News

Nearly three years have passed since it was first announced that Abbey Lee (Old) and Christopher Abbott (Possessor) had signed on to star in the Australian Outback thriller Fear Is the Rider, which is coming to us from John Michael McDonagh, the BAFTA-nominated writer/director of the 2011 film The Guard… and while the project has lost Abbott in that time, it’s still alive, and Abbey Lee is still attached to star in it. Deadline reports that Lee has now been joined in the cast by Ben Mendelsohn (Star Wars: Rogue One), Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders), and Eliza Scanlen (Babyteeth). Film Constellation and CAA Media Finance will be seeking distribution deals at this week’s American Film Market.

McDonagh’s plan is to make a trilogy of Fear Is the Rider thrillers – and if you look at the synopses provided, you’ll see that the current version of the film...

Fear is the Rider, described as an ode to “gore-drenched Ozploitation slashers of the 1970s,” sees a woman pursued in the Australian Outback by a pack of ruthless serial killers. While that already has our attention, Deadline reports the nod to gory slashers has lined up an impressive cast so far.

Ben Mendelsohn (Star Wars: Rogue One), Abbey Lee, Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders) and Eliza Scanlen (Caddo Lake) have been cast in lead roles.

As for plot, the film follows “a lone woman, searching for her missing mother, who is pursued into the Australian Outback by a terrifying family of serial killers, with only an ex-con and a young girl willing to help her.”

Fear is the Rider is an adaptation of the novel The Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh‘s (The Guard).

Daniel Henshall (Mickey 17), Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales...

Exclusive: Heading into the American Film Market, Film Constellation and CAA Media Finance will be looking to scare up deals on writer-director John Michael McDonagh’s (The Guard) Fear Is The Rider.

An adaptation of the novel The Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser, the team has attached Ben Mendelsohn (Star Wars: Rogue One) Abbey Lee (Horizons: An American Saga), Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders) and Eliza Scanlen (Babyteeth) in lead roles.

In a nod to the gore-drenched Ozploitation slashers of the 1970s, the film follows a lone woman, searching for her missing mother, who is pursued into the Australian Outback by a terrifying family of serial killers, with only an ex-con and a young girl willing to help her.

Pic is being produced by McDonagh and Elizabeth Eves’ House of Un-American Activities (The Forgiven), Trevor Matthews and Nick Gordon of Brookstreet Pictures (The Brutalist) and Kate Glover (Foe). The film is set...

The Toronto Film Festival kicked off September 5 with a multi-move opening night that included David Gordon Green’s family comedy Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller. It kicked off a slate of world premieres and buzzy movies across 11 days for the 49th edition of one of North America’s biggest film festivals.

Other key titles making their debuts in Toronto included The Luckiest Man in America starring Paul Walter Hauser, the Amy Adams-starring Nightbitch, theater guru Marianne Elliott’s The Salt Path, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot and Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, which won the coveted People’s Choice Award.

Documentaries that made a splash included Elton John: Never Too Late and Paul Anka: His Way.

Click below to read Deadline’s reviews from the ground in Toronto, where the festival wrappred September 15.

The Assessment ‘The Assessment’

Section: Special Presentations

Director: Fleur Fortune

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen,...

The Deb had the honor of being the closing film at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and Rebel Wilson's directorial debut left quite an impression. The Australian star, whose film is based on the stage play by Hannah Reilly, leans into her comic roots by bringing to the festival a cheeky, outrageous musical about two teens who come together to participate in a small town's annual debutante ball. The Deb's timing feels fortuitous; it feels like a natural companion to the Mean Girls musical released earlier this year.

The Deb

Director Rebel WilsonWriters Hannah Reilly, Meg Washington, Rebel WilsonCast Ben Turland, Susan Prior, Sheree da Costa, Ioane Saula, Naomi Sequeira, Steph Tisdell, Tara Morice, Shane Jacobson, Hal Cumpston, Rebel WilsonCharacter(s) Razzie, Dimity, Damo, Shell, Lucinda, Janette, Tish, Mitch, Rick, DancerRuntime 121 MinutesGenres Comedy, Musical The Rebel Wilson Musical Comedy Is Entertaining

The film follows queen bee Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes...

Rebel Wilson is having a triumphant moment at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and she’s celebrating with her daughter Royce!

On Saturday evening (September 14), the Pitch Perfect actress hit the red carpet outside Roy Thomson Hall for the premiere of her directorial debut The Deb in Toronto, Ontario.

She was joined at the event by her fiancee Ramona Agruma, her nearly two-year-old daughter and members of her cast, including the likes of Tara Morice, Costa D’Angelo, Alex Champion De Crespigny, Shane Jacobson, Stevie Jean, Sophea Pennington, Amanda Kour, Michaeljon Slinger and Natalie Abbott. We’ve got photos of all of them in the gallery.

Keep reading to find out more…

Here’s the movie’s official synopsis from the TIFF website: “Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) is queen bee at her exclusive private school in the city. But when one of her misguided crusades provokes outrage, she gets not only disciplined...

When Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) gets suspended from school after a political demonstration backfires, her mother (Susan Prior), who also happens to be the institution’s principal, sends the Sydney teenager to live with her cousin Taylah (Natalie Abbott) in the Australian outback.

Dunburn, the fictional locale in which Rebel Wilson’s uneven directorial debut The Deb is set, is a small town recovering from a years-long drought and dereliction of duty by national ministries. The local government desperately needs money to maintain their water supply and have resorted, in one of the film’s more humorous gags, to making a viral video to bring attention to their plight. Of course, none of these issues concern Maeve, who arrives in Dunburn already plotting her escape.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Deb chronicles Maeve’s fish-out-of-water adventures in Dunburn. Upon arrival, the cosmopolitan teen loudly rejects the town’s regressive traditions.

With the goal of making a big-screen Australian musical in the vein of movies like Muriel’s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert that made such an impression on her growing up, Rebel Wilson has in many ways measured up to the delights that made those films modern classics in The Deb, which just had its world premiere at the closing night of the Toronto Film Festival.

Overshadowed in the past few weeks by a public dispute between Wilson and the film’s producers that nearly derailed this premiere, that kind of negative energy should not cloud what, for much of its two-hour running time, is a toe-tapping, dazzling, fun and young musical entertainment with an exceptional cast in the kind of showcase that makes future stars. Wilson knows exactly what kind of entertainment she wants to serve up here, and for at least the first half...

According to tradition, debutante balls are designed to introduce young ladies to polite society. But in Australian comedy star Rebel Wilson’s rowdy directorial debut, “The Deb,” there isn’t really anything that resembles “polite society.” Wilson’s characters run the gamut from uncouth to in-your-face offensive — none more than the tacky small-town beautician Wilson embodies in a brash, John Waters-esque musical satire, situated where overzealous progressive values meet old-school pageantry at its most patriarchal.

It’s unfortunate that the film’s Toronto Film Festival closing-night premiere is overshadowed by legal disputes between Wilson and three of her producers, since “The Deb” delivers where it counts. The project pokes fun at all parties while rewriting the codes of teenage romance for the 21st century. Right out of the gate, it’s “Hairspray” meets “High School Musical,” as the elaborately choreographed, radio-inappropriate opening number, “Fml,” sets the tone for all that follows.

At this time last year, picketers were walking outside of studio gates, still two months away from resolving Hollywood’s dual strikes. Of the big festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), with its focus on star-heavy independent projects, was hardest hit by the labor action, with empty red carpets turning much-hyped premieres into damp squibs. Heading into TIFF this year, Hollywood is contending with less uncertainty (M&a and cost-cutting aside) and release calendars have fewer holes as strike-halted productions have started to roll out again, all of which should be good news for dealmakers headed to TIFF.

“I think you’re going to see things moving relatively quickly, especially given the languid pace that has pervaded film festival markets since Covid,” says Kent Sanderson of Bleecker Street, who is bringing three titles to the fest while looking for new acquisitions. “If anything is going to slow the pace of film sales,...

Award-winning motorsports broadcaster Greg ‘Rusty’ Rust today celebrates 100 episodes of his popular automotive podcast, Rusty’s Garage on LiSTNR.

For more than five years, Rusty has interviewed some of Australia and the world’s most elite riders, drivers, designers and even pilots about the machines that fuel their passion. Now, to celebrate this important milestone, Rusty hands over the podcast keys to fellow sports broadcaster and friend, Mark ‘Howie’ Howard, from LiSTNR’s The Howie Games podcast, for a special one on one interview.

In this episode, Rusty shares with Howie his journey to becoming one of Australia’s most loved and respected automotive broadcasters. From the special relationships he has forged along the way with some of the world’s best motorsport legends, to some of his biggest career highlights from V8 Supercars coverage in the pitlane and of course, plenty of laughs.

Reminiscing on his greatest memories in...

Rebel Wilson is setting her eye on the director’s chair.

The actress is set to make her directorial debut with a screen adaptation of the hit musical The Deb.

The film will be a joint production between Wilson’s Camp Sugar Productions and award-winning Australian producer Bunya Productions.

Read More: Rebel Wilson Shares New Photos Of Baby Daughter In Adorable Mother’s Day Post

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A post shared by Rebel Wilson (@rebelwilson)

“’The Deb’ is my type of movie — full of humour, full of heart, and uniquely Australian but with universal themes. It came out of my scholarship program at the non-profit Australian Theatre for Young People, a program that I’m very proud of and has had incredible success. If there was ever a movie I was going to direct, it would be this one,” said the actress. “This project is just so special and original.

Rebel Wilson is set to direct her first feature, The Deb, a musical set in Australia “that brings the bush into the city.”

The Deb was written by Hannah Reilly and Meg Washington based on a stage show that Wilson championed when it premiered at Sydney’s Australian Theatre for Young People (Atyp) in 2022. Wilson revealed that she also will co-star in the film and told us that two songs not used in the stage production will be featured in the film.

