News

In our Q&a series Last Call, we get down to the bottom of every last thing with some of our favorite celebs - from the last time they were starstruck to the last song they listened to. This week, KiKi Layne takes our call.

KiKi Layne is booked and busy! The 30-year-old actor currently stars as the live-action lead Ellie in "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers," alongside Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Keegan-Michael Key, and Seth Rogen. Despite not watching the original series growing up, she was excited to revive the beloved adventure comedy more than 30 years later.

"It started off as a conversation with [director] Akiva [Schaffer]," Layne tells Popsugar about how she got involved with the project. "They sent me the script, and I just got to talk to him about what his vision was, and I was very excited, just hearing how he really wanted to celebrate animation and...

Kimberly Akimbo, Assassins, Prayer for the French Republic and The Chinese Lady were among the Off Broadway productions receiving multiple nominations for this year’s Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off Broadway, announced today.

Among the innovations in this year’s 37th Annual Lortel Awards are the first non-gendered performance categories, and the first-ever Lortel for Outstanding Ensemble. In the new Ensemble category, the inaugural nominees are the casts of English, Oratorio For Living Things, and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992.

Kimberly Akimbo and Oratorio For Living Things scored the most nominations, with six each, while Black No More and On Sugarland received five. Assassins, Prayer for the French Republic and The Chinese Lady each have four nominations.

The awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 1, at NYU Skirball in Manhattan. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by Tdf.

"We can deal better with the world when we're connected to nature." Madman Films has debuted the first official trailer for an experimental documentary short film called Regenerating Australia, which is made by Damon Gameau, of the doc films That Sugar Film and 2040 previously. The film offers a vision of the future based on this proposal: "What would Australia look like in 2030 if we simply listened to the needs of its people." The film itself is "a hypothetical news report from 2030 based on interviews with Australians who were asked about their hopes & dreams for the future." It will be showing at events around Australia, and they suggest: "Bring your family & friends. And your ideas." This doc was made following the disastrous year of wildfires in Australia (see the doc Burning) and the need to evolve in order to address dire climate change issues. So far the response hasn't been encouraging,...

Erich Bergen has booked a return to Broadway.

The actor will star in Waitress opposite Jennifer Nettles when the Sugarland star takes over the lead role as Jenna from creator Sara Bareilles on Oct. 19. Bergen reprises his role as love interest Dr. Jim Pomatter, a part he previously played in 2018 and again in 2019.

This time around, Bergen will take the stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from Oct. 19-24 and again Nov. 1-7. He tells The Hollywood Reporter that he’s “ecstatic” to rejoin the Tony-nominated hit. “It’s a character I love, a show I love, and a ...

Erich Bergen has booked a return to Broadway.

The actor will star in Waitress opposite Jennifer Nettles when the Sugarland star takes over the lead role as Jenna from creator Sara Bareilles on Oct. 19. Bergen reprises his role as love interest Dr. Jim Pomatter, a part he previously played in 2018 and again in 2019.

This time around, Bergen will take the stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from Oct. 19-24 and again Nov. 1-7. He tells The Hollywood Reporter that he’s “ecstatic” to rejoin the Tony-nominated hit. “It’s a character I love, a show I love, and a ...

The second season of Tinder’s original series “Swipe Night” has named its lead cast, writer and director.

On the heels of the successful first digital narrative experience — where Tinder users choose outcomes that impact the plot — comes the new installment, “Swipe Night: Killer Weekend,” a Gen-z ensemble murder mystery.

Emmy-nominated Sasie Sealy is on board to direct from a script by Brandon Zuck. Leading the cast are Ashley Ganger (“Grand Army”), Calvin Seabrooks and Luke Slattery. The series will debut on the platform on Nov. 7.

Season 2 will feature new characters and an all-new storyline, where over the course of three weeks in November, Tinder members get to choose who they think committed a crime. Depending on those choices, users will see different outcomes and plot twists. At the end of each episode, members can be paired with another “Swipe Night” participant through Tinder’s Fast Chat feature, where they...

Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5 Episode 11 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 12 on Fox.

Hanson has been mmm-bop’ed off “The Masked Singer.” The pop star brothers were unmasked on Wednesday’s episode as the Russian Dolls.

The trio became the first group to compete on the show; last season, the couple Clint Black and Lisa Hartman performed as a duo under the Snow Owls costume. But the Hanson brothers told Variety they were attracted to the idea of pulling off another “Masked Singer” first. Early on, the show’s panelists couldn’t even figure out how many performers were on stage.

“It was very clear from the beginning they loved the idea of playing the game,” Zac Hanson said. “It was, ‘Hey, let’s play with this idea of how many people are on stage.’ Whenever we could, we tried to keep playing that game.

Damon Gameau and Anna Kaplan.

When filmmaker Damon Gameau and producer Anna Kaplan were casting around for names for their new production company, the word ‘regeneration’ was top of mind.

