Oscar Qualifying Run of Award-Winning Feature Doc ‘Oleg’ at Regency Agoura Hills Stadium 8 — Nov. 4 - Nov. 10Interview with the Director Nadia TassOleg, an award-winning documentary feature about the quest for freedom by a famous Soviet Russian cinema heartthrob Oleg Vidov, from award-winning Australian director Nadia Tass. Produced by Joan Borsten, the doc’s narration is provided by Emmy-Award winner Brian Cox (‘Succession’) and Russian-born actor Costa Ronin (‘Homeland’, ‘The Americans’).
Oleg will have an exclusive week-long FYC award-qualifying run at the Regency Agoura Hills Stadium 8 cinema from November 4 to November 10. For tickets and screening times: https://bit.ly/OlegFYCTix.
Trailer Link: https://bit.ly/OlegTrailer
Official Movie Site: www.olegvidovfilm.com
‘Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story’ premiered in April 2021 at the Moscow International Film Festival, the spiritual home of this great actor, once called the Robert Redford of the Ussr. The 95-minute documentary which memorializes his rise to fame, his ill-fated marriage into the inner circles of the Brezhnev family, and his desperate escape to the West by illegally crossing a border was directed by Nadia Tass and produced by Joan Borsten.
The producer Joan Borsten, Oleg’s widow, once a prominent American journalist who reported for the Los Angeles Times and the Jerusalem Post before becoming a producer, spent almost three years bringing this intense documentary to the screen.
Directed by Nadia Tass, one of Australia’s most prominent directors (Amy, Malcolm, Matching Jack) who also served as executive producer and about whom Joan says,
I chose Nadia Tass to direct not only because she has helmed so many award-winning films, or because she knew Oleg personally but because she had one foot in each world; her own grandparents escaped from the Bolshevik Revolution to Greece and raised her reciting Russian poetry and acting out Russian plays. These factors gave her the sensitivity to carve out of Oleg’s big life a compelling story about one man’s search for freedom.
And in fact, neither the Ussr nor Russia were enigmas to any of the key team I assembled to make the documentary. For none of them was there a massive learning curve when it came to an inscrutable country which threatened western civilization for 70 years and then unexpectedly collapsed. Italy’s Andrea Guerra (‘Hotel Rwanda’) who composed the original music, the editor, Leonard Feinstein (‘Darfur Now’), and the writer/editor, the late Cory Taylor(‘JFK: A President Betrayed’) all share some connection to Russia, as do the narrator Brian Cox and Costa Ronin, the voice of Oleg.
Nadia Tass
Interviewing Nadia Tass in Melbourne, Australia gives insight into this doc as well as into her own directing methods which were honed in the newest fashion as she shot long distance using the latest technology during the time of Covid.
You have directed 18 projects (film, TV movies and one short) since your breakout film Malcolm in 1986 but never before a documentary. How was it shooting a doc?
I started a American doc about water called Bottle This. We are still working on it but when the producer’s husband fell ill, we put it on hold. But really my first doc was Oleg.
It is quite different creating the narrative but it was very exciting because the material for the narrative as already there. We had interviewed many people around the world from so many different cultures. It was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together.
The actual techniques and my sense of narrative and visual storytelling that I have developed over the years were quite useful.
Very visually exciting was the shot of the car at the Yugoslavian border.
The difficulty was Covid. For instance, I could not actually go to the Yugoslavian border to shoot. It was really tough to be in Australia, working in my room during lockdown. I had to rely on technology, playmaker, Zoom, Skype to communicate with my crew in Slovenia.
Even the casting, wardrobe and of course looking at the footage was reliant on technology. In interviews online, I found crew in appropriate countries.
I had three cameras going at the same time and three screens around me plus Skype to stay close to the first assistant director who was there. It was very complicated. Covid has truncated so many areas and also has opened up other channels of communication.
Having worked as a director for a long time however, I was able to use that knowledge and that is what is in the film.
How was it working the the producer, Joan Borsten?
I would cross the world to work wth her again. She was such a leader and at the same time a great collaborator.
Were you drawn to this project because of Oleg?
Partially the privilege of knowing Oleg attracted me to it, but also I was drawn to the human being being so persecuted.
Can you speak more about your connection to the man, Oleg himself?
Historically our heritage is Russian. Part of my father’s side was from Russia and I always wanted to be connected but it was very, very far away. The connective tissue between me and Oleg was art and culture. As a very young child I wanted to direct and to know about theater, TV and movies, how to communicate through them. The visual arts also always attracted me. That was a part of my heritage. Oleg and I, and sometimes Joan when when she was around, would talk about our mutual love for the Russian culture and I am still so grateful for our being connected by that.
And today?
I am appalled absolutely appalled with the system there and the way that system treats people in Russia. It is the very thing that drove Oleg out of there. It hasn’t changed. Putin is yet another autocrat who with his megalomania has become completely evil. Oleg had to escape for his life because of the poltical system.
I would love to see the world supporting Ukraine and to put an end to this megalomaniac’s actions destroying so many peoples’ lives.
Would you work on a doc again?
Absolutely! I need to choose carefully. I must be in love with the iea. Like with Bottle This, I fell in love with water. It is a right of every human being to have water, and there are so many people who are deprived of this rights. I feel really passionate in my connection to that!
I notice in IMDb that since 2020 you seem to have a lot of films going, starting with the short Isolation Restaurant, going on to Oleg and now The Amazing Mr. Z and Feather.
Yes, and I have just been offered a film in Norway — and I don’t even have to go there. Technology avails me of it. In Italy, The Curfew is in pre pre-production and will shoot in the spring.
David Parker, my partner in Cascade here in Australia and I have three project we are now lining up.
I am also meeting on theater again (my big passion)…two plays, written in America that i am very passionate about are waiting on scheduling. Theater has just come back in the last four months and there is a backlog.
I love waking up to a full day of talking, negotiating, developing and planning projects!
++++
Celebrated as one of the Soviet Union’s biggest movie stars, no amount of fame could save Oleg Vidov from a system that tried to control his life. Born in Moscow during World War II, the film traces Oleg’s spectacular rise to stardom in the Ussr and his three decades in Hollywood as an actor and producer following his defection from the Soviet Union. The film also documents the hidden side of the prolific Soviet film industry and gives a rare, first-hand look at the privilege and corruption of the Soviet Communist regime.
Oleg managed to escape to the west in 1985, receiving immediate political asylum from the US Embassy in Rome. Once in Hollywood, Oleg turned to reinventing himself. He continued his film career starring in such films as Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wild Orchid with Mickey Rourke and Thirteen Days with Kevin Costner. Sadly, Oleg passed unexpectedly in May 2017.
‘Red Heat’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger
To read more about Joan Borsten and Oleg Vidov, click here.
Oleg will have an exclusive week-long FYC award-qualifying run at the Regency Agoura Hills Stadium 8 cinema from November 4 to November 10. For tickets and screening times: https://bit.ly/OlegFYCTix.
Trailer Link: https://bit.ly/OlegTrailer
Official Movie Site: www.olegvidovfilm.com
‘Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story’ premiered in April 2021 at the Moscow International Film Festival, the spiritual home of this great actor, once called the Robert Redford of the Ussr. The 95-minute documentary which memorializes his rise to fame, his ill-fated marriage into the inner circles of the Brezhnev family, and his desperate escape to the West by illegally crossing a border was directed by Nadia Tass and produced by Joan Borsten.
The producer Joan Borsten, Oleg’s widow, once a prominent American journalist who reported for the Los Angeles Times and the Jerusalem Post before becoming a producer, spent almost three years bringing this intense documentary to the screen.
Directed by Nadia Tass, one of Australia’s most prominent directors (Amy, Malcolm, Matching Jack) who also served as executive producer and about whom Joan says,
I chose Nadia Tass to direct not only because she has helmed so many award-winning films, or because she knew Oleg personally but because she had one foot in each world; her own grandparents escaped from the Bolshevik Revolution to Greece and raised her reciting Russian poetry and acting out Russian plays. These factors gave her the sensitivity to carve out of Oleg’s big life a compelling story about one man’s search for freedom.
And in fact, neither the Ussr nor Russia were enigmas to any of the key team I assembled to make the documentary. For none of them was there a massive learning curve when it came to an inscrutable country which threatened western civilization for 70 years and then unexpectedly collapsed. Italy’s Andrea Guerra (‘Hotel Rwanda’) who composed the original music, the editor, Leonard Feinstein (‘Darfur Now’), and the writer/editor, the late Cory Taylor(‘JFK: A President Betrayed’) all share some connection to Russia, as do the narrator Brian Cox and Costa Ronin, the voice of Oleg.
Nadia Tass
Interviewing Nadia Tass in Melbourne, Australia gives insight into this doc as well as into her own directing methods which were honed in the newest fashion as she shot long distance using the latest technology during the time of Covid.
You have directed 18 projects (film, TV movies and one short) since your breakout film Malcolm in 1986 but never before a documentary. How was it shooting a doc?
I started a American doc about water called Bottle This. We are still working on it but when the producer’s husband fell ill, we put it on hold. But really my first doc was Oleg.
It is quite different creating the narrative but it was very exciting because the material for the narrative as already there. We had interviewed many people around the world from so many different cultures. It was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together.
The actual techniques and my sense of narrative and visual storytelling that I have developed over the years were quite useful.
Very visually exciting was the shot of the car at the Yugoslavian border.
The difficulty was Covid. For instance, I could not actually go to the Yugoslavian border to shoot. It was really tough to be in Australia, working in my room during lockdown. I had to rely on technology, playmaker, Zoom, Skype to communicate with my crew in Slovenia.
Even the casting, wardrobe and of course looking at the footage was reliant on technology. In interviews online, I found crew in appropriate countries.
I had three cameras going at the same time and three screens around me plus Skype to stay close to the first assistant director who was there. It was very complicated. Covid has truncated so many areas and also has opened up other channels of communication.
Having worked as a director for a long time however, I was able to use that knowledge and that is what is in the film.
How was it working the the producer, Joan Borsten?
I would cross the world to work wth her again. She was such a leader and at the same time a great collaborator.
Were you drawn to this project because of Oleg?
Partially the privilege of knowing Oleg attracted me to it, but also I was drawn to the human being being so persecuted.
Can you speak more about your connection to the man, Oleg himself?
Historically our heritage is Russian. Part of my father’s side was from Russia and I always wanted to be connected but it was very, very far away. The connective tissue between me and Oleg was art and culture. As a very young child I wanted to direct and to know about theater, TV and movies, how to communicate through them. The visual arts also always attracted me. That was a part of my heritage. Oleg and I, and sometimes Joan when when she was around, would talk about our mutual love for the Russian culture and I am still so grateful for our being connected by that.
