EPIC SHARK THRILLER BEAST OF WAR STARTS SHOOTING

Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, Bronte Pictures and Pictures in Paradise have announced that principal photography has officially commenced in Australia on Beast Of War, the eagerly awaited shark thriller helmed by acclaimed genre director Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Nekoronic, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Sting).

Pictured, above: On the set of Beast of War at Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane.

Filming takes place between the lush sub-tropical region of New South Wales’ Northern Rivers and Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane. The film is a collaboration between Bronte Pictures (known for The Fabulous Four, Streamline, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Take My Hand) and Chris Brown of Pictures in Paradise (Sting, Daybreakers, The Railway Man).

An ensemble of award-winning and emerging Australian actors make up the cast, including Mark Coles Smith (Last Cab To Darwin, Mystery Road: Origin); newcomer Joel Nankervis; Sam Delich (Last Days Of The Space Age, Spiderhead); Lee Tiger Halley (Boy Swallows Universe, Crazy Fun Park); Tristan McKinnon (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Moon Rock For Monday); and, Steve Le Marquand (Population: 11, Christmess). The cast will endure a brutal physical shoot portraying a band of soldiers stranded in the open ocean, hunted by the ultimate apex predator.

Penned by Roache-Turner, the screenplay is set in 1942 during World War II. A warship carrying hundreds of Australian soldiers across the Timor Sea is suddenly targeted by Japanese bombers, transforming the ocean into a hellscape of steel, fire, oil, and blood. With their vessel destroyed, a handful of soldiers construct a makeshift raft from floating debris, clinging to their lives amidst rising tensions. However, their greatest battle is yet to come as a great white shark, drawn to the scent of blood, hunts them in the wreckage below.

Beast of War is building Australia’s largest indoor water tank at the Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane, while also working with Brisbane based Model Farm whose team will use volume screens to bring open ocean to life.

Pictured, above: On location in northern New South Wales - L to R: 1st AD, Jamie Crooks; gaffer, Storm Ashwood; Director of Photography, Mark Wareham (centre); B-camera/underwater camera Mark Broadbent, director, Kiah Roache-Turner; buyer/dresser, Michael O'Connor.

 The creature effects are being crafted by multi-award winning studio Formation Effect's director Steven Boyle, whose credits include The Matrix Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy. Director of Photography for the project is Mark Wareham ACS (Boy Swallows Universe, The Legend of Molly Johnson, La Brea), with production designer Esther Rosenberg (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Fear Below, Take My Hand) and AFI-nominated costume designer Tracey Rose Sparke (Beneath Hill 60; The 25th Reich) also on board.

Roache-Turner is celebrated as one of Australia’s premier genre directors. His debut film Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, while his follow-up feature Nekrotonic, starring Monica Bellucci, premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. His subsequent film, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, won the Audience Award at the 2021 Sydney Film Festival. His current feature, the arachnophobia horror Sting, is rolling out across international territories under the guidance of Studiocanal.

Beast Of War has generated significant international buzz, with sales and distribution company Cornerstone securing distribution deals in key markets, including Signature Entertainment in the UK and Well Go in North America. Other territories include Dea Planeta (Spain), Just Entertainment (Benelux), NOS (Portugal), Galaxy Pictures (Australia & New Zealand), GPI (Baltics), Capella (CIS), TVN (Poland), Karpat Media (Romania & Hungary), Italia Film (Middle East), Tanweer (Turkey), and Filmfinity (South Africa).

SHAYDA TO REP OZ FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS

Australian drama SHAYDA, from Iranian-Australian debut writer and director Noora Niasari, has been announced as the official Australian submission for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

SHAYDA had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition in January, where it won the World Cinema Audience Award. The film then opened the Melbourne International Film Festival and was the closing-night screening at Locarno Film Festival, screening for 8,000 in the Piazza Grande. It is next set to bow at TIFF on September 13th and will be in Australian cinemas from October 5th 2023.

