News

BBC Dark Comedy ‘Guilt’ Remade In Australia

Guilt, the dark BBC comedy out of Scotland starring Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives, in being remade in Australia. Production has begun on an Aussie version, which has Nitv, Sbs, Screen Australia and Screenwest attached, with Kodie Bedford (Return to Paradise, Mystery Road) the writer and exec producer. . BBC Studios Productions Australia is making the show, known locally as Reckless, with Tasma Walton (The Twelve, Mystery Road) and Aacta Award winner Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader, Critical Incident) playing the feuding siblings from the original. They are forced to work together when an accidental hit-and-run death spirals wildly out of control in their hometown, Fremantle. Also cast are Jessica De Gouw (The Couple Next Door), Clarence Ryan (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Jane Harber (Offspring), Tracy Mann (The Twelve), Duncan Fellows (Deadloch), Perry Mooney, Kelton Pell (Mystery Road: Origin), Matthew Dyktynski (Japanese Story...

Exclusive: Upgrade will show first footage in Cannes this week from Penny Lane Is Dead, which has finalised casting and begun production in Adelaide. Screen has obtained animage from the set.

Mia’Kate Russell’s Australian horror thriller features a cast of Tahlee Fereday (Erotic Stories), Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, Alexandra Jensen (Talk To Me), Bailey Spalding as Penny Lane, Ben O’Toole, Steve Le Marquand, and Fletcher Humphrys.

The Sanctuary Pictures and Buffalo Media production in association with Cyan Films is financed with major production investment from Screen Australia and produced in association with the South Australian Film Corporation (Safc), VicScreen and Adelaide Film Festival.

Natalie Burn Joins Anthony Hopkins In ‘Eyes In The Trees’

Exclusive: Natalie Burn (Til Death Do Us Part) has joined Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ashley Greene in sci-fi thriller Eyes in the Trees. She will play the role of Marcy, a seasoned military veteran who reluctantly agrees to join former teammates for a final mission. They are dispatched to investigate the work of Dr Moreau’s enigmatic successor, Dr. Addis, a brilliant yet mysterious geneticist. Soon, the team finds their resolve tested as they delve into a world of chilling and dangerous experiments taking place on a remote island. Shooting is taking place on location in Thailand. Burn recently starred opposite Jason Patric and Cam Gigandet in action-comedy Til Death Do Us Part and was in period action flick The Last Redemption, which stars Angus Macfadyen and Kevin Sorbo. She also completed shooting comedy Dashing Through the Snow...

Exclusive: Superstore star Ben Feldman will lead Australian comedy crime caper Population 11.

Lionsgate, streamer Stan and Phil Lloyd and Trent O’Donnell from No Activity producer Jungle Entertainment have teamed for the 12-part series ahead of a March 14 launch in Australia.

The series, which Jungle produces Entertainment in association with Factor 30 Films, has been quietly shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We’ve now got full cast details, a trailer (see below) and first-look images.

Based on true events, the series is based around a man, Hugo, who goes missing from a tiny outback town of only 12 residents. His son, Andy Pruden (Feldman), a suburban Ohio bank teller, has journeyed across the world to visit and is alarmed when he discovers he is missing. Andy teams with another outsider Cassie (Perry Mooney) on a quest to find his father, and the pair find themselves in increasing danger as they...

White Christmas begone! Australia’s yuletide canon is expanding – and it’s full of small-time crims, dysfunctional families and sweltering summer shenanigans

Do you have a favourite Australian festive flick? Share it in the comments

Early in the new Australian film Christmess – a bittersweet drama about an alcoholic actor trying to turn his life around – one character asks a question familiar to many cinephiles: what’s the best Christmas movie? The protagonist, Steve Le Marquand’s Chris, delivers an answer familiar to anyone who has been on the internet in the past two decades: Die Hard, the damn fine, explosive Bruce Willis classic that has been igniting debate about what exactly constitutes a Christmas movie since yuletides of yore.

If Christmess – a very absorbing film, tenderly written and directed by Heath Davis – were a more banter-prone production, the characters might have waded into the debate themselves. For instance: what’s...

Production has begun in Greater Sydney on “Christmess,” a light-hearted drama written and directed by Heath Davis. It stars musician and vocalist Hannah Joy of alternative indie rock band Middle Kids in her feature film debut.

The film also stars Steve Le Marquand (“Last Train to Freo”), Darren Gilshenan (“No Activity”) and Aaron Glenane. Le Marquand plays the role of a once famous actor who has been reduced by alcohol addiction to performing as Santa Claus in a mall. After accidentally meeting his estranged daughter (Nicole Pastor), he seeks help from his sponsor (Gilshenan) and a sharp-tongued musician in recovery (Joy) in order to win his daughter’s forgiveness in time for the festive season.

“Christmess” is produced by Daniel Fenech, Cindy Pritchard and Matthew McCracken. It is financed through crowd funding and the support of unnamed partners. Distribution will be handled by Bonsai Films.

The shoot is taking place over three weeks in Campbelltown,...

Storm Ashwood’s war thriller Escape and Evasion will be released on Netflix next month after the streamer negotiated a deal with production company Bronte Pictures.

