As for a favourite role in general, it’s super niche, but I recently watched this movie for the first time in ages and was blown away by Tom E. Lewis’ performance. He plays a character called Jimmy Conway in a film called Red Hill. It’s such a sad story but I live for a well-deserved revenge plot.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

That no matter who you’re working with or how experienced they are, they started out like you. Just trust your gut and be gentle with yourself if you’re freaking out. At the end of the day, you’re all just pretending.

Who would you like to work with in the future? Jordan Peele.

Why did you decide you wanted to act?

I always knew I wanted to be in the arts, especially dancing, as that was my first love. It was only when I was 16 that I really discovered acting. I think once I got a little taste I wanted more.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

I never did any formal training. I did private lessons on and off with Les Chantery from age 13 to 20, and have done a few classes/workshops with acting coaches Anthony Meindl, Ben Matthews and Larry Moss.

Favourite role so far and why?

My role in Paper Dolls. My character is a pop star, which meant I got to dance as well as act in the series. My two favourite art forms in the one.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

I wish I was told early on that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback.

Who would you like to work with in the future?

I’d like to work with a ton of people. For me it’s a matter of how people work that interests me, more than their work. But I would absolutely love to work with the director Christopher Nolan.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as? I hope I get the privilege of not being typecast of course, but I guess the standard “jock” or “cool dude”.

Last film or TV show you really loved?

Recently I found The Bear and Top Boy very entertaining.

Why did you decide you wanted to act?

I saw a theatre production of High School Musical when I was 11, and I just thought it looked so fun to be part of a team like that. I joined a youth theatre company, and it became like a second home until I was 18. We put on a couple of shows every year and they were usually really thought-provoking, original Australian plays. I loved sinking my teeth into these stories. It felt powerful to get to be a vessel for them as an actor, and to express myself in ways I couldn’t do at home or at school. The directors there really believed in me, and it just became a part of who I was.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

I was part of the Canberra Youth Theatre when I was a teenager, and then I moved to Wellington to study at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. I also studied for a short time at the Workcenter of Grotowski and Thomas Richards in Italy. Favourite role so far and why? Oly from Bump, because I’ve gotten to play her at three different ages now and make decisions about how she has (or hasn’t) matured. The show is also very varied, with very comedic and silly scenes, and lots of intimate and truthful scenes too, so I’ve really gotten to experiment with my craft on that show. The rest of the cast is also so brilliant, each in their own ways, so it’s fun and satisfying to play with them. Over the four seasons we’ve shot so far, I’ve also become quite close with our directors and crew, and so I feel like part of a team, collaborating to make an artwork. I like feeling that involved.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

Who you are is enough. You’re interesting enough, funny enough, compelling enough, deep enough, all of that. Just really be you and trust your instincts.

Who would you like to work with in the future? Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

The tired, overworked mother figure – think Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale. Although I love that film (and Aunty Angela) it’d be great to play around with that kind of role once, but to be typecast as that? No thanks, it’d be absolutely exhausting.

Gosh… Ruben Ostland, Sophie Hyde, Céline Sciamma, Goran Stolevski, Noah Baumbach, Yórgos Lánthimos, David Mamet, Ariane Mnouchkine and the Théâtre du Soleil… any of those would be a dream.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as? The sweet naive type. I’d love to play more outspoken or rebellious roles.

Last film or TV show you really loved?

I’ve been doing a rewatch of the first few seasons of Absolutely Fabulous, so it’s kinda hard not to pick that. Jennifer Saunders is equal parts ridiculous and ridiculously clever. A wonderful combo. 38 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

Last film or TV show you really loved?

Past Lives is the last I’ve seen. The Worst Person in the World is my favourite from the last couple years. I want to make films like those two, and act in them.

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FEATURE

NATALIE ABBOTT Credits include: The Deb, Aftertaste, A Perfect Pairing Why did you decide you wanted to act?

When I was in school, I suppose I didn’t even think I was any good at acting. I was never the best in my drama classes, I was just there for a good time. I started taking it seriously after I won the Bell Shakespeare regional performance scholarship in year 11. I was one of three regional kids who had the opportunity to go to Sydney for a week and observe and train. I got to see real, employed, adult actors, doing their thing in a rehearsal room, having fun and laughing and performing as work. That was the ﬁrst time I actually thought that maybe I could be like that one day. I could be doing the funnest thing ever, for a job. If I could be so lucky.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

Aside from drama in school and extracurricular classes (shout out Mr Burian and Nowra Players) I did musical theatre at university. We took acting as a part of our classes and that’s where I learned most of my acting for stage. Screen acting was really hard to grasp after doing theatre for so long, and I mostly learned from my friends. I’ve been lucky enough that on a few jobs now, I’ve had the opportunity to have lovely chats with Miranda Harcourt, who has given me so much valuable guidance.

WILLIAM MCKENNA Credits include: Thou Shalt Not Steal, The Messenger, Queen of Oz, Nowhere Boys Why did you decide you wanted to act?

I don’t think there was definitive decision made in my life. Acting was/is something I have a great deal of fun learning about. It has been like that for basically my whole life. So I guess at birth.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

Through watching and loving television, film and theatre. Having a deep passion helps immensely when it comes to studying. With every project I’ve grown significantly. Experienced creatives offer great advice, and you learn new avenues, things about yourself and if you’re lucky your love for it deepens. I had two great drama and theatre teachers at my high school. Nicholas Waxman and Amanda Sykes. It always helps when you have committed and highly creative theatre aficionados as your drama teachers. I learned too many things from them.

Favourite role so far and why?

Diana West in Aftertaste (streaming now on ABC iview – shameless plug.) I honestly miss her, I loved her so much. She was a ﬁrecracker, incredibly intelligent, witty, hilarious, and bold. Everything I envy and love about a person, she had those qualities, and I loved being able to pretend I was that cool. It was also my screen debut playing her and I learnt so much, she will always have a very special place in my heart.

I love playing people who are three dimensional, who are full of life and I’m lucky enough to sit with for a while. Loved playing Ed Kennedy in The Messenger, his heart is full even though he is hurting. Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s goal was to make his friends laugh even if he can’t make himself laugh. It’s so nice to play people who are kind. Maurice Bernhardt in Melbourne Theatre Company’s Bernhardt/Hamlet was arrogant and imperious. Those characters are fun also.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

Favourite role so far and why?

Maybe that it’s okay to make mistakes. I still struggle with this out of fear for looking silly or underprepared, but acting is about conveying human experiences, and humans very regularly make mistakes. We’re notorious for it. So it’s okay to look silly sometimes.

Try more life. Do life lots. Experience things. Get out. You can’t really be an actor if you don’t know what it’s like to live a life. I’m super better at it now.

Who would you like to work with in the future? Who would you like to work with in the future?

I have so many Australian, female heroes that I’d love to work with and learn from. This is obviously in my wildest dreams, but I’d cry tears of happiness for a month if I found out I was going to work with queen Toni Collette. I’ve always admired her and playing Muriel in the Australian national tour was a dream come true. I think she’s incredible.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

Please stop casting me as the hot mysterious girl, it’s so much pressure. I JOKE. I really enjoy the types of characters I play. In the future I’d love to dip my toe in diﬀerent genres, mediums and try diﬀerent things, but at the moment I love the young women I represent.

Highly creative people who dare to challenge the form. Newness. Creatives who have something to say. Funny people. And Olivia Colman.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

Characters I play seem to come out of the truth of my life at the time. So as I am ever changing, growing, the characters I play are changing with me. I love that. I think typecasting is sometimes due to actors’ ability to play a type of character really well. But mostly its creatives not giving actors a chance to show different sides. Human beings have many faces. As do actors. Actors are humans. Also. I promise. They seem less human when you get them to answer questions about themselves and their ‘craft’. Being cheeky.

Last ﬁlm or TV show you really loved?

Colin from Accounts is my Roman Empire, I think about it at least three times a day and I’ve watched it about six times.

40 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

Last film or TV show you really loved?

I just watched A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes. Gena Rowlands really is one of best of the best. I loved it. I’m also dumb and stupid if I didn’t say The Bear.

FEATURE

KARTANYA MAYNARD Credits include: Heartbreak High, Gold Diggers, Deadloch, The Messenger honest about what you want and go for it”. So, I did and I haven’t regretted it.

Where did you study or learn your craft?

I’ve never formally studied acting apart from drama class during my secondary schooling, but I did have some tutoring with actor/director Ben Winspear. I’m still learning and perfecting my craft with every project I do.

Favourite role so far and why? Why did you decide you wanted to act?

I had secretly always wanted to be an actor but made the decision in 2019 when I received a mentorship grant that allowed me to find mentorship in any creative pursuit I wished. I just thought to myself, “When is an opportunity like this going to present itself again? Be

I honestly can’t pick one because every role I’ve played has taught me something new, challenged me to become better at my craft and instigated a lot of amazing moments and memories I’ll get to keep for the rest of my life.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out? I don’t think there’s any advice

I wish I had received because I have such a supportive team around me, but I do wish that I hadn’t spent so much time thinking I wasn’t good enough. Knowing what to look for when being affected by imposter syndrome is crucial in getting out of its spiral. I still struggle with it now but it’s not as intense.

Who would you like to work with in the future?

I’d really love to act alongside Viola Davis and Olivia Coleman. They’re just both such amazing performers who find truth and ferocity in their performances that leaves me absolutely transfixed with wonder. I’d also love to be directed by Sofia Coppola, I’ve loved her work since I was young. She’s a director that truly knows how to explore and film the beauty of human connection, to participate in that would be an absolute dream.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

I have so much confidence in comedic roles, and I really love playing them, but I really would hate to be pigeonholed as the funny person all the time. As an actor I want to be able to showcase my range and give everything a go at least once.

Last film or TV show you really loved?

I recently rewatched one of my favourite movies as a child – The Dark Crystal. The imagery, the lore and the score have just followed me as I’ve grown up. Looking back on it now maybe little Kartanya saw reflections of her own people within the themes of oppression, genocide, and climate change. In the end the oppressed win and save the world – no wonder I keep going back to rewatch.

WILLIAM LODDER Credits include: Love Me, Bali 2002, Wakefield, Go! Where did you study or learn your craft?

Like many others, I did dramatic arts in high school at St Augustines and eventually went on to study at NIDA at 19. But the real training and studying which really stuck by me, like properly, was the actual work. Being on sets and being lucky enough to be on shows and films gave me the most clarity and understanding of who I am, and what I can bring to a project. Over time I’ve learnt to back myself and trust my instincts so much more.

Favourite role so far and why? Why did you decide you wanted to act?

