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Top Australian actor Damon Herriman and U.K.-Italian star Greta Scacchi join “Succession” star Sarah Snook in horror-thriller “Run Rabbit Run” from “The Handmaid’s Tale” director Daina Reid. The film starts production in Victoria and South Australia this week.

Snook replaced Elizabeth Moss who was previously attached, but who dropped out late last year due to scheduling clashes. Snook plays a fertility doctor whose firm grasp on the cycle of life is put to the test as her young daughter begins to exhibit increasingly strange behavior.

The script was written by acclaimed South Australian novelist Hannah Kent (“Devotion,” “Burial Rites”) from an original idea developed with Carver Films. Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw of Carver Films are producing.

Los Angeles-based XYZ Films is executive producing, financing and handling world sales, having taken over sales duties from STX International which previously touted the project at 2020’s virtual Cannes Market. Storyd...

Photo: ‘The Dry’/Roadshow Films What makes a great mystery? Is it the stomach-churning shock of a perfectly executed reveal? Is it the various loose-ends and maddening misfires assembled along the way to dustily cloud the truth? Or maybe it's just as simple as convincing the audience to care in the first place. What makes Robert Connolly’s ‘The Dry’ (2021) rise above many similar films and cement itself as a truly great mystery is its impressive ability to accomplish all of the elements above while simultaneously spinning them in an invigoratingly fresh direction. Related article: Daniel Craig’s James Bond: A Comprehensive Review & Ranking of the Latest 007’s Portrayals in Film Related article: ‘Pam & Tommy’: All the Hidden Details on Pamela Anderson + Tommy Lee Series with Lily James and Sebastian Stan The latest work from the Australian writer-director of films like ‘Balibo’ (2009) starring Oscar Isaac and the documentary...

Eric Bana’s Pick Up Truck Pictures and Robert Connolly’s Arenamedia have secured rights to the story of Mike “The Bike” Hailwood, the companies announced on Tuesday. Bana will write the script and star as well as co-direct alongside Connolly.

Considered one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, among other accomplishments, Hailwood won the difficult Isle of Man island mountain course 12 times. He retired from mainstream motorcycle racing at the peak of his career in 1967, and over the next decade he switched to professional car racing.

But in 1978 he came out of retirement, securing one of the most celebrated comebacks in motorcycle racing history, winning a crucial race at the Isle of Man in a newly-introduced motorcycle category. He retired for good in 1979 and went into vehicle sales; he died tragically in 1981 while driving with his children, when a truck made an illegal turn and crashed into his car.

Eric Bana’s Pick Up Truck Pictures and Robert Connolly’s Arenamedia have acquired rights to make a movie from the life and spectacular comeback story of Mike “The Bike” Hailwood. Once considered the greatest motorcycle racer of all time, Hailwood retired from racing bikes at his career peak in 1967 after 12 victories at the Isle of Man Tt. He set out to take back his crown in 1978, aboard a Ducati.

Bana plans to star as Hailwood. He also will write a script and co-direct the film with Connolly.

Hailwood revived his career by returning to a race that is considered the most dangerous motorsports event in the world, with 151 fatalities since its inception in 1907. The high-speed race is run on public roads on the British island. Hailwood, who once interrupted his own race to pull a burning competitor out of his blazing Formula One race car and save his life,...

We've seen a lot of Oscar Isaac on the big screen over the last few decades, though it wasn't until strong roles in films like The Nativity Story and Balibo that he really started to appear in larger films to critical acclaim. Isaac has a busy few years ahead of him as well, as he will be appearing in a number of new films, including the animated The Addams Family and the upcoming Dune remake.

Related: Dune Reboot Casts Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides

Oscar Isaac is an incredibly talented actor and musician who has even been featured on his own film's soundtracks a couple of times over the years. To celebrate his continuing rise to Hollywood fame and the promise of bigger and better roles still to come, we are going to showcase the best of Oscar Isaac with a look at 10 of his greatest roles, ranked.

‘H is for Happiness’.

Seven films supported by the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) Premiere Fund will make their premiere at this year’s iteration, including Maziar Lahooti’s Below and Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure.

The Premiere Fund provides minority co-financing to new Australian quality theatrical (narrative and documentary) feature films that then premiere at Miff, and over its history, has invested in more than 70 projects.

The seven films include:

Director John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness, which as previously announced, will form the festival’s Family Gala. The film tells the story of a relentlessly optimistic and hilariously forthright girl who hatches a variety of outlandish schemes to make her fractured family happy again. This charming adaptation of award-winning novel My Life as an Alphabet stars Miriam Margolyes (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Emma Booth (Hounds of Love), Richard Roxburgh (Rake), Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) and...

Thomas M. Wright.

Thomas M. Wright cheerfully acknowledges he is far better known in the Us and the UK than in his native Australia.

That’s because the character actor, who made his feature writing and directing debut on Acute Misfortune, has worked predominantly in international TV series and movies in the past six years.