The film follows a lone soldier (Josh McConville) who returns home in search of solace after his men are killed on a mission in Myanmar. Hiding a dark secret and confronted by an unrelenting journalist (Bonnie Sveen), he’s forced to face the ghosts of his past one last time.

The cast also includes Hugh Sheridan, Rena Owen, Steve Le Marquand and Firass Dirani.

Escape and Evasion was released theatrically last year via The Backlot Films after its world premiere at the 2019 Gold Coast Film Festival.

Despite being released just prior to the onset of Covid-19 and the subsequent closure of cinemas, the film still managed to garner acclaim, with Josh McConville winning Best Actor at the 2020 Veteran Film Awards, and Escape and Evasion...

Clara Chong and Philip Quast (Photo credit: John Slaytor).

One of first features to roll during the pandemic, Clara Chong and Ben Allan’s thriller Dark Noise has wrapped after an eventful shoot which spanned 28 days spread in blocks over 12 weeks.

The privately-financed production had to shut down for 48 hours while a team member who had mild symptoms on the Covid-19 list was isolated and tested. It was quickly established the team member had a common cold which did not spread to anyone else.

The producers faced another problem when actress Leah Vandenburg was trapped in Melbourne during the city’s second pandemic wave and could not travel to Sydney. So Maura Fay Casting speedily recast the role, with Renee Lim stepping in.

The producer and Dop, Allan tells If the disruption and Covid Safe protocols increased the budget by just 12 per cent.

Writer/director Chong said: “The biggest challenges...

Imogen Sage and Leah Vandenberg play a scene via Zoom.

Philip Quast, Steve Le Marquand and Sara Wiseman are among new additions to the cast of Dark Noise, Clara Chong and Ben Allan’s thriller which was among the first features to roll during the pandemic.

David E. Woodley and Craig Hall have also joined the production which is shooting in short blocks in the Sydney Cbd and in Sydney’s North-West, with a maximum of 10 cast and crew on set.

UK theatre actor Imogen Sage plays the lead, Abigail ‘Jack’ McFadden, a young woman who is alone in the forest listening for frogs when she hears something she shouldn’t have.

Lauren Clair is Jack’s mother Cassandra, with Leah Vandenberg as her father’s lover Dr Croker and Callan Colley as Constable Kristian Myangi.

Woodley is Cassandra’s former husband, scientist and conservationist Dr Donovan McFadden, and Le Marquand is Ollie Martin,...

‘Escape and Evasion.’

It’s an all too familiar story: Australian films open in a handful of cinemas with minimal marketing and publicity and audiences don’t go because they don’t know where or when these films are playing.

The latest examples are Storm Ashwood’s war thriller Escape and Evasion and Miranda Nation’s debut feature, relationships drama Undertow, which both launched last weekend.

Produced by Bronte Pictures’ Blake Northfield, Escape and Evasion stars Josh McConville as Seth, the sole survivor of a mission gone wrong. Bonnie Sveen is Rebecca, whose brother Josh (Hugh Sheridan) was one of the casualties.

Rebecca confronts Seth, who reports her to his Major (Rena Owen). Firass Dirani plays Welshy, one of four soldiers on the mission, with Steve Le Marquand as Carl, an ex-soldier who lives in Myanmar.

The Backlot launched the film, which had its world premiere at the Gold Coast Film Festival last year,...

Locusts will screen at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar) Thursday, Nov 14 at 9:30pm as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival.. Ticket information can be found Here

In “Locusts,” a dark thriller set in Australia’s Outback, estranged tech entrepreneur Ryan Black returns to his desert hometown — the ironically named Serenity Crossing — for his father’s funeral. Ryan is reluctantly reunited with his ex-con brother, and the pair soon becomes the target of an extortion scam at the hands of desperate criminal associates of their reprobate dad. The Aussie movie site FilmInk writes: “Boasting a tight and twisting script and stunning imagery, ‘Locusts’ is the kind of film that we don’t see nearly enough of in Australia: a classy crime B-movie in the style of John Dahl or (early) James Foley. It’s elevated even further, however, by the stellar performances. Ben Geurens is totally empathetic as the harried hero,...

Ben Geurens in ‘Locusts.’

Typifying the challenges facing the vast majority of Australian films, Heath Davis’ suspense-drama Locusts and Partho Sen-Gupta’s thriller Slam were released on a handful of screens last weekend.

Working with limited marketing budgets the distributors and producers relied primarily on reviews and publicity, and the weekend figures were commensurately modest.

Ben Geurens and Nathaniel Dean play estranged brothers who are the targets of an extortion racket in Locusts, which grossed $11,000 on 11 screens and $14,000 with previews.

Film Ink Presents is handling the theatrical release of the privately-financed film, which co-stars Jessica McNamee, Steve Le Marquand, Justin Rosniak, Andy McPhee, the late Damian Hill and Alan Dukes, while Jonathan Page’s Bonsai Films will sell the ancillary rights.

“It’s difficult for independent films to secure screens and marketing exposure,” Angus Watts, who produced and wrote Locusts, tells If. “We’re happy with the support from exhibitors...

Hunter Page-Lochard in Les Norton (Photo credit: Tony Mott).