Amanda Ghost, Len Blavatnik and Gregor Cameron are producing through their company Unigram (Tetris) and sister company AI Film.

Shooting on locations in Sydney and rural New South Wales starting in September, The Deb will be produced in partnership with Wilson’s Camp Sugar Productions and award-winning Australian producer Bunya Productions. Danny Cohen executive...

Rebel Wilson is getting behind the camera and has lined up her first feature as director.

The Deb, in which Wilson will also co-star, will be a musical comedy set in rural Australia, produced by Amanda Ghost, Len Blavatnik, and Gregor Cameron via their company Unigram (Tetris) and sister company AI Film (I, Tonya, Hacksaw Ridge).

Adapted from of the original hit musical of the same name — which debuted to critical acclaim in Australia — The Deb will be produced in partnership with Rebel Wilson’s Camp Sugar Productions (Senior Year, The Hustle) and award-winning Australian producer Bunya Productions (The Drover’s Wife, Mystery Road). Danny Cohen executive produces on behalf of Blavatnik’s Access Entertainment.

Originally premiering at Sydney’s Australian Theatre for Young People (Atyp) in 2022, The Deb stage production was written by Hannah Reilly (Sheilas, Growing up Gracefully) and includes original songs from singer-songwriter Meg Washington (The Beach...

Film is produced by Unigram and AI Film which recently co-financed and produced ‘Tetris’ for Apple TV+

Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson is set to direct her first feature, The Deb, a musical comedy set in rural Australia.

Based on an Australian musical, The Deb is to set to be produced by Unigram’s Amanda Ghost, Len Blavatnik, and Gregor Cameron and sister company AI Film. The two companies recently co-financed and produced Tetris with Marv Studios for Apple TV+.

The film will be produced in partnership with Rebel Wilson’s Camp Sugar Productions and Australian producer Bunya Productions,...

Rebel Wilson is directing her first feature film with musical comedy “The Deb,” a big-screen adaptation of an Australian musical set in the outback.

The film is produced by Amanda Ghost, Len Blavatnik, and Gregor Cameron via their company Unigram, which recently produced Apple TV+ movie “Tetris,” and sister outfit AI Film. The project was launched around the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, at a private event aboard billionaire investor Blavatnik’s yacht, where cast members from the Aussie musical performed a number of songs on the vessel’s upper deck.

Blavatnik, sporting a baseball cap with branding for the movie, introduced the singers, making it clear to the intimate gathering aboard his three-floor yacht that he was an enthusiastic backer of the project and, indeed, Wilson.

Variety caught up on the boat with the “Pitch Perfect” star, who also has a role in the film. “Because I’ve been...

Actress Rebel Wilson is set to make her directorial debut with an adaptation of the Australian musical of “The Deb” for Unigram, AI Film and Access Entertainment.

“The Deb,” according to the official synopsis, tells the story of “lovable farm-girl and high school outcast Taylah Simpkins, who is certain the upcoming Debutante Ball, ‘the Deb,’ is her one chance to redefine herself. When her cynical city cousin Maeve is exiled to Taylah’s drought-stricken town Dunburn, she thinks the ball is a ‘heteronormative shit-show’ and immediately disrupts the status quo. In their search for the spotlight, Taylah and Maeve dig deep to find self-acceptance — and a date to the Deb.”

The musical originally premiered at Sydney’s Australian Theatre for Young People (Atyp) in 2022, written by Hannah Reilly. It includes original songs from singer-songwriter Meg Washington.

“’The Deb’ is my type of movie — full of humour, full of heart, and...

“Ford vs Holden,” a feature documentary tracking Australian rivalry between car brands, will take to the road in April.

The film, which is targeting a cinema release, is produced by WildBear Entertainment for Universal Pictures Content Group, and received finance from the Queensland state government.

Holden is a Melbourne-based car marque owned by the U.S.’s General Motors. It previously manufactured vehicles in Australia before changing lanes and becoming an imported of overseas-made vehicles which were re-badged under the continuing Holden brand.

The title of the film is a tongue-in-cheek reference to “Ford v Ferrari,” the 2019 James Mangold-directed biographical action picture. However, the auto industry rivalry runs deep and the title was also previously used in the first season of by “Top Gear Australia,” the TV motor magazine show.

“The rivalry between the Ford and Holden brands is one familiar to Australians across all walks of life, so...

A massive lightning strike takes out a signal box bringing trains to a stand-still, stranding thousands of passengers. A woman faints into the path of an oncoming train. A once in a generation rain event derails trains and the entire rail network. For the crew of Sydney Trains, dealing with these problems are all part of the job in the running of one of the world’s busiest rail systems.

ITV Studios Australia’s 10-part documentary series, Inside Central Station: Australia’s Busiest Railway, will premiere on Sbs 7:30pm September 12.

Narrated by Shane Jacobson, the immersive observational series provides Australians with unique access to Central Station with camera crews embedded at the station, the Rail Operations Centre (The Roc) and on the tracks and platforms of the vast network.