Wright flies to Quebec next month for his next acting gig, a recurring role in Barskins, a National Geographic drama series based on the Annie Proulx novel about a group of outcasts living in New France — the part of North America controlled by the French — in the 16th century.

That will be his third Us series following Wgn America’s Outsiders and FX network’s The Bridge, and his first acting gig since he played racist station owner Mick Kennedy in Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country.

Wright is not complaining about his relatively low profile...

L-r: Fred Schepisi, Minister Martin Foley, Andrew Knight, Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher, Film Victoria president Ian Robertson, Claire Dobbin, Jan Sardi, John Howie and Tony Reed.

Film Victoria’s annual screen awards were held yesterday evening, honouring writer/producer Andrew Knight, director Daina Reid, games advocate Tony Reed and Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) chair Claire Dobbin.

Knight, whose credits include TV shows such as Fast Forward, Full Frontal, SeaChange and Jack Irish and features like The Water Diviner, Ali’s Wedding and Hacksaw Ridge, was recognised with the Jan Sardi Award for his significant achievements as a screenwriter.

Daina Reid was presented Fred Schepisi Award for significant achievement in directing. Reid began her career in television as a comedy writer and actor, before moving into directing. Her creidts include Blue Heelers, The Secret Life of Us, Rush, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Offspring, Nowhere Boys, The Secret River,...

Hot off the Bravo series "Dirty John," Eric Bana will star in an adaptation of Jane Harper’s bestselling novel The Dry. Robert Connolly (Balibo) will direct the Australian production from a script he wrote with Harry Cripps (Paws). Made Up Stories has set up the picture, and Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky are producing. Bana and Connolly will be exec producers with Ricci Swart and Andrew Myer.

Bana plays Aaron Falk, who returns to his hometown after twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend. The friend allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life, victims of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. After Aaron reluctantly agrees to investigate further, he suspects this crime might be connected to another. Struggling to prove not only Luke’s innocence but his own,...

“American Woman,” a pilot for a new TV show, created by John Wells and starring Alicia Silverstone, is among the first titles unveiled for Series Mania Melbourne.

The TV festival cum market is in its second year in Australia, and will run for four days, July 19—22 as a public event, with July 20 set aside as an industry day. Series Mania Melbourne is organized by Acmi and Film Victoria.

They unveiled 11 TV series and 4 web series and expect to announce more titles later. Other highlights among the first titles. include Fox Networks’ “Deep State,” an espionage thriller starring Mark Strong. Australia’s Robert Connolly directed the first of eight episodes and is expected to attend the festival. Australian web series, “Wrong Kind of Black” about the experiences of Indigenous Australia, via the eyes of DJ Boori Monty Pryor, gets a runout, as does French drama “Maman a Tort,” in which a child denounces his mother.

'The Butterfly Tree'..

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Miff Premiere Fund will present six world premieres at the 66th Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff), including Greg McLean.s survival thriller Jungle.

The festival runs August 3-20; the full program will be launched on July 11, with general public individual session tickets on sale from July 14..

The six premieres are:.

The Butterfly Tree, the feature debut of director Priscilla Cameron, is a coming-of-age tale of love and loss tinged with magical realism, starring Melissa George, Ewen Leslie, Ed Oxenbould and Sophie Lowe.

Naina Sen.s The Song Keepers chronicles the hidden musical legacy of ancient Aboriginal languages and German baroque songs that are being preserved by the Central Australian Aboriginal Women.s Choir.

Eddie Martin.s Have You Seen the Listers? is a moving personal account of the artistic and commercial rise of Australia.s most renowned street artist, which came with a deep personal cost.

In Westwind: Djalu.s Legacy, director Ben Strunin portrays Yolngu elder Djalu Gurruwiwi.s quest to pass his people.s ancient song lines and culture to the next generation — with a little help from global pop star Gotye..

Rabbit is a chilling fairytale feature debut from director Luke Shanahan in which identical twins are linked by more than just DNA, starring Alex Russell and Adelaide Clemens.

The opening night selection, Jungle stars Alex Russell and Daniel Radcliffe in a thriller based on the real-life story of adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg.

The Premiere Fund, which offers minority co-financing to new Australian narrative and documentary theatrical features that then premiere at Miff, has invested in a total of 56 projects. To celebrate the anniversary, Miff will have retro screenings of three classics:

Balibo (2009), Robert Connolly.s political thriller starring Oscar Isaac and Anthony Lapaglia. Bastardy (2008), Amiel Courtin-Wilson.s impressionistic portrait of the life of Indigenous arts personality Jack Charles.. Blessed (2009), Ana Kokkinos. drama about families, love and loss, starring Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto, Deborra-Lee Furness, William McInnes, Sophie Lowe, Harrison Gilbertson and Reef Ireland.

Meanwhile www.miff.com.au will feature a new dedicated Premiere Fund page outlining all 56 investments along with a link to a new iTunes page where many of those films can be purchased..