Produced by Vincent Sheehan and Noora Niasari and executive-produced by Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini of Dirty Films, potent drama stars Cannes Best Actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Holy Spider) alongside Osamah Sami, Leah Purcell, Jillian Nguyen, Mojean Aria, Rina Mousavi & Selina Zahednia.

A young Iranian mother and her six-year-old daughter find refuge in an Australian women’s shelter during the two weeks of Iranian New Year (Nowruz) which is celebrated as a time of renewal and rebirth. Aided by the strong community of women at the shelter they seek their freedom in this new world of possibilities, only to find themselves facing the violence they tried so hard to escape.

SHAYDA is the directorial debut of Tehran-born, Australia-raised Niasari, a writer-director and co-founder of Parandeh Pictures, whose short films and documentaries have screened at film festivals worldwide. Of the selection, Noora said, “I see this film as an open invitation for audiences to recognize and celebrate the courage and resilience of Iranian women. Australian women and all women fighting for freedom and independence from domestic violence. And so, to have SHAYDA represent Australia on the world stage with this submission gives me an immense sense of hope and pride.”

Australia only infrequently sends non-English language films to the Academy Awards. With only one Australian nomination in the Foreign Language category in the past, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler’s Tanna in 2017, and a steady stream of submissions in the category since 2012, the selection represents an exciting persistence in the diversification of Australian cinema.

Representatives at Dirty Films said, “Our hearts immediately connected to the story of Shayda. Its central theme of defining one’s own path is deeply rooted in the Australian psyche, but Noora Niasari has created art for a global audience. This is a powerful and resonant story of family that couldn’t be more timely, and we’re so proud that audiences are responding so enthusiastically as it embarks on an international journey.” 

Producer Vincent Sheehan said: “Seeing festival audiences around the globe be so affected by Shayda's powerful story of female empowerment and equally moved by the films' celebration of Iranian culture has been a rewarding experience so far. And now, as the official Australian submission, there is an opportunity for the story of Shayda to reach many more”

An Origma 45 production produced in association with Dirty Films and Parandeh Pictures, SHAYDA received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with The 51 Fund and was financed with support from VicScreen and the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund.

NSW SECTOR NATION'S PRODUCTION LEADER, SAYS ABS SURVEY

The eighth Film, Television and Digital Games Survey released on Friday, June 23 provides a detailed snapshot of how the Australian industry has changed since 2015/16. The survey, commissioned by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), shows the NSW screen industry has grown more in size and value than any other state in the past six years.

A sample of 1,252 businesses was selected for the ABS initiative, with each asked to provide data sourced primarily from financial statements via online questionnaires. Businesses were also asked to supply key details of their operations by state and territory, enabling production estimates, and selected measures of production activity, such as the number and type of productions and hours for which they were responsible. The period covered by the information collection was, in general, the 12 months ended 30 June 2022.

Head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth (pictured, right) said the 2021/22 figures show NSW production, post-production and digital games businesses now employed about 15,600 people, up 60%, and contributed almost $3.5 billion to the state economy, more than double since the last survey.

“The results are further proof of the massive financial contribution our screen and content creation industry have on NSW, and improving the rich cultural life enjoyed across the state,” Ms Hepworth said. “This data gives us clear direction for where we need to offer greater support and will help guide all our program and funding decisions going forward.”

The survey found NSW is home to about 47% of Australia’s production businesses (2105 out of 4106 employers) with 13,200 staff, up from 8,200. NSW did not have it all the good news; state industry body Screen Queensland boasted a notable increase in employment of 2,885 people (226.8%) from the end of June 2016 to the end of June 2022, driven by an influx of international films (Aquaman; Ticket to Paradise; Godzilla vs. Kong; Elvis) and television (Young Rock; Joe vs Carole) to the state.

Almost half (49%) of Australia’s post-production facilities are in NSW (284 out of 575 businesses), employing 1755 out of 3405 people and contributing $308.5m to the state’s economy.