And today?
I am appalled absolutely appalled with the system there and the way that system treats people in Russia. It is the very thing that drove Oleg out of there. It hasn’t changed. Putin is yet another autocrat who with his megalomania has become completely evil. Oleg had to escape for his life because of the poltical system.
I would love to see the world supporting Ukraine and to put an end to this megalomaniac’s actions destroying so many peoples’ lives.
Would you work on a doc again?
Absolutely! I need to choose carefully. I must be in love with the iea. Like with Bottle This, I fell in love with water. It is a right of every human being to have water, and there are so many people who are deprived of this rights. I feel really passionate in my connection to that!
I notice in IMDb that since 2020 you seem to have a lot of films going, starting with the short Isolation Restaurant, going on to Oleg and now The Amazing Mr. Z and Feather.
Yes, and I have just been offered a film in Norway — and I don’t even have to go there. Technology avails me of it. In Italy, The Curfew is in pre pre-production and will shoot in the spring.
David Parker, my partner in Cascade here in Australia and I have three project we are now lining up.
I am also meeting on theater again (my big passion)…two plays, written in America that i am very passionate about are waiting on scheduling. Theater has just come back in the last four months and there is a backlog.
I love waking up to a full day of talking, negotiating, developing and planning projects!
++++
Celebrated as one of the Soviet Union’s biggest movie stars, no amount of fame could save Oleg Vidov from a system that tried to control his life. Born in Moscow during World War II, the film traces Oleg’s spectacular rise to stardom in the Ussr and his three decades in Hollywood as an actor and producer following his defection from the Soviet Union. The film also documents the hidden side of the prolific Soviet film industry and gives a rare, first-hand look at the privilege and corruption of the Soviet Communist regime.
Oleg managed to escape to the west in 1985, receiving immediate political asylum from the US Embassy in Rome. Once in Hollywood, Oleg turned to reinventing himself. He continued his film career starring in such films as Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wild Orchid with Mickey Rourke and Thirteen Days with Kevin Costner. Sadly, Oleg passed unexpectedly in May 2017.
‘Red Heat’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger
To read more about Joan Borsten and Oleg Vidov, click here.
- 12/18/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
New York-based real estate entrepreneur and producer Noam Baram (“Walking to Paris”) has joined forces with Italian film exec Augusto Pelliccia to launch Valiah Entertainment, a new production company that will tap into Italy’s generous film production incentives.
The new outfit, called Valiah Entertainment, has also forged a joint venture with veteran Hollywood producer Mark Lipsky whose Wof Entertainment will help finance the production and handle distribution of Valiah’s multi-picture slate. Lipsky’s production partner in Wof is Robert Agueli.
The first film out of the Valiah gate will be “The Curfew,” a rom-com directed by Australia’s Nadia Tass who is known for directing Australian cult comedies such as “Malcolm,” “The Big Steal” and more recently the doc “Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story.” Writers on the pic are Dennis Loonan and Ann Paly Loonan (“War Dog”) and Nicholas Pisacane.
Shooting on “Curfew” is planned to start this...
The new outfit, called Valiah Entertainment, has also forged a joint venture with veteran Hollywood producer Mark Lipsky whose Wof Entertainment will help finance the production and handle distribution of Valiah’s multi-picture slate. Lipsky’s production partner in Wof is Robert Agueli.
The first film out of the Valiah gate will be “The Curfew,” a rom-com directed by Australia’s Nadia Tass who is known for directing Australian cult comedies such as “Malcolm,” “The Big Steal” and more recently the doc “Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story.” Writers on the pic are Dennis Loonan and Ann Paly Loonan (“War Dog”) and Nicholas Pisacane.
Shooting on “Curfew” is planned to start this...
- 7/20/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Controversial fact-based Australian drama “Nitram” won the first prize this weekend at the CinefestOz film festival in West Australia. Worth A$100,000 the award is one of the richest in cinema.
The film documents the build-up to a mass murder in Tasmania and its production was opposed by some community groups. But the finished avoids depicting any on-screen violence and instead concentrates on the troubled psychology of the lone perpetrator.
Directed by Justin Kurzel and presented in competition in Cannes in July, “Nitram” won the best acting prize for star Caleb Landry Jones.
Similarly distanced from the actual events, the CinefestOz jury said: “After much deliberation we agree ‘Nitram’ presented a unique perspective of this story, with great use of cinematic language, depth of detail, particularly in performance and many layers of nuance.” The film also features strong performance from Australian actors Judy Davis, Essie Davis and Anthony Lapaglia.
And, while...
The film documents the build-up to a mass murder in Tasmania and its production was opposed by some community groups. But the finished avoids depicting any on-screen violence and instead concentrates on the troubled psychology of the lone perpetrator.
Directed by Justin Kurzel and presented in competition in Cannes in July, “Nitram” won the best acting prize for star Caleb Landry Jones.
Similarly distanced from the actual events, the CinefestOz jury said: “After much deliberation we agree ‘Nitram’ presented a unique perspective of this story, with great use of cinematic language, depth of detail, particularly in performance and many layers of nuance.” The film also features strong performance from Australian actors Judy Davis, Essie Davis and Anthony Lapaglia.
And, while...
- 8/30/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Justin Kurzel’s Nitram has added another award to its festival run, crowned the winner of the $100,000 CinefestOZ film prize on Saturday evening.
The story about the lead-up to one of the darkest events in Australian history beat out Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, anthology feature drama Here Out West, and Jennifer Peedom’s River for the honour, which was announced at the Closing Night Gala at Orana Cinema in Busselton.
It comes after star Caleb Landry Jones won best performance by an actor at the Cannes Film Festival in July, where Nitram became the first Australian film to premiere in competition in a decade.
Scripted by Kurzel’s frequent collaborator Shaun Grant, the film also features Judy Davis, Essie Davis, and Anthony Lapaglia.
CinefestOZ jury chair Nadia Tass, who has supported the festival virtually from Melbourne, said the compelling thriller was found to...
The story about the lead-up to one of the darkest events in Australian history beat out Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, anthology feature drama Here Out West, and Jennifer Peedom’s River for the honour, which was announced at the Closing Night Gala at Orana Cinema in Busselton.
It comes after star Caleb Landry Jones won best performance by an actor at the Cannes Film Festival in July, where Nitram became the first Australian film to premiere in competition in a decade.
Scripted by Kurzel’s frequent collaborator Shaun Grant, the film also features Judy Davis, Essie Davis, and Anthony Lapaglia.
CinefestOZ jury chair Nadia Tass, who has supported the festival virtually from Melbourne, said the compelling thriller was found to...
- 8/30/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Actress Isla Fisher, director Zak Hilditch, producer Judi Levine, and producer Julia Redwood will make up the jury for next week’s CinefestOZ Film Festival.
They are set to join jury chair Nadia Tass to decide which of the four in-competition films will take home the $100,000 Film Prize at the Closing Gala Night August 28 at Orana Cinemas Busselton.
This year’s finalists include Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Justin Kurzel’s Nitram, anthology feature drama Here Out West, and Jennifer Peedom’s River.
Fisher has more than 35 years of film and TV experience, having begun appearing in commercials from the age of nine before playing Shannon Reed in Home & Away. She has since gone on to appear in a raft of international productions, including The Wedding Crashers, Rango, The Great Gatsby, Nocturnal Animals, Definitely, Maybe, Now You See Me, Hot Rod, The Brothers Grimsby,...
They are set to join jury chair Nadia Tass to decide which of the four in-competition films will take home the $100,000 Film Prize at the Closing Gala Night August 28 at Orana Cinemas Busselton.
This year’s finalists include Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Justin Kurzel’s Nitram, anthology feature drama Here Out West, and Jennifer Peedom’s River.
Fisher has more than 35 years of film and TV experience, having begun appearing in commercials from the age of nine before playing Shannon Reed in Home & Away. She has since gone on to appear in a raft of international productions, including The Wedding Crashers, Rango, The Great Gatsby, Nocturnal Animals, Definitely, Maybe, Now You See Me, Hot Rod, The Brothers Grimsby,...
- 8/18/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
US producer Alan Poul will be the industry guest speaker for this month’s CinefestOZ Industry Program.
Poul’s producing and directing credits include Netflix’s The Eddy, and Tales of the City, BBC’s MotherFatherSon, as well as HBO’s Westworld, The Newsroom, and Six Feet Under.
He has also directed episodes of HBO’s Rome, and Big Love, as well as Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and the pilots for the TNT series Perception.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer is in the midst of executive producing the upcoming HBO Max series Tokyo Vice at Endeavour Content, where his company Boku Films is based.
Poul, whose appearance will be presented via the American Film Showcase, will be joined by local, national, and international guests in the two-day program, which incorporates 10 sessions across August 26-27.
Available online and in-person, the discussions are set to address the contemporary challenges faced...
Poul’s producing and directing credits include Netflix’s The Eddy, and Tales of the City, BBC’s MotherFatherSon, as well as HBO’s Westworld, The Newsroom, and Six Feet Under.
He has also directed episodes of HBO’s Rome, and Big Love, as well as Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and the pilots for the TNT series Perception.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer is in the midst of executive producing the upcoming HBO Max series Tokyo Vice at Endeavour Content, where his company Boku Films is based.
Poul, whose appearance will be presented via the American Film Showcase, will be joined by local, national, and international guests in the two-day program, which incorporates 10 sessions across August 26-27.
Available online and in-person, the discussions are set to address the contemporary challenges faced...
- 8/13/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Director and producer Nadia Tass will chair the jury for this year’s CinefestOZ, which had its full line-up announced in Perth yesterday.
The filmmaker will helm voting on the $100,000 CinefestOZ prize, adjudicating in-competition finalists Here Out West, Nitram, River, and The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Tass is among the directors to have their work showcased at the event, with her documentary, Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story, announced among the Australian premieres in the line-up.
Speaking to If, she said the festival had always been “invigorating”.
“The event is so elegant, but at the same time it is not empty,” she said.
“There is so much about films that is discussed, both in terms of the creative process and films as pieces of entertainment or communication with an audience.
“They have really thought about how they are going to excite people to come to the event.”
Tass...
The filmmaker will helm voting on the $100,000 CinefestOZ prize, adjudicating in-competition finalists Here Out West, Nitram, River, and The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Tass is among the directors to have their work showcased at the event, with her documentary, Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story, announced among the Australian premieres in the line-up.
Speaking to If, she said the festival had always been “invigorating”.