Hunter Page-Lochard has a ready answer when people ask why he speaks with an Ocker accent as Billy Dunne, the former pro boxer turned Kings Cross casino doorman in the ABC’s Les Norton.

While he is proud of his Aboriginal and American heritage, he says: “I don’t want to be labelled as an Indigenous character. I want to fit in the group of the people that I’m appearing with.”

From his first day on the set of the Roadshow Rough Diamond crime caper with Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak and Steve Le Marquand, he sensed this show was going to be special.

“We found our groove and our characters by watching and flowing off each other,” he tells If. “As someone who had never done comedy before, I needed that confidence. Once we got together it was like, ‘Oh my God,...

Alexander Bertrand in ‘Les Norton.’

After landing his first lead role in Roadshow Rough Diamond’s Australian Gangster, Alexander Bertrand set his sights on playing the title character in the same production house’s Les Norton.

That was no sure thing: Despite his performance as the Sydney crime figure in the upcoming Seven Network drama, the actor had to fight hard to win the Norton role in the ABC series based on Robert G. Barrett’s Australian novels set in the 1980s.

“There were five or six people up for the role, including a couple of heavyweight Hollywood names,” he tells If. “I had to do a couple of call backs.”

Jocelyn Moorhouse, who co-directed the 10-part series with Fadia Abboud, David Caesar and Morgan O’Neill, loved Australian Gangster and championed his cause.

“Jocelyn told me she put on the brass knuckles and went into bat for me,” he says.

(L-r) David Wenham, Alexander Bertrand and Rebel Wilson in ‘Les Norton.’

Roadshow Rough Diamond’s crime caper Les Norton, starring Rebel Wilson, David Wenham and Alexander Bertrand in the title role, will premiere on the ABC and iview on Sunday August 4 at 8.30 pm.

Set in 1985 and based on Robert G. Barrett’s Australian novels, the 10-part series follows the misadventures of Norton, a knockabout bloke from outback Queensland.

On the run from a troubled past, he blows into Sydney where he lands a job as a bouncer at a notorious illegal casino in Kings Cross. Desperate to get home, he is soon seduced by the city’s dubious charms and dragged into a web of underground criminality.

Les becomes tangled up in the illicit activities of his new boss, kingpin Price Galese (Wenham), and Price’s motley crew of former pro boxer turned casino doorman Billy Dunne (Hunter Page-Lochard), gun-for-hire...

‘Diary of an Uber Driver.’

Sally Riley is bemused when people use this line when they are pitching projects to her: “This is definitely an ABC show.”

The ABC’s head of scripted production, Riley usually replies: “What is that? What is an ABC show?”

Interviewed in her Ultimo office for a two-part story, she tells If: “If it’s a great show, we’ll do it. I don’t think it must fit in the parameters of what is supposed to be an ABC show.

“We want to not only hold our audiences but also bring in new and younger audiences and we have a broad slate to try to meet both. We will definitely take a calculated risk when we believe in a show.”

As an example of a program which she thinks most people would not expect to see on the public broadcaster, she points to Les Norton,...

Rebel Wilson on the set of ‘Les Norton’.

The ABC and Roadshow Rough Diamond’s 10-part drama series Les Norton, which stars Rebel Wilson, David Wenham and Alexander Bertrand, began filming last week in Sydney, with Hunter Page-Lochard, Steve Le Marquand, Syd Zygier, Pallavi Sharda, Justin Rosniak and Kate Box joining the cast.

Set in 1985, the series – based on the novels by Robert G. Barrett – follows the exploits of Les Norton (Bertrand), a country bloke from outback Queensland. On the run from a troubled past, he blows into Sydney where he lands a job as a bouncer at a notorious illegal casino in Kings Cross. A classic fish out of water who’s desperate to get home, he soon finds himself seduced by the city’s illicit charms and dragged into a web of underground criminality.

Created by Morgan O’Neill and produced by Daniel Edwards and John Edwards, the directors include Jocelyn Moorhouse,...

‘Escape and Evasion.’

Bronte Pictures is set to produce four features next year after signing deals for two films and a feature documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Pascal Borno’s Conquistador Entertainment acquired worldwide rights to Storm Ashwood’s thriller Escape and Evasion, which follows a soldier who returns home in search of solace after his men are killed in Burma.

Instrum International agreed to handle global sales on Around the World, a documentary on freestyle football written and directed by David Amouzegh, Tom Cheve and Clement Reubrecht.

Vertical Entertainment collared North American rights to Ashwood’s debut feature The School, a supernatural horror/thriller which Bronte Pictures co-produced with Lunar Pictures’ Jim Robison.

The film starring Megan Drury as a surgeon whose son has fallen into a coma and who becomes trapped in an abandoned school where she is threatened by feral children, will open in Us...