The post ‘Inside Central Station’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.

“Australia’s Got Talent,” with celebrity judges including Neil Patrick Harris and British singer Alesha Dixon, was halted after Sydney initiated a two-week lockdown in response to a new surge of coronavirus cases.

The Seven network and production company Fremantle Media made the decision as the lockdown meant the show would have no live studio audience.

“Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions in Sydney, we have decided to postpone production of the new season of ‘AGT’ to a date to be determined. A studio audience is a vitally important part of this much-loved show, so we have made the responsible but tough call to not go ahead for now,” Seven said in a statement.

International hosts Harris and Dixon had recently finished their two weeks mandatory hotel quarantine in order to take part in the show alongside fellow Australian judges radio host Kate Ritchie and actor-comedian Shane Jacobson. They will...

David Lightfoot, the Australian producer behind Wolf Creek, Rogue and more, died in an Adelaide hospital on Sunday, after suffering a heart attack. He was 61.

News of his passing was confirmed via the official Facebook page for Ultrafilms, the production company he founded in 1997.

“It is with deep sadness that Ultrafilms announces the death of founder David Lightfoot,” read their statement. “David Lightfoot was one of the most experienced and widely regarded production executives in the country…David dedicated his life to the film industry, and was passionate about Australian film and telling Australian stories.”

“David…was a close friend of mine for 20 years and a generous mentor,” Lightfoot’s business partner and co-producer, Sabella Sugar, told Deadline. “He gave so much and he touched so many lives.”

Lightfoot embarked on his career in film in 1982, joining the South Australian Film Corporation after playing cricket for South Australia and spending...

Australian comedian and podcaster Wil Anderson discusses a few of his favorite Australian films.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Crying Game (1992)

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

100 Horsemen (1964)

Mad Max (1979)

Walk Into Hell a.k.a. Walk Into Paradise (1956)

Walkabout (1971)

The Chain Reaction (1980)

Wake In Fright (1971)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Time Bandits (1981)

The Road Warrior (1981)

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Crocodile Dundee (1986)

The Castle (1997)

Chopper (2000)

Young Einstein (1988)

Reckless Kelly (1993)

Mr. Accident (2000)

Wolf Creek (2005)

Romper Stomper (1992)

Hammers Over The Anvil (1993)

Unhinged (2020)

The Nice Guys (2016)

Gladiator (2000)

Two Hands (1999)

The Dark Knight (2008)

Ned Kelly (2003)

Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Kenny (2006)

Borat (2006)

Gallipoli (1981)

Phar Lap (1983)

Seabiscuit (2003)

The Dish (2001)

Other Notable Items

Bruce Springsteen’s disappointing Jeep Superbowl commercial

Neil Young

Gruen TV...

‘The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee.’

The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, one of the local films to have its cinema release impacted by the pandemic, will now premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand on July 17.

The comedy, directed by Dean Murphy, explores a fictional version of Paul Hogan as he is thrust out of quiet retirement and back into the spotlight. When his granddaughter Lucy (Charlotte Stent) finds out he’s been offered a knighthood for services to comedy and tells all her friends, Paul reluctantly accepts the offer and has six weeks to stay out of trouble before the ceremony. But wherever Paul goes, trouble follows.

Starring alongside Hoges and Stent are John Cleese, Chevy Chase, Olivia Newton-John, Shane Jacobson, Julia Morris, Rachael Carpani, Jim Jefferies, Reggie VelJohnson and Wayne Knight. Murphy, who co-wrote the script with Robert Mond, also produced the film alongside Nigel Odell.

Kenny the Chocolate King made his way to Good Witch Season 6 Episode 8.

Isn't it great when Kristian Bruun turns up on our favorite shows? A scene-stealer on Orphan Black, he's got a lot to offer any show.

And it was his presence that introduced the Good Witch theme.

Every festival -- and there are a lot of them in Middleton -- is a ripe opportunity for Cassie so share her wisdom with her family, friends, and guests.

As if chocolate wasn't good enough, uncovering Grandma Laurel's recipes and the Merriwick truth chocolates, especially, was tantalizing and delicious.

It's no surprise that Joy found the idea behind truth chocolates too good to pass by. After all, her old friend and partner, Donna, arrived at Grey House with some unexpected news -- she was dissolving their partnership.

There was bad blood brewing between them, and their business wasn't the only thing falling apart.

In today’s film news roundup, Studio Movie Grill hires an industry veteran to handle marketing, the HFPA elects its board, and “Sometimes Always Never” and “Never Too Late” get virtual releases.

Executive Hired

Studio Movie Grill has hired former AMC Entertainment executive Tonya Mangels as head of revenue and marketing for the chain, which operates 353 screens in 10 states.

She will report to CEO Brian Schultz. While at AMC, Mangels was a vice president overseeing brand strategy, studio marketing, loyalty data analytics partnerships, mobile app/kiosk ordering, digital streaming launch and food and beverage marketing.