Hence was born Regen Studios with the mission to create and distribute content designed to help communities, cities, schools, governments and business to regenerate and replace what has been lost in precious resources.

Screen Australia is providing funding from the Enterprise program to enable Gameau and Kaplan to develop a business plan, build their slate and share their expertise as executive producers and consultants.

Continuing their collaboration after 2040 and That Sugar Film, the duo is developing several projects including an interactive documentary series and web platform with the passionate support of Leonardo DiCaprio, and a high-end short film that will draw on community listening to present a collective vision for Australia in 2030.

“Off the back of 2040 we saw the appetite people have for regenerative practices,...

“I call him the godfather of southern storytelling in TV and film,” Jennifer Nettles says about Danny McBride, who created and stars in “The Righteous Gemstones,” on which she recurs as his late mother. “Aimee-Leigh is pretty natural to me, once I tapped into my Southern Baptist roots,” she reveals in her exclusive interview with Gold Derby about playing the matriarch on the HBO comedy (watch the video above).

SEEour interview with Danny McBride about next season.

Aimee-Leigh Gemstone features heavily in the 20-years-ago flashback episode titled “Interlude” that aired in the middle of the first season. Nettles explains, “They were realizing that they wanted to add in a little diversity, that they wanted to veer off from the direct story line and offer a little backstory of how this family came to be, because in addition to this being obviously a story ⁠that has commentary on religion, it has commentary on hypocrisy,...

Jennifer Nettles has released a new recording of “Tomorrow” from the Broadway musical Annie. The Sugarland singer and Broadway performer put the song and an accompanying video out as a gesture of hope and support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nettles’ interpretation of the standard, featuring musician and composer Alex Lacamoire, keeps things relatively stripped-down and simple, with only Nettles’ voice and a lovely piano part. A powerhouse singer who previously starred as Roxie Hart in the Broadway cast of Chicago, Nettles holds back through the first part of the song,...

Anna Kaplan.

Producer Anna Kaplan, known for her work leading social impact campaigns on documentaries such as 2040, The Hunting Ground and That Sugar Film, has been awarded this year’s Natalie Miller Fellowship.

Kaplan, whose career is spanned development, production, distribution and outreach, is a two-time Aacta nominee and has previously been awarded Film Victoria’s Women in Leadership Development Fellowship.

President of the Natalie Miller Fellowship Sue Maslin Ao said: “Anna Kaplan has an extensive background in using film and storytelling to ignite change. She is a respected leader in the field of impact producing and has an ambitious vision to mobilise the Australian screen industry to embrace more sustainable environmental practices. We are delighted to award the 2020 Natalie Miller Fellowship to Anna. ”

The Natalie Miller Fellowship is open to all women working in the Australian screen industry, and offers up to $20,000 for a professional development program that will...

Damon Gameau’s upbeat documentary predicts our best selves saving the planet but would have been better as a TV series

Nobody predicted the immense success of Australian Damon Gameau’s 2015 directorial debut, That Sugar Film, a candy-coloured, Supersize Me-esque documentary exploring the effects of consuming sugar while on a supposedly healthy diet. It was a smash hit in its home country, becoming the highest grossing non-Imax Australian documentary in history (since overtaken by Jennifer Peedom’s majestic 2017 doco Mountain).

Perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised. Gameau took an issue relevant across cultures and demographics, and prised it open with a broadly accessible style that neither bored nor talked down to young people – who form much of his target demographic.

Bright-eyed Australian director Damon Gameau set out in his previous movie, “That Sugar Film” to challenge everyday thoughtlessness about the dangers of our modern lifestyle — and became profoundly sick while doing so. In his new film “2040,” which plays in Berlin’s Generation Kplus section and which he styles as a “hybrid feature documentary,” Gameau challenges us to improve the planet over the next 20 years. Leaving no room for world-weary cynicism, however, he shows that we already have the technology and skills to do it.

How’s your health?

“That Sugar Film” was four years ago. Fortunately, there’s no lasting liver damage.

Where did the idea for this visual letter to your daughter come from?

I wanted to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us. The aim was to shift things away from the mainstream narrative,...

Bright-eyed Australian director Damon Gameau set out in his previous movie, “That Sugar Film” to challenge everyday thoughtlessness about the dangers of our modern lifestyle — and became profoundly sick while doing so. In his new film “2040,” which plays in Berlin’s Generation Kplus section and which he styles as a “hybrid feature documentary,” Gameau challenges us to improve the planet over the next 20 years. Leaving no room for world-weary cynicism, however, he shows that we already have the technology and skills to do it.

How’s your health?

“That Sugar Film” was four years ago. Fortunately, there’s no lasting liver damage.

Where did the idea for this visual letter to your daughter come from?

I wanted to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us. The aim was to shift things away from the mainstream narrative,...

Kim Ingles.

Documentary producer Kim Ingles will join GoodThing Productions for 12 months as an associate impact producer, thanks to support from Film Victoria.

