Renewal
World Productions is producing a new season of hit series “Showtrial” for BBC One and iPlayer. Writer and creator Ben Richards (“The Diplomat”) returns for the series.
In the show, when high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to identify his killer – a serving policeman. From the victim’s last breath to the jury’s final verdict, “Showtrial” delves into the worlds of cocky officer Justin Mitchell; Sam Gill, an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny, a rigorous lawyer leading the case against the accused.
The first season aired on the BBC in the U.K. in 2021 and found a U.S. home in Sundance Now.
“Showtrial” (5 x 60′) is directed by Julia Ford (“Everything I Know About Love”) and produced by Ken Horn (“Line of Duty”). Executive producers are...
World Productions is producing a new season of hit series “Showtrial” for BBC One and iPlayer. Writer and creator Ben Richards (“The Diplomat”) returns for the series.
In the show, when high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to identify his killer – a serving policeman. From the victim’s last breath to the jury’s final verdict, “Showtrial” delves into the worlds of cocky officer Justin Mitchell; Sam Gill, an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny, a rigorous lawyer leading the case against the accused.
The first season aired on the BBC in the U.K. in 2021 and found a U.S. home in Sundance Now.
“Showtrial” (5 x 60′) is directed by Julia Ford (“Everything I Know About Love”) and produced by Ken Horn (“Line of Duty”). Executive producers are...
- 8/16/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
If the official trailer for The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart doesn't make you want to watch Prime Video's upcoming drama series, I don't know what will.
The trailer for the new series, starring and executive-produced by the incomparable Sigourney Weaver, dropped today.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart launches on the streaming service exclusively in over 240 countries and territories on August 4.
Three episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1.
Going into a series knowing when you'll have all the answers is always interesting.
Thankfully, Amazon Prime Video has already announced The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart will be one-and-done, telling a complete story over the first season.
Many limited series on streaming services get a binge release from the jump, but it's good to know the series will benefit from the weekly conversation that comes with weekly series.
The trailer for the new series, starring and executive-produced by the incomparable Sigourney Weaver, dropped today.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart launches on the streaming service exclusively in over 240 countries and territories on August 4.
Three episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1.
Going into a series knowing when you'll have all the answers is always interesting.
Thankfully, Amazon Prime Video has already announced The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart will be one-and-done, telling a complete story over the first season.
Many limited series on streaming services get a binge release from the jump, but it's good to know the series will benefit from the weekly conversation that comes with weekly series.
- 7/5/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Prime Video has released the teaser trailer for Amazon Original series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, launching exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories on August 4. Three episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Based on Holly Ringland’s best-selling debut novel, the seven-part series tells the emotionally compelling story of Alice Hart. When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family’s past. Set against Australia’s breathtaking natural landscape, and with native wildflowers and plants providing a way to express the inexpressible, this enthralling family drama spans decades. As she grows from her complicated past,...
- 6/6/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Prime Video is adding another A-list star to its programming roster this summer.
The streaming service has revealed The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, launching exclusively in over 240 countries and territories on August 4.
Three episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1.
Yes, you read that right. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a limited series, so you'll have all the answers by the end of the season.
Based on Holly Ringland's best-selling debut novel, the seven-part series tells the emotionally compelling story of Alice Hart.
"When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family's past," the official logline teases.
"Set against Australia's breathtaking natural landscape, and with native...
The streaming service has revealed The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, launching exclusively in over 240 countries and territories on August 4.
Three episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1.
Yes, you read that right. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a limited series, so you'll have all the answers by the end of the season.
Based on Holly Ringland's best-selling debut novel, the seven-part series tells the emotionally compelling story of Alice Hart.
"When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family's past," the official logline teases.
"Set against Australia's breathtaking natural landscape, and with native...
- 6/6/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Prime Video launched a teaser trailer of “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart,” starring and executive produced by Sigourney Weaver, on Monday.
Based on the best-selling debut novel by Holly Ringland, the seven-part television adaptation follows Alice Hart (Alicia Debnam-Carey), who lost her parents at age 9 in an unexpected fire. Alice goes to live with her grandmother June (Weaver) at Thornfield flower farm in Australia, where she unearths several family secrets from her past. The native flora and fauna of the Australian landscape becomes a character in the show. Alice eventually finds her life threatened by a man she loves.
A collage of memories of the fire mixed with mystical garden encounters leads to someone opening a card that reads “You lied!”
“I just promised I’d keep her safe,” Weaver’s June says at the end of the teaser. “Can we do that?”
Also Read:
‘Loveboat, Taipei’ Adaptation ‘Love...
Based on the best-selling debut novel by Holly Ringland, the seven-part television adaptation follows Alice Hart (Alicia Debnam-Carey), who lost her parents at age 9 in an unexpected fire. Alice goes to live with her grandmother June (Weaver) at Thornfield flower farm in Australia, where she unearths several family secrets from her past. The native flora and fauna of the Australian landscape becomes a character in the show. Alice eventually finds her life threatened by a man she loves.
A collage of memories of the fire mixed with mystical garden encounters leads to someone opening a card that reads “You lied!”
“I just promised I’d keep her safe,” Weaver’s June says at the end of the teaser. “Can we do that?”
Also Read:
‘Loveboat, Taipei’ Adaptation ‘Love...
- 6/5/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Karen Gillan, Marton Csokas, Harry Greenwood and Thomas M Wright join the cast of book-to-film crime drama film “Sleeping Dogs,” which shoots in Australia from next month. They join the previously announced Russell Crowe in the cast.
The film is a book-to-film adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s critically acclaimed novel, “The Book of Mirrors,” with a screenplay by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage. The film also marks Cooper’s feature directorial debut.
In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, Crowe’s character, a former homicide detective, is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor (Csokas). Fighting to regain his memory, the detective enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation. They encounter a magnetic and mysterious woman (Gillan), a tangle of contradictions and secrets and a horrific reality that changes the detective’s world view in the blink of an eye.
The film is a book-to-film adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s critically acclaimed novel, “The Book of Mirrors,” with a screenplay by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage. The film also marks Cooper’s feature directorial debut.