Let's Talk About.. . Matilda Brown.s short-form series Let.s Talk About is set to return for a second season. . The series, originally commissioned for the now defunct Presto, has found a new home on Foxtel Play, where it will be available for streaming from February 19, along with the first season. The show will also be broadcast on Foxtel.s Showcase channel.. . Foxtel has also tweaked the format for the second season: from 10 x 5 to 10 x 11 minute episodes. . Brown (Am I Ok, How God Works), the series creator and star,.will return alongside Richard Davies (Offspring, Bed of Roses), father Bryan Brown (Red Dog: True Blue, Australia) and Lisa Hensley (Brides of Christ, Dating the Enemy). . This season, Sam Neill (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic Park) will also star, along with Damian Walshe-Howling (Underbelly, The Reef), Steve Le Marquand (Rake, Underbelly), Andrea Demetriades (Alex & Eve, The Principal), and Chloe Boreham...

Marta Dusseldorp as Janet King..

The third season of Screentime.s ABC drama Janet King, starring Marta Dusseldorp, goes into production this week.

Joining the established cast of Damian Walshe-Howling, Peter Kowitz, Christopher Morris, Andrea Demetriades, Anita Hegh and Hamish Michael for the third instalment will be Don Hany, Robert Mammone, Susie Porter, Andrew Ryan, Huw Higginson, John Bach, Steve Le Marquand, Arka Das and Adam Demos.

This season, Janet will confront .a hornet.s nest of illegal gambling, organised crime and money laundering, while investigating the tragic death of a young sports star..

Written by Greg Haddrick, Felicity Packard, and Niki Aken with Alexa Wyatt as writer/script producer, the season will be directed by Peter Andrikidis, Grant Brown and Catherine Millar.

Janet King is produced by Karl Zwicky and Lisa Scott with Hilary Bonney and Marta Dusseldrop as associate producers. Screentime.s Haddrick, ABC.s Sally Riley and Kym Goldsworthy are executive producers.

Blue Murder: Killer Cop..

The Seven Network has revealed its programming slate for the coming 18 months. Among it are a number of new Australia dramas, including: Olivia Newton-John, Warnie, Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story and the anticipated Blue Murder: Killer Cop, which sees Richard Roxburgh reprise his role as Roger Rogerson.

The network has also confirmed that The Secret Daughter, Wanted and 800 Words will return in 2017.

Also new for Seven are Million Dollar Cold Case, Yummy Mummies, The Aussie Property Flippers and Murder Uncovered. The network has also touted a controversial new show.—..now being filmed under a veil of secrecy..—.which it claims will be the most talked about program of 2017.

Seven has confirmed reality mainstays.My Kitchen Rules, House Rules, First Dates and Seven Year Switch for new seasons.

New international titles secured by the network include Trial and Error and Training Day.

Seven.s...

Steve Le Marquand on the set of Heath Davis' Broke.

Four features have been added to the Aacta awards longlist: Michael Petroni's Backtrack, Heath Davis' Broke, Grant Scicluna's Downriver and Craig Boreham's Teenage Kicks.

They join previously announced films A Few Less Men, A Month of Sundays, Beast, Boys in the Trees, Down Under, Early Winter, Embedded, Girl Asleep, Gods of Egypt, Goldstone, Hacksaw Ridge, Joe Cinque's Consolation, Looking for Grace, Pawno, Red Billabong, Scare Campaign, Spear, Spin Out, Spirit of the Game, Sucker, Tanna, The Daughter, The Menkoff Method and Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead.

The additions bring the number of features competing for this year.s Aacta Awards to 28: a record.

.It.s wonderful to see such engagement from the Australian screen industry this year,. said AFI-Aacta CEO Damian Trewhella. .We.ve recently broken a number of records, with more films...

Steve Le Marquand in Broke.

The 14th annual Gold Coast Film Festival will screen Australian features Spear, Broke, A Month of Sundays, Girl Asleep, Crushed, Observance and The Hunters Club, and play host to guests including Reg Cribb, David Stratton, Claudia Karvan and Gracie Otto.

Director Stephen Page will also make his debut at the fest..

Page and his leading man (and son) Hunter Page-Lochard, star of the upcoming ABC-tv series Cleverman, will attend a screening of Spear, followed by a Q&A session.

The team behind Broke - director Heath Davis, producer Luke Graham and actors Steve Le Marquand and Max Cullen - will attend the film's Queensland premiere.

The film follows the story of disgraced rugby league star and gambling addict, Ben .Bk. Kelly, who attempts to turn his life around with the support of his two biggest fans..

Writer Reg Cribb (Last Cab to Darwin) will attend...

As the country slips into chaos, a strange creature surfaces in a small town in the first trailer for Terminus. This sci-fi thriller from Vertical Entertainment is set for release on January 22, 2016 in theaters and on VOD, going up against The 5th Wave, The Boy and Dirty Grandpa. As you can see in the footage below, the arrival of a mysterious alien changes everything for inhabitants of a sleepy town.

Blinded by the light of a falling meteor, David has a devastating car accident, leading to a profound discovery: an extraterrestrial organism that may contain the secret of life itself. When David goes missing for two days, Annabelle searches for her father only to discover him wandering the forest, without so much as a scratch. David's mysterious reappearance draws the attention of federal authorities and gives Annabelle reason to doubt his sanity.

But David has a new sense of purpose,...

Holy Hell, am I e’er filled to the beastly brim with blood and turkey! Ok, it wasn’t blood; it was wine, which considering the flicks I review sometimes, should be a prerequisite. Before the buzz leaves my belfry, let’s get down to the horror biz!