Screen NSW acknowledges work needs to be done in digital games despite an increase in the number of NSW developers from 13 to 32, or 17% of the nation’s 188 (an increase of less than 1%), although the state over-performs when it comes to income, contributing $136.1m (30% of the national total) to the NSW economy. The South Australian Film Corporation is actively seeking digital gaming entities, with the ground-breaking SA Video Game Development (VGD) Rebate enabling video games studios to claim a 10% rebate on costs incurred to develop game tech in the state.

The most significant financial challenge facing the industry is as indicated by the survey is rising production costs, which have increased by 104% over the period. Gender parity is still an issue within several sectors, with a refocusing on equality essential in the nation’s film and video production businesses (62.1% males, 37.9% females) and post-production facilities (67.5% males, 32.5% females).

The results come at a time when the Government has provided further pivotal support for the industry with two competitive screen production incentives – the newly legislated Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO) and the Government-announced, increased 30% Location Offset – providing a vital springboard from which to continue the growth of the entire screen ecosystem.

About the author: Simon Foster is a film industry freelance journalist with over 30 years experience in the Australasian sector. In addition to his role as Managing Editor of SCREEN-SPACE (founded 2012), he is the Festival Director of the SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL; co-host/producer of the SCREEN WATCHING podcast; and, film reviewer for the ABC-FM Statewide Drive and NINE MEDIA National Radio outlets. Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

WARWICK THORNTON'S LATEST IN CANNES CONTENTION

Award-winning First Nations filmmaker’s Warwick Thornton’s spiritual drama The New Boy has been selected for this years’ Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard program. This is the second film from Thornton to appear at the festival, after winning the Caméra d'Or Award for Samson & Delilah in 2009.

The New Boy stars Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, and newcomer Aswan Reid (pictured, above) in the titular role. An ensemble of new faces, including Shane Brady, Tyrique Brady, Laiken Woolmington, Kailem Miller, Kyle Miller, Tyzailin Roderick and Tyler Spencer, round out the cast.

Set in 1940s Australia, The New Boy is the story of a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy (Reid) who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery, run by a renegade nun (Blanchett), where his presence disturbs the delicately balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.

The New Boy was filmed in South Australia, with major production funding from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department. The film is produced by Kath Shelper for Scarlett Pictures, Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton and co-producer Georgie Pym for Dirty Films, and Lorenzo De Maio (of De Maio Entertainment), with Coco Francini serving as executive producer for Dirty Films alongside Gretel Packer for Longbridge Nominees.

Screen Australia’s Head of First Nations, Angela Bates said, “It’s one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world and it’s fantastic to see Warwick return. He is a creative genius whose auteurial voice creates conversation, and this film is no different. Warwick is also known for discovering new talent such as Aswan Reid, who shines in this exquisite and thought-provoking film.”

Thornton is one of Australia’s most celebrated filmmakers, most notably for his critically acclaimed Sweet Country, for which he won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017; and Samson and Delilah, for which he won the Caméra d’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Both films won the AACTA Award for Best Film.

STEPHANIE ALEXANDER AND MAGGIE BEER’S TUSCAN COOKBOOK HEADED FOR THE BIG SCREEN

Australian production and distribution studio Arcadia has optioned Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer’s bestseller Tuscan Cookbook and Stephanie’s Journal for adaptation to the big screen.

Akin to box office hits The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Under the Tuscan Sun and Julie & Julia, the feature film will be written by Australian film and television writer Katherine Thomson (Amazon TV’s A Place To Call Home; Women He’s Undressed; StudioCanal’s Helena!). “As most women know, to have a best friend is a great blessing and if they share your passion and inspire you, then you’ve really lucked out,” says Thomson (pictured, below). “Stephanie and Maggie first shared their friendship with the world through the books, now they’re allowing me to expand on the narrative and into a movie – a big leap for them, and how fortunate am I.”