In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, Crowe’s character, a former homicide detective, is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor (Csokas). Fighting to regain his memory, the detective enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation. They encounter a magnetic and mysterious woman (Gillan), a tangle of contradictions and secrets and a horrific reality that changes the detective’s world view in the blink of an eye.
- 2/18/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
First Love (A.J. Edwards)
Following The Better Angels and Age Out, A.J. Edwards’ third feature, First Love, is both a tender tale of blossoming romance and nuanced depiction of the pride and human frailties that can disrupt a decades-long bond. The writer-director, who got his start working with Terrence Malick on The Tree of Life, The New World, To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, and Song to Song, displays an immense amount of grace in this recession-era portrait of family and romance. Led by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Diane Kruger, Jeffrey Donovan, and Sydney Park, the film got a quiet release earlier this summer, but certainly deserves to find an audience in coming years.
Where to Stream: Hulu
The Legend of Molly Johnson...
First Love (A.J. Edwards)
Following The Better Angels and Age Out, A.J. Edwards’ third feature, First Love, is both a tender tale of blossoming romance and nuanced depiction of the pride and human frailties that can disrupt a decades-long bond. The writer-director, who got his start working with Terrence Malick on The Tree of Life, The New World, To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, and Song to Song, displays an immense amount of grace in this recession-era portrait of family and romance. Led by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Diane Kruger, Jeffrey Donovan, and Sydney Park, the film got a quiet release earlier this summer, but certainly deserves to find an audience in coming years.
Where to Stream: Hulu
The Legend of Molly Johnson...
- 12/30/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Screen Producers Australia on Thursday announced nominees in 13 categories for its annual Spa Awards. Eligible works must have screened between July 2021 and December 2022.
In the running for feature film of the year are: “The Drover’s Wife – The Legend of Molly Johnson” (Oombarra Productions and Bunya Productions), “Here Out West” (Co-Curious), “The Power of the Dog” (See-Saw Films), “The Stranger” (See-Saw Films and Blue-Tongue Films), “Sissy” (Arcadia), “Gold” (Deeper Water Films), “How to Please A Woman” (Feisty Dame Productions and Such Much Films) and “Interceptor” (Ambience Entertainment).
In the hunt for the best drama series accolade are: “Heartbreak High” (Netflix) from Fremantle Australia; “Bump” season 2 (Stan) from Roadshow Rough Diamond; “The Twelve” (Foxtel and Binge) from Easy Tiger Productions and Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia; “Firebite” (ABC) from See-Saw Films; “Mystery Road: Origin” (ABC) from Bunya Productions; “Significant Others” (ABC) from Fremantle Australia; “Troppo” (ABC) from...
In the running for feature film of the year are: “The Drover’s Wife – The Legend of Molly Johnson” (Oombarra Productions and Bunya Productions), “Here Out West” (Co-Curious), “The Power of the Dog” (See-Saw Films), “The Stranger” (See-Saw Films and Blue-Tongue Films), “Sissy” (Arcadia), “Gold” (Deeper Water Films), “How to Please A Woman” (Feisty Dame Productions and Such Much Films) and “Interceptor” (Ambience Entertainment).
In the hunt for the best drama series accolade are: “Heartbreak High” (Netflix) from Fremantle Australia; “Bump” season 2 (Stan) from Roadshow Rough Diamond; “The Twelve” (Foxtel and Binge) from Easy Tiger Productions and Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia; “Firebite” (ABC) from See-Saw Films; “Mystery Road: Origin” (ABC) from Bunya Productions; “Significant Others” (ABC) from Fremantle Australia; “Troppo” (ABC) from...
- 12/22/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Revising and updating Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story “The Drover’s Wife,” writer/director/star Leah Purcell’s gritty Australian western “The Legend of Molly Johnson” takes Lawson’s story of an isolated woman fighting against the elements of the Australian outbreak and expands it, meditating on the relationship between Aboriginals and European colonizers in the nineteenth century. While the film may be Purcell’s directorial debut, it is also adapted from her play — and subsequent novel — of the same name.
Continue reading ‘The Legend of Molly Johnson’ Review: A Didactic But Compelling Feminist Western at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Legend of Molly Johnson’ Review: A Didactic But Compelling Feminist Western at The Playlist.
- 8/19/2022
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Costa Brava, Lebanon (Mounia Akl)
What can you do when your homeland’s falling apart? The easy answer is stay or leave, but both options carry too much complexity to simply choose and be done. For starters, not everyone has that choice—whether due to finances, family, or myriad other reasons. And those who are able must dig deep within themselves to rationalize why. Do you leave because of greater opportunity? Do you stay because you want to be part of the solution? Or do you find yourself in a sort of purgatory—one foot planted on each side, only to discover your fear of losing out on the benefits of one for the potential of the other has you locked in stasis?...
Costa Brava, Lebanon (Mounia Akl)
What can you do when your homeland’s falling apart? The easy answer is stay or leave, but both options carry too much complexity to simply choose and be done. For starters, not everyone has that choice—whether due to finances, family, or myriad other reasons. And those who are able must dig deep within themselves to rationalize why. Do you leave because of greater opportunity? Do you stay because you want to be part of the solution? Or do you find yourself in a sort of purgatory—one foot planted on each side, only to discover your fear of losing out on the benefits of one for the potential of the other has you locked in stasis?...
- 8/19/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A favorite of Leah Purcell’s as a child, Henry Lawson’s short story “The Drover’s Wife” was always at the front of her mind when growing into adulthood as an artist. It only makes sense, then, that she would take that 1892 tale and reimagine it as an Australian western that would bring her own ancestral history as a fair-skinned Aboriginal woman to light. First she had to give the titular wife a name: Molly Johnson. Next it was fleshing out a dramatic narrative beyond that of a devoted mother staying up all night to protect her children from a hidden snake while reminiscing about all the other times for which she did the same (fire and flood) with her husband consistently away. A legend was born.
Purcell also wrote a play and novel, gradually expanding the scope and reach of the material from stage to screen. It’s a deliberate evolution,...
Purcell also wrote a play and novel, gradually expanding the scope and reach of the material from stage to screen. It’s a deliberate evolution,...
