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Colman Domingo is getting into the director’s chair for the first time for Scandalous. The movie will come from Miramax and has been fast-tracked to start production. Deadline is reporting that Domingo is planning to start filming after completing season 3 of Euphoria and he’ll be bringing along his co-star Sydney Sweeney along for the film. Sweeney is also on board as producer and will be active in its development like her involvement with Anyone But You. Sweeney is also producing the film alongside Tani Cohen and Bobby Rock, with Jon Levin executive producing. The movie will come from a script written by Matthew Fantaci.

The plot of the drama, per Deadline, is about the clandestine love affair between film star Kim Novak and singer/dancer and film star Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957. Sydney Sweeney will play Novak, and David Jonsson will play Davis Jr. Meanwhile, Sweeney was recently...

Sydney Sweeney shared the first photos of her playing boxer Christy Martin for the upcoming biopic being directed by David Michôd.

“Well the cats out of the bag thanks to some paps in bushes so here’s a little bts from my film im working on right now,” Sweeney shared with her followers on Instagram.

In the photos, Sweeney is seen sporting a mullet and flexing her biceps.

“Over the past few months, i’ve been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman—a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring,” she continued. “Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I’m honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story with you all. more to come soon.”

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The film, directed...

Sydney Sweeney has shared the first look of what fans can expect to see of her in her next film, in which she’ll star as former professional boxer Christy Martin.

In a Wednesday Instagram post, the actress sardonically thanked the paparazzi for spoiling her casting news.

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag thanks to some paps in bushes so here’s a little BTS from my film I’m working on right now,” Sweeney shared. She coupled the post with two images of her coming out of her trailer and on set, complete with muscles and dramatically different brown, curly hair.

“Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman — a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring,” Sweeney wrote. “Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength and hope, and...

Sydney Sweeney could not be farther away from playing the demure Julia Cornwall in Sony’s Madame Web than in the latest behind-the-scenes pics from her upcoming Christy Martin biopic. In the photos, Sweeney sports a ’90s mullet while giving us a front-row seat to her impressive gun show. As she curls her bicep for the camera, Sweeney smiles brightly, knowing her training to play the former boxer is paying off.

“Well the cat’s out of the bag thanks to some paps in bushes so here’s a little BTS from my film I’m working on right now,” Sweeney wrote on Instagram.

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David Michod directs the untitled Christy Martin sports biopic he co-wrote with Mirrah Foulkes. The project charts Martin’s rise to become the most iconic boxer of the 1990s. Dubbed the “female Rocky” by producers,...

Exclusive: The Righteous Gemstones‘ Tony Cavalero is co-starring in the Sydney Sweeney led untitled Black Bear financed Christy Martin biopic.

The film directed by David Michôd from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mirrah Foulkes, follows the true story of formidable Christy Martin, who rose to fame as America’s most successful female boxer in the 1990s. A naturally gifted fighter, Christy’s life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Christy’s charisma, good looks and unwavering resilience in the ring won her a wide fan base and propelled her to become welterweight champion. Behind this well-honed public persona, Christy tackled personal demons, toxic relationships, and an attempt on her life, proving that a fighter’s hardest won...

Emmy nominee Ben Foster, Emmy winner Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, and Chad L. Coleman have joined the cast of the upcoming Sydney Sweeney-led feature about boxer Christy Martin.

Martin is best known as the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. She went on to become the welterweight champion and is, to date, the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She was physically abused by her husband Jim Martin, who was also her boxing coach and manager, who was later charged with attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christy’s life was previously portrayed on screen in the “Deal with the Devil” episode of the anthology documentary series “Untold.”

The untitled film is directed by David Michôd, with a script written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd. Production began Monday in North Carolina.

The movie will...

Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor and Chad L. Coleman have joined Sydney Sweeney in the untitled feature about boxer Christy Martin from director David Michôd.

The script for the movie was written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd. Production commenced Monday in North Carolina, Black Bear announced while revealing the full cast.

The official description for the movie reads: “The film tells the unbelievable true story of formidable Christy Martin, who rose to fame as America’s most successful female boxer in the 1990s. A naturally gifted fighter, Christy’s life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Christy’s charisma, good looks and unwavering resilience in the ring won her a wide fan...

Black Bear has unveiled a raft of cast additions to David Michôd’s untitled Sydney Sweeney-led biopic about boxing champion Christy Martin, as filming starts.

