THIS WEEK’S TOP 3 STORIES
- Netflix and Screenworks find common ground on training crews
Screenworks sets up a training program with Netflix, bends bureaucracy to the needs of the sector. - Paramount+ launches in Australia – Here’s what you need to know
Yet another streamer wants your dollars. What does Paramount+ cost? What goodies does it have, and who owns it? - Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) cancels cinemas and extends online
It’s the news we’ve been expecting but dreading. No MIFF cinema screenings in Melbourne for the second year running.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PICTURES
- Julie Kalceff on ‘First Day’, trans representation, Hulu deals, and ‘Here Out West’
Writer-director Julie Kalceff talks about the internationally acclaimed series about a transgender student, and the Hulu deal that got S2 over the line. - Distributor and producer Troy Lum was fated to come home
Troy Lum, formerly of Hopscotch Films, is back in action with two new companies: Brouhaha and Kismet. - On ‘True Colours’ and Indigenous genre mashups with Erica Glynn
As True Colours goes into production around Alice Springs, we delve into the origins of the idea.
SCREEN INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES AND ASSISTANCE
- Skip Ahead offers $120k to creative Australian Youtubers
Youtubers will be eligible for up to $120,000 in production funding through Skip Ahead, which is funded by Screen Australia and Google Australia. Applications are open now. - Screenworks and Netflix find common ground on training crews
Screenworks sets up a training program with Netflix, bends bureaucracy to the needs of the sector. - Split Second Film Competition offers $70k to young Vic filmmakers
The competition offers young Victorians a chance to work with Sweetshop & Green on a short film about road safety. - Stan and ACTF announce call for family-friendly film pitches
Stan has partnered with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) on a call for film pitches for young and family audiences across Australia. - New campaign to support actors’ mental health launched
Concerned for actors’ wellbeing, the Casting Guild of Australia is encouraging industry members to seek help.
- Screenrights announces 2021 cultural funding list
Screenrights Cultural Fund fuels industry change, from New Pasifica Creators to an Impact Teams Lab. - Verdict Film Group Raising Production Finance
Cameron Miller has been on a crusade to raise money for the Victor Chang Heart Research Institute ever since his son Shaun died in 2012 at the age of 17. He had a congenital heart defect. Cameron Miller now runs a company called Verdict Film Group, which he claims has an innovative way of raising production finance. By running investments in screen projects through The Shaun Miller Foundation, producers can take advantage of the tax benefits around registered charities, in return for a $10,000 donation to the Institute.
INDIGENOUS EXCELLENCE
- On ‘True Colours’ and Indigenous genre mashups with Erica Glynn
As True Colours goes into production around Alice Springs, we delve into the origins of the idea. - Indigenous artists A.B. Original to feature on NBA 2K22 soundtrack
The award-winning hip-hop duo is the first Australian act to be included on the iconic soundtrack of this internationally-popular basketball videogame.
COVID LOCKDOWNS HIT LOCAL EVENTS
- Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) cancels cinemas and extends online
It’s the news we’ve been expecting but dreading. No MIFF cinema screenings in Melbourne for the second year running. - PAX Aus 2021 pivots to digital-only convention
Australia’s largest gaming culture convention has announced it will pivot to a digital-only format in the wake of ongoing lockdowns.
ON OUR SCREENS, RIGHT NOW
- Paramount+ launches in Australia – Here’s what you need to know
Yet another streamer wants your dollars. What does Paramount+ cost?What goodies does it have, and who owns it? - Review: The Newsreader on ABC TV is sophisticated and enjoyable
The ABC’s new drama set in an 80s newsroom intelligently captures the pressure and intimacy of workplace relationships. - Film Review: Infinite is an entertaining mess
Infinite is entertaining, you don’t have to pay too much attention, and afterwards you’ll be asking yourself ‘did I really just watch Marky Mark make a sword in a garage so he could swap it for drugs?’
ON OUR SCREENS, SOON
- New Australian Netflix rom-com to star Adam Demos and Nickelodeon’s Victoria Justice
The untitled romcom feature is directed by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Stuart McDonald. It’s set to film in Queensland. - Clickbait on Netflix gets a chilling new trailer
Ahead of its 25 August release, Netflix thriller series Clickbait has dropped a tense new trailer, along with some unsettling production stills. - Nine Perfect Strangers, adapted from Liane Moriarty’s book, shot in Byron for Hulu, and starring Nicole Kidman as a wellness guru, starts on Amazon Prime on Friday 20 August. Here’s the trailer:
DEEP DIVES INTO GAMES
What can games tell us about girlhood?
From Life is Strange to The Walking Dead to Lost Wage Rampage, videogames can depict girlhood in groundbreaking, complex ways.
THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT
- ‘You and Me, Before and After’ selected for Toronto International Film FestivalThe Australian short film by Madeleine Gottlieb will screen at TIFF next month. It’s also available free on MIFF Play right now.
- All the Australian films featured at TIFF 2021
Films by Madeleine Gottfried, Nash Edgerton, Jane Campion, Philip Noyce and Eva Orner have been selected to screen at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. - Sydney Film Festival announces Dendy Awards short film finalists
The ten finalists in the 52nd Dendy Awards include TIFF selection Shark, and SXSW winner, The Moogai.