“The event is so elegant, but at the same time it is not empty,” she said.
“There is so much about films that is discussed, both in terms of the creative process and films as pieces of entertainment or communication with an audience.
“They have really thought about how they are going to excite people to come to the event.”
Tass...
- 7/29/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
This great actor, called the Robert Redford and James Dean of the Ussr has been memorialized in this documentary
‘Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story’, a U.S.-Russia co-production will premiere this year at the Moscow International Film Festival April 23 and 25, 2021, the spiritual home of this great actor, once called the Robert Redford of the USSR. The 95-minute documentary which memorializes his rise to fame, his ill-fated marriage into the inner circles of the Brezhnev family, and his desperate escape to the West by illegally crossing a border was directed by Nadia Tass and produced by Joan Borsten...
Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...
‘Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story’, a U.S.-Russia co-production will premiere this year at the Moscow International Film Festival April 23 and 25, 2021, the spiritual home of this great actor, once called the Robert Redford of the USSR. The 95-minute documentary which memorializes his rise to fame, his ill-fated marriage into the inner circles of the Brezhnev family, and his desperate escape to the West by illegally crossing a border was directed by Nadia Tass and produced by Joan Borsten...
Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...
- 4/13/2021
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
David Parker and Nadia Tass on the set of ‘Isolation Restaurant’.
You’re cordially invited to Pascale’s Trattoria, a charming Italian restaurant nestled in the heart of Melbourne. There, you’ll meet Pascale, a slightly deranged gentleman determined to facilitate the success of his trattoria. However, you might find the other patrons a bit questionable.
Isolation Restaurant is a comedic short film by the director-writer duo, Nadia Tass and David Parker, the duo responsible for films including Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy, and Matching Jack. The short was written, filmed, and produced entirely within the family’s home, was written by Parker and the couple’s eldest son, John-Tass Parker. It features the couple’s future daughter-in-law Cori Sue Morris in a breakout role as Claudette – and boom mic operator. Nadia and David’s second son, Christopher Tass-Parker, composed the film’s score.
This short is dedicated to the...
You’re cordially invited to Pascale’s Trattoria, a charming Italian restaurant nestled in the heart of Melbourne. There, you’ll meet Pascale, a slightly deranged gentleman determined to facilitate the success of his trattoria. However, you might find the other patrons a bit questionable.
Isolation Restaurant is a comedic short film by the director-writer duo, Nadia Tass and David Parker, the duo responsible for films including Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy, and Matching Jack. The short was written, filmed, and produced entirely within the family’s home, was written by Parker and the couple’s eldest son, John-Tass Parker. It features the couple’s future daughter-in-law Cori Sue Morris in a breakout role as Claudette – and boom mic operator. Nadia and David’s second son, Christopher Tass-Parker, composed the film’s score.
This short is dedicated to the...
- 6/2/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
‘The Cheaters’.
Critic David Stratton has curated a program of 10 “essential films” directed by Australian female filmmakers for the Sydney Film Festival and the National Film and Sound Archive (Nfsa).
Among them is 1930s silent melodrama The Cheaters, from Paulette McDonagh, digitally restored by the Nfsa, and which will screen with a score performed live by Jan Preston. There’s also Shirley Barrett’s Love Serenade, which won the Camera d’Or in 1996; Nadia Tass’ comedy Malcolm; Tracey Moffett’s Bedevil; Gillian Armstrong’s High Tide, Jackie McKimmie’s Waiting, and Jane Campion’s Sweetie.
Films from more recent years include Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook; Blessed from Ana Kokkinos, and Rachel Ward’s Beautiful Kate.
The films will screen as a retrospective program at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from June 5-10, as part of Sydney Film Festival which runs June 5-16. The retrospective will also screen...
Critic David Stratton has curated a program of 10 “essential films” directed by Australian female filmmakers for the Sydney Film Festival and the National Film and Sound Archive (Nfsa).
Among them is 1930s silent melodrama The Cheaters, from Paulette McDonagh, digitally restored by the Nfsa, and which will screen with a score performed live by Jan Preston. There’s also Shirley Barrett’s Love Serenade, which won the Camera d’Or in 1996; Nadia Tass’ comedy Malcolm; Tracey Moffett’s Bedevil; Gillian Armstrong’s High Tide, Jackie McKimmie’s Waiting, and Jane Campion’s Sweetie.
Films from more recent years include Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook; Blessed from Ana Kokkinos, and Rachel Ward’s Beautiful Kate.
The films will screen as a retrospective program at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from June 5-10, as part of Sydney Film Festival which runs June 5-16. The retrospective will also screen...
- 3/27/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Craig Carter..
One of Australia.s most respected sound designers, Craig Carter, has died in Melbourne.
The multiple AFI award winner had a heart attack last Friday, aged 60. The sound designer, editor, and recordist worked on more than 100 productions in a career spanning 34 years..
He was working with producer Tait Brady on Clayton Jacobson.s film Sibling Rivalry, now three weeks into production..
Brady, who first collaborated with Carter on Craig Monahan.s Healing, told If: .It.s incredibly sad. .Craig was such a great guy, gentle, thoughtful, so good natured and generous. A perfectionist who always went the extra mile and a very smart, sensitive sound designer who was also a musician and had a great musical ear, which fed into his work..
One of his last projects, PACmen, Luke Walker.s documentary on the inside workings of the controversial Political Action Committees which raise millions to support Us political candidates and causes,...
One of Australia.s most respected sound designers, Craig Carter, has died in Melbourne.
The multiple AFI award winner had a heart attack last Friday, aged 60. The sound designer, editor, and recordist worked on more than 100 productions in a career spanning 34 years..
He was working with producer Tait Brady on Clayton Jacobson.s film Sibling Rivalry, now three weeks into production..
Brady, who first collaborated with Carter on Craig Monahan.s Healing, told If: .It.s incredibly sad. .Craig was such a great guy, gentle, thoughtful, so good natured and generous. A perfectionist who always went the extra mile and a very smart, sensitive sound designer who was also a musician and had a great musical ear, which fed into his work..
One of his last projects, PACmen, Luke Walker.s documentary on the inside workings of the controversial Political Action Committees which raise millions to support Us political candidates and causes,...
- 6/4/2017
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Australia-China co-pro 'Guardians of the Tomb' (formerly 'Nest') stars Chinese mega-star Li Bingbing..
The official co-production treaty between China and Australia entered into force in 2008. Since then, despite growing interest in working with the burgeoning film power, only a handful of official co-productions have been made. They include The Dragon Pearl, 33 Postcards.and The Children of the Silk Road (made under a Mou prior to the signing of the treaty)..
However in the past 18 months, things have started to shift. The biggest co-pro to date, Kimble Rendall.s Guardians of the Tomb (formerly Nest), shot on the Gold Coast early last year, and gangster film Dog Fight shot in Victoria last September. Both films are now in post..
Two other projects, Pauline Chan.s My Extraordinary Wedding and Nadia Tass and David Parker.s Tying the Knot,.have been issued provisional approval but are yet to enter production.
The official co-production treaty between China and Australia entered into force in 2008. Since then, despite growing interest in working with the burgeoning film power, only a handful of official co-productions have been made. They include The Dragon Pearl, 33 Postcards.and The Children of the Silk Road (made under a Mou prior to the signing of the treaty)..
However in the past 18 months, things have started to shift. The biggest co-pro to date, Kimble Rendall.s Guardians of the Tomb (formerly Nest), shot on the Gold Coast early last year, and gangster film Dog Fight shot in Victoria last September. Both films are now in post..
Two other projects, Pauline Chan.s My Extraordinary Wedding and Nadia Tass and David Parker.s Tying the Knot,.have been issued provisional approval but are yet to enter production.
- 4/21/2017
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Peter Weir on the set of his last feature 'The Way Back'.
Adg CEO Kingston Anderson told If earlier this year that he was angling for a high-profile director to present the Feature award at this year's Adg awards.
Now we know who it is: Peter Weir will present the Best Direction in a Feature Film award at the awards in Melbourne.
Weir will bestow the award on one of the five nominees; Garth Davis (Lion), Simon Stone (The Daughter), Ben Young (Hounds of Love), Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks) and Jonnie Leahy (Skin Deep).
.It is a great privilege to have one of Australia.s pre-eminent directors, Peter Weir, presenting the award for Best Direction in a Feature Film," said Adg CEO Kingston Anderson..
"We have a tradition at the awards to have our best feature directors presenting this award. Directors who have presented the award in the past include Fred Schepisi,...
Adg CEO Kingston Anderson told If earlier this year that he was angling for a high-profile director to present the Feature award at this year's Adg awards.
Now we know who it is: Peter Weir will present the Best Direction in a Feature Film award at the awards in Melbourne.
Weir will bestow the award on one of the five nominees; Garth Davis (Lion), Simon Stone (The Daughter), Ben Young (Hounds of Love), Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks) and Jonnie Leahy (Skin Deep).
.It is a great privilege to have one of Australia.s pre-eminent directors, Peter Weir, presenting the award for Best Direction in a Feature Film," said Adg CEO Kingston Anderson..
"We have a tradition at the awards to have our best feature directors presenting this award. Directors who have presented the award in the past include Fred Schepisi,...
- 4/20/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Stars: Martin Short, Danny Glover, Sheila Kelley, Sam Wanamaker, Scott Wilson, Harry Shearer, Jorge Russek | Written by Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris | Directed by Nadia Tass
Good god, it’s been what seems like a lifetime since I last saw Pure Luck. I’m not even sure it previously made the leap from VHS, where I first saw it back in the early 90s, to DVD here in the UK. Back when the film was first released both Danny Glover and Martin Short could do no wrong. Glover was riding high off the success of the Lethal Weapon franchise, scoring lead roles in Predator 2 and Flight of the Intruder; whilst Short had scored back-to-back hits with Innerspace and Three Fugitives… Well I say do no wrong, but maybe that should have read “could have” done no wrong, given the bad reception afforded this comedy…
Comedy in the early 90s was...
Good god, it’s been what seems like a lifetime since I last saw Pure Luck. I’m not even sure it previously made the leap from VHS, where I first saw it back in the early 90s, to DVD here in the UK. Back when the film was first released both Danny Glover and Martin Short could do no wrong. Glover was riding high off the success of the Lethal Weapon franchise, scoring lead roles in Predator 2 and Flight of the Intruder; whilst Short had scored back-to-back hits with Innerspace and Three Fugitives… Well I say do no wrong, but maybe that should have read “could have” done no wrong, given the bad reception afforded this comedy…
Comedy in the early 90s was...