The film tells the true story of Martin, who rose to fame as America’s most successful female boxer in the 1990s, at the same time as dealing with personal demons and toxic relationships behind the scenes.

The new arrivals on the production include Emmy nominee and Independent Spirit Award winner Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Emmy winner Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie), 2024 breakout Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry (Sweet Home Alabama), Jess Gabor (Shameless), and Chad L. Coleman (The Wire).

Sweeney was previously announced to star as the renowned boxer, with a script written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd. Production commenced today in North Carolina.

A naturally gifted fighter, Christy’s life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband,...

Syndey Sweeney is currently one of the most in-demand young actors, and she has just recently come off the hit rom-com Anyone But You and horror pic Immaculate, but we have recently reported that she would be portraying legendary American boxer Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic produced by Black Bear.

While the movie is still some time from being released, Sweeney is in full swing as she is preparing for the role, which will most likely be the most demanding one of her career up to this point, as Christy Martin’s life and sports career are something that demands a lot of dedication.

In a talk with Deadline, Sweeney commented on the role in general, as well as revealed how the preparations for the upcoming biopic are coming along. In this report, we are going to bring you the most interesting details from this interview, which will also prepare you for the film.

Syndey Sweeney is currently one of the most in-demand young actors generally. She has just recently come off the hit rom-com Anyone But You and horror pic Immaculate, but that doesn’t mean that the young actress is taking a rest. No, as things stand, Sweeney has decided to tackle yet another genre, as she has signed on to portray legendary American boxer Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic produced by Black Bear. The movie is going to be presented to buyers in Cannes and it might be one of the biggest scoops of the festival this year.

In case you’re not familiar with the name, Christy Martin is a true legend of female boxing. Known as both “the Female Rocky” and “The Coal Miner’s Daughter,” she was a legend of American female boxing in the 1990s and one of the most successful female boxers in history. She...

Sydney Sweeney has been cast as boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic.The 26-year-old 'Euphoria' actress - who has recently appeared in the likes of 'Anyone But You' and 'Immaculate' - is once again switching directions as she takes on the role of a boxing trailblazer described by producers as the "female Rocky".Sweeney told Deadline: "Christy Martin not only legitimized female boxing, she overcame gender stereotypes, and fought through emotional, physical, and financial abuse."I’m passionate about the fighting world, Christy’s story shines a light on her incredible rise to the top while showing the struggles of fame behind the curtains."I feel compelled to tell a story about a woman who faced so much adversity and didn’t allow it to defeat her. It’s powerful, and emotional.”The 'White Lotus' star is no stranger to boxing and Mma,...

Sydney Sweeney is getting in the ring.

The breakout from, well, basically everything she’s done lately is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic directed by David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”). Insert your own joke here about being a knockout. The script for the untitled project was written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd.

Martin was the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. She signed with Don King and is the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Martin became welterweight champion — but that was about the end of the good things in her life. Christy was physically abused by husband Jim Martin, who was eventually convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christy Martin’s life is documented in “Untold,” the excellent series of documentaries by Chaplain and Maclain Way. Her episode is subtitled “Deal with the Devil,...

Sydney Sweeney has lined up her next role as groundbreaking boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic.

Australian filmmaker David Michôd, best known for his films Animal Kingdom and The King, will direct from a script co-written with Mirrah Foulkes.

The movie will chart Martin’s rise to the most recognized female boxer in the 1990s, from meeting her manager and future husband Jim Martin to becoming the first woman to sign with star-making promoter Don King. Dubbed the “female Rocky” by the film’s producers, Martin remains the only female boxer to land a Sports Illustrated cover.

In an interview with Deadline, Michôd said, “The film is about Christy as a young gay woman in small town Virginia in the 1990s. She came from a relatively conservative family and wasn’t allowed to be who she was so she used boxing as a vehicle to express herself and her rage.

Has Sydney Sweeney found a sneaky way to get ripped and find an excuse to punch out anyone who gives her trouble? That remains to be seen, but she certainly appears ready to train to play noted female boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic from The King's David Michôd.

Written by Michôd alongside Mirrah Foulkes, the yet-to-be-titled biopic charts the rise of Martin, who grew up gay in a conservative family in small town Virginia. She turned to boxing as a way to be herself and channel her rage, and ended up America’s most well known female boxer in the 1990s. Her life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Her charisma, good looks and...