“We are excited to welcome guests back to enjoying movies on the big screen with the reopening of Smg Theaters starting June 19, ” Schultz said. “Aligning with our vision, we will be donating 10% of all ticket and food and beverage proceeds throughout opening weekend (June 19-21) to support Smg team members at locations nationwide still furloughed...

Crocodile Dundee actor Paul Hogan is back in the new poster for his upcoming movie The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee. Rather than stepping back into the boots of his most well-known character, however, Hogan will be playing himself in the new meta-comedy movie. On the poster, Hogan can be seen smiling as he brandishes two inflatable crocodiles, acknowledging his iconic role. "He's back, whether he likes it or not," the movie's tagline reads, teasing the long-awaited return of Hogan to pop culture.

Several other familiar faces will appear in The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, with a handful of them shown on the poster standing behind Hogan. This includes Chevy Chase (Vacation), John Cleese (Monty Python), Olivia Newton-John (Grease), Shane Jacobson (Australia's Got Talent), and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria). As revealed on the poster, the movie also stars Rachael Carpani, Charlotte Stent, Reginald VelJohnson, Wayne Knight, and Kerry Armstrong. Comedian Jim Jeffries...

‘Never Too Late’ (Photo credit: Bradley Patrick).

Blue Fox Entertainment has bought the Us rights to Mark Lamprell’s Never Too Late and will release the comedy-drama on about 25 screens, followed by transactional VOD two weeks later.

That’s the distributor’s third Aussie acquisition following Stephan Elliott’s Swinging Safari and Russell Mulcahy’s In Like Flynn last year.

Starring Jack Thompson, James Cromwell, Dennis Waterman and Roy Billing as Vietnam veterans who plan to break out of their nursing home, the film scripted by Luke Preston will open the Young at Heart Senior Film Festival at Palace cinemas across Australia on February 19.

It will play each day for a couple of weeks in the festival then go out on a broader national release on April 23 via R&r Films.

Jacki Weaver plays Norma, the long-lost love of Cromwell’s character Bronson, formerly a Us soldier whom she met...

James Cromwell and Jacki Weaver in ‘Never Too Late’. (Photo credit: Bradley Patrick).

Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan rates 2019 as a good year for Australian films at home and abroad – and she is even more optimistic about the 2020 slate.

Having seen a sizable number of the upcoming Aussie releases in completed form, rough cut or in post, arguably she is uniquely placed to provide an overview.

“There is a lot of doom and gloom about films not working but they can work,” the six-year agency veteran tells If. Here are her comments on a selection of the year’s releases, in no particular order.

Robert Connolly’s The Dry, which stars Eric Bana as a cop who returns to his drought-stricken hometown after 20 years to investigate an apparent murder-suicide committed by his childhood friend: “I’ve seen the locked cut and it’s looking great, based on...

We all know how sharp Simon Cowell‘s tongue can be as the head judge of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.” But his digs are nothing compared to those of 7-year-old JJ Pantano whose witty jokes made for one of the most gag-worthy moments of Monday night’s fourth episode. Watch his laugh-filled routine in the video above.

In his comedy set, JJ made biting jokes aimed at the careers and public personae of each of the judges and host Terry Crews. His commentary on Simon’s reputation, Heidi Klum‘s career as a supermodel, mixing up Alesha Dixon with Alicia Keys, relevancy of Howie Mandel‘s filmography, and the short football career of Terry were all delivered with the confidence and cutting nature that only an adult should be able to achieve.

See ‘America’s Got Talent’ winners: Where are they now updates for first 13 ‘Agt’ champions [Photos]

Alesha loved the...

Confrontational revenge drama “The Nightingale” was the big winner in the feature film category of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. “Lambs of God” was dominant in the TV section.

“The Nightingale” was named as best film. Jennifer Kent additionally won the best director and best screenplay awards. Giving her a night to remember, Kent was also named as one of the producers of “The Nightingale.” Aisling Franciosi was named best actress, giving the film six prizes.

The win meant snubs for “Hotel Mumbai and “Ride Like a Girl,” two of the highest grossing Australian films of the past year. “Mumbai” came away with a single Aacta prize, “Ride Like a Girl” none. Other defeated titles in the best film category were “Judy & Punch,” “Top End Wedding,” and “The King.” David Michod’s “The King” won Aacta awards for cinematography, costume design and production design.

Damon Herriman continued his winning streak,...

Sam Neill. (Photo: Ross Coffey)

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) will next month bestow actor Sam Neill with its highest honour, the Longford Lyell Award.

First presented in 1968, the award honours Australian film pioneer Raymond Longford and his partner in filmmaking and life, Lottie Lyell. It recognises a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia’s screen environment and culture.

Neill joins previous recipients such as Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi, Jan Chapman, David Stratton, Don McAlpine, Al Clark, Jacki Weaver, Andrew Knight, Cate Blanchett, Phillip Noyce and most recently, Bryan Brown.

