Peter Duncan's romanticthriller Unfinished Sky, about afarmer and an Afghani illegal immigrant who fall in love, is one of threefeatures to receive production finance from Film Finance Corporation Australia this week.

Australian actor WilliamMcInnes (Look Both Ways) will playthe farmer and Dutch actress Monic Hendrickx has been cast as the illegalimmigrant. Duncan's credits include Passion and Children Of TheRevolution.

The other two features toreceive funding are an adaptation of Booker Prize winning novel Disgrace, directed by Steve Jacobs (La Spagnola) and starring JohnMalkovich, and Newcastle, a youth drama from writer/director Dan Castle.

Fortissimo Films is handlinginternational sales on Unfinished Skyand Disgrace, while Becker will sell Newcastle internationally.

Unfinished Sky is a remake of the 1998 Dutch film PolishBride and will shoot in rural Queensland from September. It is the first film to be madeunder a long planned joint venture between Dutch company IdtV Film and Australia's New Holland Pictures.

The producers are Australia's Cathy Overett and the Netherlands' Anton Smit. The three executive producers are theirrespective business partners, Mark Overett and Hanneke Niens, as well as San FuMaltha, who is currently in post on director Paul Verhoeven's Black Book.

Palace will release the filmin Australia, Queen Imperial has Indonesian rights and A-Film hasDutch rights.

Malkovich plays a Cape Town university professor in Disgrace, a story that explores ethical complexities in modern South Africa. The producers are Anna-Maria Monticelli and EmileSherman.

Dendy will release Disgrace and Newcastle, which is produced by Naomi Wenck and executiveproduced by Charles Hannah, in Australia.

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