- 8/17/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to the drama Manifest West, starring Lexy Kolker (Shooter), Annet Mahendru (Father Stu), Milo Gibson (Under the Stadium Lights), Tim Heidecker (Spin Me Round) and Michael Cudlitz (Clarice), slating it for release in theaters and on digital platforms this fall.
The film from writer-directors Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson (Happy Hunting) is a coming-of-age story, told through the eyes of a 10-year old girl whose family moves off the grid into untamed North American Wilderness. It’s their attempt to establish normalcy, to thrive off the land, and escape the pressures of modern society. But the family has its own internal pressures building, and you can’t escape what’s going on in your own household, no matter how far you move up a mountain.
Bryson Pintard produced the pic, which had its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival, there...
The film from writer-directors Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson (Happy Hunting) is a coming-of-age story, told through the eyes of a 10-year old girl whose family moves off the grid into untamed North American Wilderness. It’s their attempt to establish normalcy, to thrive off the land, and escape the pressures of modern society. But the family has its own internal pressures building, and you can’t escape what’s going on in your own household, no matter how far you move up a mountain.
Bryson Pintard produced the pic, which had its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival, there...
- 7/26/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The Drover’s Wife Trailer — Leah Purcell‘s The Drover’s Wife (2021) movie trailer has been released by Goldwyn Films. The Drover’s Wife trailer stars Leah Purcell, Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Benedict Hardie, Harry Greenwood, Tony Cogin, Nicholas Hope, Maggie Dence, and Bruce Spence. Crew The Drover’s Wife, originally known as The Drover’s [...]
Continue reading: The Drover’S Wife (2021) Movie Trailer: Leah Purcell Tries to Protect Her Family in the Australian Outback...
Continue reading: The Drover’S Wife (2021) Movie Trailer: Leah Purcell Tries to Protect Her Family in the Australian Outback...
- 7/4/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"Fight for my children, fight for my life, I will." Samuel Goldwyn Films has revealed official US trailer for The Legend of Molly Johnson, also known as The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, which first opened in Australia a few months ago after premiering at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival last year. The story of a lonely bushwoman who struggles to raise her children and run the family farm while her husband is away. In the Snowy Mountains, heavily pregnant Molly Johnson is pushed to her limits. With the burden of a dark secret and intruders to her property, Molly does whatever it takes to protect her children. Starring actress Leah Purcell as Molly Johnson, who also wrote and directed the film, along with Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Benedict Hardie, Harry Greenwood, Tony Cogin, Nicholas Hope, Maggie Dence, and Bruce Spence. This is a fantastic new trailer,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Set in the 1893 Australian Outback, “The Legend of Molly Johnson” gives a new twist to an old classic.
Based on Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story “The Drover’s Wife,” the film stars writer-director Leah Purcell in the titular role, now given a name and not just a moniker. A pregnant Molly (Purcell) tries to protect her children while her husband is away droving sheep in the high country. When Molly is confronted by an enslaved Aboriginal fugitive named Yadaka (Rob Collins), her own true identity is revealed. The town sheriff becomes suspicious of Molly as a string of murders plagues their Australian town: Could Molly or Yadaka be a serial killer? The film debuts in select theaters and on digital/VOD August 19 and is distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, and IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer below.
“The Legend of Molly Johnson” debuted at 2021 SXSW under the original title “The Drover’s Wife.
Based on Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story “The Drover’s Wife,” the film stars writer-director Leah Purcell in the titular role, now given a name and not just a moniker. A pregnant Molly (Purcell) tries to protect her children while her husband is away droving sheep in the high country. When Molly is confronted by an enslaved Aboriginal fugitive named Yadaka (Rob Collins), her own true identity is revealed. The town sheriff becomes suspicious of Molly as a string of murders plagues their Australian town: Could Molly or Yadaka be a serial killer? The film debuts in select theaters and on digital/VOD August 19 and is distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, and IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer below.
“The Legend of Molly Johnson” debuted at 2021 SXSW under the original title “The Drover’s Wife.
- 6/30/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
'The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson', 'Peter Rabbit 2', 'Wyrmwood: Apocalypse', 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' lead the feature film nominees for the upcoming Australian Production Design Guild Awards, while 'La Brea', 'Firebite', 'Pieces of Her', 'Frayed' and 'New Gold Mountain' lead in TV.
The post ‘The Drover’s Wife’, ‘Frayed’, ‘La Brea’ designers up for Apdg Awards appeared first on If Magazine.
The post ‘The Drover’s Wife’, ‘Frayed’, ‘La Brea’ designers up for Apdg Awards appeared first on If Magazine.
- 6/24/2022
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
The May edition of If is out now, in which we go behind the scenes of 'The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson', chat to Sean Keenan about 'Barons', and take a deep dive into the issues facing theatrical distribution and exhibition ahead of the Movie Convention and the Australian Feature Film Summit.
The post Out now: If Magazine – May issue appeared first on If Magazine.
The post Out now: If Magazine – May issue appeared first on If Magazine.
- 5/6/2022
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car triumphed this eve at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The movie scooped best film, which Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi shared with producer Teruhisa Yamamoto, and best screenplay, which the director shared with Oe Takamasa. Scroll down for the full list of winners on the night.
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
- 11/11/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Leah Purcell is the first Australian to be awarded the Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) after being recognised for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
A total of ten films from 11 countries triumphed at the 14th Apsa Ceremony tonight, which was presented from Hota (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast.
A re-imagining of the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in the 1893 Snowy Mountains.
Purcell wrote directed, starred in, and co-produced the project, which was adapted from her stageplay of the same name.
The Apsa international jury said the final product represented “not only an artist’s total dedication to her craft but also a spirited act of courage and tenacity”.
“The Drover’s Wife is a film that quickly...
A total of ten films from 11 countries triumphed at the 14th Apsa Ceremony tonight, which was presented from Hota (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast.
A re-imagining of the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in the 1893 Snowy Mountains.
Purcell wrote directed, starred in, and co-produced the project, which was adapted from her stageplay of the same name.
The Apsa international jury said the final product represented “not only an artist’s total dedication to her craft but also a spirited act of courage and tenacity”.
“The Drover’s Wife is a film that quickly...