By far a subconscious thought to want to perform, ever since I was a child. For the first few films I saw as a child most definitely made something click in my brain. Can I name those films, no, but I know that I’ve just always known. I didn’t even have to question it ever, it just was, and is.

So far, the character I played in the series Love Me, Aaron Mathieson, has been a career favourite. He holds a great vulnerability but balances that with a raw strength which makes him so loveable as a person. On the page, he is a character you just understand and empathise so much with, and I just needed to get that role. He’s an onion you keep peeling away at, with so so many different layers

and textures. I can happily say that I’m so far proud of all the work I’ve done and what has come from being apart of that show.

Advice you wish you’d gotten when you were starting out?

To back myself and trust my instincts would have been very helpful back then. I can say though, that the learning process and life itself has given me those tools to understand that advice more overtime. Backing yourself and trusting yourself can go so far and can show what human beings are capable of, and I’m only starting to get the hang of it now!

Who would you like to work with in the future?

Cate Blanchett, because she’s a favourite and that would be bucket list request checked off. There’s a mother, son story out there we could bring to life. Give it a few years. Fingers crossed.

Who would you hate to be typecast or pigeonholed as?

You know what, the American jock or the athletic popular kid who has no redeeming qualities, has been my arch nemesis for quite a few years now. I don’t even suggest myself as appearing or giving off that sense as a person, so it still baffles me to be receiving those roles up for bidding. But boy am I very quick to avoid that.

Last film or TV show you really loved?

I just finished watching Atlanta for the second time around. And will not lie in saying it will get its third viewing down the track when I have the time. That show is hands down the best television I’ve watched. From the writing, to the cast, cinematography, the editing, the lighting, EVERYTHING! The inspiration and comfort it gives me to know there are creative artists out there like Stephen and Donald Glover who make things like this. Chef ’s kiss.

www.if.com.au 41

WELLBEING

NIDA students.

EMBEDDING RESILIENCE NIDA was awarded Organisation of the Year at the 2023 Screen Well Awards for its holistic approach to both student and staff wellbeing. Jackie Keast finds out more about the institute’s strategy.

IDA senior counsellor Kareena Hodgson has set herself a goal: That NIDA alumni become known in the industry for their resilience and capacity to take care of their mental health. She’s quick to clarify that doesn’t mean the institute’s graduates will be people who won’t struggle. To struggle is human, and stage and screen are often competitive and often uncertain industries in which to build a career, encompassing long hours, rejection, and significant pressures. Rather, she hopes that when times get tough, NIDA alumni will be unafraid to reach out to others and have health coping strategies. This is because they’ve had a solid psychoeducation; NIDA is prioritising destigmatising mental health support. “We’re really trying to normalise the idea of help-seeking at NIDA, rather than waiting until the wheels are completely falling off,” she tells IF. Hodgson has worked at NIDA for three years as one of two counsellors within its five-day 42 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

NIDA senior counsellor Kareena Hodgson.

a week counselling service, the other being Helle Luckmann. Over that time, she has seen both the executive team and the broader school work hard to bring mental health and wellbeing “to the forefront of learning”. That work has been recognised by Screen Well, who named NIDA Organisation of Year at its inaugural awards in October. Students are taught about the counselling service in their first week on campus, Welcome Week, where they also have a session on wellbeing. The cohort are actively encouraged to access the service for everything from homesickness and

heartache, through to mental health issues like generalised anxiety and depression. They have a QR code on their student pass that takes them directly to a booking calendar for counselling session times. Where students are dealing with mental health issues, they have access to study access plans to ensure they are supported around their diagnosis and are also referred onto other services or further help. “We encourage all the cohorts to come [to the counselling service] all the time and just check in with us. We talk about their diets, about sleep and basic self-care as well. That is not necessarily always front of mind for an 18-year-old, how to take care of themselves, especially if they’ve just left home and they’re trying to work it out. It’s a pretty intense place to study.” For First Nations students, there is cultural support via the executive including Uncle-in-Residence Matthew Doyle, consultant Rhoda Roberts and head of First Nations Travis Cardona, and the counselling service will also often refer students as required to First Nations psychologist Mary Goslett. The counselling service also

often heads into the classroom to consult on challenging material, and content warnings on scripts. If needed, they’ll talk to students about conflicts within the class and discuss how to have difficult conversations. Beyond this, almost all staff have also been trained in “accidental counselling” through Lifeline, the idea being that they often find themselves in a role of listening and taking care of students. Technical Theatre and Stage Management students and staff also receive mental health first aid training, in recognition that a stage manager is often the ‘go to’ person for issues on a theatre production. NIDA is also doing an overhaul of some of its curriculum and examining how to embed wellbeing strategies into common subjects – a prospect that is exciting for Hodgson. “There would be some students that don’t access or don’t ask for help for whatever reason. Having it embedded in the curriculum means that everyone gets that learning and it filters down through the education,” she says. NIDA’s efforts to create a culture of wellbeing also extends to staff, through things such as its employee assistance program service, staff yoga and wellbeing webinars. NIDA staff recently participated in a joint professional development day with AFTRS and the National Art School, run by the schools’ counsellors, looking at self-care, boundaries and managing conflict in the classroom. “This is the area that is growing here at NIDA and it’s getting better,” Hodgson says. “We know that staff wellbeing and student wellbeing are inextricably connected. Staff need to be okay as well, because it’s relational, particularly in an art school context. “Having the counselling service here, there’s a bleed out; there’s a lot of language and talk about wellbeing, there’s a lot of modelling of taking care of yourself. It’s permeating throughout the school; it’s not just for students.” While Hodgson is encouraged by the Screen Well Award, she cautions NIDA still on a journey – there is more to do. “Getting the award from Screen Well was a reminder of where we’re starting to do things well. We’re not completely there; it’s an ongoing thing. The thing that matters is that NIDA, I believe, is really committed to doing this as best we can.”

Post-Production, Melbourne www.postlab.io

WELLBEING

Tim Draxl and Joel Lago in episode 3 of ‘Erotic Stories’, ‘Bound’.

CREATING SAFE SPACES Screen Well named SBS and Lingo Pictures’ Erotic Stories Production of the Year at its inaugural awards, with judges deeming the production provided a high level of psychological safety procedure, awareness and supports for the cast and crew. Jackie Keast finds out more.

ne of the key decisions Lingo Pictures made through the development of SBS anthology series Erotic Stories was that sex had to be central to the story. If you took the sex out, and the story stayed the same, then it wasn’t the right story for the series. How sex would then be depicted on screen became paramount, as did creating a safe workplace for cast and crew to create such content. Lingo Pictures MD and producer Helen Bowden tells IF making a show like this inherently makes you think harder about depicting intimacy, and mental health and wellbeing. Erotic Stories saw the company do a complete refresh of its code of practice and production policy, with an eye to best practice around the world. With ITV Studios having bought a majority stake in the company, this included spending significant time talking to sister prod-cos in the UK. “We thought ‘This is the moment for us to make sure that everything we’ve got as standard on our productions going forward is the best it can be,’” Bowden says. Lingo’s efforts were recently recognised by Screen Well, who named Erotic Stories Production of the Year at its inaugural awards in October. 44 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

Three intimacy coordinators worked across the production: Caroline Kaspar, Chloe Dallimore and Amy Cater. Other specialty consultants were brought on as needed, including medical practitioners, a sex performance artist and even a shibari artist to teach Kate Box and Danielle Cormack about the rope tying that is in episode Deluge. Cast and crew also had access to the ITV Employee Assistance Program, which is a 24-hour counselling service available to any Lingo employees. The ICs were brought on early, in a way Kaspar tells IF was unique: they started working in November 2022, with production starting in May 2023. They had input into final scripting, were involved in rehearsal process, and in worked with crew to understand closed protocols. While there was always space for actors to change their mind on the day, action was signed off in rehearsal, so they were never introduced to anything new in the moment. A key part of the ICs role was ensuring an authenticity to the intimate scenes, and that they always served a storytelling purpose; that it was not gratuitous. This involved research and consultation with the communities depicted. For instance, episode Bound saw Kaspar spend time with people at Studio Kink in Sydney, exploring ideas of consent.

“The beautiful part of working on this series was that the writers were very accessible and the producers were committed to authentic stories. When we had suggestions, it was taken very seriously, discussed, and then, if necessary, was rewritten. You don’t often get that in a project,” she says. Many of the lead characters in Erotic Stories are someone who has not typically been a sexual lead on Australian screens; be they queer, gender-diverse, living with disability, middle-aged or a person of colour. Actor Joel Lago, who stars in Bound, was drawn to the project precisely because of its authentic depiction of a queer, disabled person’s experience. “A lot of the time disabled people are put forward as objects of pity or embittered by their fate.” Erotic Stories was Lago’s first role that has involved intimate scenes, and he found the process collaborative and considered. Initially he had some concerns about showing certain parts of his body on screen, which was wholly accepted by everyone within the creative team. However, on the shoot day, he felt comfortable enough to end up changing his mind. “I think that’s what makes mental health on set so important,” he tells IF. “If your actor is comfortable in a space and knows that their best

interests are being looked after, they’re going to be able to give you more. When I was doing that scene, I wasn’t nervous about doing a sex scene, I was excited, because I knew that I was safe in that space and it allowed me to let go.” In addition to extensive work as advocates for the actors, Kasper notes crew wellbeing was also top of mind for the ICs. This ranged from making sure language was kept respectful and professional, to also ensuring everyone consented to what they were working on. “We understand that crew often don’t get time to read the sides before they’re working on them. But if there is going to be some confronting or sensitive material we’re presenting in the storyline, I think it’s only right and fair that everyone is made aware of what that content might be, and then they can make the decision as to whether they are willing to do that in their workday,” she says. Moving into post-production, the actors were allowed to view their sex scenes before picture lock. “You generally don’t invite too many opinions, if you like, into the edit room, because people can decide they don’t want things. But that was part of our commitment to people: We don’t want to show anything you’re not happy with,” Bowden says. “But because we’d been through such a careful and extensive process, people felt comfortable with what they’d done, and in most cases were completely thrilled. “Some of those things are a bit scary for a producer. But what you want is for people to stand behind their work and say, ‘I was well treated, and I’m happy and proud of how it’s come out.’” Bowden is intensely proud of the series, including how everyone managed the pressure of shooting an ambitious anthology series on an SBS budget. “As well as quite new people in the cast, there were also quite a lot of new people in crew and production roles,” Bowden says. “For me personally, going on set and seeing it so dominated by people in their 30s, so many women, so many people of colour, it was just wonderful. I thought ‘We are getting there. We are finally getting there.’ And if we didn’t do it on Erotic Stories, when were we ever going to do it?”