It is the first time a state screen agency has supported a placement dedicated to building expertise in impact producing.

GoodThing’s 2040, from director Damon Gameau, will have its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this evening (Australian time). The film explores what the future would look like by the year 2040 if we embraced the solutions already available to us to improve our planet. It hopes to replicate the success of Gameau’s previous film, 2015’s That Sugar Film, which was at the time of release Australia’s highest grossing documentary feature (excluding IMAX), and which created national conversations around the impact of sugar on health and wellbeing. Its impact campaign was driven by Anna Kaplan, who is also leading the campaign for 2040.

Kaplan will...

‘2040’

Damon Gameau’s innovative documentary 2040 will have its world premiere at next month’s Berlin International Film Festival.

Produced by Good Thing Productions’ Nick Batzias with Anna Kaplan and Virginia Whitwell, the film will screen in the Kplus section of the Generation program, which this this year is tagged: ‘Giving the Oppressed a Voice.’

A three year self-described labour of love, 2040 takes the form of a visual letter from the filmmaker to his four-year-old daughter Velvet, showing her what the year 2040 could look like “if we simply embraced the best solutions that exist today.”

He said: “The point is to tell a new and positive story about our future. We are creating a hub of solutions and actions that people can implement at home or at work.”

It will be his second appearance at the Berlinale where That Sugar Film screened in Generation in 2015. The festival said: “2040 combines elements of...

Ian Darling..

Good Pitch Australia.s founder, moderator and chair Ian Darling was named Australia's leading philanthropist at the Philanthropy Australia Awards last week.

Under Darling.s guidance, Good Pitch has raised more than $14 million for 19 documentaries and their outreach campaigns over the past three years. These include That Sugar Film, Gayby Baby, Prison Songs, The Hunting Ground, Frackman, Call Me Dad, Constance on the Edge, Zach.s Ceremony, Whiteley and Blue.

Darling is also chair and founder of the Shark Island Institute, and founder and patron of the Documentary Australia Foundation. Outside of film, Darling has chaired the The Caledonia Foundation since 2001.

CEO of Philanthropy Australia Sarah Davies said Darling's work was an example of philanthropy at its best..

.The Leading Philanthropist Award goes to an individual in recognition of their outstanding individual philanthropic work: they embody Philanthropy Australia.s vision for a more giving Australia and they influence...

Ian Darling..

Good Pitch Australia.s founder, moderator and chair Ian Darling was presented with the Leading Philanthropist Award at the annual Philanthropy Australia Awards last week.

Under Darling.s guidance, Good Pitch has raised more than $14 million for 19 documentaries and their outreach campaigns over the past three years. These include That Sugar Film, Gayby Baby, Prison Songs, The Hunting Ground, Frackman, Call Me Dad, Constance on the Edge, Zach.s Ceremony, Whiteley and Blue.

Darling is also chair and founder of the Shark Island Institute, and founder and patron of the Documentary Australia Foundation. Outside of film, Darling has chaired the The Caledonia Foundation since 2001.

CEO of Philanthropy Australia Sarah Davies said Darling's work was an example of philanthropy at its best..

.The Leading Philanthropist Award goes to an individual in recognition of their outstanding individual philanthropic work: they embody Philanthropy Australia.s vision for a more giving Australia...

'Jill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible'.

16 projects will share in over $3.2 million from Film Victoria, including a feature-length portrait of veteran editor Jill Bilcock (Strictly Ballroom, Muriel.s Wedding, The Dressmaker).

Jill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible is also being supported by Screen Australia. Likewise feature doc Leunig: A Tale in 16 .Parts, directed by Fell's Kasimir Burgess, and 2040, a highconcept hybrid documentary from Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film)..

10 television projects and one VOD project also received funding, including new seasons of Offspring, Wrong Girl and animation Jar Dwellers Sos. Film Vic will assist five trainees to work on Jar Dwellers at animation studio Viskatoons..

Another Victorian animation team, Chocolate Liberation Front (The Adventures of Figaro Pho) have also received funding for new series Larry the Wonderpug.

In documentaries, Wtfn.s Ask The Doctor for the ABC will look at the future of health care in Australia, December Media...

'Leunig: A Tale in 16 Parts'..

Screen Australia has stumped up $1 million in production investment for seven new documentaries..

Among them is a new project from That Sugar Film.s Damon Gameau, 2040. The Madman film will see Gameau read a letter to his hypothetical daughter on her 21st birthday in 2040, exploring the moments since her birth that saw humanity introduce solutions to issues such as climate change, technology, gender equality and social justice.

Gameau will write and direct, while Nick Batzias and Anna Kaplan, who both worked on That Sugar Film, will produce. 2040 has also received Good Pitch and Film Victoria funding..

Madman are also handling.Leunig: A Tale in 16 Parts, which will see writer-director Kasimir Burgess (Fell) look into the life of cartoonist Michael Leunig.

