News

Tasmania-set crime-drama series “Bay of Fires” is to be reignited for a second season.

The show sees a single mother, portrayed by Marta Dusseldorp, forced into a witness protection program that relocates her and her family to a remote location in Tasmania. There they are surrounded by a community of suspicious and criminally-minded individuals.

The second season gives her a glimmer of hope. After months in which time nobody has tried to kill her, the woman finds herself in a position of influence. But she needs to juggle a host of new problems, some of which are of her own making.

The writing team is headed by Andrew Knight and Max Dann, Romina Accurso, Josephine Dee Barrett and Hannah Samuel (“The Pm’s Daughter”).

The show is an Archipelago Productions and Fremantle Australia production for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It has major production investment from the ABC and Screen Australia, in...

Festival

The Italian Cultural Institute in London, La Biennale di Venezia and Curzon have teamed for ‘From Venice to London,’ a season where seven films from Venezia 78 will be shown at Curzon cinemas across London from Nov. 18-22.

“The Lost Daughter,” directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal will open the season and “The Hand of God,” directed by Paolo Sorrentino, will close it. The other selections include “Qui rido io,” directed by Mario Martone; “La santa piccola, directed by Silvia Brunelli, “La ragazza ha volato, directed by Wilma Labate,” “Il buco,” directed by Michelangelo Frammartino; and “Ariaferma,” directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo.

President of the Venice Biennale Roberto Cicutto said: “This year the selection has been praised for its exceptional artistic quality. We are sure the London audience will appreciate its high calibre.”

Katia Pizzi, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in London, added: “It’s my special pleasure to welcome to...

Tasmania will welcome production on crime/thriller drama series Bay of Fires next year after the ABC greenlit the project.

Produced by Archipelago Productions and Fremantle, the story follows single mother of two Stella Heikkinen (Marta Dusseldorp) as she experiences a spectacular and life-threatening fall from grace.

Betrayed by her own company and in immediate danger, Stella has no option but to move her young family to a small town in the Tasmanian wilds tiny amidst a community rife with simmering feuds, crime, and sometimes, murder.

Dusseldorp, who signed an exclusive development and production partnership with Fremantle in 2018, created the series with Andrew Knight and Max Dann, both of whom are writers alongside Sarah Bassiuoni.

She also produces for Archipelago Productions, alongside Sally Riley for the ABC, and Yvonne Collins. Executive producing are Greg Sitch, alongside Louise Smith for the ABC, and Chris Oliver-Taylor for Fremantle.

Major production investment has come from Screen Australia,...

Screen Australia announced today it will invest nearly $10.7 million in 11 television and film projects which will trigger production worth almost $59 million.

In one of the most hotly contested funding rounds, six features succeeded. They include Wayne Blair.s romantic comedy Ali.s Wedding; Joe Cinque.s Consolation, a thriller about a troubled law student who tries to kill her boyfriend, from director Sotiris Dounoukos, whose A Single Body won best short at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Cameron and Colin Cairnes. horror movie Scare Campaign.

The other three are Taboo, the narrative feature debut of documentary filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler; Rachel Perkins. murder mystery Jasper Jones, based on the novel and play by Craig Silvey, adapted by Shaun Grant;. and Greg Mclean.s true-life thriller Jungle.

The TV projects are Shine Australia.s Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door for the Seven Network; a Jack...

Who knew that Rupert Murdoch is such a fan of Spotswood, the 1992 Australian movie that starred Anthony Hopkins, Ben Mendelsohn, Russell Crowe and Toni Collette?

The News Corp and 21st Century Fox chairman spoke affectionately about the film, which was scripted by Max Dann and Andrew Knight and directed by Mark Joffe, during his lecture at the Lowy Institute on Thursday night.

Murdoch recalled that the comedy/drama set in Melbourne in the 1960s featured Hopkins as an efficiency expert who.s hired by the owner of a struggling suburban moccasin factory.

Hopkins. character plans to lay off surplus workers but falls in love with the people and finds a way to save the factory without letting go a single soul. Alwyn Kurts played the factory owner and Crowe was one of his salesman.

Murdoch used Spotswood in an analogy to highlight the vast differences in the world economies, particularly in Asia,...

Screen Australia has announced an investment of $15m on 13 productions, including a German/Australian co-production directed by Cate Shortland and development for Bruce Beresford, Sarah Watt and Phillip Noyce projects.

In terms of films, Fred Schepisi’s The Eye of the Storm - which began production without financial support from Screen Australia – is one of the beneficiaries.

Shortland’s co-production Lore will be produced by Liz Watts, Karsten Stöter, Benny Drechsel, Paul Welsh and Gabriele Kranzelbinder and set in 1945 Germany.

The third feature to receive support is Kieran Darcy-Smith’s debut Say Nothing, written in conjuction with Felicity Price and produced by Angie Felder.

TV series The Slap, Cleo and Blood Brother, as well as series two of Spirited. also received financial support.

The agency estimates that these projects will generate production worth $72m.

The projects are:

The Eye Of The Storm

Paper Bark Films Eos Pty Ltd

Executive Producers Jonathan Shteinman,...