- 11/11/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Japan’s Hamaguchi Ryusuke earned double honors on Thursday at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. His “Drive My Car” was named best film, while he shared the best screenplay award with the film’s co-writer Oe Takamasa.
The 14th Apsa ceremony was held at the Home of the Arts in Queensland, Australia and gave prizes to ten films from eleven territories. The event also marked the official opening of the third Asia Pacific Screen Forum conference series.
The second place or Jury Grand Prizes were awarded jointly to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Bangladesh drama “Rehana” (aka “Rehana Maryam Noor”) and to Leah Purcell for her debut feature “The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.” “Rehana” lead Azmeri Haque Badhon was awarded the prize for the best performance by an actress.
Iran’s Asghar Farhadi was awarded achievement in directing prize for “A Hero” (aka “Ghahreman”) which the Apsa jury called “an intimate epic.
The 14th Apsa ceremony was held at the Home of the Arts in Queensland, Australia and gave prizes to ten films from eleven territories. The event also marked the official opening of the third Asia Pacific Screen Forum conference series.
The second place or Jury Grand Prizes were awarded jointly to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Bangladesh drama “Rehana” (aka “Rehana Maryam Noor”) and to Leah Purcell for her debut feature “The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.” “Rehana” lead Azmeri Haque Badhon was awarded the prize for the best performance by an actress.
Iran’s Asghar Farhadi was awarded achievement in directing prize for “A Hero” (aka “Ghahreman”) which the Apsa jury called “an intimate epic.
- 11/11/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Nominations in the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) were revealed today with nods for 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and regions. Winners will be announced on Thursday, November 11, at the 14th Apsa Ceremony on the Australia Gold Coast. Nominations include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, which won the best screenplay award at Cannes, Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes Grand Prix winning, film A Hero, and the TIFF Platform award winning film Yuni directed by Kamila Andini.
Apsa celebrates cinema from over 70 countries, with an enhanced focus on content that reflects the region’s diversity.
Below is the full list of nominees.
Best Feature Film
A Hero (Ghahreman)
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
A Night of Knowing Nothing
Directed by Payal Kapadia
Drive My Car
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The Pencil (Prostoy karandash)
Directed by Natalya Nazarova
There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad)
Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Best Youth Feature...
Apsa celebrates cinema from over 70 countries, with an enhanced focus on content that reflects the region’s diversity.
Below is the full list of nominees.
Best Feature Film
A Hero (Ghahreman)
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
A Night of Knowing Nothing
Directed by Payal Kapadia
Drive My Car
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The Pencil (Prostoy karandash)
Directed by Natalya Nazarova
There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad)
Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Best Youth Feature...
- 10/13/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Winners will be announced on November 11.
Cannes winners Drive My Car, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero lead the nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (Apsa) awards.
Drive My Car is Japan’s entry for the best international feature Oscar and the Cannes 2021 Competition best screenplay winner. It follows a theatre actor and director who is grappling with grief for his lost wife.
A Hero, which won the grand prix at Cannes, is a French-Iranian co-production which looks at what happens when an unlikely hero finds himself caught up in a social media storm.
Both...
Cannes winners Drive My Car, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero lead the nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (Apsa) awards.
Drive My Car is Japan’s entry for the best international feature Oscar and the Cannes 2021 Competition best screenplay winner. It follows a theatre actor and director who is grappling with grief for his lost wife.
A Hero, which won the grand prix at Cannes, is a French-Iranian co-production which looks at what happens when an unlikely hero finds himself caught up in a social media storm.
Both...
- 10/13/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
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
In a sad blow, the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has announced it will cancel its in-cinema screenings given the current Covid situation in the city.
The festival, always designed as a hybrid event, will continue nationally on Miff Play, with the festival securing an additional 30 titles for the platform. These include some direct-from-Cannes titles such as The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar, and Australian films Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City.
However, some of the festival most anticipated films, including local films such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, intended as the Opening Night Gala, and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram are not available on the service.
As regional Victoria is no longer in lockdown, the festival’s regional season will proceed, with required changes to the line-up to be advised through local operators.
The festival, always designed as a hybrid event, will continue nationally on Miff Play, with the festival securing an additional 30 titles for the platform. These include some direct-from-Cannes titles such as The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar, and Australian films Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City.
However, some of the festival most anticipated films, including local films such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, intended as the Opening Night Gala, and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram are not available on the service.
As regional Victoria is no longer in lockdown, the festival’s regional season will proceed, with required changes to the line-up to be advised through local operators.
- 8/10/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
UK distributor is looking for investment partners.
UK distributor Modern Films has hired a chief operating officer in a new role, as part of a rebrand of the company.
Former Curzon executive Phil Mordecai has joined the company to work on the corporate development of the revamped, newly-named Modern Films Group.
The Group will consist of four elements: Modern Films Fund, which will invest in the creation and distribution of socio-cultural stories; production, distribution and licensing arm Modern Films Entertainment; Modern Films Technology, a virtual screening room and embeddable player for exhibitors and audience data; and Modern Films Impact Projects focused on environmental,...
UK distributor Modern Films has hired a chief operating officer in a new role, as part of a rebrand of the company.
Former Curzon executive Phil Mordecai has joined the company to work on the corporate development of the revamped, newly-named Modern Films Group.
The Group will consist of four elements: Modern Films Fund, which will invest in the creation and distribution of socio-cultural stories; production, distribution and licensing arm Modern Films Entertainment; Modern Films Technology, a virtual screening room and embeddable player for exhibitors and audience data; and Modern Films Impact Projects focused on environmental,...
- 8/6/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
In putting together this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff), director Al Cossar was “hoping for the best and planning for utter chaos”.
Miff’s 69th edition had always been devised as a hybrid model, but originally films were to run in cinemas for the first half of the festival and online for the second.
With Melbourne just emerging from its fifth lockdown, the festival announced today it will now bring forward the online program to run for the full duration of the festival, August 5-22, while in-cinema screenings will now commence later, on August 12.
There is the hope by that date, the capacity restrictions that Victorian cinemas are facing (currently capped at 100 per theatre) may have loosened. All ticket holders who have already purchased tickets to events will be contacted directly.
While the festival has had to make these changes, Cossar tells If the 2021 event was always designed...