Published by Penguin, Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer’s Tuscan Cookbook, transports readers to the sunlit hills of Tuscany, where in 1997 they left Australia to run a cooking school in a villa outside of Siena. The Tuscan Cookbook records in detail their time in Italy, the dishes cooked, the places visited, the people who made it all happen and the guests who joined for the ride.

Arcadia has also taken the option to Stephanie's Journal, her personal account of a year which saw the opening of the Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder, the closure of the celebrated restaurant, Stephanie's, the impact of The Cook's Companion, published a year earlier and the cooking schools in Tuscany with Maggie Beer.

Said Stephanie: “It was the adventure of our lives. It deepened our friendship as we supported each other and convinced us all over again of the value of being with others who shared our enthusiasm for ripe and real flavours, in a country that daily reinforced the importance of eating well as an essential part of living well.”

Maggie added: “There are times in your life that are so wonderfully significant that you have to pinch yourself that it was even possible. Our friendship and support for each other was so incredibly special and life affirming. Re-reading Stephanie’s journal of that year brings every moment back to life in cinematic detail, so to think of it coming to the big screen is both exciting and just a bit scary too.”

The film will be produced by Lisa Shaunessy for Arcadia, a company on a run of successes that have included the Kodi Smit-McPhee sci-fi hit 2067 and the SXSW Midnighters’ opener Sissy, starring Aisha Dee. From their base in the central NSW township of Orange, they are currently in production on the sci-fi thriller In Vitro starring Succession’s Ashley Zukerman.

Arcadia parrtner and executive producer on the film, Alexandra Burke (pictured, left; credit Jude Keogh), says “As beloved icons, Maggie Beer and Stephanie Alexander have made significant contributions to Australian life, in a similar way to how Julia Child revolutionised the home kitchen in America. The story behind the Tuscan Cookbook captured my imagination many years ago and now the timing felt right.”

BACK TO BACK THEATRE'S DEBUT FILM BOUND FOR SYDNEY FILM FEST PREMIERE

Australia’s acclaimed Back to Back Theatre, a professional theatre company with an ensemble of actors with disabilities at its core, will screen their debut feature Shadow at the 2022 Sydney Film Festival, where it will have its Australian Premiere on June 15. This follows the film's International Premiere at SXSW earlier this year, where it earned the Visions Audience Award.

Directed by Bruce Gladwin and produced by Alice Fleming and Meret Hassanen, Shadow was co-conceived and co-authored by Back to Back’s core group of performance artists -  Michael Chan, Mark Deans, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Simon Laherty and Sonia Teuben. The 56-minute story involves a trio of disability activists who hold a public meeting, desperate to save the world. As the meeting unravels, they discover the greatest threat to their future is already in the room.

“Shadow uses a combination of dramatic and documentary-style elements to tell the story of a group of activists who hold a public meeting only to discover their own prejudices are their biggest obstacles to saving the world,” says Bruce Gladwin (pictured, right), who has crafted globally recognised work with Back to Back for over two decades. “Thematically, we wanted to understand individual and collective responsibility and question how we come together to make decisions that are in the best interests of society.”

Created over two and a half years through conversation and improvisation with the performers, 95% of the people on screen are people with disabilities, and the majority of the crew roles are fulfilled by interns who identify as people with disabilities supported by professional mentors. Says Gladwin, “The narrative and the film’s philosophical approach to the process of creation are intrinsically linked. This is community filmmaking."

Filmed on location in Geelong in December 2020, Shadow ambitiously builds upon the success of the company’s debut short, Oddlands, creating a feature film that is provocative and challenging. It is based on the company’s theatrical production The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes (2019), which was developed at the 2019 Sundance Theatre Lab and described by The New York Times as “an extraordinary play”. 

For co-producer Alice Fleming, the film’s SFF acceptance is indicative of broadening audience tastes. “It continues to provide evidence that audiences and programmers are looking for more inclusive storytelling teams,” she says. Actor and co-writer Scott Price (pictured, left) agrees, stating “The fact that it is premiering at festivals such as SXSW and now Sydney Film Festival shows that it is a beautiful piece of work, and the importance of telling stories from the perspective of people with disabilities.”