Before we dig into the revoltin’ reviews, I want to share with you a music video by a band I really dig: Johnny Unheimlich! Here’s the creepy clip for their new single Tell The Worms to Wait! Check it out below, and head here for info on when their new CD will be available!

Now for those reviews tens of you are no doubt clamoring for!

One Eyed Girl

• Release Date: Available December 8th on DVD, Digital and Blu-ra

• Written By: Craig Behenna, Nick Matthews

• Directed By: Nick Matthews

• Starring: Steve Le Marquand, Sara West, Mark Leonard Winter, Tilda Cobham-Hervey

Ever...

A new trailer for One Eyed Girl has debuted. This film, from Adelaide, Australia, involves a psychiatrist and his run-in with a doomsday cult. Dark Sky Films will release this psychological thriller in December, through various home entertainment formats. And, the film stars Steve Le Marquand and Sara West. Fans of film can view the latest trailer for One Eyed Girl here. The world is coming to an end, says a cult leader. Travis (Mark Leonard Winter) is lured into the depths of this doomsday cult, after the death of one of his patients. His grief and the cult's delusion create a powder keg. And, government forces are set to light the gunpowder on fire. Few will survive this coming doom. The release for One Eyed Girl comes this way on December 8th, 2015. On this date, the film will be available on VOD, DVD and Bluray. Your indoctrination begins in just a few weeks.

It has been a long time coming but two years after we first saw a teaser trailer for One Eyed Girl, Nick Matthews' thriller will finally be seen in outside the festival circuit in North America.

The project, co-written by Matthews and Craig Behenna, stars Mark Leonard Winter as Travis, a young psychiatrist dealing with the loss of one of his patients, when he comes across a support group that might just be the perfect fit to help him get over the loss. Travis moves himself to the group's compound in an effort to find himself and redemption and instead, finds himself in the middle of a cult led by Father Jay (Steve Le Marquand).

Dark Sky Films has re [Continued ...]...

Uncanny star Lucy Griffiths was kind enough to answer some questions for us, and the Q&A we conducted with her kicks off the round-up. Also: domestic acquisition news for Emelie, details for One Eyed Girl on Blu-ray / DVD, and Vault of the Macabre II video.

Uncanny: "Rlj Entertainment will be releasing Uncanny on November 3rd, 2015.

Mark Webber (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), David Clayton Rogers (Bloody Sunday), Lucy Griffiths (TV’s “True Blood”) and director Matthew Leutwyler are available for interviews on behalf of the film’s release.

For ten years, inventor David Kressen has lived in seclusion with his inventions, including Adam, a robot with incredible lifelike human qualities. When reporter Joy Andrews is given access to their unconventional facility, she is alternately repelled and attracted to the scientist and his creation. But as Adam exhibits an emergent behavior of anger and jealousy towards her, she finds...

Netflix has bought Melbourne-made series Small Time Gangster for UK, Australia and New Zealand, with more territories to be announced shortly.

Directed by Jeffrey Walker, with a cast including Steve Le Marquand, Gia Carides, Sacha Horler, Geoff Morrell and Gary Sweet, the series follows the misadventures of Tony Piccolo.

Piccolo is outwardly a devoted family man who earns his living cleaning carpets.

But he is also the toughest underworld enforcer in Melbourne. .When Tony suddenly develops a conscience and his two worlds threaten to collide, he.s going to need more than just cleaning fluid to clear up the mess.

Gareth Calverley and Joss King created and wrote the show.s eight episodes.

Producer Gareth Calverley said: .We.re delighted that some of the 63 million people who subscribe to Netflix the world over will now have the opportunity to see the show..

Distributed globally by Drg UK, the show was...

Presto has commissioned Matilda Brown's 10-part short form series Let.s Talk About.

Brown, the daughter of iconic Australian actor Bryan Brown, will write, direct and star in the project.

Let.s Talk About is a series about being .up the duff. in a relationship that.s only just begun..

Each three minute epiosde in the series will focus on a particular subject during the nine months of pregnancy resulting in content that is both entertaining, informative, cheeky and funny.

The Let.s Talk About series will be available exclusively to Presto TV and Presto Entertainment bundle subscribers to stream on demand. .

The series will have its World Premiere on Presto in October.

Let.s Talk About revolves around Claire (played by Matilda Brown) and Ben (Richard Davies, .Offspring.) who have only recently started dating and now discover that Claire is pregnant.

Their predicament means there are some conversations they just can.t avoid,...

Presto has commissioned Matilda Brown's 10-part short form series Let.s Talk About.

Brown, the daughter of iconic Australian actor Bryan Brown, will write, direct and star in the project.

Let.s Talk About is a series about being .up the duff. in a relationship that.s only just begun..

Each three minute epiosde in the series will focus on a particular subject during the nine months of pregnancy resulting in content that is both entertaining, informative, cheeky and funny.

The Let.s Talk About series will be available exclusively to Presto TV and Presto Entertainment bundle subscribers to stream on demand. .

The series will have its World Premiere on Presto in October.

Let.s Talk About revolves around Claire (played by Matilda Brown) and Ben (Richard Davies, .Offspring.) who have only recently started dating and now discover that Claire is pregnant.