Among the notable milestones over the 10 years:

Nearly 32 per cent of the fund.s films had female directors (versus Screen Australia-reported industry average of 16 per cent). Nearly 59 per cent had female producers (versus industry average of 32 per cent). 41 per cent included youth themes.. 27 per cent had elements portraying Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Communities (CALDs), with 5 per cent having Cald creative principals (director and/or producer(s). 16 per cent included Indigenous themes and/or characters (including Bran Nue Dae), and nearly 7 per cent had Indigenous creative principals. 13 per cent included Lgbti characters and/or issues, with 18 per cent involving Lgbti creative principals. Some 50% of Premiere Fund movies were helmed by first-time directors.

Miff Premiere Fund executive producer Mark Woods said, .The talent we have been able to support has been incredible — 19 per cent of Premiere Fund films are directed by alumni of Miff emerging director workshop Accelerator Lab and 48 per cent advanced their funding at Miff.s film financing event 37ºSouth Market — so we really do feel like we come on a long journey with these projects..

Rebecca Clough Jan 20, 2017

As America gets its new President, we look at some excellent political drama films that may have slipped under your radar...

Political dramas can be entertaining, informative and even educational, opening up debates and offering new points of view. (When experiencing a year of tumultuous change like the one we’ve just had, they can also be a comforting reminder that, no matter what your situation, it could always be worse...) With the full whack of corruption, war, and conspiracy, here are 25 political dramas which deserve to be better known.

See related 25 underrated political thrillers 17 new TV shows to watch in 2017 Taboo episode 3 review The Girl On The Train review 25. The Marchers/La Marche (2013)

When teenager Mohamed (Tewfik Jallab) is shot by police, his friends want revenge, but he has a better idea: peaceful protest. Marching from Marseille to Paris, they band together with quite an assortment of characters along the way.

Storm Boy.

Screen Australia has unveiled the recipients of its last production investment funding round of 2016. $15 million is shared between seven films and eight television projects, including anticipated titles such as Fred Schepisi.s Andorra and the Shawn Seet remake of Storm Boy..

.We are delighted to be supporting TV projects from so many of the major players all in one round including Foxtel, Channel Seven, Network Ten, the ABC and Sbs," CEO Graeme Mason said. "And in film we look forward to seeing the latest from acclaimed talents Fred Schepisi, Jonathan Teplitzky and John Maynard."

The successful feature film projects are:.

– A contemporary re-imagining of 1976 classic Storm Boy from writer Justin Monjo (The Secret Daughter, Spear), director Shawn Seet (Deep Water, The Code) and Ambience Entertainment producers Michael Boughen and Matthew Street (Tomorrow When the War Began). This time around we meet Mike .Storm Boy. Kingley as a grandfather...

Australian independent feature Adventures of a Happy Homeless Man is set to screen at Sydney's Chauvel Cinema from July 18-21.

Shot in documentary style, the film is a dramedy about Rafael, a former corporate high-flyer who lost his job, his marriage and his home..

Despite being homeless, he never loses his sense of cheekiness and his passion for music..

Using the moniker Bobo the Hobo, he tries to pursue a music career and an acting career..

.I wanted to make a movie that.s entertaining and also makes people think," said director Dicky Tanuwidjaya..

"The top layer of Adventures of a Happy Homeless Man is a comedy. It.s about a mischievous man who deals with life difficulties with confidence and his own unique humorous view of life. Underneath the comedy layer, there.s a subtle-yet-impactful drama layer that ask the questions about happiness, passion, self-discovery and love."

Felino Dolloso (Balibo,...

That Sugar Film director Damon Gameau is set to headline Tropfest Roughcut for 2015.

This year, the engaging and intimate film industry event will be held as two separate evening events, on the October 21 and November 5 at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (Aftrs).

The event will also be free this year..

On October 21, Gameau will take part in a conversation about creativity and confidence with award-winning filmmaker and Head of Documentary at Aftrs, Rachel Landers..

The two will be exploring the idea of resilience and the importance of continuing to create in the face of challenges and criticism.

.The topic is particularly pertinent to Gameau, whose animated film Animal Beatbox won Tropfest 2011 and was the subject of lively debate..

For the director and actor, best known for his work in Balibo, The Tracker and Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, the experience was a formative one.

Gameau said receiving...

Australian documentary maker Damon Gameau cracks open the refined sugars hidden in so-called ‘healthy’ packaged food in a gonzo activist mission to map his own mental and physical disintegration

Actor Damon Gameau strapped drugs to Matthew Newton’s stomach in Underbelly and received an AFI nomination for playing hard-nosed news reporter Greg Shackleton in Balibo. But his latest film uses a little more method than he’s used to.

“Not even Daniel Day-Lewis could act fatty liver disease,” says Gameau, who received just that – and several other blows to his wellbeing – after indulging for 60 days in a Super Size Me-esque stunt to test the effect of sugar on his body.