Exclusive: The in-demand Sydney Sweeney, coming off hit rom-com Anyone But You and horror pic Immaculate, is shifting gears again as she is set to portray trailblazing boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic which could be a knockout for buyers at the Cannes market where Black Bear will be launching.

Under the direction of Oz filmmaker David Michôd, known for visceral movies such as Animal Kingdom and The King, the currently untitled project will chart the true story of Martin’s rise to become America’s most well known female boxer in the 1990s — the “female Rocky” in the words of the film’s producers. A naturally gifted fighter, her life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Exclusive: Elle Fanning (The Great) and Sarah Paulson (Ratched) are attached to star in I Am Sybil, a new film co-written and directed by Mirrah Foulkes (Judy & Punch) that explores the gripping true story behind the best-selling book and cultural-sensation case of Sybil, one of the first mainstream cases of dissociative identity disorder, which spurred questions in the public consciousness around identity and mental health.

Sybil was a pseudonym given to Shirley Mason in a 1973 work of nonfiction by Flora Rheta Schreiber, which examined the young woman’s treatment for Mpd by psychologist Connie Wilbur. The source material the new film will draw on is Debbie Nathan’s 2011 book Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case, one of a number of texts that dispute the facts of Schreiber’s account.

While the producers wouldn’t confirm the...

Exclusive: WME has inked Australian actress Sophie Wilde, who starred in the Sundance breakout horror title Talk to Me from Danny and Michael Philippou.

The movie screened in the fest’s Midnight section and was acquired by A24, now set for July 28 theatrical release.

In Talk to Me, a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, becoming hooked on the new thrill. That is until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

Wilde recently wrapped The Portable Door for the Jim Henson Company and it is set to release April 7. Last year, it was announced Wilde would star as the lead in The F**k It Bucket for Netflix, which is set to premiere later this year. She additionally wrapped on the limited series Boy Swallows Universe for Netflix Australia in which she stars opposite Travis Fimmel and Simon Baker.

Wilde...

Berlin Golden Bear winner ‘Alcarràs’ among titles.

Sydney Film Festival (June 8-19) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 69th edition.

The titles include Carla Simon’s Catalan family drama Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in February; Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language drama The Quiet Girl, which took the grand prize in Berlin’s Generation Kplus strand; and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Bolivian eco-drama Utama, winner of the grand jury prize at Sundance in January.

Scroll down for full list of titles

The sole documentary in the line-up is Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love,...

Second feature from the writer-director of ‘Judy And Punch’ receives Screen Australia funding.

See-Saw Films has teamed with Australian writer/director Mirrah Foulkes to produce her upcoming psychological thriller Runaway.

It marks the second feature from Foulkes, whose debut Judy And Punch played in competition at the Sundance and Sydney Film Festivals.

Runaway is based on a 2004 short story of the same name by renowned Canadian writer Alice Munro. It follows a young woman who attempts to save her marriage by leading her husband into a complex and dangerous world of sexual fantasy, entangling her older neighbours at the same time.

Six-part anthology series Fires, about the experiences of everyday people at the frontline of the 2019-2020 bushfires, will premiere on Sunday, 26 September, 8.40pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Filmed in Melbourne and regional Victoria earlier this year, the Tony Ayres Productions drama goes behind the images and the headlines to touch on the stories of people directly affected by the fires.

The series begins in Queensland in September 2019, at the start of the fire season, and continues as the fires make their deadly march south, burning out of control through Nsw and Victoria until February 2020. Each episode is set in a different location as the fires spread and build to a terrifying onslaught across the country through Christmas and New Year.

As the fires grow in intensity and ferocity and threaten different communities, new characters appear, whose stories reflect the breadth of experience during Australia’s black summer.

Bringing...

Marvel projects may be drawing a slew of high-profile actors to Australia, but it seems there are also local productions inversely capable of attracting MCU talent.

Christopher James Baker has been back in his native country for the past year following more than a decade in New York, during which he starred in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and also shot the upcoming DC Universe Series, Stargirl.

He has been able to hit the ground running following his return, with roles in Stan’s eight-part mystery drama Eden, as well as Goalpost’s gold rush drama New Gold Mountain.

Baker will first be seen in the former, which is set to premiere on the streaming platform on June 11.

The Every Cloud Productions/Balloon Entertainment series centres on the disappearance of a young woman and a subsequent chain of events that serves to lay bare dark and hidden secrets within the titular coastal town.