Their predicament means there are some conversations they just can.t avoid,...

Following the official trailer that debuted way back in early December, Magnet has revealed the red band trailer for their upcoming action comedy Kill Me Three Times. This thriller is directed by Kriv Stenders, best known for his international hit Red Dog. And it stars Simon Pegg as a hired killer who finds out that he's not the only one in pursuit of his latest target.

Simon Pegg plays the mercurial assassin Charlie Wolfe. The skilled hit-man soon discovers that he isn't the only person trying to kill the siren (Alice Braga) of a sun-drenched surfing town. In this darkly comedic thriller, Wolfe finds himself unraveling three tales of mayhem, murder, blackmail and revenge.

With an original screenplay by James McFarland, the film also stars Sullivan Stapleton (as a gambling addict that attempts to pay off his debts through a risky life insurance scam), Teresa Palmer (as a small town...

After portraying endearing characters like Scotty in Star Trek and Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible movies, Simon Pegg explores his sinister side in the red band trailer for Kill Me Three Times. Simon Pegg plays Charlie Wolfe, a mercurial assassin who discovers he isn't the only person trying to kill the siren (Alice Braga) of a sun-drenched surfing town. In this darkly comedic thriller, the hitman finds himself unraveling three tales of mayhem, murder, blackmail and revenge.

Throughout his journey, Charlie encounters a number of colorful characters, such as his target's husband (Sullivan Stapleton), a gambling addict trying to pay off his debts in a life insurance scam, Lucy Webb (Teresa Palmer), a small town Lady McBeth, jealous club owner Jack Taylor (Callan Mulvey) and local surfing legend Dylan Smith (Luke Hemsworth). The cast is rounded out by Bryan Brown and Steve Le Marquand in this explosive dark comedy...

Writer and director Nick Matthews made his feature debut at this year's Austin Film Festival with One Eyed Girl, a riveting psychological thriller that takes place in South Australia but could just as easily occur anywhere. Co-written by co-star Craig Behenna (The Babadook), this film -- which just won the Aff 2014 jury prize in the "Dark Matters" category -- slowly reveals the layers of pain and guilt experienced by a psychiatrist and the unexpected rocky path to redemption and salvation.

Travis (Mark Leonard Winter) is a thirtysomething psychiatrist severely damaged by the death of former patient Rachel (Katy Cheel). Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Travis' relationship with Rachel extended beyond and was impacted by her mental health. Travis' inability to connect to his patients and Rachel is compounded by the desensitization to the violence and corruption of the modern world, as well as a refusal to accept his own identity.

Nick Matthews. psychological thriller One Eyed Girl has won the jury prize in the .Dark Matters. category at the Austin Film Festival in Texas.

Produce by David Ngo and written by Matthews and Craig Behenna, the South Australian-shot film tells of a psychiatrist, haunted by the death of a former patient, who stumbles upon a Doomsday cult and battles to save a teenage girl from its clutches

Starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey (The Kettering Incident, 52 Tuesdays), Mark Leonard Winter (Healing, Van Diemen.s Land) and Steve Le Marquand (Rake, Vertical Limit), One Eyed Girl will be released in Australian cinemas on April 2, distributed by The Backlot Studios.

The Dark Matters award was introduced last year and was won by Madellaine Paxson.s Blood Punch.

Austin Film Festival screenplay and teleplay competition director, Matt Dy said, "Screenwriters Craig Behenna and Nick Matthews have written a script that, on the page, would very likely...

First-time writer/director Hugh Sullivan.s time travel comedy The Infinite Man opened at four cinemas- Dendy Newton, Melbourne.s Cinema Nova, Perth.s Cinema Paradiso and Adelaide.s Palace Nova Eastend- last Thursday.

The four-day gross is $10,640, which is in addition to the $21,000 generated by screenings at the Melbourne International Film Festival, CineféstOZ and the Dungog fest.

Executive producer Jonathan Page said, .It.s a good start and points to a new model of releasing smaller films, focussing on a few targeted sites and keeping costs low. I think The Infinite Man is building a cult following and will be watched on other platforms, so if we can make a bit of noise and a bit of money at the cinema then we are on track..

Produced by Hedone Productions. Kate Croser and Sandy Cameron, the film stars Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall and Alex Dimitriades in the tale of...

Ahead of its September 6 world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Simon Pegg released a unique motion poster for the thriller Kill Me Three Times on his Twitter page earlier this week. Take a look at the animated action, which features co-stars Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Callan Mulvey and Luke Hemsworth, then read on for more details...

Ooh ooh check it out! Coming to a Toronto Film Festival near you. http://t.co/bjTDaLNhYa

— Simon Pegg (@simonpegg) August 24, 2014

Simon Pegg plays the mercurial assassin, Charlie Wofle, who discovers he isn't the only person trying to kill the siren of a sun drenched surfing town (Alice Braga). Charlie quickly finds himself at the center of three tales of murder, mayhem, blackmail and revenge.

With an original screenplay by James McFarland, the film also stars Sullivan Stapleton (as a gambling addict that attempts to pay off his debts through...

Australian producers increasingly are looking to international co-productions as one solution to the difficulty of raising finance at home.