Miff’s 69th edition had always been devised as a hybrid model, but originally films were to run in cinemas for the first half of the festival and online for the second.
With Melbourne just emerging from its fifth lockdown, the festival announced today it will now bring forward the online program to run for the full duration of the festival, August 5-22, while in-cinema screenings will now commence later, on August 12.
There is the hope by that date, the capacity restrictions that Victorian cinemas are facing (currently capped at 100 per theatre) may have loosened. All ticket holders who have already purchased tickets to events will be contacted directly.
While the festival has had to make these changes, Cossar tells If the 2021 event was always designed...
- 8/2/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- 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
Hybrid edition of festival will include a record 40 world premieres and 27 titles from Cannes.
Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has unveiled its 2021 programme, which includes a record 40 world premieres and 27 titles from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The 69th edition of the festival will include 199 features and will take place as a hybrid event from August 5-15, marking a return to in-person screenings after last year’s Miff was shifted online due to the pandemic. Some 62 titles will be available throughout Australia via Miff Play, the festival’s online screening platform, from August 14-22.
Features selected for Miff that...
Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has unveiled its 2021 programme, which includes a record 40 world premieres and 27 titles from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The 69th edition of the festival will include 199 features and will take place as a hybrid event from August 5-15, marking a return to in-person screenings after last year’s Miff was shifted online due to the pandemic. Some 62 titles will be available throughout Australia via Miff Play, the festival’s online screening platform, from August 14-22.
Features selected for Miff that...
- 7/13/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
If one of the goals was to remind people that the Outback was, or still is, a rough and unforgiving place then it would appear that this movie nails that point and rams it home as the acting is forceful enough that one can’t help but wonder if the accuracy is just as on point when it comes to the unmitigated danger that was faced by those back in the 19th century on a regular basis. The tale of a woman, the wife of a drover, that had four kids and herself to take care of in the middle of
Why We’ll Be Watching “The Drover’s Wife”...
Why We’ll Be Watching “The Drover’s Wife”...
- 7/10/2021
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
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 will each compete for CinefestOZ’s $100,000 Film Prize.
A jury of industry guests will award the honour at the festival, due to run August 25-29 in Western Australia’s South West hubs of Busselton, Augusta-Margaret River and Bunbury.
CinefestOZ chair Helen Shervington said this year’s finalists reflected the diversity and complexity of storytelling set for this year’s festival.
“I continue to be impressed by the calibre and originality of film submissions to the festival each year, and I’m proud to say the 2021 Film Prize finalists are fantastic,” she said.
“We can’t wait for our audiences to be back at the cinema watching these films – all of which will have their Wa premieres at CinefestOZ.
“The range and creativity shown across...
A jury of industry guests will award the honour at the festival, due to run August 25-29 in Western Australia’s South West hubs of Busselton, Augusta-Margaret River and Bunbury.
CinefestOZ chair Helen Shervington said this year’s finalists reflected the diversity and complexity of storytelling set for this year’s festival.
“I continue to be impressed by the calibre and originality of film submissions to the festival each year, and I’m proud to say the 2021 Film Prize finalists are fantastic,” she said.
“We can’t wait for our audiences to be back at the cinema watching these films – all of which will have their Wa premieres at CinefestOZ.
“The range and creativity shown across...
- 7/6/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Memento International (“Call Me By Your Name”) has closed a raft of sales on Leah Purcell’s Australian revenge tale “The Drover’s Wife,” and Alex Camilleri’s “Luzzu” which world premiered at SXSW and Sundance.
After selling North American rights to “The Drover’s Wife” to Samuel Goldwyn, Memento has sold “The Drover’s Wife” to the U.K. (Modern Film), Latin America (Encripta), Greece (Spentzos), Bulgaria (Film Vision), Ex Yugoslavia, (Megacom), Indonesia (Pt Falcon) and Airlines (Anuvu). The film is being handled by Roadshow Films in Australia.
A searing Western thriller, the play “The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson” is a reimagining of Henry Lawson’s classic short story “The Drover’s Wife” and an adaptation of Purcell’s successful Australian stage play.
The story is set in 1893, and centers on the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive the harsh Australian...
After selling North American rights to “The Drover’s Wife” to Samuel Goldwyn, Memento has sold “The Drover’s Wife” to the U.K. (Modern Film), Latin America (Encripta), Greece (Spentzos), Bulgaria (Film Vision), Ex Yugoslavia, (Megacom), Indonesia (Pt Falcon) and Airlines (Anuvu). The film is being handled by Roadshow Films in Australia.
A searing Western thriller, the play “The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson” is a reimagining of Henry Lawson’s classic short story “The Drover’s Wife” and an adaptation of Purcell’s successful Australian stage play.
The story is set in 1893, and centers on the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive the harsh Australian...
- 6/22/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Roadshow Films will release writer-director Leah Purcell’s debut feature The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson in cinemas October 14.
Purcell plays Molly Johnson, a woman whose husband is away droving cattle, leaving her alone to care for their four children at their remote Snowy Mountains homestead.
Despite being heavily pregnant, Molly keeps various threats, from nature and other people, at bay. But when Yadaka, an Aboriginal man on the run from white law enforcement, intrudes on the sanctuary she has carved out, the brutal hardships and secrets that have followed them both throughout their lives must be confronted.
Starring alongside Purcell are Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica de Gouw and Malachi Dower-Roberts.
The producers are Bain Stewart, David Jowsey, Angela Littlejohn, Greer Simpkin and Purcell.
The post ‘The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.
Purcell plays Molly Johnson, a woman whose husband is away droving cattle, leaving her alone to care for their four children at their remote Snowy Mountains homestead.
Despite being heavily pregnant, Molly keeps various threats, from nature and other people, at bay. But when Yadaka, an Aboriginal man on the run from white law enforcement, intrudes on the sanctuary she has carved out, the brutal hardships and secrets that have followed them both throughout their lives must be confronted.
Starring alongside Purcell are Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica de Gouw and Malachi Dower-Roberts.
The producers are Bain Stewart, David Jowsey, Angela Littlejohn, Greer Simpkin and Purcell.
The post ‘The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.