Produced by Philippa Campey, the Film Camp project will see the artist, who is recovering from a near-fatal brain seizure, reflect on the experiences that have informed his work.

Crocodile Dundee (Source: Screen Australia).

The screen industry contributes around $3 billion to the economy annually and creates over 25,000 full time equivalent jobs, according to a new report commissioned by Screen Australia.

Launching the report at the Screen Forever conference on Tuesday, Minister for the Arts Mitch Fifield described it as the first full measure of the economic and cultural value of the screen sector..

"But it has struck me that the value of our screen stories can be viewed from a different angle, and that is: what if we didn't have them," he said.

"Would Anzac Day have revived and would our diggers be as well understood without the force of Peter Weir's Gallipoli? How would we view our shared past, present and future without the perspectives brought to us by First Australians, That Sugar Film or Howard On Menzies? How would our children view the world without the...

Hollie Fifer's 'The Opposition', a Good Pitch Australia film..

While this year marks the last Good Pitch Australia event, the Shark Island Institute has stumped up $2 million to fund the organisation.s operations over the next five years.

The funding commitment will enable Good Pitch Australia to provide ongoing management support to the 19 documentaries in its portfolio, including the six new films and their social impact campaigns to be presented at the Sydney Opera House tomorrow.

The money will also support annual .Good Pitch Impact Labs. at the Shark Island Institute for 20 selected filmmakers over the next five years.

Shark Island Institute hosts Good Pitch Australia in partnership with the Documentary Australia Foundation. It is the philanthropic arm of Ian Darling.s Shark Island Productions which, inspired by Robert Redford.s Sundance Institute, aims to support the art of documentary filmmaking and storytelling.

.Whilst this will be...

Hollie Fifer's 'The Opposition', a Good Pitch Australia film..

While this year marks the last Good Pitch Australia event, the Shark Island Institute has stumped up $2 million to fund the organisation.s operations over the next five years.

The funding commitment will enable Good Pitch Australia to provide ongoing management support to the 19 documentaries in its portfolio, including the six new films and their social impact campaigns to be presented at the Sydney Opera House tomorrow.

The money will also support annual .Good Pitch Impact Labs. at the Shark Island Institute for 20 selected filmmakers over the next five years.

Shark Island Institute hosts Good Pitch Australia in partnership with the Documentary Australia Foundation. It is the philanthropic arm of Ian Darling.s Shark Island Productions which, inspired by Robert Redford.s Sundance Institute, aims to support the art of documentary filmmaking and storytelling.

.Whilst this will be...

A kidnapper gets more than he bargained for in Pet. Starring Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, and Jennette McCurdy, the psychological horror film has been acquired by Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films, with Us theatrical, VOD, and DVD release dates slated for December.

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA (October 4, 2016) – Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that they have acquired the psychological thriller Pet, directed by Carles Torrens and written by Jeremy Slater. The film stars Dominic Monaghan (Lost, The Lord Of The Rings Series), Ksenia Solo (Black Swan, Lost Girl), and Jennette McCurdy (iCarly, Sam & Cat). Pet had its World Premiere at the 2016 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin. Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the film in U.S. theaters and on demand on December 2, 2016, and it will be available on DVD on December 27.

In the vein of Hard Candy and Gone Girl, Pet...

The Hunting Ground.

Madman is launching its impact campaign for documentary The Hunting Ground with the unveiling of The Hunting Ground Australia Project, a national student survey on sexual assault and sexual harassment.

The Hunting Ground is directed by Kirby Dick and explores the issue of sexual assault on Us University campuses; brought roaring back to the headlines most recently by the Nate Parker saga. Dick's 2012 doc, The Invisible War, investigated the epidemic of rape within the Us military.

.The Hunting Ground Australia Project is proud and excited that the funding raised and partnerships developed though Good Pitch2 Australia has instigated this landmark survey,. said Allison Henry, the project's Campaign Director.

The Hunting Ground was one of six documentary films selected for the 2015 Good Pitch2 Australia at the Sydney Opera House.

.A year ago when we started this project we immediately recognised the dearth of data available around the incidence...

Maya Newell's Gayby Baby, a Good Pitch Australia alumnus.

Good Pitch Australia has announced the selection of six new feature documentaries for its next event at the Sydney Opera House in November.

Hosted by Ian Darling.s Shark Island Institute in partnership with Documentary Australia Foundation, Good Pitch brings filmmakers together with NGOs, foundations, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, potential corporate and brand partners, broadcasters and media to forge alliances around social impact films.

Darling, who is also chair and moderator, said Good Pitch Australia represented high impact philanthropy at its best, "with all of the key elements of collaboration, scale, partnership, and leverage - using the power of documentary to bring a community together for social change..

Good Pitch was originally devised by Britdoc in partnership with Ford Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, and is held in various major cities around the world. Philanthropy Australia and Pro...

Gayby Baby, a Good Pitch Australia film in 2014.