Producers say the .soft. money available for co-pros with Canada and Europe will help to compensate for the very low minimum guarantees offered by Australian distributors.

Another advantage, they say, is the improved chances of securing marquee cast for films shot in part or completely in Canada and Europe.

. With the collapse of distribution windows, online communication, and the competitiveness of getting soft money out of Australia, producers are becoming more savvy in financing their films with global partners especially as we are telling more global, universally themed stories,. says producer Raquelle David, who is developing the futuristic thriller Lucid as a co-pro.

Producer Matthew Dabner aims to shoot Seasons Pass, a comedy scripted by Heath Davis about an Australian ski instructor who goes to the Canadian snowfields where he is...

Claire van der Boom is a big fan of Tim Roth and Mexican director Michel Franco, so much so that she flew to Los Angeles and back this week for a supporting role in Chronic, Franco.s first English-language film.

Roth plays a depressed nurse named David who assists terminally-ill patients while trying to reconnect with the family he abandoned.

Bitsie Tulloch, who stars in the NBC series Grimm, plays a woman named Lidia, whose father John is portrayed by Pulitzer-winning playwright Michael Cristofer.

Van der Boom is Alice, a pretty, bubbly, sensitive woman. She is uncomfortable with David.s story about his dead wife, epecially as her boyfriend has just proposed to her.

The indie film is produced by David Zonana, Gabriel Ripstein and Franco. David Dastmalchian (Prisoners), who was recently cast in Marvel.s Ant-Man, is in talks to join the film, according to Deadline.com.

Roth was...

When Stephanie Louise May heard that a movie inspired by the Us TV comedy Blue Mountain State was to be shot in Canada, the enterprising Aussie actress made an audition tape and sent it to the producers.

They liked what they saw and May, who doesn't have a Us manager, heads to Montreal in August to appear in Blue Mountain State: The Movie, which will star Denise Richards (reprising her role from the Spike TV show), directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, whose credits include The Dukes Of Hazzard (2005), Super Troopers (2001) and TV.s Community, Ben and Kate and Happy Endings. .I am cast as a funny sorority girl who more or less thinks she.s cool, but she.s really not,. she tells If.

The TV show, which Jay directed, followed three freshmen at Mid-Western college football powerhouse Blue Mountain State who must quickly adapt to college life and juggle football,...

Steve Le Marquand, Max Cullen, Claire van der Boom and Brendan Cowell head the cast of Broke, an Australian drama about a washed up, former rugby league star who battles a gambling addiction.

The feature debut of writer-director Heath Davis, the film is due to roll in Gladstone, central Queensland, on June 16.

Le Marquand will play the protagonist Ben .Bk. Kelly, who tackles his demons and strives to win back the respect of his community with the help of an ageing railway worker (Cullen) and his single parent daughter (van der Boom).

Cowell will portray a fellow gambling addict. Also cast are William Zappa as a bookmaker, Steve Bastoni as a cop and Justin Rozniak as a villain.

Producer Luke Graham raised more than $40,000 on crowd-funding site Indiegogo and the balance of the budget from private investors and a contribution from the Nrl as part of an Nrl gambling awareness...

The crowd funding campaign for Broke, an Australian drama about a washed up, former rugby league star who battles a gambling addiction, is kicking goals

Producer Luke Graham and first-time director Heath Davis aim to raise $55,000 via Indiegogo (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/broke-feature-film).

Since the campaign went live on January 16, 71 people have chipped in more than $22,000. With 49 days to run, Davis is hopeful he.ll reach the target so he can start shooting in Gladstone, Queensland, in May.

Steve Le Marquand will play the protagonist Ben .Bk. Kelly, who tackles his demons and strives to win back the respect of his community with the help of an ageing railway worker (Steve Bisley) and his single parent daughter (Claire van der Boom).

.We.re pretty stoked,. says Davis, who made the short films Bee Sting, Bella, Spoon Man and Rabbit, and The Jezabels Live at the Hordern DVD. .There is a real buzz about it.

Steve Le Marquand, Steve Bisley and Claire van der Boom are attached to star in Broke, an indie drama which deals with the topical issue of gambling in the Nrl world.

It.s the debut feature of writer-director Heath Davis, who cut his teeth on the short films Bee Sting, Bella, Spoon Man and Rabbit, and The Jezabels Live at the Hordern DVD.

The producer is Luke Graham, who collaborated with Davis on those shorts, with Jonathan Page (the executive producer of The Babadook, 100 Bloody Acres and Max and Mary) as Ep.

They aim to raise $55,000 via crowd funding site Indiegogo; the campaign launches next week. Davis says that money will match contributions from him, Graham and several private investors.

There is an altruistic angle: After the cast and skeleton crew have recouped their deferred fees, the profits will go to the Men of League Foundation, which was founded by...

The Us version of Rake, which stars Greg Kinnear as brilliant, womanising and self-destructive criminal lawyer Keegan Deane, will screen on the rebranded Universal Channel on Foxtel.

Due to a holdback agreement with the ABC, the Us show cannot screen in Oz until after the third series of the Australian Rake airs on the public broadcaster. The remake premieres on Fox at 10 pm on Sunday January 19 with a strong lead-in, the Nfc Championship Game, and will then screen on Thursday nights at 9.