- 2/6/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Left-of-centre comedy The Menkoff Method marks a return to film directing for veteran David Parker — he last directed 1997's.Diana and Me.
Parker is best known for his extensive cinematography work and for penning the likes of Malcolm and The Big Steal, both of which were directed by his wife and frequent collaborator Nadia Tass. .
He was drawn back to the director.s chair by the "crazy premise" of the.The Menkoff Method.s script, written by Zac Gillam.
.I read a lot of stuff. I actually laughed out loud when I read this, which is really unusual,. he told If. .
Described as .comedy of human resources., The Menkoff Method follows a quiet-mannered data processer David Cork (Lachlan Woods) whose true passion is drawing manga.
That passion is thwarted when Russian Hr consultant Max Menkoff (Noah Taylor) arrives to reform the office through unorthodox means, and it.s up to...
Parker is best known for his extensive cinematography work and for penning the likes of Malcolm and The Big Steal, both of which were directed by his wife and frequent collaborator Nadia Tass. .
He was drawn back to the director.s chair by the "crazy premise" of the.The Menkoff Method.s script, written by Zac Gillam.
.I read a lot of stuff. I actually laughed out loud when I read this, which is really unusual,. he told If. .
Described as .comedy of human resources., The Menkoff Method follows a quiet-mannered data processer David Cork (Lachlan Woods) whose true passion is drawing manga.
That passion is thwarted when Russian Hr consultant Max Menkoff (Noah Taylor) arrives to reform the office through unorthodox means, and it.s up to...
- 12/1/2016
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
The Australian Directors' Guild has appointed Samantha Lang as president - its second female president, after Gillian Armstrong.
Jeffrey Walker (Jack Irish), Jen Peedom (Sherpa) and Jonathan Brough (Time of Our Lives) will also join the Australian Directors' Guild board.
The Adg Board is comprised of members working as directors across feature film, television, documentary and digital content.
Australian Directors' Guild chief executive, Kingston Anderson, said the new directors were from a wide range of disciplines across feature film, television, documentary and digital. .
"I would like to thank outgoing directors Donald Crombie, Rebecca Barry and Anthony Lucas for their service to the Guild,. he said.
At the Agm the membership expressed its appreciation of the work of outgoing president Ray Argall with a unanimous vote of thanks.
Stephen Wallace, long time board member and President of the Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collection Agency (Asdacs), praised Argall's work over the past 10 years.
Jeffrey Walker (Jack Irish), Jen Peedom (Sherpa) and Jonathan Brough (Time of Our Lives) will also join the Australian Directors' Guild board.
The Adg Board is comprised of members working as directors across feature film, television, documentary and digital content.
Australian Directors' Guild chief executive, Kingston Anderson, said the new directors were from a wide range of disciplines across feature film, television, documentary and digital. .
"I would like to thank outgoing directors Donald Crombie, Rebecca Barry and Anthony Lucas for their service to the Guild,. he said.
At the Agm the membership expressed its appreciation of the work of outgoing president Ray Argall with a unanimous vote of thanks.
Stephen Wallace, long time board member and President of the Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collection Agency (Asdacs), praised Argall's work over the past 10 years.
- 11/30/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival are set to welcome their largest contingent of visiting filmmakers.
There will be 100 filmmakers, three international delegations, international stars and industry representatives from dozens of countries across the region attending the festival and awards ceremony which runs from November 19-29.
Thirty-nine films from 22 Asia Pacific countries are nominated in this year's Apsa Awards, 34 of which will screen to local audiences at Bapff.
Red carpet arrivals will take place in King George Square from 5.30 on November 26, ahead of the ceremony in Brisbane's City Hall.
Guests include model and actress Evgeniya Mandzhieva (The Gulls), Filipino actress Shamaine Buencamino (Lorna),Korean star Jung Jaeyoung (Right Now, Wrong Then)
.Cinematographers.and Apsa nominee, Mark Lee Ping-bing (The Assassin), Australian filmmakers Rolf de.Heer and Molly Reynolds (Another Country), Tibetan actor and comedian.Shide Nyima(Tharlo), Iranian actress Fatemeh Motamed.Arya (Avalanche), Korean...
There will be 100 filmmakers, three international delegations, international stars and industry representatives from dozens of countries across the region attending the festival and awards ceremony which runs from November 19-29.
Thirty-nine films from 22 Asia Pacific countries are nominated in this year's Apsa Awards, 34 of which will screen to local audiences at Bapff.
Red carpet arrivals will take place in King George Square from 5.30 on November 26, ahead of the ceremony in Brisbane's City Hall.
Guests include model and actress Evgeniya Mandzhieva (The Gulls), Filipino actress Shamaine Buencamino (Lorna),Korean star Jung Jaeyoung (Right Now, Wrong Then)
.Cinematographers.and Apsa nominee, Mark Lee Ping-bing (The Assassin), Australian filmmakers Rolf de.Heer and Molly Reynolds (Another Country), Tibetan actor and comedian.Shide Nyima(Tharlo), Iranian actress Fatemeh Motamed.Arya (Avalanche), Korean...
- 11/11/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Spectrum Films will start a new chapter in its 51 year history early next year by moving into a new creative space in the heart of the Fox Studios.
It.s just the second time the post production facility founded by Hans Pomeranz in a converted shop in Willoughby has shifted its operations.
Spectrum Films has been based in Building 53 on the Fox lot since the studios opened in 1998, well before the advent of Avid and other digital devices.
Managing director Josh Pomeranz and general manager Adam Scott- who is taking a stake in the business- see the move as the next evolution of Spectrum Films.
.We have come a long way from the converted chicken shop in Willoughby, and we look forward to welcoming our Spectrum family on the balcony soon,. Pomeranz said.
The opportunity to shift to the far more central location - the second floor of the Frank Hurley...
It.s just the second time the post production facility founded by Hans Pomeranz in a converted shop in Willoughby has shifted its operations.
Spectrum Films has been based in Building 53 on the Fox lot since the studios opened in 1998, well before the advent of Avid and other digital devices.
Managing director Josh Pomeranz and general manager Adam Scott- who is taking a stake in the business- see the move as the next evolution of Spectrum Films.
.We have come a long way from the converted chicken shop in Willoughby, and we look forward to welcoming our Spectrum family on the balcony soon,. Pomeranz said.
The opportunity to shift to the far more central location - the second floor of the Frank Hurley...
- 11/8/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Nadia Tass and David Parker will start shooting romantic comedy Tying the Knot in Melbourne and Shanghai in the first half of 2015, the first of three co-productions with a Chinese partner.
Tass and Parker.s Cascade Films and Mario Andreacchio.s Ampco Studios are joining forces with China.s Hcxm (Beijing) Film & Culture Co Ltd.
Hcxm has replaced the originally announced partner Shanghai Film and Video Technology Company. The Shanghai studio .wanted to shoot later in 2015, but we wanted to get going earlier," Parker tells If.
Inspired by a true incident in the 1970s, scripted by Parker and directed by Tass, Tying the Knot is the tale of an Australian boy and a Chinese girl whose plans to get hitched are thrown into jeopardy three days before the wedding when the groom is jailed after being wrongly accused of robbing a bank.
Andreacchio will produce with Tass, Parker and Qi Lin,...
Tass and Parker.s Cascade Films and Mario Andreacchio.s Ampco Studios are joining forces with China.s Hcxm (Beijing) Film & Culture Co Ltd.
Hcxm has replaced the originally announced partner Shanghai Film and Video Technology Company. The Shanghai studio .wanted to shoot later in 2015, but we wanted to get going earlier," Parker tells If.
Inspired by a true incident in the 1970s, scripted by Parker and directed by Tass, Tying the Knot is the tale of an Australian boy and a Chinese girl whose plans to get hitched are thrown into jeopardy three days before the wedding when the groom is jailed after being wrongly accused of robbing a bank.
Andreacchio will produce with Tass, Parker and Qi Lin,...
- 12/4/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Mario Andreacchio.s Ampco Studios has clinched financing and production deals with Chinese entities for two films and created a China co-production film fund with an initial capital of $15 million.
The films are Trying the Knot, a romantic comedy from director Nadia Tass and producer-writer David Parker, and Shimalaya, a WW2 action/adventure from China/Taiwan director Roy Chin.
The deals were signed last week during an Australian trade mission to China attended by Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
Due to start shooting in July, Tying the Knot centres on an Australian guy who, three days before he is due to marry a Chinese girl, is thrown into jail after being wrongly accused of robbing a bank.
Parker wrote the script, inspired by a true incident in the 1970s. It.s a co-production between Parker and Tass. Cascade Films, Ampco Studios and Shanghai Film and Video Technology Company.
The producers are...
The films are Trying the Knot, a romantic comedy from director Nadia Tass and producer-writer David Parker, and Shimalaya, a WW2 action/adventure from China/Taiwan director Roy Chin.
The deals were signed last week during an Australian trade mission to China attended by Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
Due to start shooting in July, Tying the Knot centres on an Australian guy who, three days before he is due to marry a Chinese girl, is thrown into jail after being wrongly accused of robbing a bank.
Parker wrote the script, inspired by a true incident in the 1970s. It.s a co-production between Parker and Tass. Cascade Films, Ampco Studios and Shanghai Film and Video Technology Company.
The producers are...
- 4/13/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
This may turn out to be a premature and fanciful call but 2014 is shaping as potentially one of the strongest years for Australian films, commercially and critically, in recent memory.
There are numerous grounds for optimism, starting with the overwhelmingly positive responses and, in some cases, deals for Tracks, The Railway Man, Wolf Creek 2, Felony and Canopy after their world premieres at either the Toronto or Venice film festivals.
Given the talent attached, the slate of films now shooting or in post-production looks highly promising, including Kill Me Three Times, The Rover, Son of a Gun, I, Frankenstein, Predestination, Charlie.s Country, Fell and Now Add Honey.
Added to that are several films from experienced filmmakers that are due to roll soon: Cut Snake, The Dressmaker and Paper Planes.
Industry figures whom If consulted are bullish about the prospects for the year ahead. There is a .very good reason for such optimism,...
There are numerous grounds for optimism, starting with the overwhelmingly positive responses and, in some cases, deals for Tracks, The Railway Man, Wolf Creek 2, Felony and Canopy after their world premieres at either the Toronto or Venice film festivals.
Given the talent attached, the slate of films now shooting or in post-production looks highly promising, including Kill Me Three Times, The Rover, Son of a Gun, I, Frankenstein, Predestination, Charlie.s Country, Fell and Now Add Honey.