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FEATURE

2023 REEL REFLECTIONS AND NEW YEAR PLOT POINT PROSPECTS As 2023 fades to black, it’s an opportune time to reflect on the year that’s been and envision the year ahead. Emmy and AACTA Award-winning producer turned screen sector executive coach Ellenor Cox offers a series of questions to guide this introspective journey.

e all have those moments in life where something so significant happens it etches itself into our mind. For me, one of these events took place in the most unassuming of places – the photocopying room (yes, they existed in the preinternet era when paper reigned supreme!). I had just arrived in Sydney to take up a highly competitive role as a graduate trainee manager at Qantas. It was akin to gaining entry to an exclusive members-only club, receiving personalised training to become a future leader of the company. On this particular day, I stumbled upon a magazine article left on the photocopier. This chance discovery revealed a startling statistic: in 1990, the average Australian changed careers three times. A quick Google search today places this average between 5-7 times. At that moment, I clearly remember thinking, ‘This will never be me! I’m so lucky to have this amazing job and opportunity. I’ll be at Qantas forever.” Fast forward more than 30 years, and I now find myself savouring the fruits of my third distinctive career change. I’ve discovered reinvention is not for the faint hearted. It takes courage, persistence and resilience to forge a new career path, but the lynchpin ingredient is clarity. Clarity about your purpose and clarity about what the final destination looks like. One of the most potent and profound ways to gather this clarity is through the art of journaling. It’s an almost daily habit that I’ve had throughout my life and has been instrumental in providing me with the insights that I’ve needed in order to both envision and make changes that I desire. I doubt that I would have taken the leap out of Qantas and into a film career without the support of this habit. Whether you’re feeling the stirrings of a career shift or not, if dedicated self-reflection has been absent from your routine, I encourage you to read on and contemplate the questions posed below. I always find this time of year one of the best periods for immersive journalling. A Xmas break might be beckoning; the idea of taking some time out starts to take shape and those long sun filled days just seem to naturally encourage more expansive and strategic thinking. The natural end and start of the calendar year also seem to provide an obvious bookend for both reflection and intention setting. 46 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

When Socrates said that “an unexamined life is not worth living” he was suggesting that true fulfillment and growth arise from our willingness to delve into the depths of our thoughts, actions, and aspirations. Having a structure to apply to this exploration is incredibly valuable and I trust that you’ll find that the following questions serve as a powerful tool for capturing insights from the concluding year and fostering excitement and possibility for the one ahead.

2023 REFLECTION

- What was the most important goal I achieved? - What was my biggest business/career accomplishment? - What was my biggest relationship accomplishment? - What was the most enjoyable part of my work? - In what area do I feel I’ve made my biggest improvements? - What was the most challenging part of this year for me? - Who do I wish I had gotten to know better? - What was the best way I used my time this past year? - What was my single biggest time waster in life? - What was the biggest surprise of the year? - What’s the biggest mistake of the year, and the lesson learned as a result? - What was the most fun I had this year? - What was my best memory of the year? - What are three words to describe the past year, and why? - If I could travel back to the beginning of the year, what advice would I give myself? - What’s the status of the goals I set last year and what goals do I want to set for the year going forward?

2024 INTENTIONS

- What is my intention for this year? - What am I going to continue doing? - What do I want to change completely?

Ellenor Cox.

- How do I intend to be different at the end of the year? - What will I do to step out of my comfort zone? - What do I want to accomplish? - Which existing relationships do I want to focus on? - What career/business opportunities do I want to create? - How will I make 2024 matter? - How will I help others? - What personal qualities do I want to strengthen? - What skills do I want to learn? - How will I take care of myself? - What places do I want to visit? - What will I say “no” to? - Who will I ask for help and support from? - Who do I want to become this year?

I urge you to put these reflections somewhere accessible for review at various points during the year ahead. It can be both an invigorating and sobering experience to read how well you’re tracking against what were clear desires at an earlier point in time. This blend of journalling and self-reflection provides a structured and mindful approach to intention setting. It can transform abstract thoughts into concrete goals, foster selfawareness, and empower you to navigate your journeys with purpose and clarity. It may not result in a something as significant as a career shift this coming year, but it will create space to make your work and roles feel more meaningful and substantive.

Ellenor offers a range of free resources available to the screen sector at www.ellenorcox.com and is available for individual and team coaching, consultancy and workshop facilitation.

Revolutionising Cinematic Experience: IMAX Sydney is Now Open Nestled in the heart of Darling Harbour, this iconic venue will provide Sydney with the ultimate movie-watching immersion, blending state-of-the-art Laser by IMAX technology, with EVT’s unparalleled entertainment experience.

Elevated cinematic experience The IMAX Sydney screen, spanning 692 meters squared, ranks among the world’s largest. Distinguished by its 1.43 aspect ratio, it presents up to 40% more picture, providing an unparalleled experience for cinema lovers. Quipped with Laser by IMAX technology, and utilising the world’s highest-quality cameras, IMAX Sydney boasts crystal-clear laser projection and cutting-edge precision sound, ensuring each frame is a marvel for the senses. For cinemagoers, the world-renowned IMAX technology is elevated with a choice of 4 diferent seating options: Standard: The biggest traditional cinema seat with leather look and feel. Full Recliner: A luxurious reclining seat for the ultimate relaxation, in premium locations. Couples Recliner: Perfect for pairs, the double seating option provides a cozy and intimate setting for couples and friends, complete with motorised back recline. Private Box: A premium experience for groups of up to four, the open box seating option features service to seat, an exclusive food and beverage menu, ample seating space and an exclusive elevated platform for an unforgettable cinematic outing.

TECHNOLOGY

IF I HAD A GADGET

IF MAGAZINE TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THE LATEST EQUIPMENT BEING USED BY THE SCREEN INDUSTRY.

Canon RF lenses espresso Displays 17 pro portable touchscreen Australian company espresso Displays has unveiled its next-generation touchscreen, which includes 4K resolution, a 1 billion colour and 10 bit spectrum and 450 nits of brightness. The espresso 17 Pro, crafted from aerospace aluminium, works via a single USB-C connection with thousands of devices, and there are compatibility options are available for devices that do not support USB-C.

Wooden Camera Sony BURANO Elite Accessory System

Wooden Camera is taking pre-orders for its Elite Accessory System for the Sony BURANO, including a new D-Box and B-Box, as well as a new EVF System that maximises the functionality of the camera in any operating application. Features of the Elite Accessory System include a Base Plate System with a low-profile ARCA Base Plate and ARCA Riser Plate that is compatible with any make of bridge plates that use ARRI Standard height. The design aims to keep the centre of gravity low and allows users to add shoulder pads or other accessories while maintaining stability.

Laowa Ranger Compact Cine Zoom series lite version

Laowa has introduced a lite version of its Ranger Compact Cine Zoom series. With new magnesium alloy housing, the whole lens set is now more durable and 10 per cent lighter than the standard version. The Ranger series offers an all-rounded zoom range and a T2.9 large aperture, making it suited for various productions. Both the lite and standard versions feature a parfocal design, allowing a focus of 49cm for the 2875mm lens.

48 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

Canon Australia has launched three new RF lenses. The RF 24-105mm f/2.8L IS USM Z is a hybrid, all-in-one lens that includes elements from broadcast, cinema, and standard RF lenses, while also being the first RF zoom lens to combine a dedicated iris/aperture control ring and Servo functionality via optional power zoom adapters. The RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM for APS-C EOS R System cameras has a focal range suited for travel, landscape, cityscape, and vlogging enthusiasts. Completing the trio of new lenses is the RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM, a full-frame super telephoto zoom lens that is reliable in a variety of weather conditions, featuring dust and moistureresistant sealing.

Canon firmware updates and Multi-Camera Control app

Canon Australia has unveiled a free MultiCamera Control smartphone application for iOS devices, designed to allow users to control and monitor up to four cameras at once. Compatible cameras include the XF605, EOS C70, EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C500 Mark II. Four camera live view feeds can be monitored at once and functions such as optical zoom, exposure control, touch auto focus and picture profiles can be remotely controlled. Alongside the app, Canon has announced free firmware updates for the XF605 camcorder and Cinema EOS cameras, including EOS R5 C, EOS C70, ESO C300 Mark III and EOS C500 Mark II.

Lightbridge and DoPchoice launch Snapbridge

Lightbridge has partnered with DoPchoice to introduce a new reflective lighting solution in the Snapbridge Glide Kit. The Snapbridge adds a soft DoPchoice bounce around the Lightbridge Precision Reflector. It can be contained in a compact pouch and snaps out into a flat octagonal shape. Its shallow build and light weight are designed to make it portable and allow set ups even in tight spaces. There are both dark and white sides for two different modes. The white side, or Soft Mode, helps create gentle and bounced fill light around the precision reflector. The Dark Mode provides negative fill with a glow of light while reducing spill around the Precision Reflector.

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IN PRODUCTION

For full production listings see www.if.com.au and click “In Production”. If you have a new project you would like included, email: publicity@if.com.au

✪ FEATURES: 200% WOLF

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: When pink were-poodle Freddy

Lupin goes on a mission to save a baby moon spirit, he finds himself caught up in the magic of a werewolf sorceress. DIRECTOR: Alexs Stadermann PRODUCERS: Alexia Gates-Foale, Carmen Perez-Marsa Roca, Barbara Stephen WRITER: Fin Edquist CAST: Ilai Swindells, Samara Weaving, Jai Courtney, Magda Szubanski, Akmal Saleh STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Flying Bark Productions DISTRIBUTOR: Studiocanal

ADDITION

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: 30-something-year-old Grace has

a thing for numbers and the inventor Nikola Tesla. But when an average guy, Seamus, comes along, Grace falls for Seamus and her meticulously ordered life begins to unravel around her. DIRECTOR: Marcelle Lunam PRODUCERS: Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Jodi Matterson, Cristina Pozzan WRITER: Becca Johnstone CAST: Teresa Palmer, Joe Dempsie, Eamon Farren, Sarah Peirse, Adrienne Pickering, Zahra Newman, Lou Baxter STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Made Up Stories, Buon Giorno Productions DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow Films

AN IDEAL WIFE

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: This drama tells the story of

Oscar’s Wilde’s wife Constance Lloyd, leader of the dress reform movement that led to women’s widespread rejection of corsets. Told from Constance’s point-of-view, audiences follow her discovery of her husband’s relationships with men as she wonders if there is another, more progressive way for them to live – leading to her own sexual awakening and transformation. DIRECTOR: Sophie Hyde PRODUCER: Chris Curling, Olivier Delbosc, Matthew Gledhill WRITER: Matthew Cormack, Claire Barré CAST: Emilia Clarke STATE: SA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Wheelhouse Productions 50 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