Continue reading...

Australian writer-director-producer Robert Connolly’s recent projects have ranged from political (Balibo) to topical (Underground: The Julian Assange Story) to literary (The Turning). He ventures off on a new track with Paper Planes, an uplifting family film that taps into a national screen tradition spanning from 1976’s Storm Boy through 2011’s Red Dog, particularly recalling the broad storytelling strokes and disarming corn of the latter. While grownups in search of subtlety and nuance need not apply, the loud cheers of the young audience at the Melbourne International Film Festival’s inaugural Kids Gala suggest that the material connects with its

read more...

Kodi Smit-McPhee, Harry Greenwood, Tom Budge, Lincoln Lewis, Matt Nable, Anthony Hayes, Lachy Hulme and Ashleigh Cummings are among the big ensemble cast announced today for the Endemol Australia/Nine Network miniseries Gallipoli.

A three-month shoot starts in and around Melbourne on March 17 with Glendyn Ivin (Beaconsfield, Puberty Blues) directing. The screenplay by Christopher Lee (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War, Paper Giants, Rush, Police Rescue) is adapted from the best-selling book by Les Carlyon.

The producers are John Edwards (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War, Beaconsfield, Paper Giants, and Offspring), Imogen Banks (Puberty Blues, Offspring) and Robert Connolly (producer of Balibo and The Boys, director of Underground: The Julian Assange Story, The Slap). Nine.s co-Heads of Drama Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan and Endemol Australia CEO Janeen Faithfull are executive producers. .Smit-McPhee plays 17-year-old Thomas .Tolly. Johnson, who lies about his age to enlist with his brother Bevan in the...

Who is Oscar Isaac? He stars as a fictitious '60s folk singer in the new Coen Brothers' film "Inside Llewyn Davis," and although he's made plenty of films you've probably seen, he's seemingly come out of nowhere, so much so that a reporter at Cannes (where the film won the Grand Prix award) asked the actor, "Where have you come from?"

The 33-year-old was born in Guatemala, raised in Miami, and educated at Juilliard. He's been acting for more than 10 years, just in roles that haven't gotten him a lot of attention -- until now.

Even if you remember him from "Drive" or "Robin Hood," you've likely never heard him sing before, but he's actually been singing for years. Before breaking out as an actor, he sang and played lead guitar in the band The Blinking Underdogs.

Since you'll likely be seeing a lot more of Isaac, here's a...

Curator, producer and director Robert Connolly knows how to convey a good story. He has been intimately involved with some great Australian productions over the years; from Balibo to These Final Hours. He has the skills necessary to bring together an extremely ambitious project spanning 17 rising and accomplished directors, each covering a chapter in celebrated author Tim Winton's epic novel The Turning. The Turning as a book is a sprawling, diverse account of the life and times of individuals and families in Western Australia. The writing style differs substantially and some chapters are much more engaging and memorable than others. Some carry a huge weight that seeps through the pages while others are throw-away larks. Regardless, Winton keeps the tone intact throughout and the themes evident....

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

Author Tim Winton's collection of stories The Turning is being lovingly adapted into this haunting, ethereal showcase of Australian darkness and fury. This impressively bold film is part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, and is the very exciting world premiere.The synopsis, poster and image gallery below may give you some indication of the tone it is aiming for but the teaser trailer confirms it. I am looking forward to this ambitious work.A film adaptation of Tim Winton's best-selling novel The Turning, consists of 17 chapters that each features a different director and stellar cast. Under the guidance of curator Robert Connolly (Balibo), first time filmmakers Mia Wasikowska and David Wenham make their directorial debut amongst acclaimed directors such as Warwick Thornton and Justin Kurzel...

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

Two Australian actors who are emerging on the international scene have been cast as the leads in Fell, the first feature from director Kasimir Burgess. Matt Nable will play a guy whose daughter is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Daniel Henshall will play Luke, the driver who is sent to jail for five years. When Luke is released, Nable.s character changes his identity and plots revenge. The screenplay is by Natasha Pincus, based on a story she wrote with Burgess, whose short film Lily won the Crystal Bear at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. The producers are John Maynard and Mary Minas, with Bridget Ikin as executive producer. The nine-week shoot starts at the end of July in and around Warburton in country Victoria. Nable has just completed roles in the movie Riddick, the third instalment in The Chronicles of Riddick series which stars Vin Diesel and Karl Urban,...

Oscar Isaac has been cast in Ariel Kleiman's upcoming feature film debut, Partisan.

Isaac plays the lead in the Coen Brothers. upcoming Inside Llewyn Davis and last appeared in an Australian film back in 2009 with political-thriller Balibo (which won him an AFI Award).

The film is described as a confronting tale about a vengeful man raising his children to attack the world that wronged him.

Partisan, penned by Kleiman and Sarah Cyngler, has been in development with Warp Films Australia for much of the past two years. Kleiman first came to attention with his award-winning short film Deeper Than Yesterday.