- 6/16/2021
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) promises the Australian premieres of highly anticipated local features such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram.
Miff unveiled the first slate of projects for its 69th iteration today, which sees it return to cinemas, with the full line-up to be announced July 13.
Purcell’s debut feature, which premiered at SXSW, will form the Opening Night Gala – marking the first time a film from an Indigenous female director has opened the event in its history.
“Leah Purcell’s monumental feature The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson will not just open Miff this year – it will kick the doors in,” said Miff artistic director Al Cossar.
“This is a film made for Miff’s return to cinema – an outback western of grand vision; a resonant, revisionist force of filmmaking that...
Miff unveiled the first slate of projects for its 69th iteration today, which sees it return to cinemas, with the full line-up to be announced July 13.
Purcell’s debut feature, which premiered at SXSW, will form the Opening Night Gala – marking the first time a film from an Indigenous female director has opened the event in its history.
“Leah Purcell’s monumental feature The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson will not just open Miff this year – it will kick the doors in,” said Miff artistic director Al Cossar.
“This is a film made for Miff’s return to cinema – an outback western of grand vision; a resonant, revisionist force of filmmaking that...
- 6/16/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Memento International (“Call Me By Your Name”) has boarded “Legend of Destruction,” a thought-provoking animated feature by Israeli filmmaker Gidi Dar (“Ushpizin”), produced by Lama Films.
The film’s unique visual style is being created from 1,500 original paintings which are edited and animated together. The paintings and art direction are being handled by David Polonsky and Michael Faust, the artists behind the Oscar-nominated “Waltz With Bashir.”
Dar co-wrote the script with Shuli Rand, a veteran Israeli actor with whom he also collaborated on “Ushpizin” which competed at Tribeca in 2004. On top of having co-written “Legend of Destruction,” Rand is also leading the voice cast.
Set in Jerusalem during the first Jewish–Roman War, “Legend of Destruction” follows an oppressive Roman governor who is driven out of the city by the people. Due to rampant social inequalities, corruption and injustice, secret groups of religious fanatics appear and seek to rebel in the name of God.
The film’s unique visual style is being created from 1,500 original paintings which are edited and animated together. The paintings and art direction are being handled by David Polonsky and Michael Faust, the artists behind the Oscar-nominated “Waltz With Bashir.”
Dar co-wrote the script with Shuli Rand, a veteran Israeli actor with whom he also collaborated on “Ushpizin” which competed at Tribeca in 2004. On top of having co-written “Legend of Destruction,” Rand is also leading the voice cast.
Set in Jerusalem during the first Jewish–Roman War, “Legend of Destruction” follows an oppressive Roman governor who is driven out of the city by the people. Due to rampant social inequalities, corruption and injustice, secret groups of religious fanatics appear and seek to rebel in the name of God.
- 6/14/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The distributor has also picked up a SXSW drama.
Eve Gabereau’s Modern Films has acquired UK and Ireland rights to three dramas set to screen at the Berlinale’s Summer Special and a title first seen at SXSW.
The London-based firm has picked up Memory Box, directed by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, from The Playtime Group; Anna Zohra Berrached’s Copilot from The Match Factory; and Jacqueline Lentzou’s Moon, 66 Questions from Luxbox
Modern Films has also added Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife to its release slate, following its debut at SXSW, in a deal with Memento International.
Eve Gabereau’s Modern Films has acquired UK and Ireland rights to three dramas set to screen at the Berlinale’s Summer Special and a title first seen at SXSW.
The London-based firm has picked up Memory Box, directed by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, from The Playtime Group; Anna Zohra Berrached’s Copilot from The Match Factory; and Jacqueline Lentzou’s Moon, 66 Questions from Luxbox
Modern Films has also added Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife to its release slate, following its debut at SXSW, in a deal with Memento International.
- 6/4/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Outgoing Screen Australia head of First Nations Penny Smallacombe is set to join Bunya Media Group as a producer.
Smallacombe will produce a number of the company’s upcoming projects, including Sbs drama series Copping It Black, working with directors Erica Glynn and Steven McGregor, who both penned the script with Danielle Maclean.
While at Screen Australia, Smallacombe helped shepherd to screen several Bunya Productions projects, including ABC series Mystery Road, Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country and Ivan Sen’s Goldstone, as well as helping to facilitate Bunya Talent Hub LA.
Smallacombe, a Maramanindji woman from the Northern Territory, tells If she has loved Bunya’s “big, bold” output over the past few years, and considers it a privilege to join the team. She is keen to use her new role to continue to bring authentic First Nations stories to screen, particularly from exciting new talent.
“They’re a trusted...
Smallacombe will produce a number of the company’s upcoming projects, including Sbs drama series Copping It Black, working with directors Erica Glynn and Steven McGregor, who both penned the script with Danielle Maclean.
While at Screen Australia, Smallacombe helped shepherd to screen several Bunya Productions projects, including ABC series Mystery Road, Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country and Ivan Sen’s Goldstone, as well as helping to facilitate Bunya Talent Hub LA.
Smallacombe, a Maramanindji woman from the Northern Territory, tells If she has loved Bunya’s “big, bold” output over the past few years, and considers it a privilege to join the team. She is keen to use her new role to continue to bring authentic First Nations stories to screen, particularly from exciting new talent.
“They’re a trusted...
- 5/26/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
‘The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson’ Review: An Exceptionally Compelling Outback Western
No one is more devoted to Australian author Henry Lawson’s “The Drover’s Wife” than Leah Purcell. First, she adapted Lawson’s classic 1892 short story as an award-winning play at Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre, in which she starred; then she turned it into an acclaimed novel; and now, she has written and directed a gripping film in which she stirringly portrays Molly Johnson, as Purcell colorfully christened the tale’s nameless title character. Roles like this are rare enough in cinema, and Purcell knows it, giving herself a smashmouth first-act scene in which she brandishes a shotgun and warns an unwelcome visitor, “I’ll shoot you where you stand, and I’ll bury you where you fall.”
Purcell delivers the line with such assurance and authority that, had John Wayne or Charles Bronson been on the receiving end of that threat, they likely would have changed their minds and raised their hands.