BEAST OF WAR

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Two young soldiers, fresh out of

boot camp find themselves stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean after their ship is sunk by the enemy and must battle for their lives against a giant hungry great white shark. DIRECTOR: Kiah Roache-Turner PRODUCERS: Blake Northfield, Chris Brown WRITER: Kiah Roache-Turner STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Bronte Pictures, Pictures in Paradise

BETTER MAN

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: An introspective look into the

experiences that shaped Robbie Williams, both on and off stage. DIRECTOR: Michael Gracey PRODUCERS: Jules Daly, Michael Gracey, Craig McMahon WRITER: Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey CAST: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Anthony Hayes STATE: VIC DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow Films

BIRTHRIGHT

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: After losing his job and getting

evicted from his rental Cory and his pregnant wife, Jasmine, are forced to move back home with his parents. As their stay extends, Cory fixates on his parents’ wealth and decides the only way to achieve the success he always imagined, is to do something unimaginable. DIRECTOR: Zoe Pepper PRODUCER: Cody Greenwood WRITERS: Zoe Pepper STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Rush Films DISTRIBUTOR: Madman Entertainment

CARMEN AND BOLUDE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Best friends Carmen and Bolude

must travel from NYC to Sydney, Australia, where they have ten days to collect 100 ‘welcomes’ so that Bolude’s traditional Nigerian father will agree to let her marry an Australian. Inspired by real events. DIRECTOR: Maria Isabel Delaossa PRODUCERS: Michela Carattini, Yolandi Franken, Julie Greene WRITERS: Michela Carattini, Bolude Watson STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Draw Your Own Box Productions

THE DEB

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Farm girl and high school outcast

Taylah Simpkins is certain the upcoming Debutante Ball, is her one chance to redefine herself. When her cynical city cousin Maeve is exiled to Taylah’s drought-stricken town Dunburn, she thinks the ball is a “heteronormative shit-show” and immediately disrupts the status quo. DIRECTOR: Rebel Wilson WRITERS: Hannah Reilly, Meg Washington PRODUCERS: Amanda Ghost, Len Blavatnik, Gregor Cameron CAST: Natalie Abbott, Charlotte MacInnes, Tara Morice, Jay Laga’aia, Shane Jacobson, Rebel Wilson PRODUCTION COMPANY: Unigram, AI Film, Camp Sugar Productions, Bunya Productions, Access Entertainment

DRONE RACERS

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: After unruly tween Esme discovers

a talent for the fun, futuristic sport of drone racing, she begins working with her tech-nerd cousin to take her new skills from the beaches, bush, and burbs of their outback town, all the way to the world championships. DIRECTOR: Alison James PRODUCER: Janelle Landers, Aidan O’Bryan, James Grandison, Jessica Mitchell WRITER: Jules Duncan STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: WBMC DISTRIBUTOR: Universal

EDEN

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Follows a group of people fuelled

by a profound desire for change; in order to turn their back to society they leave everything behind and set their futures on the harsh landscape of the Galapagos. DIRECTOR: Ron Howard PRODUCERS: Bill Connor, Brian Grazer, Ron Hoard, Karen Lunder, Patrick Newall, Stuart Ford WRITER: Noah Pink CAST: Jude Law, Ana De Armas, Daniel Bruhl, Vanessa Kirby, Syndey Sweeney STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: Imagine Entertainment

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A soldier wakes up in a mysteri-

ous cell and is forced to face an onslaught of deadly opponents in an ever-changing arena, with his only goal being to survive long

enough to return to his daughter. DIRECTOR: Luke Sparke PRODUCERS: Carmel Imrie, Carly Sparke CO-PRODUCER: Alex Becconsall EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Geoff Imrie, Luke Sparke WRITERS: Luke Sparke, Tom Evans CAST: Jeremy Piven, Jamie Costa PRODUCTION COMPANY: Sparke Films

THE FOX

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: In this black comedic folktale, an

affable foxhunter encounters a shape-shifting fox who offers him an opportunity to transform his partner into the perfect woman, and in doing so, take control of the natural world. DIRECTOR: Dario Russo PRODUCERS: Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings WRITER: Dario Russo CAST: Jai Courtney, Morfydd Clark

FURIOSA

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: The origin story of renegade

warrior Furiosa before she teamed up with Mad Max in ‘Fury Road’. DIRECTOR: George Miller PRODUCER: Doug Mitchell WRITER: George Miller, Nick Lathouris CAST: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Kennedy Miller Mitchell Films DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.

HE AIN’T HEAVY

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A desperate sister kidnaps her

beloved brother to save him from addiction. DIRECTOR: David Vincent Smith PRODUCER: Jess Parker WRITER: David Vincent Smith CAST: Greta Scacchi, Leila George, Sam Corlett STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: No Label Films DISTRIBUTOR: Bonsai Films

HEAVEN

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A down on his luck loser who

finds life meaningless opts to be uploaded to a new AI Metaverse replicating the afterlife, created by a tech billionaire with mysterious plans, and soon discovers it is less heaven and more hell. DIRECTOR: Alex Proyas PRODUCERS: Jim Robinson, Alex Proyas, Adam Krentzman, Morris Ruskin

IN-PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Andrew Robinson WRITERS: Alex Proyas STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Mystery Clock

Cinema

DISTRIBUTOR: Icon Film Distribution

HONEY ANT DREAMERS

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: The story behind the birth of the

‘Western Desert Art Movement’ in Australia told for the first time, through a First Nations lens. DIRECTOR: Michael Cordell, Anyupa Emily Napangarti Butcher PRODUCER: Maggie Miles WRITER: Michael Cordell, Anyupa Emily Napangarti Butcher STATE: NT PRODUCTION COMPANY: CJZ, Savage Films DISTRIBUTOR: Icon

HOW TO MAKE GRAVY

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A feature film adaptation of

Australian music legend Paul Kelly’s classic song, ‘How to Make Gravy’. DIRECTOR: Nick Waterman PRODUCERS: Hamish Lewis, Schuyler Weiss WRITERS: Nick Waterman, Meg Washington CAST: Hugo Weaving, Daniel Henshall, Brenton Thwaites, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Agathe Rouselle, Adam Briggs, Dallas Woods STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia, Speech & Drama Pictures PLATFORM: Binge

HOW TO TALK AUSTRALIANS: HIGHWAY TO HELL

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Students leave the classroom and

head Down Under. When their plane is diverted to the country town of Dubbo due to storms, and their tour-leader is detained by customs, the hapless bunch unearth the ‘real’ Australia while never making it to Sydney, Melbourne… or even Brisbane. DIRECTOR: Tony Rogers PRODUCERS: Jason Byrne, Victoria Schaw WRITERS: Tony Rogers, Rob Hibbert CAST: Ria Patel, Rohan Ganju, Robert Santiago, Vikrant Narrin, Shane Jacobson, Stephen Curry, Rick Davies

STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Positive Ape

INSIDE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: After being transferred from

juvenile to adult prison, Mel is taken under the wings of Mark Shepard, Australia’s most despised criminal, and Warren Murfett, a soonto-be-a-paroled inmate, in this crime thriller. But when Warren is forced to remove Shepard from the picture to pay his debts, he finds a surprising accomplice in the guilt-ridden Mel. DIRECTOR: Charles Williams PRODUCERS: Marian Macgowan, Kate Glover WRITER: Charles Williams CAST: Guy Pearce, Cosmo Jarvis, Vincent Miller, Toby Wallace, Tara Morice, Chloé Hayden, Michael Logo STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Simpatico Films DISTRIBUTOR: Bonsai Films

IN VITRO

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: On a struggling cattle farm some

years in the future, a woman discovers the unsettling consequences of her husband’s animal breeding technology. DIRECTORS: Will Howarth, Tom McKeith WRITER: Will Howarth, Tom McKeith, Talia Zucker PRODUCERS: Lisa Shaunessy, Bec Janek, Will Howarth, Rachael Fung CAST: Ashley Zukerman, Talia Zucker, Will Howarth STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Arcadia Films, Fictious DISTRIBUTOR: Arcadia

INTO THE BLUE

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Destined for the nursing home

after a dementia diagnosis, 80-year-old Iris enlists the help of her teenage granddaughter Poppy to help her fake her own death. DIRECTOR: Katie Found WRITER: Katie Found, Markella Kavenagh STATE: VIC

IT’S OUR TIME

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Emilia Kong, a filmmaker who

is about to get evicted by her landlord, tries to find ways to get money with the help of her childhood friend, Zoe, leading the pair to attend their high school reunion and open up a can of worms to their past. DIRECTOR: Joy Hopwood PRODUCER: Joy Hopwood, Erica Long WRITER: Joy Hopwood CAST: Peter Thurnwald, Tiana Hogben, Bianca Bradey, Maria Tran STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Joy House Productions

JUST A FARMER

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Alison, a newly widowed mother-

of-two, is left with the care of an alcoholic father-in-law and a failing farm after her hard-working husband suddenly dies. DIRECTOR: Simon Lyndon PRODUCER: Leila McDougall, Ahalya Maharaj WRITER: Leila McDougall CAST: Leila McDougall, Robert Taylor, Damian Walshe-Howling, Susan Prior, Louise Siversen, Trover Jamieson, Eddie Baroo STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Vam Paddock Productions

KANGAROO ISLAND

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Forced to reunite with her sister

as part of her father’s last wishes, a struggling Hollywood actress returns home to Kangaroo Island and confronts the love triangle that tore her family apart. DIRECTOR: Tim Piper PRODUCER: Tim Piper, Peter Hanlon, Bettina Hamilton, Daniel M. Rosenberg WRITER: Sally Gifford CAST: Rebecca Breeds, Erik Thomson, Adelaide Clemens, Joel Jackson STATE: SA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Pouch Potato Productions

KID SNOW

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: When a washed-up tent boxer

gets one last shot to make a name for himself, he’s forced to choose between old dreams and new love. DIRECTOR: Paul Goldman

chris@chriscoote.com.au IF AM21 PG 00 Chris Coote Strip.indd 1

PRODUCERS: Lizzette Atkins, Megan Wynn, Bruno Charlesworth WRITERS: John Brumpton, Stephen Cleary CAST: Billy Howle, Tom Bateman, Phoebe Tonkin, Tasma Walton, Mark Coles Smith, Shaka Cook, Hunter Page-Lochard, Robert Taylor, Nathan Phillips, Jack LaTorre STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Unicorn Films, Immaculate Conception, Wynn Media DISTRIBUTOR: Madman Entertainment

LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Introverted space princess Saira is

devastated when she is unexpectedly dumped by her girlfriend Kiki for being needy. Deep in the depths of despair, Saira is thrown a lifeline when Kiki abruptly calls for help. Kiki has been kidnapped by forgotten incels known as the Straight White Maliens. Problem is, they’re holding her ransom for the one thing Saira doesn’t have: one of the most powerful weapons known to lesbian kind – her royal Labrys! DIRECTORS: Leela Varghese, Emma Hough Hobbs PRODUCER: Tom Phillips WRITERS: Leela Varghese, Emma Hough Hobbs STATE: SA PRODUCTION COMPANY: We Made a Thing

LITTLE BIRD

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Set in the 1930s and based on

pilot Nancy Bird Walton, the film follows a poor but spirited young woman, who teams up with a burnt-out legend to become one of Australia’s most extraordinary flying teams. DIRECTOR: Darren Ashton PRODUCER: Joe Weatherstone, Catherine Nebauer WRITERS: Harry Cripps, Hannah Reilly STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Northern Pictures DISTRIBUTOR: Maslow Umbrella 387 Entertainment

MAGIC BEACH

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Alison Lester’s much-loved

illustrated children’s book is reimagined for the screen through a unique mix of live action

www.chriscoote.com.au www.if.com.au 51

27/5/21 1:16 pm

IN-PRODUCTION entwined with extraordinary animated stories from ten leading Australian animators. DIRECTOR: Robert Connolly PRODUCERS: Robert Connolly, Liz Kearney WRITERS: Robert Connolly, Lee Whitmore, Anthony Lucas, Marieka Walsh, Eddie White, Susan Danta, Jake Duczynski, Simon Rippingale, Pierce Davison, Guy Howlett, Kathy Sarpi, Emma Kelly STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Arenamedia

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A bittersweet remembrance of

Grace Puddle; a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails living in Canberra. DIRECTOR: Adam Elliot PRODUCERS: Liz Kearney, Adam Elliot WRITER: Adam Elliot CAST: Jacki Weaver, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Dominique Pinon, Magda Szubanski, Eric Bana STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Arenamedia

MOONRISE OVER KNIGHTS HILL

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Three lapsed high school besties,

Clare, Angie and Isabel, spend a luxury weekend away at a six-star farmstay with their partners in tow. While the women share a nostalgic bond, the men are strangers, and the simmering social machinations test the couples’ loyalty. Meanwhile, across the perfectly manicured grounds, a fraught relationship between the farmstay’s caretaker and his partner threatens to derail the weekend. DIRECTOR: James Robert Woods PRODUCER: Stephanie Day WRITER: James Robert Woods CAST: Nicola Frew, Josephine Starte, Annelise Hall, Ben Gerrard, Luke Jacobz, David Quirk, Robert Preston, Sapphire Blossom STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Badlands

MORTAL KOMBAT 2

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Plot under wraps. DIRECTOR: Simon McQuoid PRODUCERS: James Wan, Michael Clear, Todd

Garner, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh WRITER: Jeremy Slater STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, Broken Road Productions DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. Pictures

MY EYES

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Inspired by true events where an

everyday working mother is forced to confront a past lover in order to save the vision of her only child. DIRECTOR: Angela How PRODUCER: Tsu Shan Chambers WRITERS: Angela How, Tsu Shan Chambers 52 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Wise Goat

Productions

DISTRIBUTOR: Pivot Pictures

MY MELBOURNE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: My Melbourne interweaves four sto-

ries from emerging writing and directing teams, exploring sexuality, gender, disability and race. DIRECTORS: Onir, Rima Das, Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Puneet Gulati, Samira Cox, Tammy Yang, William Duan PRODUCERS: Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Leanne Tonkes WRITERS: Monique Nair, Nazifa Amiri, Samira Cox, Shivangi Bhowmick, Gregory Franci STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Mind Blowing Entertainment DISTRIBUTOR: Mind Blowing Films

PASA FAHO

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Struggling shoe shop owner,

Azubuike, attempts to reconnect with his 10-year-old son, Obinna. DIRECTOR: Kalu Oji PRODUCERS: Ivy Mutuku, Mimo Mukii WRITER: Kalu Oji STATE: VIC

PRIMA FACIE

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A rising star in the high-powered

London legal system, ambitious and confident defence attorney Tessa skillfully defends her clients, including those accused of sexual assault. But after she is raped by a colleague, she discovers that the law does not deliver justice along the boundaries of consent. DIRECTOR: Susanna White PRODUCERS: Greer Simpkin, David Jowsey, Jenny Cooney WRITER: Suzie Miller CAST: Cynthia Erivo PRODUCTION COMPANY: Bunya Productions, Participant Media, Edith Daughter

PROCLIVITAS

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A former addict rekindles a

romance with her teenage sweetheart, awakening painful memories of the past and a terrifying demon determined to possess her. DIRECTOR: Miley Tunnecliffe PRODUCER: Kate Separovich, Debbie Liebling WRITER: Miley Tunnecliffe STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lake Martin Films DISTRIBUTOR: Icon Distribution

POUT-POUT FISH: THE MOVIE

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Following the original adventure

of the fish with a “frowny face and a big heart”, as he and his friends navigate the

undersea world. PRODUCERS: Kristen Souvlis, Nadine Bates, Cym Zarghmai, Madeira Ginley WRITER: Deborah Diesen STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: Like a Photon Creative, Mimo Studios, Macmillan Publishers

ROTTEN

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A wildlife photographer is bitten

by an unknown bug on a remote island and is fighting the clock to cure a flesh eating disease. STATUS: Post-production DIRECTOR: Phoenix Raei PRODUCER: Kate Lister, Phoenix Raei, Nick Farnell, Anthony Sharpe WRITER: Phoenix Raei CAST: Nick Farnell, Kate Lister, Kevin Harrington, Anthony Sharpe, Daniela Farinacci, Erin Bridget Kearns, Andrew Doyle STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Once Upon A Time Films, Love Hate Films

RUNT

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Ten-year-old Annie and her

adopted stray dog Runt try to save their family’s farm from drought and hardship by winning the Agility Course Championship at the Krumpets Dog Show in London. DIRECTOR: John Sheedy PRODUCER: Jamie Hilton, Jessy Rolleston Palmer WRITER: Craig Silvey CAST: Jai Courtney, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, Lily La Torre, Matt Day, Jack Thompson, John Sheedy STATE: WA DISTRIBUTOR: Studiocanal

SALT ALONG THE TONGUE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: After the sudden death of her

mother, Mina, Mattia is given no choice but to live with her estranged aunt, her mother’s identical twin. As Mattia grapples with the loss of her mother, a treacherous secret begins to unfurl, threatening her life. DIRECTOR: Parish Malfitano PRODUCER: Daniel Pollock, Parish Malfitano, Kristen Settinelli WRITER: Parish Malfitano CAST: Dina Panozzo, Leneikka Denne, Mayu Iwasaki, Maria De Marco, Caroline Levien, Olga Olshansky, Helen Vassiliadis, Nicole Toum, Liz Lin, Saroni Roy, Rita Kara STATE: NSW

THE SLOTH LANE

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: When a young sloth moves to the

big city with her family, they all must adapt to life in the fast lane, whilst remembering and honouring their familial and cultural practises.

DIRECTORS: Ricard Cussó, Tania Vincent PRODUCERS: Kristen Souvlis, Nadine Bates,

Ryan Greaves WRITERS: Ricard Cussó, Tania Vincent CAST: Leslie Jones, Remy Hi, Teo Vergara, Olivia Vásquez STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: Like a Photon Creative DISTRIBUTOR: Sola Media

STING

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: One of humanity’s greatest fears,

arachnophobia, made more monstrous than ever before. DIRECTOR: Kiah Roache-Turner PRODUCER: Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin, Chris Brown. WRITER: Kiah Roache-Turner CAST: Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell, Robyn Nevin, Noni Hazlehurst, Jermaine Fowler. STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: See Pictures, Pictures in Paradise

THE SURFER

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: When a man returns to his beach-

side hometown in Australia, he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. DIRECTOR: Lorcan Finnegan PRODUCERS: Robert Connolly, Leonora Darby, James Harris, Mark Lane, Nathan Klingher WRITER: Thomas Martin CAST: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nicholas Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak, Rahel Romahn, Finn Little, Charlotte Maggi STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Arenamedia

SWEET MILK LAKE

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A softly spoken trans man who,

after being mistaken for his alpha cis twin brother by his estranged and dying dad, relishes the opportunity to be “one of the boys”. DIRECTOR: Harvey Zielinski PRODUCERS: Rosie Lourde WRITER: Harvey Zielinski STATE: VIC

TAKE MY HAND

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A vibrant young Australian woman

forges a successful banking career in London and seemingly has the perfect marriage. However, her world is turned upside down when she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and her husband starts to show his true colours. DIRECTOR: John Raftopolous PRODUCER: Blake Northfield

IN-PRODUCTION

WRITER: John Raftopolous, Dave Paterson CAST: Radha Mitchell, Adam Demos, Meg

Fraser, Xavier Molyneux, Bart Edwards, Natalie Bassingthwaighte STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Bronte Pictures

TALK 2 ME

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Plot under wraps. DIRECTORS: Danny Philippou, Michael

Philippou

PRODUCERS: Samantha Jennings, Kristina

Ceyton

WRITERS: Bill Hinzan, Danny Philippou PRODUCTION COMPANY: A24 Films,

Causeway Films

TWO UGLY PEOPLE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A psychological romance that

details a chance meeting between two strangers at a remote highway motel who find they have an instant connection. As their stays go on, the nature of the encounter is brought into question. DIRECTOR: Peter Skinner PRODUCER: Dinusha Ratnaweera WRITER: Peter Skinner CAST: Cato Ayyar, Michael Sheasby, Ben Oxenbould, Di Adam, Chaydon Jay STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Seymour Pictures

WE BURY THE DEAD

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A desperate woman whose

husband is missing in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment. Hoping to find him alive, Ava joins a ‘body retrieval unit’, but her search takes a chilling turn when the corpses she’s burying start showing signs of life. DIRECTOR: Zak Hilditch PRODUCERS: Kelvin Munro, Grant Sputore, Ross Dinerstein, Joshua Harris, Mark Fasano WRITER: Zak Hilditch CAST: Daisy Ridley STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: The Penguin Empire, Campfire Studios DISTRIBUTOR: Umbrella Entertainment