Good Pitch Australia has announced the selection of six new feature documentaries for its next event at the Sydney Opera House in November.

Hosted by Ian Darling.s Shark Island Institute in partnership with Documentary Australia Foundation, Good Pitch brings filmmakers together with NGOs, foundations, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, potential corporate and brand partners, broadcasters and media to forge alliances around social impact films.

Darling, who is also chair and moderator, said Good Pitch Australia represented high impact philanthropy at its best, "with all of the key elements of collaboration, scale, partnership, and leverage - using the power of documentary to bring a community together for social change..

Good Pitch was originally devised by Britdoc in partnership with Ford Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, and is held in various major cities around the world. Philanthropy Australia and Pro Bono Australia...

Melbourne documentary producer Anna Kaplan has launched a grassroots campaign to build community support for breastfeeding mothers with a film on the same subject.

The campaign, called Bosom Buddies, is inspired by Kaplan.s own experiences breastfeeding her son.

The short doco Lactaboobiephobia, directed by Britt Arthur and produced by Kaplan,.explores the stigma associated with breastfeeding in public spaces and the impact it has on new mothers. When making the film Kaplan appealed to women to share their experiences of and was inundated with stories of fear and stigma. .With the constant stories of breastfeeding women being shamed or told to cover up, it.s not surprising that so many mothers hide away in cramped toilet cubicles, smelly nappy change rooms or stuffy parked cars when they need to feed,. said Kaplan. .It.s really sad that the negative stories often get amplified, because the majority of people actually have no issues with breastfeeding.

(l-r) ABC Head of Factual Steve Bibb, Film Victoria.s Jenni Tosi, host Virginia Trioli, Screen Nsw CEO Courtney Gibson, Screen Australia.s Documentary Senior Manager Liz Stevens and Sbs.s Head of Documentaries John Godfrey.

The plenary session at last month.s Australian International Documentary Conference aimed to assess the health of the local factual sector..

The verdict was mixed.

Virginia Trioli hosted Film Victoria.s Jenni Tosi, Screen Nsw CEO Courtney Gibson, Screen Australia.s Documentary Senior Manager Liz Stevens, ABC Head of Factual Steve Bibb and Sbs.s Head of Documentaries John Godfrey in a panel discussion.

Trioli kicked off by asking about the perceived bias on the part of the public broadcasters towards Sydney and Melbourne, a point amusingly underlined by the presence of leaders from Screen Tasmania, ScreenWest and Screen Territory in the audience - but not on the panel.

"We are getting commissions through Sbs but through Nitv,...

Tim Phillips.

Tim Phillips has been appointed the new Head of the Producer Offset and Co-Production Unit at Screen Australia.

Phillips has previously worked as a senior investment manager for feature films and television, managing Screen Australia.s involvement in The Dressmaker, Oddball, Paper Planes, Blinky Bill, That Sugar Film and Red Dog, and series including Molly, Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries, Nowhere Boys, Dance Academy and the upcoming Tomorrow When the War Began.

Most recently he was the senior manager of the Interactive and Multiplatform team in Melbourne, managing Screen Australia.s funding programs activities for online drama, as well as contributing to organisational strategy and content for digital platforms.

Prior to Screen Australia, Phillips was the legal and business affairs manager at the Australian Children's Television Foundation (Actf).

.Tim is an excellent candidate for the important role of heading up the Producer Offset and Co-Production Unit", Screen Australia COO Fiona Cameron said.

Lydia Lassila and Katie Bender.

Katie Bender's documentary about aerial skier Lydia Lassila premiered last Tuesday.

The event was organised by Bender herself, a former teammate of Lassila.

"One of the biggest nightmares [of being independent] is not having a marketing team, doing events, managing the event sponsors", said Bender. "It takes up so much time".

In the making since 2012, The Will to Fly was rejected by Australian distributors as a niche film about aerial skiing.

After the film was locked, it was picked up by Hoyts this month..

Bender also had a preexisting relationship with Rebel Sport, and the two have now joined forces.

"Hoyts is now placing this film in all of the big malls around Australia that have Rebel stores and a Hoyts, so they can do cross-promotions together", Bender said.

The filmmaker has also enlisted Kpmg, who "are taking my film, similar to the educational study guide, and...

Aidc has selected two films to participate in the event's first-ever Impact Strategy Hack..

The Wake (Rowena Potts, Ella Rubeli, Tom Zubrycki) and Defiant Lives (Liz Bourke, Sarah Barton) were the two films selected..

The Wake is a story of how community leaders across Fiji are coming together to share the experience of relocation, and the threats and challenges these communities, and others in the world, are facing in the wake of climate change..

The Wake.

Defiant Lives.documents the emergence of disability activism since the post-war era, and the revolutionary changes that have allowed more disabled people to fully take part in society.

Defiant Lives.