Purcell delivers the line with such assurance and authority that, had John Wayne or Charles Bronson been on the receiving end of that threat, they likely would have changed their minds and raised their hands.
- 5/10/2021
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Memento International has boarded international sales rights to Tribeca Film Festival thriller Catch The Fair One, Oscar-nominated producer Mollye Asher’s follow-up to Nomadland.
The movie, about a former champion boxer who embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister, marks the acting debut of real-life boxer, Kali “Ko” Reis, the first Native American woman to win a major world title. Reis is the current Wba Super Lightweight World Champion and fought in the first televised women’s bout on HBO.
As announced by Tribeca yesterday, the film will get its world premiere in the festival’s U.S. narrative competition. Above is a first look image from the movie.
Pic is written and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and stars Reis in the lead role. Reis also shares a story by credit with Wladyka. Other cast include Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu,...
The movie, about a former champion boxer who embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister, marks the acting debut of real-life boxer, Kali “Ko” Reis, the first Native American woman to win a major world title. Reis is the current Wba Super Lightweight World Champion and fought in the first televised women’s bout on HBO.
As announced by Tribeca yesterday, the film will get its world premiere in the festival’s U.S. narrative competition. Above is a first look image from the movie.
Pic is written and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and stars Reis in the lead role. Reis also shares a story by credit with Wladyka. Other cast include Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu,...
- 4/21/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
In a welcome move for industry, the Federal Government has backtracked on its decision to harmonise the Producer Offset for film and television, announcing on Sunday that the offset will remain at 40 per cent for theatrical features.
However, a spokesperson for the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher confirmed to If that the government still intends to proceed with other controversial aspects of offset reform, including raising the Qape threshold from $500,000 to $1 million, and removing the Gallipoli Clause.
Ahead of last year’s budget, the government announced its intention to level the Producer Offset for both film and television at 30 per cent. Previously, the TV offset had been 20 per cent, and the film offset 40 per cent.
While the move to lift the TV offset was seen as welcome and long-overdue, the decision to reduce the film offset was immediately met with consternation. Many producers argued...
However, a spokesperson for the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher confirmed to If that the government still intends to proceed with other controversial aspects of offset reform, including raising the Qape threshold from $500,000 to $1 million, and removing the Gallipoli Clause.
Ahead of last year’s budget, the government announced its intention to level the Producer Offset for both film and television at 30 per cent. Previously, the TV offset had been 20 per cent, and the film offset 40 per cent.
While the move to lift the TV offset was seen as welcome and long-overdue, the decision to reduce the film offset was immediately met with consternation. Many producers argued...
- 4/11/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Samuel Goldwyn Films has added to its growing list of Australian acquisitions, negotiating a deal for the worldwide rights to Antaine Furlong’s Ascendant.
Under the agreement, there will be a planned theatrical release of the film as Rising Wolf in the US on July 16.
Ascendant will be released in Australia and New Zealand this Thursday via Maslow Entertainment.
Set in Shanghai, the story follows Aria Wolf (Charlotte Best), a young woman who wakes, trapped, kidnapped in an elevator of a super high rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. Cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking, her beliefs, and her endurance.
The cast includes Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and Karelina Clarke.
Ascendant was written by Kieron Holland and Furlong, who produced alongside Kristy Vernon,...
Under the agreement, there will be a planned theatrical release of the film as Rising Wolf in the US on July 16.
Ascendant will be released in Australia and New Zealand this Thursday via Maslow Entertainment.
Set in Shanghai, the story follows Aria Wolf (Charlotte Best), a young woman who wakes, trapped, kidnapped in an elevator of a super high rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. Cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking, her beliefs, and her endurance.
The cast includes Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and Karelina Clarke.
Ascendant was written by Kieron Holland and Furlong, who produced alongside Kristy Vernon,...
- 4/7/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Nearly 130 years since its original publishing, Henry Lawson’s short story “The Drover’s Wife” is more popular than the Aussie writer could have ever dreamed. Mostly, that’s thanks to the tireless efforts and creative obsession of filmmaker, playwright, author, and actress Leah Purcell. Over the course of the past five years, Purcell has made Lawson’s work — originally, an Outback-set story about the eponymous wife of a drover, who drives out a snake that threatens her children while her husband is (again) away at work — into her own, complete with a play, a novel, and now a film version dedicated to her reimagining of the tale.
Much like the star of Lawson and Purcell’s twinning but distinct works — Lawson never gave her a name, Purcell dubbed her “Molly Johnson” — Purcell’s adaptations are all about carving out a fresh space for women in a story world dominated by men.
Much like the star of Lawson and Purcell’s twinning but distinct works — Lawson never gave her a name, Purcell dubbed her “Molly Johnson” — Purcell’s adaptations are all about carving out a fresh space for women in a story world dominated by men.
- 3/18/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story The Drover’s Wife is a beloved classic from Australia’s pioneering past. But like most colonial literature, it marginalizes the people of the First Nations, generally depicted as scoundrels or savages. In her first narrative feature, Indigenous actor-filmmaker Leah Purcell reclaims the tale from an Aboriginal woman’s perspective, a tripartite process she began with a play and novel based on the same source material. An interrogation of Australia’s history of racial violence that also takes on gender, identity and domestic abuse against a backdrop right out of an archetypal high country Western,...
- 3/18/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story The Drover’s Wife is a beloved classic from Australia’s pioneering past. But like most colonial literature, it marginalizes the people of the First Nations, generally depicted as scoundrels or savages. In her first narrative feature, Indigenous actor-filmmaker Leah Purcell reclaims the tale from an Aboriginal woman’s perspective, a tripartite process she began with a play and novel based on the same source material. An interrogation of Australia’s history of racial violence that also takes on gender, identity and domestic abuse against a backdrop right out of an archetypal high country Western,...
- 3/18/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Indigenous Australian actress and writer Leah Purcell is set to debut her first feature as a director, The Drover’s Wife (Legend of Molly Johnson), at SXSW’s Narrative Spotlight this month.
The film, one of three Australian projects screening as part of the annual festival’s online program, in its basic form tells the story of a woman raising her children in the outback while her husband is absent, though its themes of gender, identity and class make it a robust character study. It’s a tale that has been in Purcell’s life for over four decades, as her mother ...