WENT UP THE HILL

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Jack travels to a remote region

in New Zealand to attend the funeral of Elizabeth, the mother who abandoned him as a child. There he meets Jill, Elizabeth’s widow. Both are searching for answers. But Elizabeth’s spirit lingers and soon finds a way to possess both Jack and Jill’s bodies at night. DIRECTOR: Samuel Van Grinsven PRODUCER: Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings WRITER: Jory Anast, Samuel Van Grinsven CAST: Dacre Montgomery, Vicky Krieps

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Causeway Films DISTRIBUTOR: Vendetta Films

WHALE SHARK JACK

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A heart-warming story about

family, friendship, and the natural world as a young girl comes to terms with the loss of her mother by embarking on a risky mission to save her best friend, a whale shark named Jack. DIRECTOR: Khrob Edmonds, Miranda Edmonds PRODUCERS: Miranda Edmonds, Timothy White WRITER: Kathryn Lefroy STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Cottesloe Films, Southern Light Films

WINDCATCHER

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: The heart-warming tale of a

young Aboriginal boy growing up in regional Australia, and the story of a friendship between an unlikely trio helmed by the fast and wily Percy Boy. DIRECTOR: Tanith Glynn-Maloney PRODUCERS: Meg O’Connell, Drew Grove WRITER: Boyd Quakawoot CAST: Lennox Monaghan, Jessica Mauboy, Max Turner, Coco Greenstone, Kelton Pell, Pia Miranda, Ngali Shaw, Lisa Maza STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Unless Pictures, Every Cloud Production PLATFORM: Stan

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A mother, a daughter and

a stranger from another land are thrown together on an unexpected road trip that takes them on a journey of love, humour and redemption. DIRECTOR: Kelly Schilling PRODUCERS: Su Armstrong, Carolyn Johnson WRITER: Kelly Schilling CAST: Marta Dusseldorp, Melina Vidler, Albert Mwangi STATE: SA PRODUCTION COMPANY: SixtyFortySixty, Carolyn Johnson Films Pty Ltd DISTRIBUTOR: Icon Film Distribution

WIZARDS!

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Two hapless pothead beach-bar

operators run into trouble when they stumble across stolen loot that they really should have just left alone. DIRECTOR: David Michod PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Liz Watts WRITERS: David Michod, Joel Edgerton CAST: Pete Davidson, Franz Rogowski, Naomi Scott, Sean Harris, Orlando Bloom STATE: QLD

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Plan B Entertainment, See-Saw Films, A24

ZOMBIE PLANE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: When passengers on a jet flying

from Sydney to Los Angeles become infected with new strains of zombie viruses, Vanilla Ice and Sophie Monk are forced to team up to contain the contagion before the US Air Force shoots it out of the sky. DIRECTORS: Lav Bodnaruk, Michael Mier PRODUCER: Jessica Butland WRITER: William Strong CAST: Sophie Monk, Vanilla Ice, Ann Truong, Teressa Liane, Joey Vieira, Dan Ewing, Ellie Popov, Brittany Grey, Christine Milo, Ellie Gonsalves, Alex Fleri, Victoria Fleri, Saffron Deacon STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: Radioactive Pictures

✪ SERIES AUSTIN

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: When much-loved children’s

author Julian Hartswood inadvertently causes a social media storm, his career and that of his illustrator wife Ingrid appears to be over. That is until Austin, the neurodivergent son that Julian never knew existed, turns up out of the blue. Could embracing this modern nuclear family be Julian’s route back from cancellation? PRODUCER: Joe Weatherstone WRITERS: Darren Ashton, Ben Miller, Lloyd Woolf, Joe Tucker, Adam Zwar, Kala Ellis CAST: Ben Miller, Sally Phillips, Michael Theo STATE: ACT PRODUCTION COMPANY: Northern Pictures NETWORK: ABC

BLOOD ON THE TRACKS PHANTOM KILLER

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Detective Kate Fletcher gets to the

bottom of what is initially thought to be the suicide of a train commuter during peak hour. Despite pressure to drop her investigation, she uncovers a web of connections to other deaths on the rail network, taking her from the city underground to outback freight lines, and into the path of the killer. PRODUCTION COMPANY: Easy Tiger Productions, Anton NETWORK: Nine

COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS (SEASON 2)

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Ashley and Gordon, two single-

ish, complex humans who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog. WRITERS: Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer

PRODUCERS: Ian Collie, Rob Collins CAST: Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Easy Tiger

Productions

PLATFORM: Binge

DESERT KING

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: When the world’s largest cattle sta-

tion is left without a clear successor, generational clashes threaten to tear the Lawson family apart. Sensing this once great dynasty is in decline, the outback’s most powerful factions rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders and billionaire miners move in for the kill. DIRECTOR: Greg McLean PRODUCER: Paul Ranford WRITERS: Ben Davies, Timothy Lee STATE: NT, SA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Easy Tiger Productions PLATFORM: Netflix

EXPOSURE

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Photographer Jacs Gould, follow-

ing the death of her best friend, returns to her hometown to discover the hidden secrets of their relationship and the truth behind her tragedy. CREATOR: Lucy Coleman DIRECTOR: Bonnie Moir PRODUCERS: Nicole O’Donohue, Justin Kurzel, Shaun Grant WRITER: Lucy Coleman PRODUCTION COMPANY: Thirdborn PLATFORM: Stan

FAKE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Birdie Bell, a beautiful, smart,

and brilliant magazine features writer, thinks she has found the one when she meets successful grazier Joe Burt on a dating app. Convinced by her well-meaning friends and family that this could be her very own happily ever after, Birdie begins to believe that it is finally her chance to live the fairy-tale. As cracks start to form in Joe’s stories, Birdie soon discovers her boyfriend isn’t all he has led her to believe. DIRECTOR: Emma Freeman PRODUCERS: Imogen Banks, Emelyne Palmer WRITER: Anya Beyersdorf CAST: Asher Keddie, David Wenham STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Kindling Pictures PLATFORM: Paramount+

FISK (SEASON 3)

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Helen is now a name partner at

Gruber & Fisk which means new responsibilities and pressures, largely due to Ray having other things taking up his time. Things like his new (age appropriate) lady-love and her “fashion www.if.com.au 53

IN-PRODUCTION profiling” business. DIRECTORS: Kitty Flanagan, Tom Peterson PRODUCERS: Vincent Sheehan, Nicole Minchin WRITERS: Kitty Flanagan, Penny Flanagan CAST: Kitty Flanagan, Marty Sheargold, Julia Zemiro, Glenn Butcher, Aaron Chen, John Gaden STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Origma 45 NETWORK: ABC

FOUR YEARS

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Four Years follows the turbulent

marriage of two young Indian lovers, Sridevi and Yash, through two timelines, two worlds, told through dual perspectives. CREATOR: Mithila Gupta DIRECTORS: Mohini Herse, Fadia Abboud PRODUCERS: Ian Collie, Rob Gibson, Stephen Corvini WRITERS: Mithila Gupta, Nicole Reddy, S Shakthidharan STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Easy Tiger Productions NETWORK: SBS

GINGER AND THE VEGESAURS (SEASON 3)

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Ginger and her trio of baby Pea-

Rexes meet the giant but timid Pumpkinsaurus during the Spooky Forest’s honeysuckle harvest, and revisit familiar friends they have met in their travels. Creator: Gary Eck, Nick O’Sullivan PRODUCERS: Celine Goetz, Amanda Spagnolo WRITERS: Gary Eck, Sylvie van Dijk, Rebekka Schafferius, Bruce Griffiths and Angus Woodiwiss STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: ABC, Cheeky Little Media

HEARTBREAK HIGH (SEASON 2)

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Hartley High’s heroes are back for

a second term — threesomes, chlamydia, and burning cars a distant memory — it seems possible that everyone’s done a bit of growing up over the Term 1 holidays… DIRECTORS: Gracie Otto, Neil Sharma, Adam Murfet, Jessie Oldfield PRODUCER: Sarah Freeman WRITERS: Keir Wilkins, Marieke Hardy, Jean Tong, Thomas Wilson White, Sara Khan, Megan Palinkas, Hannah Carroll Chapman CAST: Ayesha Madon, James Majoos, Chloe Hayden, Asher Yasbincek, Will McDonald, Chika Ikogwe, Gemma Chua-Tran, Kartanya Maynard, Sam Rechner STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Fremantle Australia, Newbe NETWORK: Netflix 54 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

HIGH COUNTRY

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A detective is transferred to

the Victorian High Country and thrust into a baffling mystery of five missing persons who have vanished into the wilderness. CREATORS: Marcia Gardner, John Ridley DIRECTOR: Kevin Carlin, Beck Cole PRODUCERS: Pino Amenta, Sue Edwards, WRITERS: Marcia Gardner, John Ridley, Beck Cole CAST: Leah Purcell, Aaron Pedersen, Sara Wiseman, Ian McElhinney, Linda Cropper, Henery Nixon, Luke McKenzie, Matt Domingo, Geoff Morrell, Pez Warner, Pedrea Jackson, Leah Vanderberg, Nathaniel Dean, Jamie Timony, Annie Chiswell, Travis McMahon, Nicholas Bell, Trisha Morton-Thomas, Shannon Berry STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Curio Pictures NETWORK: Foxtel

HOUSE OF GODS

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Takes audiences behind the walls

of an imam’s family and the community he leads, exploring the personal cost of power and ambition. CREATOR: Osamah Sami, Shahin Shafaei DIRECTOR: Fadia Abboud PRODUCER: Bree-Anne Sykes WRITER: Osamah Sami, Blake Ayshford, Sarah Bassiouni, Shahin Shafaei CAST: Osamah Sami, Shahin Shafaei, Kamel El Basha, Maia Abbas, Safia Arain, Simon Elrahi, Priscilla Doueihy, Majid Shokor STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Matchbox Pictures NETWORK: ABC

HUMAN ERROR

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Follow Holly O’Rourke and her

homicide team as a seemingly open-and-shut murder investigation threatens to destroy her career, her family, and her faith in justice. DIRECTORS: Fiona Banks, Mat King PRODUCERS: Dan Edwards, John Edwards, Greg Haddrick, Samantha Winston WRITERS: Greg Haddrick, Samantha Winston, Gregor Jordan CAST: Leeanna Walsman, Rahel Romahn, Stephen Peacoke, Matt Day, Rob Collins, Steve Bisley, Emily Joy, Ethan Lwin, Debra Lawrance, Daniela Farinacci, Jane Allsop, Anthony J Sharpe. STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Roadshow Rough Diamond NETWORK: Nine