Added to that are several films from experienced filmmakers that are due to roll soon: Cut Snake, The Dressmaker and Paper Planes.
Industry figures whom If consulted are bullish about the prospects for the year ahead. There is a .very good reason for such optimism,...
- 9/19/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Lachlan Woods, Noah Taylor, Jessica Clarke, Robert Taylor, Malcolm Kennard and Catherine McClements head the cast of quirky comedy The Menkoff Method, which starts shooting in Melbourne on September 10.
The director is David Parker, who makes a return to directing after a long absence: he shot Diana & Me, a 1997 comedy that starred Toni Collette as Aussie Diana Spencer, who wins a trip for two to London where she is determined to meet her idol and namesake Princess Diana.
In the interim Parker has shot plenty of TVCs and written and worked as Dop on his wife Nadia Tass. films and as Dop on films such as Kel Dolen.s upcoming vengeance thriller John Doe and Kath & Kimderella.
Parker sparked to The Menkoff Method screenplay by first-timer Zac Gillam, describing it as .very different and laugh-out loud funny,. and spent nearly a year developing it with the writer.
Woods (Better Man,...
The director is David Parker, who makes a return to directing after a long absence: he shot Diana & Me, a 1997 comedy that starred Toni Collette as Aussie Diana Spencer, who wins a trip for two to London where she is determined to meet her idol and namesake Princess Diana.
In the interim Parker has shot plenty of TVCs and written and worked as Dop on his wife Nadia Tass. films and as Dop on films such as Kel Dolen.s upcoming vengeance thriller John Doe and Kath & Kimderella.
Parker sparked to The Menkoff Method screenplay by first-timer Zac Gillam, describing it as .very different and laugh-out loud funny,. and spent nearly a year developing it with the writer.
Woods (Better Man,...
- 9/5/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Director David Parker will start shooting The Menkoff Method, billed as a quirky .comedy of human resources,. in Melbourne on September 9.
The screenplay is by first-timer Zac Gillam. It.s the debut feature from White Hot Productions, the production arm of the White Hot Group. The producers are David Lee, Jan Bladier and John Kearney, with Ian Kirk as executive producer.
The plot follows David Cork, a young, introverted bank worker who.s more interested in drawing his comic book than his tedious job in the bank.s data processing centre. All that changes when an enigmatic Russian Hr consultant, Max Menkoff, introduces sweeping reforms with devastating effects.
Menkoff.s unorthodox management techniques take on a dark and sinister turn, forcing Cork and the beautiful and formidable Ruby Jackson from the bank.s head office to try to save their colleagues from a fate worse than death.
The cast will be announced soon.
The screenplay is by first-timer Zac Gillam. It.s the debut feature from White Hot Productions, the production arm of the White Hot Group. The producers are David Lee, Jan Bladier and John Kearney, with Ian Kirk as executive producer.
The plot follows David Cork, a young, introverted bank worker who.s more interested in drawing his comic book than his tedious job in the bank.s data processing centre. All that changes when an enigmatic Russian Hr consultant, Max Menkoff, introduces sweeping reforms with devastating effects.
Menkoff.s unorthodox management techniques take on a dark and sinister turn, forcing Cork and the beautiful and formidable Ruby Jackson from the bank.s head office to try to save their colleagues from a fate worse than death.
The cast will be announced soon.
- 8/28/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
A new project from the producer of Whale Rider, an adaptation of a Us book and a Chinese-Australian co-production are to be pitched in the UK after being selected by Melbourne’s 37º South Market.
The three films will be pitched at the UK’s Production Finance Market (Pfm) in October following a positive response at the seventh edition of 37º South, which runs as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
New Zealand producer Tim Sanders is to pitch The Guinea Pig Club at Pfm and received $1,850 (A$2,000) from sponsor Film Finances to help cover expenses.
After learning he would be heading to London for Pfm (Oct 16-17), Sanders told ScreenDaily: “It is the story of a Kiwi surgeon called Archie McIndoe who restored the bodies of badly injured fighter pilots in World War II and also gave them the will to live and hope for the future.
The producer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Whale...
The three films will be pitched at the UK’s Production Finance Market (Pfm) in October following a positive response at the seventh edition of 37º South, which runs as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
New Zealand producer Tim Sanders is to pitch The Guinea Pig Club at Pfm and received $1,850 (A$2,000) from sponsor Film Finances to help cover expenses.
After learning he would be heading to London for Pfm (Oct 16-17), Sanders told ScreenDaily: “It is the story of a Kiwi surgeon called Archie McIndoe who restored the bodies of badly injured fighter pilots in World War II and also gave them the will to live and hope for the future.
The producer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Whale...
- 7/29/2013
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Oscar-winner attached to star in and produce live-action and CGI Kenneth Grahame biopic, Banking on Mr Toad.
Adrien Brody is newly attached to star in and produce a biopic of Kenneth Grahame, the creator of renowned children’s tale Wind in the Willows.
For full production details visit
Banking on Mr Toad
Long-gestating biopic Banking on Mr Toad will chart Grahame’s relationship with his wife Elspeth and young son Alastair - who was plagued by a number of health problems - and the birth of his iconic, best-selling fiction The Wind in the Willows, which he wrote while holding the position of secretary at the Bank of England.
UK actor Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon) is attached to play Grahame’s best friend, the colourful William Furnivall.
Brody said of the role: “I was moved to tears by this compelling tale of a father’s love for his child, and how the...
Adrien Brody is newly attached to star in and produce a biopic of Kenneth Grahame, the creator of renowned children’s tale Wind in the Willows.
For full production details visit
Banking on Mr Toad
Long-gestating biopic Banking on Mr Toad will chart Grahame’s relationship with his wife Elspeth and young son Alastair - who was plagued by a number of health problems - and the birth of his iconic, best-selling fiction The Wind in the Willows, which he wrote while holding the position of secretary at the Bank of England.
UK actor Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon) is attached to play Grahame’s best friend, the colourful William Furnivall.
Brody said of the role: “I was moved to tears by this compelling tale of a father’s love for his child, and how the...
- 7/22/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Les Hill will play one of the leads and co-produce Bride of the Dead, an Australian zombie horror/romance/adventure/comedy.
The film will mark the feature writing and directing debut of Ryan Eckersley, who cut his teeth as a director on Neighbours and Big Brother. Eckersley has teamed up with executive producer Robert Lewis Galinsky and they are confident of raising the budget of $5-8 million from private investors..
Set in a post-Apocalyptic world, the plot follows a woman named Samantha who gets engaged to her boyfriend Peter. During his buck.s party at a zombie strip club, Peter is bitten on the arm. He flees the city to protect Samantha and she hires Jack, who is struggling to let go of his past, to help find her fiancé before he becomes a zombie. Jack and his band of brothers are zombie hunters, employed by life insurance companies to find infected people,...
The film will mark the feature writing and directing debut of Ryan Eckersley, who cut his teeth as a director on Neighbours and Big Brother. Eckersley has teamed up with executive producer Robert Lewis Galinsky and they are confident of raising the budget of $5-8 million from private investors..
Set in a post-Apocalyptic world, the plot follows a woman named Samantha who gets engaged to her boyfriend Peter. During his buck.s party at a zombie strip club, Peter is bitten on the arm. He flees the city to protect Samantha and she hires Jack, who is struggling to let go of his past, to help find her fiancé before he becomes a zombie. Jack and his band of brothers are zombie hunters, employed by life insurance companies to find infected people,...
- 5/23/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has committed almost $360,000 in funding to assist 15 filmmaking teams and three new internships.
The announcement, made earlier today, confirmed eight new projects will receive Screen Australia support while another seven teams will benefit from continued funding..
The new projects to receive support include I Am Jack, Confessions of a Super Man, Long Tan, Mulan, Common Foe, and Soundtrack..
Three internships, developed through Screen Australia.s Talent Escalator Project, will send Australian filmmakers overseas to further develop their chosen crafts..
Writer/director Alex Murawski will work alongside Bruce Beresford in Los Angeles for three months on Beresford.s latest production Bonnie and Clyde.
Natalie Lindwall will gain six months experience in the UK working with Ecosse Flims as a development producer, and producer Raquelle David will spend six months in Toronto working with Niv Fichman at Rhombus Media..
Also through the Talent Escalator Program, Screen Australia will assist directors Cris Jones,...
The announcement, made earlier today, confirmed eight new projects will receive Screen Australia support while another seven teams will benefit from continued funding..
The new projects to receive support include I Am Jack, Confessions of a Super Man, Long Tan, Mulan, Common Foe, and Soundtrack..
Three internships, developed through Screen Australia.s Talent Escalator Project, will send Australian filmmakers overseas to further develop their chosen crafts..
Writer/director Alex Murawski will work alongside Bruce Beresford in Los Angeles for three months on Beresford.s latest production Bonnie and Clyde.
Natalie Lindwall will gain six months experience in the UK working with Ecosse Flims as a development producer, and producer Raquelle David will spend six months in Toronto working with Niv Fichman at Rhombus Media..
Also through the Talent Escalator Program, Screen Australia will assist directors Cris Jones,...
- 5/20/2013
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
We've just received word that Austrailian director Nadia Tass will helm the big screen adaptation of Valentine . Check out the press release below. Valentine: Brains, Beauty and Bullets, the film based on the femme fatale comic book series, has announced today that acclaimed film and theater director Nadia Tass is attached to direct the feature film. Valentine was optioned for worldwide motion picture, television and other ancillary rights and merchandising, by C2 Entertainment and Filmlook Media and Post, Inc. C2 Entertainment principals Anna Cordova and Robert Faber are in pre-production with a working screenplay by Huston Huddleston. The film, Valentine: Brains, Beauty and Bullets, is based on Valentine, a comic book series...
- 5/2/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Nadia Tass ("Malcolm," "Death in Paradise") has come onboard to direct the $25-30 million indie action feature "Valentine: Brains, Beauty and Bullets" for C2 Entertainment and Filmlook Media and Post.
The story is based on the Dana Valentine comic book series about a female contract-killer who has an addictive attraction to risk and violence, along the way becoming a liability to everyone she has ever met.
Huston Huddleston penned the script, while Anna Cordova and Robert Faber will produce.
Source: Variety...
The story is based on the Dana Valentine comic book series about a female contract-killer who has an addictive attraction to risk and violence, along the way becoming a liability to everyone she has ever met.
Huston Huddleston penned the script, while Anna Cordova and Robert Faber will produce.
Source: Variety...