The Sydney Film Festival dates are:
Wednesday 15 June, 3:15pm at State Theatre | AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Friday 17 June, 6:00pm at Palace Central
Saturday 18 June, 4:30pm at Dendy Newtown

SHADOW is jointly funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the City of Greater Geelong Arts & Culture Department’s Arts Industry Commissions Program and supported by Screen Australia through the COVID-19 Budget Support Fund Program. (Photo credits: Jeff Busby)

MINDEROO PICTURES LAUNCH PROMISES PROGRESSIVE PROJECT SLATE

Asia-Pacific’s largest philanthropic organisation, Minderoo Foundation, has announced the launch of a social impact film enterprise, to be overseen by executive producer Richard Harris. The initiative, Minderoo Pictures, will support screen projects that tackle the global challenges championed by the Perth-based philanthropic organisation.

“Minderoo Pictures will be a strategic and active collaborator seeking the best films, the best teams and the best ways to invest across the film value chain, from development through to production and release,” says Harris (pictured, above; l-r, Harris with Minderoo's Nicola and Andrew Forrest). “At its heart, Minderoo Foundation believes in the transformative power of the arts to change the world. Minderoo Pictures will work to cut through and inspire global change.”

The new enterprise has been established with an initial commitment of $10 million AUD, making Minderoo Pictures a leading global player in impact film production.

Harris will work with the best creative teams globally to develop, produce and assist in the release of ambitious screen projects that inspire change. Harris comes to Minderoo Pictures with more than 20 years’ experience in the film industry, having held leadership roles at Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation. 

The first four projects in development will span themes of ocean conservation, plastics and human health and early childhood development in Indigenous communities, including a feature film collaboration between Academy Award® winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove, The Game Changers; pictured, above) and Josh Murphy (Artifishal); Blueback, helmed by Robert Connolly (The Dry); Honey Ant Dreamers, directed by Michael Cordell (Year of the Dogs) and Emily-Anyupa Butcher; and, First Born (pictured, below), produced by Workshop TV.  

Psihoyos said: “Film is a powerful force for creating social change. We are excited to partner with Minderoo Pictures to create films that can change the world.”

Minderoo Foundation Chairman Andrew Forrest said: “Our initiatives are tackling some of the most significant global challenges, from plastic pollution to modern slavery and cancer research. Lasting change doesn’t just happen by itself. To have real impact we must motivate people, companies, and governments to act, to reassess their behaviours or start a movement.”

Minderoo Foundation Co-chair Nicola Forrest said: “The arts enrich our lives and nourish our souls, and they can also be a powerful communication tool. Long form storytelling through film speaks to us in a unique way. It has the capacity to cut through, it can create movements for change and even trigger cultural shifts. Minderoo Pictures is seeking projects that will reach new audiences and inspire them to work towards a better, fairer world.”

In addition to the films themselves, Minderoo Pictures is also working to produce high profile, cross-platform impact campaigns, to reach diverse audiences across policy makers, schools, and the business sector.

NEXTWAVE HONOUREES ANNOUNCED AT SWIFF GALA CEREMONY

The culmination of a year-long search for Australia’s freshest filmmaking minds unfolded yesterday at the Screenwave International Film Festival (SWIFF), with the award ceremony for the Nextwave Youth Film Festival taking place in the heart of Coffs Harbour, hosted by actor and Toormina High alumni, Nick Hardcastle.

Drawn from over 60 short films submitted by regional student filmmakers aged 10-25, a final roster of 22 finalists were screened at the C.Ex Auditorium for the nominees and their families, as well as representatives from the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the running for the highly-coveted trophies. (Pictured, above; a still from Nextwave finalist What's Next, directed by Francoise Dik) 

In the 10-14 age bracket, Best Film honours went to The Beach, a eerie, monochromatic moodpiece directed by and starring Lachlan Beck and Michaela Forbes and produced at St Columba Anglican College, Port Macquarie. Honours in the 15-17 years category went to Brain Storm, a meta-rich take on the filmmaking process, which took out Best Film and Best Script trophies for creatives Ben Rosenberg and Lawson Booth of Toowoomba Grammar School. In the 18-25 groups, the home invasion thriller Come Downstairs (pictured, right), directed by Brayden Cureton of Toowoomba Christian College, earned the Best Film nod.