“I am very thrilled by this honour indeed,” said Neill. “And very surprised! Let me check just in case they’ve made a mistake…”

Neill made his feature debut in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs in 1979, which led to a breakthrough role in Gillian Armstrong’s My Brilliant Career opposite Judy Davis.

Kirk D’Amico’s La-based sales and production outfit Myriad Pictures has hired Paul Wilamoski, former TWC Evp of International Servicing & Marketing, as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Operations.

Wilamoski will oversee all of Myriad’s servicing, deliveries and post-production activities, working closely with producers and domestic and international distributors.

Wilamoski previously spent ten years at The Weinstein Company, where he began as a Director and ultimately rose to Evp of International Servicing & Marketing, overseeing international servicing and post production as well as international marketing. At TWC he worked on movies including Silver Linings Playbook, The Artist, The King’s Speech, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight and was responsible for creative sales assets, market media/press events and delivery issues within international contracts for buyers.

Said D’Amico, “We are delighted to have Paul join us as we expand our slate of films for worldwide distribution and as...

James Cromwell.

Mark Lamprell’s Never Too Late (formerly The Chain Breakers), a comedy-drama about four heroic Vietnam veterans who plan to break out of their nursing home, will start shooting in South Australia on March 18.

Jack Thompson, James Cromwell, Dennis Waterman and Roy Billing play the quartet, who were famous for escaping from a Vietnamese Pow camp.

Now residents of the Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Veterans, each has an unrealised dream he wants to achieve before it’s too late. They devise a plan to escape but the rules of engagement have changed. Indeed, they can’t even remember what the rules were and that’s half the problem.

Jacki Weaver plays Norma, the long-lost love of Cromwell’s character Bronson, formerly a Us soldier. They met when he was in Australia on R&R but he was posted back to Vietnam before he could propose. Norma’s...

Jacki Weaver.

Comedy feature The Chain Breakers, to star Jacki Weaver, Jack Thompson, James Cromwell, Denis Waterman and Shane Jacobson, is one of seven projects to have recently received production funding from Screen Australia.

Written by Luke Preston and directed by Mark Lamprell, the film follows four Vietnam vets, famous for escaping a Pow camp, who find themselves in a new hell: The Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Veterans. Each has an unrealised dream they want achieve, and so they band together to escape again. Produced by Antony I. Ginnane and David Lightfoot, the film is billed as a cross between Grumpy Old Men and The Great Escape. It will be distributed via R & R Films, the new venture between Richard Becker and Robert Slaviero.

Among the other projects to have shared in the $7.5 million of funding from the federal agency is Lone Wolf, writer-director Jonathan Ogilvie’s...

The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will open on Jan. 3 with historical drama “All Is True,” starring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen.

Branagh, who will be in attendance at the opening night screening, directed from Ben Elton’s script about the little-known period in the final years of William Shakespeare. Branagh portrays the playwright with Dench as his wife Anne, while McKellen plays the Earl of Southampton. Sony Classics bought worldwide rights in October.

The festival will close with “Ladies in Black,” directed by Bruce Beresford, on Jan. 13. The movie, starring Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Julia Ormond, Ryan Corr and Shane Jacobson, centers on a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney. Beresford will attend.

The festival will screen 223 films from 78 countries, including 48 premieres. It will screen 43 of the 87 official submissions in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 91st Academy Awards. A jury of...

Nicole Kidman and Simon Baker.

Nicole Kidman, Simon Baker, Deborah Mailman, Bruce Beresford, Nash Edgerton, Celia Pacquola, Aaron Pedersen, Tina Bursill, Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell are among the nominees who will attend the 2018 Aacta Awards in Sydney on December 5.

Host Stephen Curry will be joined by an array of presenters including Rebecca Gibney, Marta Dusseldorp, Jack Thompson, Sigrid Thornton, Shane Jacobson, Rodger Corser, Erik Thomson, Nazeem Hussain, Kat Stewart, Julia Zemiro, Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski.

Among other attendees at The Star Event Centre will be Phoebe Tonkin, Isabel Lucas, David Berry, Shaynna Blaze, Susie Porter, Nicole Da Silva, Daniel Henshall, Melina Vidler, Sara Wiseman, Ada Nicodemou, Gracie Otto, Matt Okine, Madeleine Madden and Lily Sullivan.

After wrapping his 8-month, 83-date ‘Nation of Two’ world tour, Vance Joy will perform, as will five-time Aria Award winner Katie Noonan in an ‘In Memoriam’ tribute.

Joel Edgerton and Simon...

Women working at a fancy Sydney department store in 1959 are the subjects of “Ladies in Black,” an uneven dramedy directed and co-written by veteran Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford. After establishing an interesting picture of conservative Anglo-Australian values clashing with worldly views brought to the new land by post-war immigrants, “Ladies” is let down by a screenplay lacking the sharp wit and emotional depth to bring its characters and themes fully to life. Attractively packaged, optimistic to a fault, and well performed by an ensemble including Julia Ormond and rising local star Angourie Rice, “Ladies” should register as pleasant enough entertainment for general domestic audiences, predominantly older females, although offshore prospects look iffy.