In an idyllic coastal town, the disappearance of a young woman triggers a devastating chain of events which lay bare dark and hidden secrets.

Stan’s eight-part mystery drama Eden will premiere on the service June 11, with all episodes dropping at once.

The Every Cloud Productions/Balloon Entertainment series boasts a cast that includes BeBe Bettencourt, Sophie Wilde, Keiynan Lonsdale, Cody Fern, Christopher James Baker, Samuel Johnson, Rachael Blake, Leeanna Walsman, Simon Lyndon and Maggie Kirkpatrick.

Created by Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox together with Skins creator Bryan Elsley, Eden is produced by Fiona McConaghy and directed by John Curran, Mirrah Foulkes and Peter Andrikidis. All eight episodes of the series are shot by award-winning cinematographer Geoffrey Hall.

Eden also boasts an all female writing team, led by head writer Vanessa Gazy, alongside Jess Brittain, Anya Beyersdorf, Clare Sladden and Penelope Chai.

Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen Nsw.

Stan’s upcoming eight-part drama Eden is set in an idyllic coastal town, where the disappearance of a young woman triggers a devastating chain of events which lay bare the dark and hidden secrets of the town.

The Every Cloud Productions/Balloon Entertainment series boasts a cast that includes BeBe Bettencourt, Sophie Wilde, Keiynan Lonsdale, Cody Fern, Christopher James Baker, Samuel Johnson, Rachael Blake, Leeanna Walsman, Simon Lyndon and Maggie Kirkpatrick.

Created by Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox together with Skins creator Bryan Elsley, Eden is produced by Fiona McConaghy and directed by John Curran, Mirrah Foulkes and Peter Andrikidis. All eight episodes of the series are shot by award-winning cinematographer Geoffrey Hall.

Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen Nsw. Financed with support from all3media International who is the global distribution partner.

Stan is expected to announce the premiere date soon.

The post ‘Eden’ (Teaser) appeared first on If Magazine.

Leading producers Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko have assembled an extraordinary Australian cast for Fires, a drama series that presents personal tales from the front lines of the country’s recent catastrophic fire season.

The series, which is now shooting in Victoria state is produced by NBCUniversal -backed Tony Ayres Productions and Matchbox Pictures. Australian Broadcasting Corporation is on board as local broadcaster. International rights are handled by NBCUniversal Global Distribution.

The project is helmed by three leading film directors: Michael Rymer, Ana Kokkinos and Kim Mordaunt.

The ensemble cast includes: Eliza Scanlen, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh, Sullivan Stapleton, Miranda Otto (“Homeland”), Hunter Page-Lochard, Anna Torv, Kate Box, Helana Sawires, Daniel Henshall and Noni Hazlehurst.

They are joined by newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.

Fires” is structured as an anthology that weaves character studies inspired by true stories into a narrative about the Australian bushfires of 2019-...

The ABC and Tony Ayres Productions’ (Tap) anthology drama Fires is underway in Victoria, with a stellar cast that boasts Eliza Scanlen, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh, Sullivan Stapleton, Miranda Otto, Hunter Page-Lochard, Anna Torv, Kate Box, Helana Sawires, Daniel Henshall, and Noni Hazlehurst.

Joining the ensemble are also newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.

Fires, co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, is inspired by accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season of late 2019 and early 2020.

Each episode is based around a different community, drawn from reports of ordinary people and the impossible choices they were forced to make.

Chayko, who is the showrunner and lead writer, said: “So many people were affected by the fires of 2019/2020 and we wanted to honour their experiences and the losses they suffered – to ensure that their stories were not forgotten. Fires is a series about ordinary people, caught in the unimaginable,...

Exclusive: Australian drama series Fires has put together its cast.

The series, created by Stateless creator Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, has put together an ensemble cast featuring Eliza Scanlen (Sharp Objects), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Richard Roxburgh (The Crown), Sullivan Stapleton (Blindspot), Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hunter Page-Lochard (Harrow), Anna Torv (Mindhunter), Kate Box (Stateless), Helana Sawires (Stateless), Daniel Henshall (Defending Jacob) and Noni Hazlehurst (A Place to Call Home).

They are joined by newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.

The six-part series, which is inspired by extraordinary accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season in Australia of late 2019 and early 2020, will air on ABC in Australia and NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling international sales.

It is produced by NBCU-backed Tony Ayres Productions and written by showrunner Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.