Both were selected by a jury which included Alex Kelly (Impact Producer, This Changes Everything), who said:

"It was an honour - and quite a challenge - to be part of the selection team for the Aidc Impact Hack. There was an incredibly powerful...

Mad Max: Fury Road.

The Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia have confirmed today that local films enjoyed their best year ever at the Bo in 2015, beating 2001's record of $63.4m.

2015 takings surpassed that mark in October, finishing at just over $88m..

Successes included Mad Max: Fury Road ($21.7m), The Water Diviner ($10.15m in 2015/$15.87m cumulative), Oddball ($11.04m) and Paper Planes ($9.65m)..

The Dressmaker grossed $18.6m in 2015 and is still playing, while That Sugar Film took over $1.7m to become the highest grossing Australian documentary ever (excluding IMAX films).

Mad Max: Fury Road and The Dressmaker also made it into the top 20 films at the box office for the year (at #13 and #17 respectively) despite an incredibly competitive, franchise-packed market.

.Without doubt the record-breaking box office result for Australian films is proof that local audiences want to see their own stories and are happy to pay for the full cinema experience to enjoy those stories,...

Eating only foods commonly perceived to be ‘healthy’, the Australian actor Damon Gameau embarks on an experiment to document the effects of a high-sugar diet on a healthy body in a 2014 documentary, That Sugar Film. The effects of his diet over a 60-day period are shocking. Healthcare specialists have been warning about the consequences of rising obesity for nearly 15 years but only recently has the link with sugar started to hit home

Continue reading...

Glenn here. As expected, it was a big night for Oscar hopeful Mad Max: Fury Road at the Aacta Awards last night, while Cate Blanchett gave yet another wonderful speech upon winning the Longford Lyell Award for outstanding achievement to Australian screen. Split over two ceremonies in Sydney, this year’s “Australian Oscars” were honouring the most successful year for Australian film on record – yes, that means of all time (inflation not included) – as well as television. Miller’s film picked up eight trophies all up, bringing the total number of AFI/Aacta Awards won by the franchise to 16, while Miller has now amassed 8 career statues. Yes, eight!!

Jocelyn Moorhouse’s homegrown phenomenon The Dressmaker was also a hit winning five including for actors Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, and Hugo Weaving as well as the audience choice award, which goes to show just how popular that period western has been...

George Miller’s action-epic scoops eight awards including best film and best director.Scroll down for the full list

Mad Max: Fury Road has scooped the pool at Australia’s top film awards, the AACTAs, with George Miller’s high-action epic scoring wins in eight of its 11 nominated categories, including best film and best director.

Jocelyn Moorhouse’s retro western The Dressmaker won the Aacta People’s Choice Award at the Sydney event, and Kate Winslet won the Best Actress award for her lead performance (and convincing accent) as a spiteful Aussie seamstress in outback 1950s Australia. Winslet accepted her award via smartphone video selfie.

Her onscreen mum, Judy Davis, was the odds-on favourite to win Best Supporting Actress, which she did. In another acting gong for The Dressmaker, Hugo Weaving seemed as surprised as everyone else when his name was called to the stage of Sydney’s The Star casino complex.

In other awards...

George Miller’s action-epic scoops eight awards including best film and best director.Scroll down for the full list

Mad Max: Fury Road has scooped the pool at Australia’s top film awards, the AACTAs, with George Miller’s high-action epic scoring wins in eight of its 11 nominated categories, including best film and best director.

Jocelyn Moorhouse’s retro western The Dressmaker won the Aacta People’s Choice Award at the Sydney event, and Kate Winslet won the Best Actress award for her lead performance (and convincing accent) as a spiteful Aussie seamstress in outback 1950s Australia. Winslet accepted her award via smartphone video selfie.

Her onscreen mum, Judy Davis, was the odds-on favourite to win Best Supporting Actress, which she did. In another acting gong for The Dressmaker, Hugo Weaving seemed as surprised as everyone else when his name was called to the stage of Sydney’s The Star casino complex.

In other awards...

The Australian Film Television and Radio School has unleashed a new crop of talent on the industry with the 2015 Graduation Ceremony. . .

A highlight of the ceremony was the awarding of the Aftrs. Honorary Degree (Doctor of Arts) to broadcaster, commentator and filmmaker Phillip Adams.

Adams played a key role in the revival of the Australian film industry in the 1970s. .

He was the author of a 1969 report that led to legislation by Prime Minister Gorton in 1970 for an Australian Film and Television Development Corporation (later the Australian Film Commission) and the Experimental Film Fund as well as the eventual creation of an Australian national film School (now Aftrs). Phillip was one of the original members of council for the interim School.

The Dressmaker producer Sue Maslin present the degree. .

Maslin is a graduate of the Aftrs Masters of Screen Arts & Business degree.

Graduates include Imogen Banks, one of the producers...

The Australian International Documentary Conference is calling for entries to The Impact Strategy Hack Competition and The Stanley Hawes Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Documentary Sector..