Set in the Sydney of Beresford’s youth and based on the 1993 novel “The Women in Black” by his University of Sydney contemporary Madeleine St John, “Ladies” unfolds in the golden rays of summertime leading up to Christmas.

Alison McGirr and Rachael Taylor in ‘Ladies in Black’ (Photo: Lisa Tomasetti).

Alison McGirr plays a discontented Sydney department store worker whose marriage has gone stale in Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black.

Although the comedy-drama is set in 1959, the actress believes it has a lot to say to contemporary audiences.

Adapted by Beresford and producer Sue Milliken from the late Madeleine St John’s 1993 novel ‘The Women in Black’, the plot follows Angourie Rice as Lisa, a shy 16-year-old who takes a holiday job in the department store.

Lisa meets a group of women known as the “ladies in black” and becomes a catalyst who changes their lives in the film which Sony is launching on 300 screens on September 20 .

McGirr’s character Patty is often troubled and irritable due to a disconnect with her hard-working and repressed husband Frank (Luke Pegler).

“Patty’s relationship has gone a bit stale...

‘Ladies in Black.’

As momentum builds for the September 20 launch of Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black, the distributor and exhibitors are increasingly confident of a sizable opening weekend and a long run sustained by word-of-mouth and repeat business.

Sony Pictures Releasing will launch the 1959-set comedy-drama starring Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Ryan Corr, Alison McGirr, Noni Hazlehurst and Vincent Perez on 300 screens.

No one will be watching the opening weekend and the ensuing business more closely than the team at Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, which snapped up global distribution rights last year.

“We aim to establish the film as a major success, which will make the rest of the world sit up and take notice,” Sony Releasing MD Stephen Basil-Jones tells If.

A Q&A screening with Beresford at the Hayden Orpheum on Tuesday night and a preview at the Randwick Ritz on Wednesday night are sold out.

Damien Garvey and Mark Mitchinson in ‘Rake’.

As a regular in the ABC’s Rake since the second series, Damien Garvey has a ready explanation as to why the fifth series is the last.

“This series plays more like a documentary than a satire,” says Garvey, who plays Cal McGregor, the resilient former government minister, jailbird and now blow-hard TV show host.

“The scripts were written 12 or 15 months ago, depicting the most ridiculous scenes. Now you turn on the TV and what you see is very similar. You can’t make up enough stories like that about politics anymore.”

In Sunday night’s episode Cal was offered a vacant seat in the House and a ministerial portfolio while his ambitious wife Jane (Sonia Todd) has her eyes on the seat.

Garvey is a huge admirer of Richard Roxburgh – “he works very hard on the show” – and co-creator Peter Duncan and...

Signature Entertainment boards dark comedy.

Australian production, sales and distribution outfit Odin’s Eye has closed a UK deal at Tiff for its dark, dramatic comedy Brothers’ Nest with Signature Entertainment.

The deal comes in advance of the film’s UK premiere at Grimmfest, Manchester’s festival of horror, cult and fantastic film, which celebrates its 10th anniversary edition in early October.

Brothers’ Nest, which had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW, has also sold to Middle East (Phonencia) and China (Times Vision) with other territories under negotiation. It’s the second film directed by Clayton Jacobson, who...

Babe: Pig In The City co-writer Mark Lamprell to direct.

Myriad Pictures is in Toronto launching sales on the comedy The Chain Breakers starring James Cromwell, Dennis Waterman, Jacki Weaver and Shane Jacobson.

Mark Lamprell, who co-wrote Babe: Pig In The City, is set to direct from a screenplay by Luke Preston about four senior men who use skills learned during the Vietnam War to escape from their nursing home.

Each man has his own reasons to leave the facility, and use their mutual love and camaraderie to secure their freedom.

The Chain Breakers was developed with support from Film Victoria with R&R Films,...

A pair of hapless brothers plot to ensure their inheritance stays in the family in Brothers' Nest, the latest film from director Clayton Jacobson. Jeff (Clayton Jacobson) and Terry (Shane Jacobson) are middle-aged brothers who have come up with a plan to ensure that their family home doesn't go to their stepfather when their cancer ridden mother kicks the bucket. They are going to kill him. Unfortunately for them, they have to survive each other first in this black as pitch comedic thriller that was one of my favorite films at this year's festival. The brothers couldn't be more different in their demeanor. Jeff the elder is a meticulous sort who has planned out the murder to the minute to ensure that no evidence remains...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Twelve years after their breakout mockumentary hit “Kenny,” which followed a big-hearted plumber described as “the Dalai-Lama of Waste Management” as he touched the lives of many, brothers Shane and Clayton Jacobson are back with a very different kind of vehicle that nevertheless continues to showcase their distinctive, blue-collar sibling interplay. Though brimming with pitch-black comedy, “Brothers’ Nest” actually plays like more of an absurdist tragedy as it pits good brother against good-brother-gone-bad in a cautionary tale of longing and desperation that packs a surprisingly affecting punch.