- 5/2/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Over the last 25 years, critically acclaimed Nadia Tass has become one of Australia's most respected and versatile filmmakers. Born in Greece, Nadia started out as an actress on the TV series “Prisoner” before moving behind the camera for Malcolm. With husband and frequent collaborator David Parker providing the screenplay and cinematography, the acclaimed 1986 film introduced the mix of humor and humanity that has become Tass’ hallmark. Whether directing Aussie indies like Amy, Hollywood fare like Pure Luck, or theatrical productions in London and Australia, Tass creates works of emotional resonance that charm audiences all over the globe. Nadia Tass is honoured to have a retrospective of her films play at the American Cinematheque (Aero Theatre) in August. If you've never seen them but always wanted to, or if you've seen them and remember them fondly, then now is your chance to catch these classic Australian films (Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy and Matching Jack) on the big screen in Santa Monica.
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave (at 14th Street), Santa Monica
Double Feature: Thursday, August 16 - 7.30pm
Malcolm, 1986, Lionsgate, 90 min. Dir. Nadia Tass.
Socially awkward but a mechanical genius, Malcolm loses his job as a Melbourne tramcar operator and takes in a couple of boarders to make ends meet. When he learns the pair are petty criminals, Malcolm uses his knack for gadgetry to help them pull off a series of dazzling robberies. Both warm and hilarious, Nadia Tass' debut feature won 8 Australian Film Institute awards including the Best Film award. Internationally, it won 21 awards.
Discussion between films with director Nadia Tass
The Big Steal, 1990, Cascade Films, 99 min. Dir. Nadia Tass
Young Danny (Ben Mendelsohn of "Animal Kingdom" fame) tries to impress the girl of his dreams with the promises of a ride in his new Jag; unfortunately, Danny drives his family's old Nissan Cedric. But there's a spiffy Jaguar XJ6 in a local used car lot, and the salesman (Steve Bisley) is offering him the deal of a lifetime - what could possibly go wrong? This delightful caper comedy took home 3 AFI awards including one for David Parker's screenplay.
Double Feature: Friday, August 17 - 7.30pm
Matching Jack, 2010, Cascade Films, 99 min. Dir. Nadia Tass
In the most recent film from noted Australian director Nadia Tass, a mother seeks a bone marrow match for her son, diagnosed with leukemia, and finds unlikely sources of hope in her husband's infidelity, and in another man with a sick child. With outstanding performances from stars Jacinda Barrett, James Nesbitt, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Tom Russell. It garnered the top awards at the Milan International Film Festival for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay
Click to view trailer: www.matchingjack.com
Discussion between films with director Nadia Tass
Amy, 1998, Cascade Films, 104 min. Dir. Nadia Tass
Traumatized by the death of her rock star father, 8 year old Amy (a remarkable Alana De Roma) has become mute. When her mother (Academy Award nominee, Rachel Griffiths) brings her to Melbourne in search of treatment, they move in with some quirky locals, one of whom (Ben Mendelsohn) tries to use music to bring the little girl out of her world of silence. A touching mix of comedy, drama and son, Amy won 28 international awards, including the Grand Prix Cannes Junior at the Cannes Film Festival.
Series compiled by Grant Moninger. Program notes by John Hagelston. Retrospective facilitated by Joan Borsten of Films by Jove and Cida Goncalves of 8 Star Entertainment.
American Cinematheque - Aero Theatre
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_series
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_events?page=2
Thursday, August 16th - Malcolm and The Big Steal
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/malcolm-the-big-steal
Friday, August 17th - Amy and Matching Jack
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/matching-jack-amy
Tickets
www.fandango.com...
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave (at 14th Street), Santa Monica
Double Feature: Thursday, August 16 - 7.30pm
Malcolm, 1986, Lionsgate, 90 min. Dir. Nadia Tass.
Socially awkward but a mechanical genius, Malcolm loses his job as a Melbourne tramcar operator and takes in a couple of boarders to make ends meet. When he learns the pair are petty criminals, Malcolm uses his knack for gadgetry to help them pull off a series of dazzling robberies. Both warm and hilarious, Nadia Tass' debut feature won 8 Australian Film Institute awards including the Best Film award. Internationally, it won 21 awards.
Discussion between films with director Nadia Tass
The Big Steal, 1990, Cascade Films, 99 min. Dir. Nadia Tass
Young Danny (Ben Mendelsohn of "Animal Kingdom" fame) tries to impress the girl of his dreams with the promises of a ride in his new Jag; unfortunately, Danny drives his family's old Nissan Cedric. But there's a spiffy Jaguar XJ6 in a local used car lot, and the salesman (Steve Bisley) is offering him the deal of a lifetime - what could possibly go wrong? This delightful caper comedy took home 3 AFI awards including one for David Parker's screenplay.
Double Feature: Friday, August 17 - 7.30pm
Matching Jack, 2010, Cascade Films, 99 min. Dir. Nadia Tass
In the most recent film from noted Australian director Nadia Tass, a mother seeks a bone marrow match for her son, diagnosed with leukemia, and finds unlikely sources of hope in her husband's infidelity, and in another man with a sick child. With outstanding performances from stars Jacinda Barrett, James Nesbitt, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Tom Russell. It garnered the top awards at the Milan International Film Festival for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay
Click to view trailer: www.matchingjack.com
Discussion between films with director Nadia Tass
Amy, 1998, Cascade Films, 104 min. Dir. Nadia Tass
Traumatized by the death of her rock star father, 8 year old Amy (a remarkable Alana De Roma) has become mute. When her mother (Academy Award nominee, Rachel Griffiths) brings her to Melbourne in search of treatment, they move in with some quirky locals, one of whom (Ben Mendelsohn) tries to use music to bring the little girl out of her world of silence. A touching mix of comedy, drama and son, Amy won 28 international awards, including the Grand Prix Cannes Junior at the Cannes Film Festival.
Series compiled by Grant Moninger. Program notes by John Hagelston. Retrospective facilitated by Joan Borsten of Films by Jove and Cida Goncalves of 8 Star Entertainment.
American Cinematheque - Aero Theatre
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_series
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_events?page=2
Thursday, August 16th - Malcolm and The Big Steal
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/malcolm-the-big-steal
Friday, August 17th - Amy and Matching Jack
http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/matching-jack-amy
Tickets
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- 8/13/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Australian director Nadia Tass, director of Malcolm, The Big Steal and last year’s Matching Jack will see a retrospective of her work at the American Cinematheque in La. Tass’s the forthcoming film stars Harvey Keitel and is tentatively titled Fatal Honeymoon, due in theatres in 2013, distributed by Pinnacle.
The announcement:
Australian director Nadia Tass is to be honoured with a major retrospective of her work at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles during August.
The retrospective will screen four of Tass’ most acclaimed films – Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy and Matching Jack.
Amongst the many honours in her illustrious career, Nadia Tass won multiple Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Director and Best Film Awards for Malcolm. She and filmmaking partner,David Parker, shared the Byron Kennedy Award in 1986 for their contribution to Australian cinema. Amy received 23 international awards including Best Film at the Paris Film Festival (1999), Grand...
The announcement:
Australian director Nadia Tass is to be honoured with a major retrospective of her work at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles during August.
The retrospective will screen four of Tass’ most acclaimed films – Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy and Matching Jack.
Amongst the many honours in her illustrious career, Nadia Tass won multiple Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Director and Best Film Awards for Malcolm. She and filmmaking partner,David Parker, shared the Byron Kennedy Award in 1986 for their contribution to Australian cinema. Amy received 23 international awards including Best Film at the Paris Film Festival (1999), Grand...
- 8/2/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The American Cinematheque will hold a retrospective during August to honour the work of Australian director Nadia Tass.
The Los Angeles-based retrospective will screen Tass. award winning films Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy and Matching Jack over a two-night tribute.
Tass, who has just finished directing her latest film Fatal Honeymoon, has previously won awards at the Milan International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and Asia Pacific Film Festival. She is also the recipient (along with her partner, cinematographer and producer David Parker) of the prestigious Byron Kennedy award for her contribution to the Australian film industry.
Tass, who began her career as an actor on the show Prisoner, has worked consistently in both America and Australia with her Us titles including Pure Luck, The Miracle Worker and Undercover Christmas.
The American Cinematheque tribute will feature Tass discussing her work between film screenings on August 17. Fatal Honeymoon will be released...
The Los Angeles-based retrospective will screen Tass. award winning films Malcolm, The Big Steal, Amy and Matching Jack over a two-night tribute.
Tass, who has just finished directing her latest film Fatal Honeymoon, has previously won awards at the Milan International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and Asia Pacific Film Festival. She is also the recipient (along with her partner, cinematographer and producer David Parker) of the prestigious Byron Kennedy award for her contribution to the Australian film industry.
Tass, who began her career as an actor on the show Prisoner, has worked consistently in both America and Australia with her Us titles including Pure Luck, The Miracle Worker and Undercover Christmas.
The American Cinematheque tribute will feature Tass discussing her work between film screenings on August 17. Fatal Honeymoon will be released...
- 7/31/2012
- by Rocheen Flaherty
- IF.com.au
Aacta president Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett are among the confirmed presenters for the Aacta Awards on Tuesday 31 January at the Sydney Opera House.
Joining Rush and Blanchett is both Jonathon and Anthony Lapaglia, Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades, Shane Bourne, Adam Elliot, Lincoln Lewis, and Xavier Samuel.
Confirmed guests included Bruce Beresford, Gillian Armstrong, Aden Young, Emma Booth, Nadia Tass, Kerry Fox, Daniel Henshall, Samantha Harris and more.
Red carpet begins at 4pm with the event beginning at 6pm.
Channel Nine will be screening the awards on the night. Time to be confirmed.
Joining Rush and Blanchett is both Jonathon and Anthony Lapaglia, Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades, Shane Bourne, Adam Elliot, Lincoln Lewis, and Xavier Samuel.
Confirmed guests included Bruce Beresford, Gillian Armstrong, Aden Young, Emma Booth, Nadia Tass, Kerry Fox, Daniel Henshall, Samantha Harris and more.
Red carpet begins at 4pm with the event beginning at 6pm.
Channel Nine will be screening the awards on the night. Time to be confirmed.
- 1/19/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
A Phillip Noyce retrospective and other Australian and Nz films have been selected to screen at the 42nd International Film Festival of India.
The retrospective of Noyce’s work includes Clear and Present Danger, Catch a Fire, The Quiet American, and Australian films Newsfront and Backroads.
Of the acknowledgement, Noyce said: “I‘m delighted that the International Film Festival of India will share with audiences films spanning my whole career. The screening of Backroads and Newsfront will give Indian audiences a taste of Australian acting icon, Bill Hunter, in two of the roles that first revealed his remarkable talent.”