Executive Producers include Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts.

Following on from their collaboration on Stateless and the upcoming ABC drama Fires, Liz Watts has signed an overall television deal with Matchbox Pictures.

The deal will see the NBC Universal-owned company work with Watts to develop and produce high-end television projects for the Australian and global market.

Watts was an executive producer on Matchbox’s Stateless for the ABC/Netflix, and is also serving as executive producer on Fires, a six-part anthology co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, drawing on the experiences of those who had their lives devastated by last summer’s bushfires. The series is expected to into production later this year, from scripts penned by Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.

Matchbox MD Alastair McKinnon said: “Liz’s incredible skill set and wealth of experience across film and TV make her the perfect addition to the exceptional talent we have at Matchbox.

Two feature films, three TV dramas, one children’s series, and one online project will share in $5.9 million of production funding from Screen Australia.

The projects include feature How To Please A Woman about a woman’s choice to take her all-male housecleaning business to a more intimate level; the previously announced ABC anthology drama series Fires, set during last summer’s devastating bushfires; Stan feature Gold, and a comedy about a single woman and her database of potential sexual partners in Spreadsheet for Viacom CBS.

Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said it was a testament to the resilience of the screen industry to have so many projects move into production during such a challenging period.

“It’s fantastic to kick off 2021 with such a great sample of the premium dramas that have been greenlit across the country,” she said.

“We’re so pleased to have supported...

So hefty is the ABC’s slate in 2021, director entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington is confident audiences won’t even realise that many of the broadcaster’s productions faced shutdowns and delays during the pandemic.

As announced at the ABC’s upfronts this afternoon, the line-up for the new year includes new dramas Fires and The Newsreader, new comedies Fisk and Preppers, as well as the return of Total Control, Frayed, Jack Irish, Harrow and Superwog.

2021 will also see the premiere of Jungle Entertainment’s mental health drama Wakefield, with all eps planned to drop on ABC iview.

Also on the line-up is Closer Productions’ chef comedy Aftertaste, starring Erik Thomson, Natalie Abbott and Rachel Griffiths, and feature anthology Here Out West, penned by a group of emerging writers from Western Sydney.

“Seven or eight months ago we were in full production and overnight we stopped production all around Australia,...

Spectrum Originals has headed down under to find its latest international drama – Australian thriller Eden.

The Charter Communications broadcaster has picked up the eight-episode drama, which comes from Australian streamer Stan and distributor All3Media International. It will air in 2021.

It becomes the latest international series set to air on the platform – Spectrum has already aired British drama Temple and teamed with UK streamer BritBox for Cold War espionage series A Spy Among Friends starring Damian Lewis and Dominic West.

Eden is centered around an idyll waterside town that holds some very dark secrets. It follows the disappearance of a girl in Byron Bay, an Australian town that seems to be a paradise. Each episode is told from a different character’s perspective, and the mystery unfolds through multiple lenses as the secrets that bind this supposed nirvana are exposed.

The cast includes Sophie Wilde (Bird), Samuel Johnson Oam (The Secret Life of Us...

Spectrum Originals is adding a new drama to its slate.

Charter Communications’ Ott service has picked up Australian drama “Eden,” with the aim of debuting the eight-episode series on Spectrum on Demand in 2021.

“Eden” hails a from “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” creators Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox, as well as “Skins” co-creator Bryan Elsley and Vanessa Gazy. It follows the disappearance of a girl in Byron Bay, an Australian town that seems to be a paradise. Each episode is told from a different character’s perspective, and the mystery unfolds through multiple lenses as the secrets that bind this supposed nirvana are exposed.

The cast of “Eden” includes Sophie Wilde (“Bird”), Samuel Johnson Oam (“The Secret Life of Us”), Bebe Bettencourt (“The Dry”), Christopher James Baker, Cody Fern (“American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”), Keiynan Lonsdale (“The Flash”), Claude Jabbour (“Stateless”) and Cassandra Sorrell (“Plastic”).

“Eden” is a...

Rob Gibson and Ian Collie.

TV drama producers face a balancing act next year: How to take advantage of the 30 per cent Producer Offset while coping with watered-down local content regulations and the financial constraints affecting all Australian broadcasters – public and commercial.

For Easy Tiger, and no doubt other production companies, one solution lies in attracting more investment from international streamers, networks and co-productions.

