All articles by Sandy George – Page 53
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Zombie debut earns Melbourne festival praise
A self-financed debut film about zombies has been awarded the 2003 FIPRESCI Award for Emerging Filmmakers at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Undead, directed by Queensland brothers Michael and Peter Spierig, was earlier this year picked up for distribution in the US by Lions Gate. It set to be released ...
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Oz cheaper than Canada for runaway shoots says report
A Hollywood producer would save significant amounts of money shooting a big budget film in Australia compared to Canada, according to a report published this week.The report, which was produced by Sydney's best-known film accountancy firm for the Australian Government, concludes that a Hollywood producer would save 7.5% if he ...
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Oz producers bemoan lack of homegrown hits
An air of despondency is beginning to settle over Australian producers as, one by one, 2003's crop of local films fail to take off at the box office. The two latest Australian releases, Roadshow's comedy Bad Eggs and 20th Century Fox's Danny Deckchair, while only just out of the starting ...
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Zipser takes investment role at Australia's FFC
Deborah Zipser is returning to Australia from LA to become an investment manager in the Sydney headquarters of the Film Finance Corporation (FFC).For the last four years she has worked as a lawyer at The Motion Picture Bond Company, most recently as head of business and legal affairs. She joins ...
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Arclight, Spice Factory launch Oz film fund
Sydney-based sales agent Arclight Films International and prolific UK production company Spice Factory are to launch an Australian film fund. The news was revealed by Arclight managing director Gary Hamilton and Spice Factory joint director Michael Cowan on July 31 during the final outing of a two-city road show that ...
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Arkles buys Nemesis Game for NZ
New Zealand distributor Arkles Entertainment has acquired local rights to the UK/NZ/Canadian co-production Nemesis Game and plans to release it in October. The film has been on release for some time in the US.Nemesis Game is about a university student whose life comes under threat due to a fascination with ...
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Dimsey steps down from Film Victoria after seven weeks
Ross Dimsey, the general manager of industry development and investment at State Government agency Film Victoria, has stepped down after a mere seven weeks in the job. Those who are closely involved are being tight-lipped about what exactly happened. A statement released by Film Victoria says that the role was ...
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Ghost House scares up New Zealand business
Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, producers of the New Zealand shot Xena: Warrior Princess, have returned to the country to shoot the horror pic Boogeyman. Tapert and Raimi say they have produced over 300 hours of action drama in New Zealand from 1993-2001 under the Pacific Renaissance Pictures banner and ...
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Hard Word director commits to Quiet Man
Writer/director Scott Roberts has joined the team behind The Quiet Man, a vehicle for Australian comedian Alexander Gutman, better known under his stage name Austen Tayshus. Roberts' debut film The Hard Word, starring Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, has just opened in several key US cities. Robert Lewis Galinsky describes ...
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Dendy adds two titles to Australian release slate
Dendy Films has acquired Australian and New Zealand rights to writer/director Tod Williams' Door In The Floor and to Capturing The Friedmans, the Grand Jury Prize winner in documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival.Door In The Floor is an adaptation of John Irving's novel A Widow For One Year ...
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Paul Oneile joins Australia's Film Finance Corporation
Paul Oneile, former chair and chief executive of UIP, has been appointed to the board of Australia's principal feature film investment company, the Film Finance Corporation (FFC), and Geoff Levy been re-appointed chair for a further six months.Oneile has held senior executive roles or has served on the boards of ...
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Australian strike action threatens film production
A breakdown in negotiations between Australian performers and producers over the new film and television agreements could lead to strike action - but only a long-running dispute is likely to affect Australian films because of how few are heading into production. Offshore films shooting in Australia are covered under a ...
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New Zealand producers seek new chief executive
Jane Wrightson has resigned from her post as chief executive of New Zealand's Screen Production and Development Association to take up the role of chief executive of the Broadcasting Standards Authority from mid-August.Wrightson, former chief executive of New Zealand On Air, former chief film censor and one-time commissioning editor for ...
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Asia Pacific Film Festival postponed until 2004
The 4th Sydney Asia Pacific Film Festival, scheduled for August, has been postponed until next year because SARS and other international uncertainties prevented organisers from travelling widely and accessing films."As a principal focus of the festival this year was to be Hong Kong, the SARS situation made it doubly difficult," ...
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Sydney screening of Ken Park raided by police
Australian police stepped in to prevent a much-publicised Sydney screening of the banned US film Ken Park. The film hardly got past the opening credits before the it was confiscated in front of the capacity crowd gathered at an inner city town hall.Several of the organisers, including high-profile critic Margaret ...
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Enterprise Australia promotes sustainable film business
A number of Australian government agencies have joined forces and recruited media management consultant Jonathan Olsberg from the UK-based Olsberg SPI to help Australian producers stop living a hand-to-mouth existence between productions and start developing sustainable businesses. Enterprise Australia has been adapted from similar programs held in the UK and ...
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Macquarie, Nine raise $13.6m for second production fund
Australians had reached into their pockets for $13.6m (A$20m) by the time the clock struck midnight on June 30, the deadline for investment in Macquarie Bank and the Nine Network's second film and television production fund. While they did not dig as deeply as last year, which saw $16m (A$23.6m) ...
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New Zealand introduces incentive for big budget films
The New Zealand Government has announced that producers who choose New Zealand as a location for their big budget projects will be handed back 12.5% of their production expenditure. Those spending $30m (NZ$50m) locally will automatically qualify for the grant, but if the local expenditure is $9m-$30m (NZ$15m-NZ$50m) it must ...
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Melbourne Film Office appoints Pitcher
Caroline Pitcher has been appointed general manager of the Melbourne Film Office, a role that gives her responsibility for enticing local and overseas producers to base their productions in the state of Victoria and for keeping them happy while they are there. "She brings with her a wealth of knowledge ...
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Melbourne film festival flies patriotic colours
The opening night of the 52nd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) will feature the work of two hometown talents, Sue Brooks' Cannes competition feature Japanese Story and Adam Elliot's 22-minute claymation Harvie Krumpet.Japanese Story stars Toni Collette, Matthew Dyktynski and Gotaro Tsunashima in the Australian outback and was been picked ...