The People’s Choice award, voted for by those attending the screening ceremony, went to the joyous celebration of seaside teen life, The Perfect Day in Isolation, directed by Jonah Werner and Toby Hill out of Macksville High School. The coastal odyssey also earned a SWIFF Commendation, as did director Sophie Bagstar of Oxley High School for her dramatic supernatural thriller, Devour.   

In other key categories, the Matrix-like actioner Rural Quest (pictured, right), produced by the trio of William Butler, Jack Morgan and Dylan Mann of St Paul’s College Kempsey, scored Best Cinematography and Best Editing gongs; Kaelyn Ward won Best Director for her haunted-home mystery, The Switch; Best Actor honours went to Felix Kneebone for Willow Driver’s man-child comedy, I Don’t Want to Play Anymore; and, Aaron Bruggeman won Best Sound for his workplace fantasy, Day Dreamer.

The Young Regional Filmmaker Award is one of the most sought-after Nextwave honours, recognised throughout the film industry as a key stepping-stone towards sector acceptance. In 2020, that honour went to Rylee Parry, an 18-25 category nominee, for her directorial effort Remember The Waltzing, Matilda. Runner-up in the category was Jordan Frith, represented by the dreamlike drama, Feeling Lost.

In 2020, the Nextwave mentoring and training program shifted from in-person workshops to a dedicated online film education portal, hosted at nextwavefilm.com.au. The 2021 competition was officially opened by SWIFF Festival Directors Kate Howat and Dave Horsley, with the competition once again to be overseen by Program Director Saige Brown. Heads up, filmmakers - this year’s condition-of-entry component is ‘pineapple’, dictating the tropical fruit or some variation thereof must appear in your submission.

In a first for the Nextwave finalists, it was announced that 11 films, each exhibiting a key genre thematic element - sci-fi, horror, thriller or fantasy - would be granted automatic entry into the 2021 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival. A full list of the films selected to screen November 4-13 in Sydney can be found at the festival's Facebook page here.   

AUSTRALIAN CYBER-THRILLER LONE WOLF TO BOW AT IFFR

The 2021 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will host the World Premiere of the new Australian film, Lone Wolf, it was announced overnight. Adapted from Joseph Conrad’s classic book The Secret Agent, writer-director Jonathan Ogilvie re-sets the narrative in a near-future Melbourne, where surveillance of the population has reached dangerously intrusive heights. It will bow in the ‘Big Screen Competition’ strand of IFFR, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Starring Hugo Weaving, the thriller is Ogilvie’s first feature since 2008’s The Tender Hook. It arrives after an extensive pre-production period during which the technical aspects of the setting and the innovative approach to contemporary storytelling were streamlined. The production has coined the term ‘cineveillant’ to describe the aesthetic of the film, one steeped in the grammar of surveillance and the societal and psychological implications of being watched.

The IFFR website describes the film as “an exciting political thriller and an emotion-laden drama”. Weaving (pictured, below) plays the Minister of Justice, whose days are spent scouring footage from hidden cameras, phone taps, Skype sessions and security surveillance. His latest focus is an obscure bookstore where a group of environmental activists are meeting in secret. Idealistic Winnie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and her boyfriend Conrad (Josh McConville) want to disrupt the G20, but aren’t aware that they are possibly being lured into a trap.

Ogilvie and co-producers Lee Hubber, Adam White and Matt Govoni are taking the anti-establishment message of the film seriously, extending their counter-surveillance stance into the online marketing of the film. Visitors to the official website can click on a world map and identify covert CCTV locations, registering their stand against the digital tracking of society.   