Warp Films Australia has produced two films: Snowtown and Shopping. Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw will produce Partisan and Madman Entertainment is signed on as distributor.

Deeper Than Yesterday- trailer from Ariel Kleiman on Vimeo.

.Australian feature Healing, starring Hugo Weaving, Don Hany and Xavier Samuel, is set to start shooting in Victoria on February 18.

The tale of redemption is inspired by a true story, writer-director-producer Craig Monahan said in a statement. .The script is inspired by true events and the powerful connection forged by humans with birds and animals..

Healing follows Viktor Khadem (Don Hany in his first major feature role), who has spent 16 years in prison and has almost given up on life. For his final 18 months, he is sentenced to a low-security, pre-release prison farm, where senior officer Matt Perry (Hugo Weaving) has established a unique program to rehabilitate broken men by giving them the responsibility for the rehabilitation of injured eagles, falcons and owls. Against all odds, Matt takes on Viktor as his number one test case, introducing him to Yasmine, a majestic Wedge-tailed Eagle, revealing a new path of inspiration and hope.

ScreenWest has invested in a new film by director Robert Connolly and producer Liz Kearney for children’s film Paper Planes.

The announcement was made by Arts minister John Day on the set of Connolly’s current project, an adaptation of Tim Winton’s The Turning.

The funding comes to Paper Planes through the screen agency’s Production Investment Fund.

The film has also received funding from Screen Australia.

The announcement:

Western Australia’s filmmakers will have more opportunities to work with one of Australia’s most successful film and television producers following the State Government’s commitment to invest in the production of Paper Planes.

Announcing the funding at the set of Robert Connolly’s latest project, The Turning at Churchlands Senior High School, Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the State Government through ScreenWest had helped secure the filming of Paper Planes in Wa through its Production Investment Fund.

Production on a television drama about the 1915 Gallipoli landing will begin next year.

Channel Nine has announced its commitment to the production, which will screen in 2015 in honour of the 100th anniversary of the battle.

The network has stated the series will be the .most ambitious television drama in Australian history..

By the time it hits Australian screens, Gallipoli will have been three years in the making and will be over eight hours in length.

Channel Nine has described the series as being, .the definitive dramatization of the battle that shaped the Anzac legend..

Gallipoli is set to look at not only the experiences of the Australian diggers in the trenches, but the Turkish soldiers, the wives and families back at home, the journalists who reported on the battle and the political intrigue in Australia and London.

The series will be directed by Glendyn Ivin (Beaconsfield, Puberty Blues) and produced by John Edwards (Howzat!

The final cast of the remake of Patrick has been announced. Directed by Mark Hartley the cast includes Bait 3D’s Sharni Vinson and Game of Thrones’ Charles Dance, joining already announced Rachel Griffiths and Damon Gameau. Production began this week. The film is produced by Antony I Ginnane.

The announcement:

A re-working of the 1978 Australian cult horror film Patrick, starring Rachel Griffiths, Sharni Vinson and Charles Dance, has commenced production at Melbourne’s Docklands Studios.

Patrick is a sophisticated thriller that begins with the mysterious disappearance of a nurse at a remote private clinic. Kathy (rising star Sharni Vinson – Step Up 3D, Bait 3D, You’re Next) takes up the vacant position and is thrust into the formidable company of Matron Cassidy (Academy Award nominee Rachel Griffiths – Hilary and Jackie, Six Feet Under, Muriel’s Wedding) and Dr. Sebastian Roget (Charles Dance – Game Of Thrones, Gosford Park, Alien 3...

The.final cast of the 1978 Australian cult horror remake Patrick has been announced. Starring Academy Award nominee Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, Muriel.s Wedding), up-and-comer Sharni Vinson (Bait 3D) and Charles Dance, (Game of Thrones, Gosford Park) the project has commenced production at Melbourne.s Docklands Studios. Damon Gameau (Balibo, Underbelly), Peta Sergeant (Iron Sky) and Martin Crewes (Crownies, Resident Evil) have also been cast in supporting roles. Patrick is a thriller which examines the burgeoning psychic powers of a mysterious coma patient, Patrick, and his obsession with new nurse Kathy (Vinson). Set in a remote clinic, Kathy is hired after the mysterious disappearance of the nurse before her. Here she finds herself thrust into the formidable company of Matron Cassidy (Griffiths) and renegade neurologist Dr Sebastian Roget (Dance). Tasked with caring for Patrick, it is not long before Kathy becomes the subject of his bloody and dangerous obsession.

The.final cast of the 1978 Australian cult horror remake Patrick has been announced. Starring Academy Award nominee Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, Muriel.s Wedding), up-and-comer Sharni Vinson (Bait 3D) and Charles Dance, (Game of Thrones, Gosford Park) the project has commenced production at Melbourne.s Docklands Studios. Damon Gameau (Balibo, Underbelly), Peta Sergeant (Iron Sky) and Martin Crewes (Crownies, Resident Evil) have also been cast in supporting roles. Patrick will be played by newcomer Jackson Gallagher.

