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The Anzac spirit will be celebrated in two miniseries that received funding on Tuesday from Screen Australia. While both projects had been announced, the cast for Anzac Girls has been revealed and it.s been confirmed that Sam Worthington is highly likely to star in The Gallipoli Story.

Also funded was Catching Milat, a two-part telemovie recounting the investigation that led to the arrest of serial killer Ivan Milat.

Produced by Screentime for ABC TV, Anzac Girls will chronicle the true story of five young military nurses from Australia and New Zealand who experienced horror, heartbreak and triumph caring for the soldiers at Gallipoli and the Western Front.

The six-part series will star Georgia Flood (House Husbands, Wentworth, Tangle), Antonia Prebble (Outrageous Fortune, The Blue Rose, Super City), Laura Brent (A Few Best Men, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader), Anna McGahan (House Husbands, Mystery of a Hansom Cab,...

Ten’s Modern Family topped the three key advertising demographics in the ratings last night.

As well as being the most watched show across the five city metro markets for the demos 16-39, 18-49 and 25-54, the new episode of the Us sitcom rated 1.047m and fourth in the night’s total individuals according to preliminary overnightratings from OzTAM. Meanwhile, a repeated episode rated 822,000.

Nine’s 60 Minutes was third in total viewers, and first in its time slot, rating 1.178m for the night.

Seven’s Border Security – Australia’s Front Line which aired at 7.30pm rated 890,000 and ninth in total viewers while Airways, which followed it at 8pm rated seventh for the night with 940,000 total viewers.

The ABC’s Australian tele-movie Dangerous Remedy, produced by Ned Lander for Eclipse Films and directed by Ken Cameron, rated 636,000 in total viewers. The show aired at 8.30pm.

Nine’s Australian drama House Husbands...

Production begins on ABC telemovie Dangerous Remedy in Melbourne this week.

Produced by Ned Lander for Eclipse Films, producer of Radiance and Who Do You Think You Are?, Dangerous Remedy is directed by Ken Cameron, who helmed Underbelly, Wildside and Brides of Christ and written by Kris Wyld, who wrote East West 101 and Wildside.

A true story based on events beginning in 1969, Dangerous Remedy is the story of a doctor, Bert Wainer, who uncovers an illegal abortion racket protected by corrupt homicide detectives and organised by the medical establishment.

The cast is led by Jeremy Sims, with Willam McInnes, Susie Porter, Maeve Dermody and Mark Leonard Winter as well as Gary Sweet and Caroline Craig. The project is executive produced by Andrew Myer.

Lander said: “This is a story of the remarkable Dr Bertram Wainer – a passionate and flawed man whose campaign challenged and changed our society.”

Carole Sklan,...

FIlming has begun on a new ABC1 telemovie about Dr Bert Wainer and two extraordinary women who exposed the deadly impact that Melbourne's anti-abortion laws had in the 1960s.

Dangerous Remedy is currently shooting in Melbourne and stars Jeremy Sims (Corridors of Power, Fireflies, Underbelly Files), William McInnes (Curtin, East West 101, Look Both Ways), Susie Porter (East West 101, Sisters of War, East of Everything), Maeve Dermody (Paper Giants, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries, Beautiful Kate), Mark Leonard Winter (Balibo, Van Dieman.s Land, Blame), as well as Gary Sweet and Caroline Craig.

The political-thriller is set in 1969 and follows Bert Wainer, a local Gp, who embarks on a campaign for law reform after the death of a young woman. He discovers an illegal abortion ring protected by corrupt homicide detectives, allowing the medical establishment, media and politicians to ignore the impact of anti-abortion laws.

ABC TV head of fiction,...

Harold Hopkins, who appeared in several important Australian movies including Gallipoli (right), The Year My Voice Broke, Don's Party, and The Club, died yesterday, Dec. 10, at Neringah Private Hospital in Wahroonga, north Sydney. According to reports, his death was caused by the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

Hopkins, who was 67, is supposed to have been exposed to the cancer right after finishing high school, while working as an apprentice carpenter sheeting asbestos in Queensland in the early 1960s.

Following on the footsteps of his twin brother John, Harold Hopkins (born on March 6, 1944, in Toowoomba, Queensland) graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1967. He then performed onstage and began his feature-film career in 1969, landing a supporting part in Michael Powell's Age of Consent, starring James Mason and Helen Mirren.

Film roles were sporadic throughout the 1970s — among those was an appearance in Bruce Beresford's comedy-drama Don's Party — though Hopkins...

<p><a href="http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/The-Sapphires.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-3055 alignright" title="Farmer and Anu in the current stage version of The Sapphires" src="http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/The-Sapphires-150x150.jpg" alt="Farmer and Anu in the current stage version of The Sapphires" width="150" height="150" /></a>Screen Australia announced its last investment round for 2010, with almost $18m for five features, three drama series, two low budget TV dramas, a children&#8217;s TV series, and 17 docos.</p> <p>The films include the musical <em>The Sapphires </em>(dir. Wayne Blair),<em> The King is Dead!</em> (dir. Rolf de Heer), <em>Dead Europe</em> (dir. Tony Krawitz), <em>Venice </em>(dir. Miro Bilbrough) and <em>Summer Coda</em> (dir. Richard Gray).<span id="more-6142"></span></p> <p><em>Summer Coda </em>was released in October, and today&#8217;s announcement by Screen Australia refers to a September decision that provided the film with post-production funding.</p> <p>The projects are:<br /> Feature Drama<br /> <strong>Dead Europe</strong><br /> See Saw Films Pty Ltd<br /> Producers Emile Sherman, Iain Canning<br /> Writer Louise Fox<br /> Director Tony Krawitz<br /> Sales and Distribution Cross City Sales, Wild Bunch International Sales, Transmission Films<br /> Synopsis Isaac, a late 20s Greek Australian, spirals out of control when he’s forced to confront<br /> his own family’s cursed legacy on his first trip to...