The film, one of three Australian projects screening as part of the annual festival’s online program, in its basic form tells the story of a woman raising her children in the outback while her husband is absent, though its themes of gender, identity and class make it a robust character study. It’s a tale that has been in Purcell’s life for over four decades, as her mother ...
- 3/15/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Indigenous Australian actress and writer Leah Purcell is set to debut her first feature as a director, The Drover’s Wife (Legend of Molly Johnson), at SXSW’s Narrative Spotlight this month.
The film, one of three Australian projects screening as part of the annual festival’s online program, in its basic form tells the story of a woman raising her children in the outback while her husband is absent, though its themes of gender, identity and class make it a robust character study. It’s a tale that has been in Purcell’s life for over four decades, as her mother ...
The film, one of three Australian projects screening as part of the annual festival’s online program, in its basic form tells the story of a woman raising her children in the outback while her husband is absent, though its themes of gender, identity and class make it a robust character study. It’s a tale that has been in Purcell’s life for over four decades, as her mother ...
- 3/15/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the North American rights to Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson ahead of its world premiere at SXSW next week.
In a deal was brokered by Momento International, The Drover’s Wife marks yet another Australian acquisition for Samuel Goldwyn, who has in recent years picked up films such as Rams, High Ground, Judy & Punch, Top End Wedding, Measure for Measure. H is for Happiness, Dirt Music, Koko: A Red Dog Story and Sweet Country.
Produced by Bunya Productions and Oombarra Productions, The Drover’s Wife is written and directed by Purcell, based on her stage play of the same name.
A reimagining of Henry Lawson’s classic short story, the story is set in 1893 on an isolated property the Snowy Mountains, and follows the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive after her husband leaves,...
In a deal was brokered by Momento International, The Drover’s Wife marks yet another Australian acquisition for Samuel Goldwyn, who has in recent years picked up films such as Rams, High Ground, Judy & Punch, Top End Wedding, Measure for Measure. H is for Happiness, Dirt Music, Koko: A Red Dog Story and Sweet Country.
Produced by Bunya Productions and Oombarra Productions, The Drover’s Wife is written and directed by Purcell, based on her stage play of the same name.
A reimagining of Henry Lawson’s classic short story, the story is set in 1893 on an isolated property the Snowy Mountains, and follows the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive after her husband leaves,...
- 3/11/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to “The Drover’s Wife,” an Australian revenge tale written, directed and starring Leah Purcell. Sold by Memento International, the film is an adaptation of Purcell’s successful Australian stage play. The film is set to premiere March 18 at SXSW.
A searing Western thriller, the play “The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson” is a reimagining of Henry Lawson’s classic short story “The Drover’s Wife.” The story is set in 1893, and centers on the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive the harsh Australian landscape after her husband leaves to go drove sheep in the high country.
One day, she finds a shackled Aboriginal fugitive named Yakada (Rob Collins) wounded on her property and forms an unlikely bond with him. Molly soon becomes the target of the suspicious lawman Nate Clintoff (Sam Reid...
A searing Western thriller, the play “The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson” is a reimagining of Henry Lawson’s classic short story “The Drover’s Wife.” The story is set in 1893, and centers on the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive the harsh Australian landscape after her husband leaves to go drove sheep in the high country.
One day, she finds a shackled Aboriginal fugitive named Yakada (Rob Collins) wounded on her property and forms an unlikely bond with him. Molly soon becomes the target of the suspicious lawman Nate Clintoff (Sam Reid...
- 3/10/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Birrarangga Film Festival will return to Melbourne next month, featuring a line-up of more than 70 narrative features, documentaries, and short films.
Designed to celebrate Indigenous projects from around the world, this year’s festival will screen works from Canada, New Zealand, US, Chile, Greenland, Peru, Russia, Finland, Norway, Solomon Islands and Australia.
The inaugural Birrarangga Film Festival took place two years ago in Melbourne after being developed through the creative partnership of Wurundjeri/Yorta Yorta creative Tony Briggs (The Sapphires) and producer Damienne Pradier of Typecast Entertainment.
For Briggs, who is the festival’s artistic director, the second iteration of the event takes place against a markedly different backdrop than its predecessor.
“So much in the world has changed since our inaugural Birrarangga Film Festival two years ago, including the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, #MeToo and the ongoing global pandemic,” he says.
“We hope the recurring...
Designed to celebrate Indigenous projects from around the world, this year’s festival will screen works from Canada, New Zealand, US, Chile, Greenland, Peru, Russia, Finland, Norway, Solomon Islands and Australia.
The inaugural Birrarangga Film Festival took place two years ago in Melbourne after being developed through the creative partnership of Wurundjeri/Yorta Yorta creative Tony Briggs (The Sapphires) and producer Damienne Pradier of Typecast Entertainment.
For Briggs, who is the festival’s artistic director, the second iteration of the event takes place against a markedly different backdrop than its predecessor.
“So much in the world has changed since our inaugural Birrarangga Film Festival two years ago, including the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, #MeToo and the ongoing global pandemic,” he says.
“We hope the recurring...
- 2/16/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Gracie Otto’s documentary Under the Volcano will lead the Australian contingent at next month’s SXSW Film Festival.
Purcell’s feature adaption of her award-winning stageplay will have its world premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section, while Otto’s story of George Martin’s Air Studios Montserrat will debut as part of the 24 Beats Per Second section.
Based on the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in 1893, Snowy Mountains.
Purcell directed and stars in the film, having written the screenplay from her play of the same name.
She is joined in the cast by Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica de Gouw, Malachi Dower-Roberts, Tony Cogin, and Harry Greenwood.
The film is produced by Bain Stewart...
Purcell’s feature adaption of her award-winning stageplay will have its world premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section, while Otto’s story of George Martin’s Air Studios Montserrat will debut as part of the 24 Beats Per Second section.
Based on the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in 1893, Snowy Mountains.
Purcell directed and stars in the film, having written the screenplay from her play of the same name.
She is joined in the cast by Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica de Gouw, Malachi Dower-Roberts, Tony Cogin, and Harry Greenwood.
The film is produced by Bain Stewart...
- 2/11/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
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