Peter Duncan, who co-created the original series with Richard Roxburgh and Charles Waterstreet, tells If the holdback agreement is not an issue, noting, .The ABC has been pretty generous. The Us series won.t finish screening until April. I am not sure when the new series will go to air in Australia but I believe it.s late February, so it.s not going to be a massive imposition.

An Australian broadcaster is poised to acquire the Us version of Rake, which stars Greg Kinnear as brilliant, womanising and self-destructive criminal lawyer Keegan Deane.

Due to a holdback agreement with the ABC, the Us show cannot screen in Oz until after the third series of the Australian Rake airs on the public broadcaster. The remake premieres on Fox at 10 pm on Sunday January 19 with a strong lead-in, the Nfc Championship Game, and will then screen on Thursday nights at 9.

.There is an Australian deal in the offing,. Peter Duncan, who co-created the original series with Richard Roxburgh, tells If on the line from Los Angeles, where he is co-executive producing Fox.s version with Peter Tolan.

Duncan would not be drawn on the likely Australian buyer but he acknowledged the Us networks. hour-long format - each episode runs 42 ½ minutes, whereas the Australian eps are 57 minutes- is hard for the...

ABC telemovie An Accidental Soldier looks set to be sold to multiple territories after London-based Dcd Rights acquired the international distribution rights.

Dcd Rights will introduce the film to international buyers at the Mipcom market in Cannes which runs October 7-10. The firm has an impressive track record in selling Australian dramas and comedies including Rake, The Slap, Mr & Mrs Murder, The Straits, The Strange Calls and A Moody Christmas.

Directed by Rachel Ward and produced by Goalpost Pictures and Taylor Media, An Accidental Soldier starred Dan Spielman, Marie Brunel, Bryan Brown and Julia Zemiro.

Set during WW1 and scripted by Blake Ayshford and based on the book Silent Parts by John Charalambous, it.s the tale of a romance between a young Australian baker who deserted the front line and a grieving French woman who risks her life by sheltering him from the authorities.

Meanwhile, the third season of...

One Eyed Girl Trailer. Nick Matthews‘ One Eyed Girl (2013) teaser trailer stars Steve Le Marquand, Mark Leonard Winter, Craig Behenna, Elena Carapetis, and Tilda Cobham-Hervey. One Eyed Girl‘s plot synopsis: “Travis, is a thirty-something psychiatrist haunted by the death of a former patient. On the brink of a nervous breakdown he stumbles across [...]

Continue reading: One Eyed Girl (2013) Teaser Trailer: Nick Matthews’ Doomsday Cult Film...

The nominations for the 10th annual Astra awards have been announced, with Killing Time (TV1), the second season of Spirited (W) and Tim Winton's cloudstreet (showcase) are competing for the honour of most outstanding drama.

Ninety five entries were selected across 21 categories for the subscription television awards.

Fox8's teen drama series SLiDE has been received a nod in the most outstanding use of innovation in programming category for its multiplatform strategy.- which saw entertainment company Hoodlum create an interactive website featuring graphic novels, music and webisodes.

Not all content recognised is local. Subscribers can vote for their favourite international drama, with showcase favourite Game of Thrones competing against Haven (13th Street), Boardwalk Empire (showcase), Torchwood: Miracle Day (UKTV), Falling Skies (Fox8) and True Blood (showcase).

The 10th annual Astra awards will be held at Sydney Theatre on June 21.

For a complete list of finalists, see below. Channel...

The inaugural Equity Awards will tonight celebrate achievements in ensemble perfomances for both drama and comedy.

In a ceremony at Sydney’s Ivy Penthouse, the Equity Awards are the only acting awards voted on by their performing peers, members of the Actors Equity.

The cast of Rake won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in Drama Series, while The Librarians won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a comedy series.

Rake cast members to receive the award are: Richard Roxburgh, Kate Box, Caroline Brazier, Richard Carter, Danielle Cormack, Matt Day, Russell Dykstra, Keegan Joyce, Steve Le Marquand, Geoff Morrell and Adrienne Pickering.

Rake was nominated alongside Bed of Roses, Offspring, Packed to the Rafters and Underbelly: The Golden Mile.

Librarians cast members to receive the award are: Heidi Arena, Stephen Ballantyne, Keith Brockett, Robyn Butler, Victoria Eagger, Bob Franklin, Justin Hamilton, Roz Hammond, Fiona Harris, Wayne Hope,...

Boilermaker’s new series for Movie Extra Small Time Gangster tries to find a new spin on crime dramedies, for a fraction of the cost of its Us counterparts.

Boilermaker co-founders and producers Andrew McInally and Gareth Calverley know that Small Time Gangster – their first ever full-length television series – will inevitably be compared to other projects about the criminal underworld.

“As a TV writer, you’re always going to be compared to other shows that are out there in the market place. I would absolutely not compare us to The Sopranos; we’re 70 percent drama, 30 percent black comedy, so if I had to compare it to something it would be Breaking Bad… One of the problems is that it takes two years to get a show from the drawing board to the audience and there’s not much we can do about it with comparisons,” said Calverley.

Small Time Gangster was born when Calverley,...