Winners will join the first keynote speakers:The Jinx filmmakers, Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier, for Aidc 2016, which takes place at Acmi Melbourne, February 28 to March 2.

The Impact Strategy Hack Competition is the centrepiece of Aidc 2016.s Impact Producing strand, which is devoted to finding lasting ways for documentary media to generate strategic and innovative social change..

Aidc 2016 dedicates an entire afternoon to providing two selected films a pathway towards a solid campaign strategy.

The two winning films will be .hacked. on the day, with a focus on maximum impact..

Expert hackers confirmed to attend include Jennifer MacArthur (Borderline Media/Impact Producers Group, New York), Sam Griffin (Screen Australia), Mitzi Goldman (Documentary Australia Foundation), Alex Kelly (Impact Producer on This Changes Everything) Malinda...

While the screen industry has plenty to celebrate as Australian films are set to finish the year with around $87 million in B.O. takings, the results show a sizable number of films failed to address fundamental questions.

Namely: Who precisely will watch my film and which cinemas will play it at a time when theatrical release here increasingly is a sure way to lose money?

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason is delighted with the range of films and documentaries that have resonated with audiences this year.

Mad Max Fury Road, The Dressmaker, Oddball and The Water Diviner all grossed more than $10 million, and Paper Planes just under. Last Cab to Darwin, Blinky Bill: The Movie, That Sugar Film and Holding the Man performed well, although Mason believes Neil Armfield.s gay-themed romance, which grossed $1.2 million, deserved to make double that.

Still, Mason questions the mindset of a sizable section of the screen industry.

Matchbox Pictures has won the Production Business of the Year award at the 15th annual Screen Producers Australia Awards.

The awards, were hosted by television and radio presenter James Mathison at Melbourne.s Palladium at Crown during the 30th Screen Forever Conference.

For a full list of awards, see below.

Matchbox Pictures was founded by Australian producers Tony Ayres, Penny Chapman, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst in 2008.

It was acquired by NBC Universal in 2014..

Matchbox specialises in television drama, children.s programming, factual and entertainment content, animation and feature films for the domestic and international marketplace..

Most recently, Matchbox has produced the popular reality television series Real Housewives of Melbourne, feature film Ali.s Wedding, Lally Katz.s comedy mini-series Stories I Want To Tell You In Person for the ABC, and the youth television drama series Nowhere Boys for ABC Television, which was honoured with the Screen...

That Sugar Film.s Damon Gameau has joined the judging panel of the 2016 Peninsula Short Film Fest, for which entries are now open.

Actor-director Gameau will serve on the panel with resident Psff judge Lachy Hulme, Michala Banas and three others to be confirmed.

Entering its fifth year, the festival will be held on Saturday February 6 at Village Green, Rosebud, with a giant new screen.

.We.ve secured the biggest and best screen in Australia for the event,. says festival director Steve Bastoni. .It.s 80 square meters and has a 6 mml pixel pitch, and Postall Studios will deliver cinema quality sound..

On the night 12 short-listed films will be judged by the panel. The winner will get $5,000 cash with $2,500 for second place and $1,250 for third.

The Woodleigh emerging filmmaker prize is worth $500. There will also be awards for best screenplay, director, actor and cinematography. Entries are open until Friday December 18. Films...

Following the success of That Sugar Film, Madman Production is co-producing Spookers, its second feature documentary which examines the characters who inhabit Australasia.s only haunted theme park. Berlin-born, New Zealand-based director Florian Habicht is shooting Spookers at the eponymous .scream park. in a converted hospital located near Karaka, a 50 minute drive from Auckland.

The attraction was created 10 years ago by a sheep farming family, which has transformed their lives and employed hundreds of aspiring horror performers.

The New Zealand Film Commission is co-funding the doc, produced by Kiwi Lani-Rain Feltham and Madman Production.s Nick Batzias and Suzanne Walker. Madman Entertainment co-founder Paul Wiegard has been to the park and marvelled at the crazy characters including zombies, clowns, a blood-curdling butcher and a guy in a baseball mask wielding a chainsaw.

"We follow the hopes, dreams and fears of key characters as they face unchartered territory," Wiegard tells If.

Australian films are certain to sail past $70 million at the national B.O. next week helped by The Dressmaker. Through last Sunday the feature films and docs released in 2015 plus holdovers had amassed $67.2 million, according to the Mpdaa. As If reported, Australian films had already surpassed the all-time box office record of $63.4 million set in 2001. With a hefty ad spend and an extensive publicity campaign orchestrated by Universal Pictures and mostly positive reviews in the lead-up to the Thursday launch, Jocelyn Moorhouse's dramedy is sure to propel the total past $70 million.

The film starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, Sarah Snook and Hugo Weaving is opening at 284 locations..

The Mpdaa.s $67.2 million tally does not include Strangerland, which had a short theatrical release after its Sydney Film Festival premiere and grossed $100,000, according to Transmission. The market share of Australian films is running at about 6.8 per cent with national takings at around $970 million,...