Noyce will attend the festival and present a day-long master class on the process of translating ideas from concept, through script development, to the finished product.
The film festival, in its Australasian program will also screen local films Oranges and Sunshine, Matching Jack with director Nadia Tass in attendance, and New...
The retrospective of Noyce’s work includes Clear and Present Danger, Catch a Fire, The Quiet American, and Australian films Newsfront and Backroads.
Of the acknowledgement, Noyce said: “I‘m delighted that the International Film Festival of India will share with audiences films spanning my whole career. The screening of Backroads and Newsfront will give Indian audiences a taste of Australian acting icon, Bill Hunter, in two of the roles that first revealed his remarkable talent.”
Noyce will attend the festival and present a day-long master class on the process of translating ideas from concept, through script development, to the finished product.
The film festival, in its Australasian program will also screen local films Oranges and Sunshine, Matching Jack with director Nadia Tass in attendance, and New...
- 11/15/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Matching Jack, which won best picture at the Milan International Film Festival, was feted in Los Angeles with a gala screening Wednesday night November 2. Director Nadia Tass, who is travelling from Australia for the event, will receive the festival’s highest award, the Golden Horse, for Best Director. “Matching Jack,” a family drama filmed in Australia, has won numerous awards. In addition to Milan, it was Best International Feature at the Edmonton International Film Festival, Best Film Prix du Jury at the Cannes Cinephile, and star Jacinda Barrett received Best Actress Award at the San Tropez Film Festival. The ceremony and a special screening will be...
- 10/31/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
Matching Jack, which won best picture at the Milan International Film Festival, will be feted in Los Angeles with a gala screening Wednesday night November 2. Director Nadia Tass, who is travelling from Australia for the event, will receive the festival’s highest award, the Golden Horse, for Best Director. “Matching Jack,” a family drama filmed in Australia, has won numerous awards. In addition to Milan, it was Best International Feature at the Edmonton International Film Festival, Best Film Prix du Jury at the Cannes Cinephile, and star Jacinda Barrett received Best Actress Award at the San Tropez Film Festival. The…...
- 10/31/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
Screen Australia has provided funding for eight new feature films in development including projects by Bruce Beresford, Adam Elliot and Nadia Tass. Clayographer Adam Elliot's animated adventure-romance feature Ernee is among the projects to receive single-draft development funding. It is the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 2009 debut Mary and Max, which opened the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in that year.. Elliot recently told If that the project is loosely based on his own life (in common with his previous work) and is likely to be a co-production, possibly with a company in France, where Mary and Max received a strong reception. The project is set to be produced by Peter Kaufman and executive produced by Brian Rosen and Bryce Menzies. Screen Australia...
- 7/26/2011
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
Matching Jack won Best Film at Milan International Film Festival on Saturday 14 May. The win adds to Matching Jack‘s Milan medal tally that last week saw Nadia Tass win for Best Director and Lynne Renew and David Parker awarded Best Screenplay.
Matching Jack tells the story of a door-knocking quest by a mother, Marisa (Jacinda Barrett) to find any illegitimate children her cheating husband (Richard Roxburgh) has left in his wake, after their son Jack (Tom Russell) has been diagnosed with leukemia and she needs to find a bone marrow match.
While in hospital, Jack forms a friendship with Irish boy Finn (Kodi Smit-McPhee) in the next bed while Marisa and Finn’s father, Connor (James Nesbitt) get off on the wrong foot but eventually find mutual respect and offer strength to support their children.
Barrett and Nesbitt were also nominated for awards at Milan in Best Acting Performance Female and Male respectively.
Matching Jack tells the story of a door-knocking quest by a mother, Marisa (Jacinda Barrett) to find any illegitimate children her cheating husband (Richard Roxburgh) has left in his wake, after their son Jack (Tom Russell) has been diagnosed with leukemia and she needs to find a bone marrow match.
While in hospital, Jack forms a friendship with Irish boy Finn (Kodi Smit-McPhee) in the next bed while Marisa and Finn’s father, Connor (James Nesbitt) get off on the wrong foot but eventually find mutual respect and offer strength to support their children.
Barrett and Nesbitt were also nominated for awards at Milan in Best Acting Performance Female and Male respectively.
- 5/18/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart in Jake Scott's Welcome to the Rileys The Milan International Film Festival (not to be confused with the Milano Film Festival) is no longer an actual film festival. In the last two years, it has remade itself into a small-time marketing effort for independent (often Us-made) films. Their chief promotional tools are the Miff Awards, whose winners have been announced this week. Kristen Stewart was the Leonardo [Da Vinci]'s Horse recipient for Best Actress for her performance as a pole dancer/prostitute in Jake Scott's Welcome the Rileys. Stewart's victory is clearly a case of the performer bringing recognition to the award, and not vice-versa. Other winners included Career Award-recipient Maurizio Totti, the producer of several Gabriele Salvatores films; Best Director Nadia Tass for Matching Jack; and Best Actor Aidan Gillen for Treacle Jr. The Best Picture winner will be selected by audience members following...
- 5/13/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Nadia Tass has received the Best Director award for Matching Jack at the Milan International Film Festival, while Lynne Renew and David Parker were awarded Best Screenplay.
Tass was competing agains Juanita Wilson (As If I’m Not There), Slava Ross (Siberia Monamour), Justin Chadwick (The First Grader) and Jake Scott (Welcome to the Rileys).
The film was released in Australia by Twentieth Century Fox, grossing $807,000 during its cinema run. It has also played at the recent London Australian Film Festival, as well as Palm Beach International Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, Belfast Film Festival, Internationales Filmwochenende Wurzburg (Germany), Tiburon International Film Festival and Newport Beach Film Festival. this week, it will screen as part of Cannes Cinephile – hosted by Cannes Antipodes.
Tass was competing agains Juanita Wilson (As If I’m Not There), Slava Ross (Siberia Monamour), Justin Chadwick (The First Grader) and Jake Scott (Welcome to the Rileys).
The film was released in Australia by Twentieth Century Fox, grossing $807,000 during its cinema run. It has also played at the recent London Australian Film Festival, as well as Palm Beach International Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, Belfast Film Festival, Internationales Filmwochenende Wurzburg (Germany), Tiburon International Film Festival and Newport Beach Film Festival. this week, it will screen as part of Cannes Cinephile – hosted by Cannes Antipodes.
- 5/11/2011
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Stewart Lands Top Award At Milan Film Festival
Twilight star Kristen Stewart was the toast of Italy's Milan International Film Festival (Miff) on Tuesday after winning the coveted Best Actress honour.
The actress, best known for playing Bella Swan in the vampire franchise, was picked for the top Miff prize for her portrayal of a troubled stripper in Welcome to the Rileys.
The Wire star Aidan Gillen was named Best Actor for his performance in Treacle Jr., while Nadia Tass was voted Best Director for her drama Matching Jack.
Filmmaker Fenton Bailey picked up the Best Documentary accolade for Becoming Chaz, about pop legend Cher's transgender son Chaz Bono.
The actress, best known for playing Bella Swan in the vampire franchise, was picked for the top Miff prize for her portrayal of a troubled stripper in Welcome to the Rileys.
The Wire star Aidan Gillen was named Best Actor for his performance in Treacle Jr., while Nadia Tass was voted Best Director for her drama Matching Jack.
Filmmaker Fenton Bailey picked up the Best Documentary accolade for Becoming Chaz, about pop legend Cher's transgender son Chaz Bono.
- 5/11/2011
- WENN
When the election was called, we thought, ‘This is ridiculous’. The demographic we were aiming for was exactly the demographic that cares about this country and they’re going to stick by the election process and the results. So our campaign actually got lost.
Director Nadia Tass on the box office results of her film Matching Jack.
Matching Jack was released on August 19, and the Federal Election was held on August 21. Heavily supported by Twentieth Century Fox, it earned a little more than $800,000.
In conversation with Jim Schembri at The Sydney Morning Herald, Tass and her partner and business associate David Parker said they “double-mortgaged” their house to make the film, yet they have no regrets about making it, and particularly not about making it in Australia – according to Tass, it could have been made in the Us, where it would have been easier and ‘more fun’.
“I expected a...
Director Nadia Tass on the box office results of her film Matching Jack.
Matching Jack was released on August 19, and the Federal Election was held on August 21. Heavily supported by Twentieth Century Fox, it earned a little more than $800,000.
In conversation with Jim Schembri at The Sydney Morning Herald, Tass and her partner and business associate David Parker said they “double-mortgaged” their house to make the film, yet they have no regrets about making it, and particularly not about making it in Australia – according to Tass, it could have been made in the Us, where it would have been easier and ‘more fun’.
“I expected a...
- 1/13/2011
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Encore was asked by Matt Riviera to provide its list of the Top 10 films released theatrically in Australia in 2010 and, even though our specialty as a publication is local productions, it was a pleasant surprise to look at our final list and see two Australian films (and one with a considerable amount of Aussie talent) that deserved a spot in it. It wasn’t a pat on the back for the local industry, but a genuine recognition of the power of their stories and the skill of its execution.
The public is slowly starting to recognise it too; the top 10 highest grossing Australian films of 2010 made $45m at the box office, a figure that has brought optimism to an industry in desperate need of reassurance from the audience it serves.
This is the list Encore has contributed – and probably the only one topped by Toy Story 3, as animated films...
The public is slowly starting to recognise it too; the top 10 highest grossing Australian films of 2010 made $45m at the box office, a figure that has brought optimism to an industry in desperate need of reassurance from the audience it serves.
This is the list Encore has contributed – and probably the only one topped by Toy Story 3, as animated films...
- 12/13/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
The Screen Producers Association of Australia (Spaa) has announced the feature film projects that will participate at this year’s SPAAmart sessions during the organisation’s conference next month.
The list includes, amongst projects from emerging filmmakers, a romantic comedy by the Nadia Tass/David Parker team.
The selected projects are:
1. The Badadook
Kristina Ceyton, Producer.
Jennifer Kent, Writer/Director.
2. The Rocket
Sylvia Wilczynski, Producer.
Kim Mordaunt, Writer/Director.
3. The Witness Tree
Delia Churchill, Producer.
Alex Chomicz, Director.
Jacqueline Cook, Writer
4. The Warmth
Philippa Campey, Producer.
Rhys Graham, Writer/Director.
5. The Winter Chill
Samantha Jennings, Producer.
Justin Kurzel, Director.
Giula Sandler, Writer
6. Tying The Knot
David Parker, Writer/Producer.