INVISIBLE BOYS

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Charlie, a hardcore rocker living

in the coastal town of Geraldton, where homosexuality is invisible and so is he. After

an encounter with a married man hits social media, Charlie is outed and suddenly everyone knows his secret – and he discovers he is not alone. DIRECTOR: Nicholas Verso PRODUCERS: Tania Chambers, Nicholas Verso WRITERS: Nicholas Verso, Declan Greene, Allan Clarke, AB Morrison, Leslie Hornung STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Feisty Dame Productions PLATFORM: Stan

KANGAROO BEACH (SEASON 3)

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: The cadets are back for another

thrilling summer filled with fun, adventure, and friendship. DIRECTORS: Steve Molten, Simon Williams, Tanya Bystrova PRODUCER: Celine Goetz, Francesca Hope WRITERS: Tim Bain, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, Sylvie Van Dijk, Lorin Clark, Lawrence Leung, Wendy Hanna STATE: NSW, WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Cheeky Little Media, Siamese NETWORK: ABC

LADIES IN BLACK

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: A six-part drama about a group of

women who fling open their shop doors to the fabulous 60s. DIRECTOR: Gracie Otto PRODUCERS: Sophia Zachariou, Angela Littlejohn, Greer Simpkin, David Jowsey WRITER: Greg Waters, Joan Sauers, Sarah Bassiuoni, Randa Sayed CAST: Debi Mazar, Miranda Otto, Jessica De Gouw, Kate Box, Clare Hughes, Aziz Donnelly, Julian Maroun, Carlos Sanson, Tom Wilson, Sacha Horler, Huw Higginson, Russell Dykstra, Thom Green, Hamish Michael, Krew Boylan, Ngali Shaw, Hazem Shammas, Peter O’Brien, Gemma Ward, Todd McKenney STATE: SA, NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Bunya Productions NETWORK: ABC

THE LAST ANNIVERSARY

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: When Sophie Honeywell inherits

a house on the island, left only to her by her ex-boyfriend’s great-aunt Connie, it’s the fresh start she’s craving, despite the unwelcome reception she receives on arrival. Single and approaching 40, Sophie is intrigued by something else Connie left her – a promise that she might finally find the man of her dreams on Scribbly Gum Island. DIRECTOR: John Polson PRODUCERS: Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Jodi Matterson WRITER: Samantha Strauss, Liane Moriarty CAST: Teresa Palmer, Miranda Richardson, Danielle MacDonald, Helen Thomson, Susan

Prior, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Charlie Garber, Uli Latukefu, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Blossom Films, Made Up Stories, Fifth Season PLATFORM: Binge

LAST DAYS OF THE SPACE AGE

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Set in Western Australia in 1979,

a power strike threatens to plunge the region into darkness, while the city hosts the iconic Miss Universe pageant and the US station, Skylab, crashes just beyond the city’s suburbs. CREATOR: David Chidlow DIRECTOR: Bharat Nalluri, Rachel Ward, Kriv Stenders PRODUCER: Christine Pham WRITER: David Chidlow, Alice Addison, Dot West, Jeremy Nguyen, Alan Nguyen CAST: Radha Mitchell, Jesse Spencer, Deborah Mailman, Linh-Dan Pham, Iain Glen, George Mason, Vico Thai, Ines English, Jacek Koman, Mackenzie Mazur, Emily Grant, Thomas Weatherall, Aidan Chiem STATE: WA, NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Princess Pictures PLATFORM: Disney+

LAST KING OF THE CROSS (SEASON 2)

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: John Ibrahim expands his empire

into the booming queer nightclub scene. Set against the backdrop of the ecstasy-fuelled 2000s, the stakes are higher than ever before, and everyone wants a piece – including his two younger brothers. CAST: Lincoln Younes PRODUCTION COMPANY: Helium Pictures PLATFORM: Paramount+

LITTLE J AND BIG CUZ (SEASON 4)

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Whether it’s at school, in the

backyard, or beyond the fence, Little J and Big Cuz are having fun finding out about culture, community, and country with the help of Nanna and their teacher Ms Chen. DIRECTOR: Tony Thorne PRODUCER: Ned Lander WRITERS: Dot West, Erica Glynn, Sam Paynter, Danielle MacLean, Adam Thompson CAST: Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell, Ursula Yovich, Aaron Fa’aoso STATE: VIC, TAS, NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Ned Lander Media NETWORK: ABC, NITV

MIX TAPE

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Beginning in Sheffield, England

in 1989 with an all-encompassing romance between teenagers Daniel and Alison, the story follows their journey to modern-day adult relationships, with the pair living on opposite sides of the world but forever connected

IN-PRODUCTION

through the music of their generation. DIRECTOR: Lucy Gaffy PRODUCERS: Angie Fielder, Polly Stainford, Aoife O’Sullivan, Tristan Orpen Lynch WRITER: Jo Spain PRODUCTION COMPANY: Aquarius Films, Subtonic PLATFORM: Binge

THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: Burma Railway in 1943 and across

the Pacific during World War II, charts the cruelty of war, the tenuousness of life and the impossibility of love, as seen through the eyes of an Australian doctor and prisoner of war. DIRECTOR: Justin Kurzel PRODUCER: Alexandra Taussig WRITER: Shaun Grant DOP: Sam Chiplin CAST: Jacob Elordi, Ciarán Hinds, Odessa Young, Olivia DeJonge, Heather Mitchell, Thomas Weatherall, Show Kasamatsu, Simon Baker, Charles An STATE: NSW PRODUCTION COMPANY: Curio Pictures PLATFORM: Prime Video

THE NEWSREADER (SEASON 3)

STATUS: In production SYNOPSIS: A six-part third instalment of

the ABC series that digs behind the indelible images of the 1980s for a compelling, intimate, vital look at an era of great change. CREATOR: Michael Lucas DIRECTOR: Emma Freeman PRODUCER: Joanna Werner, Michael Lucas WRITERS: Michael Lucas, Chris Bartlett, Adrian Russell Wills, Niki Aken CAST: Anna Torv, Sam Reid, William McInnes, Marg Downey, Chum Ehelepola, Stephen Peacocke, Michelle Lim Davidson, Chai Hansen, Phillipa Northeast, Daniel Henshall STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Werner Film Productions NETWORK: ABC

THE OFFICE AUSTRALIA

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Hannah Howard is the manag-

ing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick. When she gets news from Head Office that they will be shutting down her branch and making everyone work from home, she goes into survival mode, making promises she can’t keep in order to keep her “work family” together.

DIRECTORS: Jackie van Beek, Christiaan Van Vuuren, Jesse Griffin PRODUCERS: Sophia Zachariou, Linda Micsko, Greer Simpkin WRITER: Julie De Fina CAST: Felicity Ward, Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Pallavi Sharda, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmit, Firass Dirani PRODUCTION COMPANY: BBC Studios ANZ, Bunya Entertainment, Amazon Studios PLATFORM: Prime Video

THE SURVIVORS

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: Fifteen years ago, a terrible storm

hit the seaside tourist town of Evelyn Bay and three young people died. PRODUCER: Tony Ayres WRITER: Jane Harper STATE: TAS PRODUCTION COMPANY: TAP PLATFORM: Netflix

SPACE NOVA (SEASON 2)

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: The Novas are on the brink of

their greatest mission ever – travelling to the incredible Stardustian’s planet – before their ship is almost destroyed, throwing them off

course and stranding their new friend Ziggy in parts unknown. DIRECTOR: Pablo de la Torre PRODUCERS: Yasmin Jones, Suzanne Ryan WRITERS: Joel Slack-Smith, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, Thomas Duncan-Watt, Chantelle Murray, Georgina Love PRODUCTION COMPANY: SLR Productions NETWORK: ABC

THE STRANGE CHORES (SEASON 3)

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Two wannabe warrior-heroes and

a spirited ghost girl master the skills they need to replace an ageing monster-slayer by doing his strange, supernatural chores. DIRECTOR: Scott Vanden Bosch PRODUCERS: Carmel McAloon WRITERS: John McGeachin, Luke Tierney, Alex Beane, Magda Wozniak CAST: Charlotte Nicdao, Michael Philippou, Nick Tate STATE: QLD, VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Ludo Studio, Media World Pictures NETWORK: ABC

SWIFT STREET

STATUS: Post-production

www.if.com.au 55

Can Productions Find You? Stand out from the Rest

IN-PRODUCTION

SYNOPSIS: The 21-year-old street smart Elsie must team up with her jaded old-school hustler father, Robert, to get him out of debt and save him from a merciless crime boss who wants her money NOW. CREATOR: Tig Terera DIRECTOR: Tig Terera PRODUCERS: Lois Randall, Ivy Mak WRITER: Tig Terera STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Magpie Pictures NETWORK: SBS

TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA

STATUS: Pre-production SYNOPSIS: A clever ‘almost 13’ year old and

her plucky younger brother, have to navigate weird and miraculous phenomena in a surreal suburban landscape, whilst adapting to a new family dynamic. DIRECTOR: Noel Cleary PRODUCERS: Sophie Byrne, Alexia Gates-Foale WRITERS: Sam Carroll, Lally Katz, Shaun Tan STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Highly Spirited, Flying Bark Productions NETWORK: ABC

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

STATUS: Post-production

SYNOPSIS: On a search for the truth behind a mysterious family secret, Robyn, a young Aboriginal delinquent, escapes from detention and reluctantly teams up with awkward teenager Gidge. DIRECTOR: Dylan River PRODUCER: Sam Moor CAST: Sherry-Lee Watson, Will McDonald, Miranda Otto, Noah Taylor, Natasha Wanganeen, Warren H Williams, William McKenna, Darren Gilshenan, Shari Sebbens, Fiona O’Loughlin, Damian Walshe-Howling, Geoff Morrell, Justin Rosniak, Andy Golledge, Eddie Baroo, Fletcher Humphreys STATE: SA, NT PRODUCTION COMPANY: Since 1788 Productions, Ludo Studio PLATFORM: Stan

TROPPO (SEASON 2)

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Ted and Amanda investigate a

bizarre local murder and an exotic drug ring. DIRECTORS: Thomas Jane, Grant Brown, Robyn Grace PRODUCER: Karl Zwicky WRITERS: Yolanda Ramke, Andrew Anastasios, Jane Allen, Chelsea Cassio, Boyd Quakawoot, Angela McDonald, Kit Brookman, Cole Haddon CAST: Thomas Jane, Nicole Chamoun, Zindzi