That Sugar Film director Damon Gameau is set to headline Tropfest Roughcut for 2015.

This year, the engaging and intimate film industry event will be held as two separate evening events, on the October 21 and November 5 at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (Aftrs).

The event will also be free this year..

On October 21, Gameau will take part in a conversation about creativity and confidence with award-winning filmmaker and Head of Documentary at Aftrs, Rachel Landers..

The two will be exploring the idea of resilience and the importance of continuing to create in the face of challenges and criticism.

.The topic is particularly pertinent to Gameau, whose animated film Animal Beatbox won Tropfest 2011 and was the subject of lively debate..

For the director and actor, best known for his work in Balibo, The Tracker and Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, the experience was a formative one.

Gameau said receiving...

Screen Australia has confirmed Australian films have surpassed the all-time box office record of $63.4 million set in 2001, as If has reported.

With a total gross of more than $64 million, local films' share of the box-office is 6.8 per cent, the best since 2001.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason said: .It.s so wonderful to see Australian films connecting so strongly this year. The film industry is somewhat cyclical, so it is difficult to make claims based on one year.s results alone.

"However, it is also important to celebrate success when it comes along, and given that the theatrical landscape is more challenging than ever before, Australian films have well and truly over-performed.

"I think we.re on track for a particularly outstanding year — my prediction is that we.ll reach over $70 million by the end of 2015, setting a new benchmark..

Mason continued, "As well as being the major funding agency, we...

Propelled by Oddball and Blinky Bill: The Movie, next week Australian films are set to smash the record for the biggest B.O. total in a single year.

The feature films and docs released in 2015 plus holdovers have amassed an estimated $61.8 million.

Produced by Steve Kearney and Richard Keddie and directed by Stuart McDonald, Oddball raked in $3.55 million in its second week, lifting its earnings to $6.3 million. Deane Taylor.s Blinky Bill climbed to $1.9 million after pocketing a tad over $1 million in its sophomore session.

So by the end of next week the 2015 total will surpass the current record of $63.4 million set in 2001, the year of Moulin Rouge!, Lantana, The Man Who Sued God and Crocodile Dundee in La..

In that year the Australian films. market share was 7.8 per cent. If the 2001 total was adjusted for inflation then 2015 would not be a record in real terms but the market share is a consistent barometer.

Actor Bill Pullman is set to present his favourite food film, 1987’s Babette’s Feast, as the opening-night film at the world’s largest culinary film festival, Devour!, which runs Nov 4-8 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

The festival’s executive director Michael Howell and managing director Lia Rinaldo launched the 2015 programme in Toronto last week.

Films to screen include That Sugar Film, The Birth of Sake, A Year In Champagne, Swank Farm, In Defense of Food, The Empire of Scents, Sergio Herman: Fucking Perfect, Happy 140, Foodies, The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, Good Things Await, The Duel of Wine, For Grace, and Relative Happiness.

“It’s extremely rewarding to see how Devour! has grown since its inception to become the world’s premier film festival focusing on our love of both cuisine and cinema,” said Howell.

“The team has worked extremely hard to create a sensory overload for anyone coming to Wolfville this November – from the 78 films, to a significant...

Downriver, Holding The Man, The Infinite Man, Kill Me Three Times and Maya The Bee Movie will compete for best feature film at the 15th Screen Producers Australia Awards.

In contention for the TV drama series prize are The Code, Glitch, Love Child series 2 and the third seasons of Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries and Wentworth.

To be presented on November 19, the awards recognise excellence in 11 film, television and interactive categories including the inaugural short film production award.

The nominees for feature documentary production are Between A Frock And A Hard Place, The Dalfram Dispute 1938: Pig Iron Bob, Sam Klemke.s Time Machine, That Sugar Film and Women He.s Undressed.

In the running for best telemovie or miniseries are Catching Milat, Deadline Gallipoli, Devil.s Playground, House of Hancock and The Secret River.

The contenders for best TV comedy are 8Mmm Aboriginal Radio, series 2 of Danger 5, Maximum Choppage,...

Screen Australia is urging filmmakers to submit entries for the 2016 Berlin Film Festival ahead of the official delegate's arrival in Australia.

Maryanne Redpath, Official delegate for the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and head of the Generation section, will visit Australia in September to view new Australian feature films for consideration for the 2015 festival.

Berlinale is considered one of the top three film festivals in the world, and it runs alongside the European Film Market attracting substantial international industry attendance..

Last year there were more than 20,000 professional visitors from 128 countries, with 400 films screened in the festival and a further 700 plus in the market.

In 2015, the Australian line-up at Berlinale included Paper Planes directed by Robert Connolly; Life directed by Anton Corbijn; That Sugar Film directed by Damon Gameau and Elixir .by director Brodie Higgs..

Plus short films Driftwood Dustmites, The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul, Let.s Dance: David Bowie Down Under,...