Hence Easy Tiger founder/producer Ian Collie and CEO/producer Rob Gibson are working on multiple international deals, not just with the US and the UK, but also with less obvious markets such as Mexico, Norway and India.

In addition, the production company backed by Fremantle continues to foster new and emerging writing talent including Imogen McCloskey, Hannah Lehmann, Anchuli Felicia King and Julia Patey.

“The drama market in Australia is increasingly tough and the changes to the sub-quotas leave the industry in a much more precarious position,...

Fiona Eagger.

The biggest challenge facing TV producers next year is figuring out ways to keep Australian dramas screening on the free-to-air broadcasters, according to Fiona Eagger.

Eagger, who co-founded Every Cloud Productions with Deb Cox, welcomes the raising of the TV Producer Offset to 30 per cent but laments the abolition of the local content sub-quotas for Fta networks.

“For Australian producers our greatest challenge is keeping Australian drama alive on our free-to-airs,” she tells If. “All the networks want to keep making Australian drama because when it hits the sweet spot, it creates great audience loyalty to a brand.

“But they’re worried about their revenues and livelihoods so, hand-in-glove with Screen Australia and the state agencies, we have to be really clever in how we put deals together.

“We are resilient and inventive but it’s not easy when the government gives on one hand but takes away on the other hand.

‘Bump.’

Stan today unveiled five Stan Original productions – two drama series, a true crime docuseries, a film and a comedy special – as part of an ambitious plan to ramp up local commissions.

The Nine-owned streamer said it plans to invest in more than 30 productions per year within five years, drawing on Nine’s production facilities and via co-productions with international partners including Hollywood studios and international networks.

It will continue to build on relationships with state and national screen agencies including initiatives such as the Stan and Film Victoria Development Fund and the Screen Queensland and Stan Premium Drama Development Fund.

The slate announced today includes Every Cloud Productions and Balloon Entertainment’s eight-part murder mystery Eden; Claudia Karvan, Kelsey Munro and Roadshow Rough Diamond’s 10-part half-hour drama Bump; and After the Night, a four-part true crime docuseries from Eq Media Group and Salon Pictures, created and directed by Thomas Meadmore.

Tony Ayres.

The impact of the devastating bushfires of last summer will be explored in six-part drama The Fires, currently in development at the ABC.

The Tony Ayres Productions (Tap) series is planned as a serialised anthology, inspired by the stories of the people who survived the catastrophe and continue to endure its aftermath.

Each episode will be based around character studies of ordinary people caught in the unimaginable and the impossible choices they were forced to make. These will include volunteer firefighters; families who lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones; people who had to make agonising decisions about whether to stay or flee; and others who found themselves responsible for the lives of friends and strangers.

Working with Ayres in the creative team is Tap head of development Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts. The writing team is led by Belinda Chayko, working with Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.

Tony Ayres Productions (Tap) is developing The Fires, a six-part anthology series drawing on the experiences of those directly affected by the Australian megafires of last summer.

The company, which has an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, has ABC already on board with the series in Australia.

The creative team includes Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts. The writing team, led by International Emmy Award-winning showrunner/writer Belinda Chayko includes Jacquelin Perske (The Cry), Mirrah Foulkes (Judy and Punch), Steven McGregor (Mystery Road) and Anya Beyersdorf.

The Fires is a serialized anthology inspired by the stories of the people who survived last summer’s catastrophic fire season and continue to endure the aftermath. Each episode is based around character studies...

Steven Oliver in ‘Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky’.

Local films from directors Jo-Anne Brechin and Steven McGregor are among the 12 world premieres to feature on the line-up for Miff 68½ – Melbourne International Film Festival’s upcoming digital-only iteration.

To run August 6-23, the event will encompass some 69 features and 44 shorts from 56 countries – an impressive number given the rights complications inherent in putting together an online showcase. Forty-nine per cent of films are from a female director, and all films are available to stream across Australia.

Miff artistic director Al Cossar said: “I’m delighted to say that, despite the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, Miff’s ‘radical act’ is to keep going and continue on our mission to bring you the world through unforgettable screen experiences. At Miff, we are driven by a deep understanding that film has the ability to entertain, inspire, illuminate and empower audiences in a way that few other...

Movies are slowly starting to trickle back into theaters, emphasis on the word “slowly.” For the time being, audiences’ options are still better at home, as this week’s crop of new films includes outrageous new genre fare — such as “Becky,” from the directors of “Cooties,” which plays a bit like a hard-r version of “Home Alone” — and festival standouts such as Hong Sang-soo’s “Yourself and Yours.”