Patrick is a thriller which examines the burgeoning psychic powers of a mysterious coma patient, Patrick, and his obsession with new nurse Kathy (Vinson). Set in a remote clinic, Kathy is hired after the mysterious disappearance of the nurse before her. Here she finds herself thrust into the formidable company of Matron Cassidy (Griffiths) and renegade neurologist Dr Sebastian Roget (Dance). Tasked with caring for Patrick, it is not long before Kathy becomes...

Fans of Van Diemen's Land, Balibo and Cop Hard rejoice! Larry Hard himself, Mark Leonard Winter, is returning to the big screen, this time in a well-deserved leading role, in the upcoming thriller One Eyed Girl. With filming starting this week in Adelaide, South Australia, One Eyed Girl is a dark thriller about a psychiatrist (Winter) who follows a mysterious teenage girl named Grace into a Doomsday cult.Written by Craig Behenna and Nick Matthews, and directed by Matthews, One Eyed Girl is the third Sa Film Lab project to take off - following in the footsteps of Shut Up Little Man and 52 Tuesdays. The Sa Film Lab is a low budget film initiative run by the South Australian Film Corporation that aims to support amazing...

Apocalyptic thriller These Final Hours is set to begin filming in Western Australia on October 15.

The film follows the self-obsessed James, a young man determined to make his way to the party to end all parties on the last day on Earth. He ends up saving the life of a little girl named Rose, who is searching for her father - an act which ultimately leads him on the path to redemption.

It is the first feature film from writer/director Zak Hilditch and producer Liz Kearney and is being overseen by executive producer Robert Connolly (Underground, Balibo).

It stars Nathan Phillips (Wolf Creek) in the lead role of James, Dan Henshall (Snowtown), Lynette Curran (The Boys, Somersault), Sarah Snook (Not Suitable for Children), Jess De Gouw and Kathryn Beck. Newcomer Angourie Rice has been cast as Rose.

Hilditch and Kearney's 13-minute short film Transmission was made as a companion...

Documentaries Underground and Japan In A Day have been added to the London Film Festival line-up.

The festival - which runs from October 10 to 21 - will host the European premiere of Underground, which sees Balibo director Robert Connolly dramatise the early years of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Japan In A Day will screen to coincide with its World Premiere at Tokyo International Film Festival on October 20. The film, inspired by Kevin Macdonald's Life In A Day, asked people across Japan to pick up a camera on the anniversary of the catastrophic Great East Japan Earthquake and capture something about their day. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with some of the film's contributors live from Tokyo....

Australian filmmaker Robert Connolly ("Balibo," "The Bank") is attached to both direct and produce a film adaptation of Justin Scott’s 1978 high seas revenge thriller novel "The Shipkiller" for Valhalla Entertainment and Arenamedia says The Hollywood Reporter.

Stretching from the stormy waters of the South Atlantic to the oil-slicked reaches of the Persian Gulf, the story follows one man determined to win at sea the justice he has been denied on land.

Gale Anne Hurd ("The Walking Dead," "Terminator 2") will produce alongside Connolly who cites Phil Noyce's 1989 Hitchcock-esque classic "Dead Calm" as a major influence. An attempt to adapt the property was previously made at the time of the book's release with Sean Connery and David Niven slated to star.

Connolly is currently at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting his Julian Assange telemovie "Underground".

Toronto -- Aussie filmmaker Robert Connolly, who is making a splash at the Toronto International Film Festival with his Julian Assange film Underground, is set to take on another true-life story. The Balibo helmer is attached to direct and produce The Shipkiller, based on New York Times best-selling author Justin Scott’s epic 1978 novel. Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, The Hulk) is producing through her Valhalla Entertainment shingle. Connolly will produce via his Arenamedia banner. Henry Morrison (the Bourne trilogy) and Andrew Myer are executive producing. The revenge thriller is set on the high seas, stretching from the titanic storms of

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Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment and Australian-based film company Arenamedia will produce The Shipkiller, an adaptation of the Justin Scott epic revenge thriller novel. Australian filmmaker Robert Connolly (Balibo) is attached to direct and Hurd will produce for Valhalla with Connolly producing via Arenamedia. Henry Morrison and Andrew Myer are executive producing. The highly regarded high seas novel is described as “an odyssey of revenge that embraces the distant waters of the world, from the titanic storms of the South Atlantic to the oil-slicked reaches of the Persian Gulf.” One man is determined to win at sea the justice he has been denied on land. “This is an extraordinary novel that was almost made in 1979 with Sean Connery and David Niven, and I am ecstatic to be working with the remarkably talented Gale Anne Hurd to finally bring this brilliant novel and tale to life,” said Connolly. “Ever since...