Okenyo, Simon Lyndon, Radha Mitchell, Ursula Yovich, Miah Madden, Ethan Lwin, Georgia Naidu, Angela Punch McGregor, Brett Tucker, Robert Mammone, Di Adams, Meyne Wyatt, Fletcher Humphrys, Caroline O’Connor, Ling Cooper Tang, Cramer Cain, Sara West, Arka Das STATE: QLD PRODUCTION COMPANY: Perpetual Entertainment, Beyond Entertainment, Renegade Entertainment INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION: Leonine Studios

THE TWELVE (SEASON 2)

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Plot to once again follow a

controversial murder trial through the lens of the jurors. DIRECTORS: Stevie Cruz-Martin, Ben Young, Mark Joffe PRODUCERS: Hamish Lewis, Michael Brooks, Ian Collie, Ally Henville, Rob Gibson WRITERS: Sarah Walker, Anchuli Felicia King, Anya Beyersdorf, Anna Barnes CAST: Frances O’Connor, Sam Neill, Tasma Walton, Kris McQuade, Amy Mathews, Erroll Shand, Fayssal Bazzi, Josh McKenzie, Anthony Brandon Wong, Stefanie Caccamo, Sharon Johal, Luke Pegler, Adriano Cappelletta, Nelson Baker, Greg McNeill, Suesha Rana,

Brad Francis, Keith Robinson, Isabelle Bäsén, Shareena Clanton, Anthony Hayes, Myles Pollard, Gerald Lepkowski, Katherine Pearson, Caroline Brazier, Kaila Ferrelli, Jennah Bannear, Steve Le Marquand STATE: WA PRODUCTION COMPANY: Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia, Easy Tiger Productions PLATFORM: Binge

WHITE FEVER

STATUS: Post-production SYNOPSIS: Follows Jane as she embarks on

a journey to try and reprogram her libido but instead instigates the process of finding out who she really is. DIRECTOR: Aidee Walker PRODUCERS: Katherine Fry, Lisa Wang WRITERS: Clare Atkins, Ra Chapman, Michele Lee, Harvey Zielinski CAST: Ra Chapman, Chris Pang, Roz Hammond, Greg Stone, Katie Robertson, Cassandra Sorrell, Harvey Zielinski, Jillian Nguyen STATE: VIC PRODUCTION COMPANY: Black Sheep Films, Orange Entertainment Co, Unruly Productions NETWORK: ABC

61 (02) 9427 4444 AUSCREW@AUSCREW.COM.AU WWW.AUSCREW.COM.AU

www.if.com.au 57

WHAT’S ON

If you have an event or an entry deadline coming up, email publicity@if.com.au with all relevant info

MOONLIGHT CINEMA

WHEN: Now – March 30 WHERE: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth,

Adelaide Watch the biggest films under the stars. Moonlight Cinema returns to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide this summer, offering a mix of box office blockbusters, festive favourites, and family films.

FLICKERFEST

WHEN: January 19 – 24 WHERE: Bondi Beach, Sydney

Flickerfest celebrates 33 years in 2024. Featuring more than 200 shorts screening across 18 competitive programs and six showcase sessions, Flickerfest incorporates a number of prizes, including Best International Short Film, Best International Animation, Best Australian Short Film, and Best Documentary – all of which are Academy qualifying. FLICKERFEST.COM.AU

DOME UNDER FESTVIAL

WHEN: February 3 – 4 WHERE: Melbourne Planetarium, Scienceworks

A weekend of fulldome films. Unlike traditional cinema experiences, the fulldome films will unfold across the entire 16-metre domed ceiling of the Melbourne Planetarium, providing a hemispherical view, coupled with a state-of-the-art 5.1 surround sound system. MUSEUMSVICTORIA.COM.AU

AACTA AWARDS AND FESTIVAL

WHEN: February 7 – 11 WHERE: Gold Coast

The 2024 AACTA Awards will take place on Saturday, February 10, preceded by the AACTA Industry Awards on February 8. Both ceremonies will be held at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast. A five-day festival spanning February 7-11 will be held to coincide with the awards, featuring a day devoted exclusively to First Nations content and creatives, networking hubs, and a Screen Careers Expo for those curious about pursuing a career in film or television.

Vista Group’s conference will bring cinema and entertainment industry representatives from across the globe to New Zealand to share their experience and learn about the latest innovations in technology solutions designed to power the global film industry. Geared towards those in the film and cinema industry, from exhibitors to studios and distributors, attendees will have the opportunity to network and hear about the latest technology developments, research, case studies and learnings from Vista Group leaders. VISTAGROUPCON.CO

MARDI GRAS FILM FESTIVAL

WHEN: February 15 – 29 WHERE: Sydney

Queer Screen’s 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival will run in-person in Sydney before an ondemand encore March 1 – 11. The festival promises 100 LGBTIQ+ films from across the globe screening, to screen at Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Cinemas Newtown, Ritz Cinemas Randwick. QUEERSCREEN.ORG.AU

SCREEN FOREVER

WHEN: March 19 – 21 WHERE: Gold Coast

The 38th iteration of Screen Producers Australia’s (SPA) Screen Forever conference, including the SPA Connect Market, will take place in person on the Gold Coast, followed by an Online Global Market from March 26-27. The SPA Awards will take place on the evening of March 21, following the conference. SCREENFOREVER.ORG.AU/38

✪ CALL FOR ENTRIES THE BEST AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILM COMPETITION

WHEN: February 9 – 19 WHERE: Sydney

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 22 PerthNow and SAE Creative Media Institute are inviting both emerging and established filmmakers nationwide to submit their original short films for the chance to share in $75,500. The call out is for Australian-made short film entries across all fiction and non-fiction film genres, produced from July 1, 2022. Films submitted must be no longer than 10 minutes, inclusive of credits.

ANTENNAFESTIVAL.ORG

ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL

AACTA.ORG

ANTENNA DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

A selection of creative, thought-provoking documentaries from around the globe.

VISTA GROUP FILM AND CINEMA INDUSTRY CONFERENCE

WHEN: February 12 – 15 WHERE: Aotea Centre, Auckland, New Zealand 58 INSIDEFILM #215 DEC–JAN 2024

BESTSHORTFILM.COM.AU

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 31 Film entries are open for the 2024 St Kilda Film Festival, which will be celebrating 40 years of showcasing Australia’s premier short filmmaking talent June 6 – 16. Each year,

St Kilda Film Festival welcomes submissions to Australia’s Top Short Film Competition, an Academy Awards® qualifying event, and Under The Radar, the Youth Short Film category for filmmakers under the age of 21. STKILDAFILMFESTIVAL.COM.AU

THE CREATORS

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 1

Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild have announced applications are open for The Creators program. Now in its second year, The Creators is a career acceleration program for high-calibre, mid-career screenwriters to build toward the creation of their own shows. Through the program, up to six writers with existing episodic slates will be selected to travel to Los Angeles to participate in training, industry meetings and networking events in 2024. SCREENAUSTRALIA.GOV.AU

GOLD COAST FILM FESTIVAL

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 2

The Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) is inviting submissions for 2024, with the event to be held from April 17 to 28. GCFF encourages entries from independent filmmakers and films with creative leads from First Nations and under-represented backgrounds. Feature and short films from Australian and international filmmakers will also be accepted. FILMFREEWAY.COM/ GOLDCOASTFILMFESTIVAL

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 15 MIFF returns August 8 – 25, and is on the lookout for exciting voices from the world of cinema, covering feature-length films, short films, XR works and episodic content. Eligible filmmakers will be considered for the MIFF Awards, including the prestigious Bright Horizons Award presented by VicScreen, one of the richest film prizes in the world. MIFF.COM.AU/SUBMISSIONS

SCREEN AUSTRALIA ENTERPRISE BUSINESS

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 22, 5pm

Enterprise Business supports proposals from screen businesses that create change, growth and pathways to sustainability and have benefit to the screen industry more broadly. Generate supports establishing companies, generally within their first 5 years of operation, while premium supports established companies. SCREENAUSTRALIA.GOV.AU

REVELATION PERTH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 1 The Revelation Perth International Film Festival has opened submissions for its 2024 program. The 27th edition of the event will run from July 3 – 7 at Luna Cinemas Leederville and Luna on SX, Fremantle, with breakout events at The Backlot. FILMFREEWAY.COM/ REVELATIONFILMFESTIVAL

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 1

Entries are now open for the 71st Sydney Film Festival in 2024, in cinemas from June 5—16. Filmmakers have the opportunity to vie for a prize pool of $155,000 spread across various award categories. The 2024 season will celebrate the 55th year of the festival’s Australian short film competition. The winners of the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films and the Documentary Australia Award are Academy Award eligible.

FILMFREEWAY.COM/SYDNEYFILMFESTIVAL

✪ AUSSIE FEATURE FILM RELEASE DATES FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2 (ROADSHOW): Feb 8 THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA (MADMAN):

Feb 14

THE ROOSTER (BONSAI): Feb 22 COMBAT WOMBAT 2 BACK TO BACK (MASLOW): Feb 29 YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (UMBRELLA):

Mar 14

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL (MASLOW):

Apr 11

200% WOLF (STUDIOCANAL): Apr 25 THE CONVERT (KISMET): Apr 25 FURIOSA (WARNER BROS.): May 28

*Release dates are subject to change

✪ AUSSIE TV DRAMA AIR DATES BUMP SEASON 4 (STAN): Dec 26 PLANET LULIN (ABC): Jan 1, 5pm BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE (NETFLIX):

Jan 11

TOTAL CONTROL SEASON 3 (ABC):

Jan 14, 8.30pm

PROSPER (STAN): Jan 18 *TX dates are subject to change

It’s quiet...too quiet.

All the makings of a great story. Bring your creative vision to life on the Gold Coast. Get access to diverse filming locations, world-class production crews and the internationally renowned Village Roadshow Studios. Plus, with financial incentives and fast-tracked permit approvals, your next project is now even easier.

Make believe it here. cityofgoldcoast.com.au/screen

IF 215 December 2023-January 2024

Articles inside

RISING TALENT 2024: WRITERS

RISING TALENT 2024: VFX AND ANIMATION

RISING TALENT 2024: SOUND

RISING TALENT 2024: PRODUCTION DESIGNERS

RISING TALENT 2024: PRODUCERS

RISING TALENT 2024: HAIR AND MAKEUP

RISING TALENT 2024: EDITORS

RISING TALENT 2024: DIRECTORS

RISING TALENT 2024: COSTUME DESIGNERS

RISING TALENT 2024: COMPOSERS

RISING TALENT 2024: CINEMATOGRAPHERS

RISING TALENT 2024: CASTING DIRECTORS

RISING TALENT 2024: ACTORS