“The Invisible Man” star Elisabeth Moss elaborates on her ever-widening scope of tortured women in the wildly unconventional Shirley Jackson biopic, a movie which portrays the author of “The Lottery” as the kind of character one might discover in her mind-bending horror tales.

Here’s a complete rundown of the week’s new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them. Find more movies and TV shows to stream here.

Playing in drive-ins and extremely limited release:...

Whenever Disney announces a new live-action film, there’s a collective: “Ah, shit. Here we go again.” It shows a lack of creativity in taking their animated works and making them “real”. Judy & Punch falls under the category of taking an established story from one medium and bringing it to life in another, but it’s unique in the way it does so. It takes the traditional trappings and characters of the British Punch and Judy puppet show and plays them out in live-action with magical whimsy in this black comedy about a puppeteering duo. Their performances aren’t simply a dance of marionette strings, but art imitating life in very punchy ways, and with themes that have hard-hitting relevancy as writer-director, Mirrah Foulkes, reimagines an old, misogynistic tale into what she calls, “a feminine inversion of the traditional hero’s journey.”

Punch and Judy, despite its roots in Italian commedia dell’arte,...

Have you ever wondered about the old Punch and Judy puppet shows? Probably not, but still, the new film Judy and Punch hopes that you at least have pondered the time period that produced those violent puppet shows. For better or worse, the movie takes on the vibe of that sort of a show. The result is a flick that has manic moments of inspiration, needless violence, and a lack of a defining characteristic. In getting to the punch (no pun intended) at the admittedly well executed conclusion, too many odd paths are taking. It all just makes for a sometimes interesting mess that falls short of being recommendation worthy. The movie initially seems to be outlining how the Punch and Judy shows came to be, but it then takes a turn. At the start, we see Judy (Mia Wasikowska) and Punch (Damon Herriman) operating a puppet show in the small town of Seaside,...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

Free Films Featuring Black Voices

If you’re not able to join your local protest, there are other ways to support the vital fight again injustice and police brutality. And if you’re looking to learn more about the black experience, especially in America, a number of films are now available for free. First up, The Criterion Channel has made available Daughters of the Dust, Losing Ground, Black Mother, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, The Watermelon Woman, and more films by black filmmakers for free without a subscription. Also available for free on other platforms is Charles Burnett’s landmark film Killer of Sheep, Ava DuVernay’s insightful documentary 13th,...

Early in “Judy & Punch,” a wife who’s just helped her husband perform a vigorously slap-happy puppet show in a desultory corner of 17th century England poses the question, “Do you think the show really needs to be that punchy?”

“That’s what the people like,” he replies with a shrug. “They like punchy. They like smashy.”

People still like punchy and smashy, of course, and “Judy & Punch” sees to it that its viewers will be longing for a bit of the old ultraviolence by the end of this particular enterprise. The film is both a deconstruction of myth and a twisted origin story for a slapsticky form of puppetry that was quite popular a couple hundred years ago, but it’s also a gory little bit of provocation that makes fun of bloodthirsty audiences but might appeal to some of them as well.

And while you could...

As the pandemic rages on and the oppressed justly fight back against police brutality across this country, it feels a bit futile to be doling out monthly movie recommendations. So, first, we’ll a number of ways you can help, with a map of places to protest, where to donate, sign petitions, and more.

Now, if you are in the headspace to watch a film, there are a number of worthwhile offerings this June, including a new feature from the director most attuned at capturing our country’s sharp racial divide. There’s also a trio of features from one of international cinema’s most prolific directors finally getting a U.S. release, plus notable documentaries, gripping character studies, and more.

See our recommendations below.

11. Judy and Punch (Mirrah Foulkes; June 5)

After premiering at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, the equally entertaining and shocking black comedy Judy & Punch will arrive this week.

Damon Herriman and Mia Wasikowska in Judy & Punch

In a little town called Seaside, far from the sea, two travelling performers entertain the locals with their puppets. They work perfectly together, each complementing the other's style, but in private things are very different: Punch (Damon Herriman) drinks and gets aggressive whilst Judy (Mia Wasikowska) struggles to look after their baby. After one of Punch's drinking sessions results in a horrible accident, the tension between them explodes into violence - but Judy isn't about to let herself become just another forgotten victim.