Gale Anne Hurd.s Valhalla Entertainment and Australian-based film company Arenamedia announced today at the Toronto International Film Festival that the companies will produce The Shipkiller , based on New York Times best-selling author Justin Scott.s epic revenge thriller, with Australian filmmaker Robert Connolly ( Balibo ) attached to direct. The Shipkiller , a novel of love and revenge set in the high seas, is considered to be one of the best maritime thrillers ever written. Described as .an odyssey of revenge that embraces the distant waters of the world, from the titanic storms of the South Atlantic to the oil-slicked reaches of the Persian Gulf,. the novel follows one man determined to win at sea the justice he has been denied on land. Acclaimed author Robert...

One of the unorthodox selections at the Toronto International Film Festival this year is Underground, as it's a made for TV movie that - if it wasn't for Tiff - would have had its world premiere on a major Australian commercial TV network later this year. However three key things elevate this movie. First it's being directed by one of Australia's greatest directors Robert Connolly, who has already been producer or director on such iconic films as The Boys, Romulus My Father and Balibo, and who more than any other Australian director has the potential to have a Peter Weir-like career over the next 20 years. Second, the cast: stalwarts Anthony Lapaglia, Rachel Griffiths star alongside rising stars Callan McAuliffe, Laura Wheelwright, TV comedian Jordan Paskopoulos and newcomer Alex Williams. And...

Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming western, Django Unchained, has lost yet another cast member in the form of Without A Trace star Anthony Lapaglia. He was forced to leave the ‘out of control’ production after constantly changing shooting schedules clashed with his commitment to Robert Connolly’s Julian Assange film, Underground.

Lapaglia, talking to Australian site News, said the following regarding the hectic filming:

“The production was just out of control, over-budget, it was everywhere. I had to formally withdraw. They recast it and they still haven’t shot anything. I could have said nothing and just hung out, I could be there shooting it now [...]The people at ‘Django,’ their attitude more or less was, ‘Just dump the other film,’ but I couldn’t do it out of respect to Rob Connolly, out of respect to the material, out of respect to the commitment I’d made,”

Lapaglia had previously...

As "Django Unchained" made its way in front of cameras, Quentin Tarantino saw both the cast and script for his upcoming slavery/western/vengeance pic change as production moved along. Joseph Gordon-Levitt had to bail on his small role in the film, Kevin Costner couldn't commit to his role either, Sacha Baron Cohen had to bow out, and Kurt Russell also exited the picture (and while Jonah Hill did initially turn down the movie due to scheduling, he was able to join later on, albeit in a different role). And it looks like yet another actor left the project over timing. As his shooting days kept getting changed, Aussie actor Anthony Lapaglia found the schedule between "Django Unchained" running up against his role in Robert Connolly's Julian Assange film "Underground," which he signed on for this spring. And when push came to shove, he sided with Connolly who he...

Julian Assange telemovie Underground and feature drama Dead Europe have become the latest Australian screen projects to be selected to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

They join feel-good local hit The Sapphires, Wwi-drama Lore and documentary Storm Surfers 3D, which will also be screened at the festival between September 6.16.

Underground, written and directed by Robert Connolly (Balibo), is inspired by Suelette Dreyfus. book of the same name. It focuses on the early teenage years of Wikileaks founder Assange (played by Alex Williams) and follows his gang of close friends in Melbourne as they explore the world of computer hacking.

The telemovie, which will screen on Network Ten in Australia, stars Anthony Lapaglia (Balibo, Mental), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters) and Callan McAuliffe (The Great Gatsby).

Network Ten executive producer drama and production, Rick Maier, said in a statement: .This is not only great recognition for the film itself, but...

Anthony Lapaglia ("Without a Trace"), Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under") and Callan McAullife ("I Am Number Four") are set to star in the telemovie "Underground" about the early life of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange reports Inside Film.

Matchbox Pictures is producing the project which will shoot in Melbourne shortly. Robert Connolly, who previously worked with Lapaglia on the 2009 true story drama "Balibo", has penned the script and will direct.

Newcomer Alex Williams, who graduated from acting school last year, has scored the role of Assange himself. Griffiths will play Assange's mother, Lapaglia is a policeman investigating the young hacker.

Laura Wheelwright and Jordan Paskopoulos also star. The Ten network will screen the telemovie in Australia later this year with an international release to follow afterwards.

With their promising adaptation of Arthur Miller's "A View From The Bridge," with names like Vera Farmiga and Mia Wasikowska who were attached to star failing to materialize, Robert Connolly and Anthony Lapaglia (who previously teamed on "Balibo") have now set their sights on a film about one of the biggest international political figures in recent times, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Boasting a script also penned by Connolly, the Australian TV movie, titled "Underground," will focus on Assange's younger days as a computer hacker. Rachel Griffiths will star as Assange's mother, Christine, and Lapaglia will be playing a detective on her son's trail. Newcomer Alex Williams will play the younger Assange with Callan McAuliffe (who'll play the younger Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation), Laura Wheelwright and Jordan Paskopoulos also part of the cast.