In chilliest rural Victoria, mastermind Jeff and his nervous little brother Terry (Shane Jacobson) arrive early at the house in which they were raised. Ominously, they have to break in, and as they prepare for some kind of intricate crime, it is soon revealed that their plan involves murder most foul.

The target of the mission is their stepfather Rodger (Kim Gyngell), whom...

"You're a clever girl - that's the most wonderful thing in all creation." Sony Australia has debuted the first official trailer for an ensemble comedy titled Ladies in Black, adapted from the popular book The Women in Black by Madeleine St John. The film is the latest directed by award-winning Aussie filmmaker Bruce Beresford, and it's an "alluring and tender-hearted comedy drama about the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney." The film's cast includes Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Ryan Corr, Vincent Perez, Alison McGirr, Susie Porter, Shane Jacobson, and Noni Hazlehurst. This looks like a spunky, entertaining film about Australian women learning to stand up for themselves and be strong & independent. Watch out. Here's the first Australian trailer (+ poster) for Bruce Beresford's Ladies in Black, direct from YouTube: Ladies in Black is set in Sydney, Australia in the summer of 1959, against the backdrop...

Stars: Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz, Wu Chun, Kelsey Grammer, Stef Dawson, Shane Jacobson, Jason Chong, Eva Liu | Written by Kimble Rendall, Gary Hamilton, Jonathan Scanlon, Paul Staheli | Directed by Kimble Rendall

After her brother Luke (Chun) disappears on an expedition, scientist Jia (Li) goes in search of him with the aid of CEO Mason Kitteridge (Grammer) and paramedic Ridley (Lutz). Their quest leads them to an underground tomb, which houses an ancient Chinese emperor from 200 BC, and sees them battling hordes of giant spiders as they endeavour to find Luke and make it out of the deadly tomb alive.

After debuting in China cinemas at the beginning of the year, scoring $6 million on its opening weekend, this Chinese-Australian co-production goes direct to DVD in the UK, placing it alongside its China-financed brethren such as Lost in the Pacific and Skiptrace, whereas you can clearly tell the filmmakers were looking for...

Brothers’ Nest follows two siblings played by real-life brothers Clayton and Shane Jacobson.

Clayton Jacobson’s dark comedy Brothers’ Nest has been acquired by Australian sales outfit Odin’s Eye Entertainment (Oee) and La-based Guardian Entertainment International (Gei), who have teamed up to manage worldwide sales.

Brothers’ Nest follows two siblings — played by real-life brothers Clayton and Shane Jacobson — who return to their childhood home intending to murder their stepfather.

The film had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW and is slated for a theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand in late Q2 through executive producer Tait Brady’s Label Distribution.

All3Media Intl. Inks Oz Deal for “The Real Full Monty”

As MipTV gets underway, All3Media has sealed a deal with Australia’s Seven Network for the format and finished program of Spun Gold’s “The Real Full Monty,” one of the U.K.’s surprise hits of 2017. Recreating the famous strip scenario in the iconic ‘90s film, the format sees a group of male celebrities baring all to raise awareness of prostate cancer. The show raked in a number of award nominations – including a BAFTA for best reality show – while also prompting an uptick in prostate screenings in the U.K. The Australian version will be hosted by comedian Shane Jacobson with a cast yet to be announced. All3Media has also closed sales to Tvnz.

Trx Adds Lionsgate to Growing Online Trading Platform

Trx, the online trading platform for content owners, has reached a deal with Lionsgate...

The Real Full Monty, one of the most successful new British entertainment formats in 2017, is travelling down under after Seven Network closed a deal to remake the series.

The broadcaster revealed that it struck a deal with All3Media International to adapt the non-scripted format at Mip TV. The series is produced by British producer Spun Gold, responsible for doc The Return of Courtney Love, and started as a a one-off documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of the Simon Beaufoy-penned, Robert Carlyle-fronted movie.

The show, which was originally presented by Pointless host Alexander Armstrong and choreographer Ashley Banjo, follows a group of famous men as they learn to striptease and culminates in a performance in an episode of Tonight at the London Palladium. It averaged an audience of 5.4 million earlier this year and was a particular draw with women.

The show returned in the UK with a female...

Jimeoin, Paul Hogan, Fiona O’Loughlin and others cracking lazy jokes – 86 of them – around a campfire. It really is his dog

A bunch of people coming around for dinner and cracking jokes over a few beers and wines ... is that a compelling idea for a feature film? The director Dean Murphy and his ubiquitous star/producer, Shane Jacobson – who is increasingly giving the impression of being a person happy not just to attend the opening of an envelope but to star in a feature film about such an event – believe the answer is a firm yes.

The twist is that the guests of the true-blue soirée held in That’s Not My Dog! are well-known Australian comedians, instructed to bring with them their three funniest jokes of all time. The guest list is impressive – including Jacobson, Paul Hogan, Jimeoin, Paul Fenech, Michala Banas, Steve Vizard, Fiona O’Loughlin, Tim Ferguson,...