Judy & Punch is the début directorial feature from seasoned Australian actress Mirrah Foulkes, who agreed to connect with me to talk about how it developed.

Mirrah Foulkes

“It was actually brought to me by Vice [Media] in America, of all the places to find a Punch and Judy story. They approached me because they had and idea that...

Judy & Punch, the feature debut from writer/director Mirrah Foulkes is a playful, darkly comic historical fiction depicting the origins of Punch & Judy shows - grotesque puppet theatre derived from Italian commedia dell'arte and traditionally performed by hand puppets in British seaside towns. Here however, Foulkes re-imagines these origins as the work of a husband and wife team who perform their show with marionettes in the 17th Century rural English town of 'Seaside' - shows which reflect their own deeply dysfunctional relationship. The film is at turns comedic and quirky, occasionally bleak, but works on its own terms as kind of socially conscious morality fairy tail about prejudice, betrayal and revenge.

Mr. Punch (Damon Herriman) is a faded puppeteer. Once a great draw for...

Baz Luhrmann.

A new feature film from Baz Luhrmann, set in a small Australian country town, is among the 18 projects to recently receive story development funding from Screen Australia.

The agency announced today it will share $620,000 between 11 films, five TV series and two online projects.

These projects come from both the existing Premium and Generate development funds. Generate Fund is for lower budget projects with an emphasis on new and emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks. The Premium Fund is for higher budget projects of ambition and scale from successful screen content makers.

Projects pitched for Premium Plus funds – the additional development funding the agency announced in response to Covid-19 – are still being assessed.

Screen Australia head of development Nerida Moore said: “With many productions temporarily halted it is more important than ever for us to support the development of Australian stories for all platforms. I...

Judy & Punch will now be June 5, 2020 The film, written & directed by Mirrah Foulkes, stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland) and Damon Herriman (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood). In the anarchic town of Seaside, nowhere near the sea, puppeteers Judy and Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show. The show …

The post Judy & Punch w/Mia Wasikowska & Damon Herriman appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

To mark the release of Judy and Punch on 16th March, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray, along with a poster signed by Mia Wasikowska and Mirrah Foulkes for each winner.

Famous puppeteers Judy (Mia Wasikowska) and her husband Punch (Damon Herriman) live in the town of Seaside. A strange place that is located nowhere near any sort of coastline, the town and its inhabitants are in thrall to a frenzy of witch hunts and superstition. But while the townspeople revel in the drama of the various trials and punishments, Judy and Punch provide welcome distraction with their magical puppet show. However, temptation can be found in every dark corner of Seaside, and the charismatic Punch succumbs to the women, the ale and adulation that await him at the local tavern. Despairing at her husband’s weakness, Judy forces the hungover Punch to focus on his...

Actress Mirrah Foulkes makes her directorial debut with “Judy & Punch,” a violent and revisionist tale that looks more like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” goes to the puppet show than your classic Punch and Judy story. The period piece, which launched at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019 and was followed by a robust tour on the festival circuit, finally hits theaters in the U.S. on April 24, courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Set in an anarchic town known as Seaside, which happens to be nowhere near the sea, married puppeteers Judy (Mia Wasikowska) and Punch (Damon Herriman) are struggling to resurrect their marionette show. The show is a hit thanks to Judy’s deft puppeteering skills but due to Punch’s jealousy-fueled ambition — and his tendency to hit the bottle too hard — the show is thrust into tragedy. Foulkes’ updated take on the classic 16th-century puppet show,...

‘The Nightingale’.

Last night’s Aacta Awards saw a trifecta for Jennifer Kent, who took home Best Film, Best Direction and Best Screenplay for The Nightingale, with star Aisling Franciosi also winning Best Lead Actress.

Set in 1825, The Nightingale follows a young, female Irish convict (Franciosi) who chases a British officer through the Tasmanian wilderness bent on revenge after he committed an act of violence against her family, and who along the way enlists the help of an Aboriginal tracker. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2018, with Kent the only female director in competition. It won the Special Jury Prize and Baykali Ganambarr the Marcello Mastroiaani Award for his debut performance.

Produced by Causeway Films’ Kristina Ceyton, Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea and Steve Hutensky, and Kent, the period tale beat out The King, Judy & Punch, Hearts and Bones, Ride Like A Girl and Top End Wedding for the Best Film prize.