“'Underground' is the incredible, true story of a group of...

While HBO is scurrying to gather talent for its film about the polarising Julian Assange, an Australian telemovie about the early life of the WikiLeaks founder is gearing up to commence shooting April 16. It will star Rachel Griffiths and Anthony Lapaglia with the young Julian Assange to be played by newcomer Alex Williams.   Written and directed by Robert Connolly (Balibo, The Slap), the telemovie is inspired by the 1997 book Underground by Suelette Dreyfus about a community of underground computer hackers during the late 1980s and early 1990s that included Assange.

Anthony Lapaglia and Rachel Griffiths will star in a telemovie about the early life of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for network Ten.

Underground, from production company Matchbox Pictures, will film in Melbourne and be directed by Robert Connolly (Balibo). Connolly also penned the script for the movie.

Griffiths will play Christine, Assange's mother, while Lapaglia will take the role of a policeman investigating the young hacker. Young actor Callan McAullife (I Am Number Four, The Great Gatsby) will also star.

The role of Julian Assange has been given to newcomer Alex Williams. The actor graduated last year from the Western Academy of Performing Arts and is represented by Marquee Management.

Underground will air later this year.

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Waapa graduate Alex Williams will play Wikileaks founder Julian Assange...

A Robert Connolly-produced film – which features a range of big-name Australian filmmakers and actors directing different chapters of the film – has received funding from Screen Australia.

The Turning, an adaptation Tim Winton’s book of 17 short stories of the same name, is to be directed by Snowtown director Justin Kurzel, Van Diemen’s Land director Jonathan Auf Der Heide, The Slap show runner Tony Ayres, actors Cate Blanchett, David Wenham and Mia Wasikowska, Connolly and others.

Connolly’s multi-director project comes a few months after the announcement that the screen agency was investing in John Polson’s film Sydney Unplugged featuring short films by prominent Australian filmmakers.

Connolly, producer of The Boys, Romulus and My Father and director of The Bank, Three Dollars and Balibo, is a board member of Screen Australia.

A Screen Australia spokesperson told Encore: “We have a clear working conflict of interest policy that works.

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

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

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

ABC TV head of fiction,...

FIlming has begun on a new ABC1 telemovie about Dr Bert Wainer and two extraordinary women who exposed the deadly impact that Melbourne's anti-abortion laws had in the 1960s. Dangerous Remedy is currently shooting in Melbourne and stars Jeremy Sims (Corridors of Power, Fireflies, Underbelly Files), William McInnes (Curtin, East West 101, Look Both Ways), Susie Porter (East West 101, Sisters of War, East of Everything), Maeve Dermody (Paper Giants, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries, Beautiful Kate), Mark Leonard Winter (Balibo, Van Dieman.s Land, Blame), as well as Gary Sweet and Caroline Craig. The political-thriller is set in 1969 and follows Bert Wainer, a local Gp, who embarks on a campaign for law reform after the death of a young woman. He discovers an illegal abortion...

A sequel to last year.s successful low-budget horror film The Tunnel is currently in the works.

The sequel . titled The Tunnel: Dead End . received development funding from Screen Australia earlier this month and will pick up the story years down the track. No shoot date has been set for the horror flick.

It.s a sequel creators Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey weren.t planning on. .Initially, we weren.t anticipating doing another Tunnel film but the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the original . as well as our fans clamouring for another on an almost daily basis . made us go back and give it a second thought,. Tedeschi and Harvey, of Distracted Media, said in a joint statement.

.We weren't going to go ahead unless we could find a story we were 100 per cent behind, which we now have, and are thrilled to have the support of Screen Australia.

Screen Australia has invested $275,000 in funding to support the development of 10 feature film projects, it was announced today.

The money will be used toward the development of films including a new feature from Balibo director Robert Connolly and John Polson's mysteriously titled 'Sydney Project.'

Connolly is attached to write, direct and co-produce Paper Planes, the story of a young boy with such a love flight, that he is compelled to compete in the world paper plane championships.

Details surrounding Tropfest creator John Polson's Sydney project are few. When announced last June, it was said to be a collection of 12 short films set in each month of the year that paid tribute to the city.

Other films that have received funding include Kingdom Come, an action thriller to be directed by Marc Furmie and One White Crow, from writer/director Catriona McKenzie.

Kingdom Come features an Australian Federal...

Screen Australia has invested $275,000 in funding to support the development of 10 feature film projects, it was announced today. The money will be used toward the development of films including a new feature from Balibo director Robert Connolly and John Polson's mysteriously titled 'Sydney Project.' Connolly is attached to write, direct and co-produce Paper Planes, the story of a young boy with such a love flight, that he is compelled to compete in the world paper plane championships. Details surrounding Tropfest creator John Polson's Sydney project are few. When announced last June, it was said to be a collection of 12 short films set in each month of the year that paid tribute to the city. Other films that have received funding include Kingdom Come, an...