By Travis Johnson
A diverse range of projects shared over $15m funding from Screen Australia this week, including a new film from a veteran director, and a remake of a highly regarded Australian classic.
Fred Schepisi will direct the romantic thriller Andorra, which stars Guy Pearce as Alexander Fox, a bookseller who leaves the US to begin a new life abroad but quickly becomes embroiled in a mysterious local murder.and Toni Collette. Gillian Anderson, Clive Owen and Joanna Lumley co-star.
Writer Justin Monjo (The Secret Daughter, Spear) and director Shawn Seet (Deep Water, The Code) will put a contemporary spin on Storm Boy, the 1976 family film based on Colin Thiele’s novel. This time out we’ll meet Mike ‘Storm Boy’ Kingley as an old man, whose tales of his bond with an injured pelican help him connect with his troubled granddaughter.
Other films funded include the war film Jirga, from writer/director Benjamin Gilmour; crime caper Mr Cranky from the Gettin’ Square team of Jonathan Teplitzky, Chris Brown and Chris Nyst; and three further projects which will be announced at a later date.
Television projects receiving money include children’s television series The Bureau of Magical Things; a second season of Channel Seven’s The Secret Daughter; military drama Fighting Season; Easybeats biopic miniseries Friday on my Mind; SBS drama series Sunshine; asylum seeker drama Safe Harbour; and two further projects to be announced soon.
Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia said, “This is a bumper slate of titles for our last production investment funding round of the calendar year. 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. And in film we look forward to seeing the latest from acclaimed talents Fred Schepisi, Jonathan Teplitzky and John Maynard.”