Lone Wolf was produced with the assistance of Screen Australia and the MIFF Premiere Fund, indicating it will likely have its Australian Premiere at the 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival. It is being distributed by Label Distribution in Australia and LevelK Distribution for the rest of the world.

The 2021 IFFR will adopt a two-tiered structure, with the first of its screenings running February 1-7 followed by a second season from June 2-6.

WOMEN DIRECTORS FLY OZ FLAG AT SUNDANCE 2021

The feature documentary Playing with Sharks, virtual reality project Prison X - Chapter 1: The Devil & The Sun and short film GNT will fly the Australian sector flag at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The iconic event has responded to the COVID pandemic by scheduling both online and theatrical sessions across the US from 28 January to 3 February.

Playing with Sharks, a documentary about iconic Australian diver and filmmaker Valerie Taylor, will make its world premiere in the World Documentary Competition.

“To launch this film at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival is a dream come true,” enthused director Sally Aitken. “Valerie’s daredevil exploits and her astounding underwater archive are a potent mix for any director. That she is still diving and fighting for sharks at the age of 85 shows Valerie’s incredible passion and thirst for adventure remains undiminished. Her life-affirming journey as an unlikely conservationist proves what is possible with our interconnectedness to the natural world, if we allow it.”

PLAYING WITH SHARKS (Dir: Sally Aitken; Prod: Bettina Dalton) Synopsis: Valerie Taylor is a shark fanatic and an Australian icon. A marine maverick who forged her way as a fearless diver, cinematographer and conservationist. She filmed the real sharks for Jaws and famously wore a chain mail suit, using herself as shark bait, in experiments that changed scientific understanding of sharks forever.

Virtual reality animation Prison X – Chapter 1: The Devil & The Sun will make its world premiere in the New Frontier section which showcases emerging media storytelling, multimedia installations, performances, and films across fiction, nonfiction and hybrid projects. The project takes viewers on a mythological journey inside a Neo-Andean underworld, where The Jaguaress greets you at the gateway between theater and reality and casts you as Inti, a young man imprisoned after his first job as a drug mule..

“As a storyteller, Virtual Reality gave me the tools and technological capacity to push my imagination to a further degree,” said Quechua filmmaker Violeta Ayala. “But it takes a community to make a film, and I'm very proud that the team behind Prison X represents the Australia that we see on the streets.” The production utilised the talents of Bolivian-Australian, Ghanaian-Australian and Filipino-Australian creatives.

PRISON X – THE DEVIL & THE SUN (Writ/Dir: Violeta Ayala; Prods: Violeta Ayala, Dan Fallshaw, Roly Elias) Synopsis: A virtual reality project where heavy doors open up and suck you in as a world of magical realism swirls around you, where you have to hang onto your soul so the devil doesn't take it away.

Animated short film GNT (pictured, top), which won the Yoram Gross Animation prize at Sydney Film Festival 2020, follows one woman’s outrageous mission to conquer social media and upstage her friends. Creators Sara Hirner and Rosemary Vasquez-Brown said, “We put so much love into this chaotic four minutes, and feel especially humbled that it will be shown at Sundance. We hope it makes you giggle, or at the very least, question your choices on social media.”

GNT (Writ/Dirs: Sara Hirner, Rosemary Vasquez-Brown; Prods: Sara Hirner, Rosemary Vasquez-Brown) Synopsis: An animation that follows Glenn, a woman on an unwholesome mission to conquer her clique and social media at large.

“Congratulations to these teams, this selection is an incredible accomplishment,” said Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason. “These projects each have a distinctive Australian voice and demonstrate the breadth and ingenuity of our industry on the world stage. It’s fantastic to have three projects representing Australia all helmed by female directors in this year’s program.” Screen Australia were principal production investors on Playing with Sharks and Prison X – Chapter 1: The Devil & The Sun, in association with Screen NSW. GNT was created as a graduation project out of University of Technology Sydney.