Nadia Tass, Director.
7. Far From Home
Andrea Buck, Producer.
Dee McLachlan, Director.
Peter Lancucki, Writer.
SPAAmart was launched in 2003 with the aim of bringing the best Australasian feature projects to the attention of local and international financiers. Its success stories include include Clubland,...
The list includes, amongst projects from emerging filmmakers, a romantic comedy by the Nadia Tass/David Parker team.
The selected projects are:
1. The Badadook
Kristina Ceyton, Producer.
Jennifer Kent, Writer/Director.
2. The Rocket
Sylvia Wilczynski, Producer.
Kim Mordaunt, Writer/Director.
3. The Witness Tree
Delia Churchill, Producer.
Alex Chomicz, Director.
Jacqueline Cook, Writer
4. The Warmth
Philippa Campey, Producer.
Rhys Graham, Writer/Director.
5. The Winter Chill
Samantha Jennings, Producer.
Justin Kurzel, Director.
Giula Sandler, Writer
6. Tying The Knot
David Parker, Writer/Producer.
Nadia Tass, Director.
7. Far From Home
Andrea Buck, Producer.
Dee McLachlan, Director.
Peter Lancucki, Writer.
SPAAmart was launched in 2003 with the aim of bringing the best Australasian feature projects to the attention of local and international financiers. Its success stories include include Clubland,...
- 10/4/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Nadia Tass’ drama Matching Jack (Twentieth Century Fox) earned $189,543 this weekend, for a total of $615,000 from 186 screens, average $1,019 – down from last week’s $1,387.
Meanwhile, in the Us, Mao’s Last Dancer crossed the U$1m line.
The New Zealand hit Boy (Paramount/Transmission) entered the Australian charts at number nine with $275,026 from 41 screens – average $6,708. Not a bad beginning for the most successful local film ever across the Tasman.
This is the top 10 for August 27-29 in Australia:
1 Salt Sony $2,515,352 2 Vampires Suck Fox $1,444,863 3 Inception Roadshow $1,358,702 4 The Expendables Roadshow $1,038,851 5 Piranha 3D Roadshow $903,285 6 Step Up 3D Universal $728,628 7 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Universal $459,088 8 Avatar Fox $285,020 9 Boy Paramount/Transmission $275,026 10 The Ghost Writer Hoyts $259,325
In the American continent, Mao’s Last Dancer climbed from 31 to 25, with U$299,691 from 75 screens (42 more than the previous week), for a total of U$1,193,813.
Animal Kingdom remained at number 38 on its third weekend, with $123,594 from 39 screens (an additional 17 compared to...
Meanwhile, in the Us, Mao’s Last Dancer crossed the U$1m line.
The New Zealand hit Boy (Paramount/Transmission) entered the Australian charts at number nine with $275,026 from 41 screens – average $6,708. Not a bad beginning for the most successful local film ever across the Tasman.
This is the top 10 for August 27-29 in Australia:
1 Salt Sony $2,515,352 2 Vampires Suck Fox $1,444,863 3 Inception Roadshow $1,358,702 4 The Expendables Roadshow $1,038,851 5 Piranha 3D Roadshow $903,285 6 Step Up 3D Universal $728,628 7 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Universal $459,088 8 Avatar Fox $285,020 9 Boy Paramount/Transmission $275,026 10 The Ghost Writer Hoyts $259,325
In the American continent, Mao’s Last Dancer climbed from 31 to 25, with U$299,691 from 75 screens (42 more than the previous week), for a total of U$1,193,813.
Animal Kingdom remained at number 38 on its third weekend, with $123,594 from 39 screens (an additional 17 compared to...
- 8/30/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Director Nadia Tass is hard to match, with her multifaceted career and her will to pursue a project, even if it takes 10 years like Matching Jack – her first Australian film in 13 years.
Matching Jack is the story of a woman (Jacinda Barrett) whose marriage falls apart just as her child (Tom Russell) is diagnosed with leukaemia. She begins a search for potential bone-marrow donors, including the offspring that her husband’s (Richard Roxburgh) infidelities may or may not have produced. She also shares a connection with the father (James Nesbitt) of another sick child (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
As personal as the film feels, it was not inspired by an event in Tass’s life; it is, in her words, an observation of how families are strengthened or dissipated once a traumatic event – such as cancer – comes into their lives.
“I’m interested in exploring the change that happens in life as a result of a catalyst,...
Matching Jack is the story of a woman (Jacinda Barrett) whose marriage falls apart just as her child (Tom Russell) is diagnosed with leukaemia. She begins a search for potential bone-marrow donors, including the offspring that her husband’s (Richard Roxburgh) infidelities may or may not have produced. She also shares a connection with the father (James Nesbitt) of another sick child (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
As personal as the film feels, it was not inspired by an event in Tass’s life; it is, in her words, an observation of how families are strengthened or dissipated once a traumatic event – such as cancer – comes into their lives.
“I’m interested in exploring the change that happens in life as a result of a catalyst,...
- 8/24/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Nadia Tass’ new film Matching Jack (Twentieth Century Fox) opened at number eight in Australia, but still struggled to match the results expected from a wide release, earning $258,011 on 186 screens (average $1,387).
Last week Fox CEO Marc Wooldridge told Encore that “it’s been a while since we released a local movie – I’m excluding Australia. We have a clear point of view in terms of how to sell Matching Jack and who to sell it to, and we share with the filmmakers a common commercial imperative – which is really important. We’ve had great support from exhibition (185 prints), and the media and the critical response has been very positive. You do need to pedal a little harder with the local movies to get people’s attention, but it has also been very rewarding to create materials and drive a campaign from ground zero. Fingers crossed for the opening.”
The film...
Last week Fox CEO Marc Wooldridge told Encore that “it’s been a while since we released a local movie – I’m excluding Australia. We have a clear point of view in terms of how to sell Matching Jack and who to sell it to, and we share with the filmmakers a common commercial imperative – which is really important. We’ve had great support from exhibition (185 prints), and the media and the critical response has been very positive. You do need to pedal a little harder with the local movies to get people’s attention, but it has also been very rewarding to create materials and drive a campaign from ground zero. Fingers crossed for the opening.”
The film...
- 8/23/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Twentieth Century Fox CEO Marc Wooldridge believes the fact that less people are going to the cinema is never a good trend, and given the ever increasing competition for leisure time, neither the distribution nor exhibition sectors can be complacent.
Wooldridge also admits that Fox is not “as active as other studios” when it comes to distributing local product.
What were your strongest performing films of the 2009/2010 financial year?
Our top three was Avatar ($114.79M), Ice Age 3; Dawn Of The Dinosaurs ($29.8M) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel ($22.9M).
What titles didn’t necessarily meet your expectations?
I’ll never tell!
Were there any surprises, positive or negative?
Tooth Fairy – we released one week before the Us, which for Fox is unusual, in order to capitalise on the strong family potential in January and grossed A$10.5M. This was the biggest box office result of any market outside of the Us,...
Wooldridge also admits that Fox is not “as active as other studios” when it comes to distributing local product.
What were your strongest performing films of the 2009/2010 financial year?
Our top three was Avatar ($114.79M), Ice Age 3; Dawn Of The Dinosaurs ($29.8M) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel ($22.9M).
What titles didn’t necessarily meet your expectations?
I’ll never tell!
Were there any surprises, positive or negative?
Tooth Fairy – we released one week before the Us, which for Fox is unusual, in order to capitalise on the strong family potential in January and grossed A$10.5M. This was the biggest box office result of any market outside of the Us,...
- 8/16/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
The Australian Film Institute has published its list of feature film contenders for this year’s AFI Awards.
The AFI emphasised the fact that eight out of the 19 films were directed by women: “In an international industry where women are still significantly under-represented, Australia is heading in the right direction,” said CEO Damian Trewhella.
The contenders are:
Accidents Happen -Andrew Lancaster Animal Kingdom - David Michod Beneath Hill 60 - Jeremy Sims Blame - Michael Henry The Boys Are Back - Scott Hicks Bran Nue Dae – Rachel Perkins Bright Star - Jane Campion Daybreakers – Michael and Peter Spierig The Horseman - Steve Kastrissios I Love You Too – Dana Reid Lou - Belinda Chayko The Loved Ones - Sean Byrne Matching Jack – Nadia Tass Mother Fish (formerly Missing Water) - Khoa Do Subdivision - Sue Brooks Tomorrow When The War Began -Stuart Beattie The Tree - Julie Bertuccelli The Tumbler...
The AFI emphasised the fact that eight out of the 19 films were directed by women: “In an international industry where women are still significantly under-represented, Australia is heading in the right direction,” said CEO Damian Trewhella.
The contenders are:
Accidents Happen -Andrew Lancaster Animal Kingdom - David Michod Beneath Hill 60 - Jeremy Sims Blame - Michael Henry The Boys Are Back - Scott Hicks Bran Nue Dae – Rachel Perkins Bright Star - Jane Campion Daybreakers – Michael and Peter Spierig The Horseman - Steve Kastrissios I Love You Too – Dana Reid Lou - Belinda Chayko The Loved Ones - Sean Byrne Matching Jack – Nadia Tass Mother Fish (formerly Missing Water) - Khoa Do Subdivision - Sue Brooks Tomorrow When The War Began -Stuart Beattie The Tree - Julie Bertuccelli The Tumbler...
- 7/28/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
The Dungog Film Festival starts tomorrow, and according to director Allanah Zitserman, this is the year it will incorporate television into its program, at a much deeper level.
“There’s a lot more room for cross-pollination between film and TV in this country, and we want to encourage it and get both sides talking and discussing ways in which we can work together more,” Zitserman told Encore.
“It’s a great amount of talent in both industries, so let’s bring them together. We will be showing unaired TV pilots and we’ll have two live script readings for television projects.
“We’re working with all the broadcasters this year, both free-to-air and pay TV. Many television executives have already confirmed their attendance this year, and I will be working with the industry on how best to incorporate the TV aspects over the next few years,” said Zitserman.
In addition to the new TV content,...
“There’s a lot more room for cross-pollination between film and TV in this country, and we want to encourage it and get both sides talking and discussing ways in which we can work together more,” Zitserman told Encore.
“It’s a great amount of talent in both industries, so let’s bring them together. We will be showing unaired TV pilots and we’ll have two live script readings for television projects.
“We’re working with all the broadcasters this year, both free-to-air and pay TV. Many television executives have already confirmed their attendance this year, and I will be working with the industry on how best to incorporate the TV aspects over the next few years,” said Zitserman.
In addition to the new TV content,...
- 5/26/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
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