News

ABC loads up on factual and comedies – 2016 Lineup

abc-hacked

By Don Groves

Documentaries investigating Australia’s war in Afghanistan, the fight against the country’s ice epidemic and the state of the heath and school systems will screen on the ABC next year.

The comedy slate includes two series starring Utopia’s Luke McGregor and six pilots, with viewers voting to determine which pilot goes to a series.

The ABC also confirmed its flagship channel will be available to live-stream on iview from December and that it plans to broadcast all content in HD from next June.

ABC director of TV Richard Finlayson said at the upfronts launch: “As the national broadcaster we will continue our commitment to Australian content, delivering a high-quality, deep and diverse slate.” (more…)

Screen Australia has today announced projects that will receive development funding to the total of $640,000

Cate Blanchett’s Stateless is one of 23 film and TV projects that Screen Australia has today announced will receive development funding to the total of $640,000. A diverse range of projects and talent are being supported, including works from Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward, Richard Roxburgh, Marieke Hardy, Jan Chapman, Stephan Elliott and Bondi Hipsters’ Nicholas Boshier.

Cate Blanchett’s TV project Stateless centres on the tragic and true story of Cornelia Rau which made headlines in 2004. The young German/Australian woman escaped a frightening cult only to be trapped in a bizarre labyrinth of psychiatric and legal systems, landing her in the notorious Baxter Immigration Detention Centre. Stateless will be Cate Blanchett’s first venture into high-end TV. (more…)

Making sense of Australia’s foreign actor visa dispute – SMH – 6 Mar.15

Proposed changes to the restrictions on foreign actors in Australian film and television will either spur a production boom or kill the industry, apparently. What’s the truth?

Meryl Streep (with Sam Neill in Evil Angels) would be welcome back to film in Australia. All her mates? Not so much.

If Meryl Streep were to come to Australia to make another film with Fred Schepisi, as she did in 1988 with Evil Angels (based on the Lindy Chamberlain story), there would be few complaints. Even if the production benefited from government subsidies, it would still be an Australian story, with an Australian director, mostly Australian cast and crew, and filmed in Australia – all of it made that bit more sellable to the world thanks to the presence of a bona fide international star. (more…)

Australian actors streak into the lead as Hollywood casts TV pilot season – SMH – 01 Mar.2015

Sullivan Stapleton, seen here in the film <i>Cut Snake</i>, has won a role in a US pilot called <i>Blindspot</i>.

Sullivan Stapleton, seen here in the film Cut Snake, has won a role in a US pilot called Blindspot.

Hollywood’s “pilot season” is barely under way and Australian actors have grabbed many of the roles in the crop of new shows.

US free-to-air and cable channels produce between 70 and 90 pilots every year, from which a few dozen proceed to series. Of those, ultimately only a handful survive.

So far this year – the casting window for pilot season runs between February and March – the process has thrown up a mix of familiar and emerging faces, including Daniel MacPherson, Rachael Taylor, Sullivan Stapleton and Melissa George. (more…)

Three more Aussies score lead roles in US projects – IF – 19.Feb.2015

Sophie Lowe

Sophie Lowe and Gillian Alexy are among the Aussies making waves in Hollywood.

Lowe has just scored the co-lead in the feature Waiting for the Miracle to Come alongside Willie Nelson and Charlotte Rampling.

Alexy will star in drama series Outsiders, a tale of the struggle for power and control in the hills of Appalachia commissioned by the cable channel WGN America.

Meanwhile Sullivan Stapleton will play an FBI special agent who investigates the case of a beautiful young tattooed woman whose memory has been wiped in the NBC drama pilot Blindspot.

Waiting for the Miracle to Come is the debut feature from writer-director Lian Lunson, whose credits include the documentaries Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man and Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle. (more…)

Townsend Management welcomes Elizabeth Hayward
Elizabeth Hayward

Elizabeth Hayward

Lis is based in L.A and has appeared on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ and worked on many independent projects. She was nominated for ‘Best Actress’ at the ‘SoCal Film Festival’ for her role as ‘Mrs. Anderson’ in ‘The Next Mrs. Jacob Anderson’. She also played ‘Mary Jane Koch’ in ‘Sinners’ which won “Best LGBT Film” at the Swansea Bay Film Festival.