News in Brief – ‘Two Hands’ TV series in the works and Natalie Portman feature to film in Sydney

THIS WEEK’S TOP 3 STORIES

• You should watch…Love on the Spectrum on ABC iView
  The second season of this thoughtful dating show celebrates romance and neurodivergence, and it has completely stolen Jini Maxwell’s heart, as well our readers’. Despite being a month old, you loved this story!
• Ambiguity, archives, and the 80s: an interview with screenwriter Michael Lucas
  The creator and producer of the ABC’s new drama The Newsreader talks about his inspiration for the show, and gives advice for emerging writers.
• Two Hands TV series among Screen Australia’s 28 recipients of story development funding
  Gregor Jordan’s crime comedy goes to series, a live action family film from Ludo, and a gay romance anthology are among projects sharing $950,000.

IN THE INDUSTRY

• Natalie Portman will be in Sydney next month to film HBO Films’ feature Days of Abandonment, based on Elena Ferrantes’ novel of the same name. According to the media release from Communications Minister Fletcher, the production is expected to employ more than 200 people and inject $25 million into the Australian economy. Attracted by the Federal location incentive, the project is written and directed by Maggie Betts and ‘will employ female creatives and crew across all levels of the production, and work with industry on events to promote women’s leadership in the screen sector.’ Strong adherence to COVID-safe protocols hardly needs to be said.
• AACTA finalists prove an extraordinary year for documentary
  The 2021 list of feature documentaries in the final nominee list for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts is a standout. Here are our thoughts.
• Australia’s richest sci-fi screenwriting prize is open for entries
  The John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science Fiction Writing offers $10,000 for the best produced script and professional support for the best unproduced script.
• Australian game devs accepted into prestigious IGDA Foundation program
  The latest cohort in the International Game Developers’ Association (IGDA) Foundation’s Diverse Game Developers’ Virtual Exchange has been announced.
• ABC partners with Light Lab in Virtual Production ferment
  The ABC uses Adelaide indie hothouse to learn virtual production, and gets a good feed too.

FILM FESTIVALS

• WA’s CinefestOz announces full program, Nadia Tass heads Jury
• The full 2021 program for CinefestOZ has just been announced, with 17 world premieres and four Australian premieres.
  Jane Campion doggedly see-saws into Venice with The Power of the Dog
  Netflix will be watching The Power of the Dog at Venice to see if it gets a world cinema release. Yes, that’s right: cinema.

CAREER

• What does it take to be the Art Director on a huge MMORPG?
  From artist to director, CJ Grebb tells us about his 20+ years in the world of game art.
• From politics to costume design: it’s never too late for a career shift [Sponsored]
  After studying an undergraduate majoring in politics and creative writing, Monique Langford took the leap into costume and set design. Now she works on a major Hollywood film set and TV series.

DEEP DIVES INTO GAMES

• Phantom Abyss is online multiplayer without the scheduling nightmare
  Team WIBY’s Ben Marrinan explains how they developed Phantom Abyss for a generation who treats games as a digital living room.
• 6 questions with ACMI prize-winning game developer Dan Ferguson
  The Melbourne game developer talks about his cartoonish, kinetic games, winning the ACMI + RMIT prize, and what comes next.
• Behind the pioneering animation of gaming’s most beloved cinematic universe
  The world of Overwatch is more than a game, it’s a freely accessible Pixar-style animated universe. We chat to two of its lead creatives.

ON OUR SCREENS

• Streaming Highlights for August on Netflix, ABC iview, Stan and Foxtel Now
  Wentworth, The Newsreader, and Clickbait lead August’s viewing highlights.
• Box office: another lockdown, another glitch in the blockbuster matrix
  While the box office suffers from lockdowns, Raya and the Last Dragon is doing well, despite criticism about its use of Asian culture.
• Politics from the female perspective: an interview with Annabel CrabbThe journalist and series creator talks about the making of Ms Represented, a powerful ABC documentary about women in politics.
• Films made for Netflix look more like TV shows — here’s the technical reason why
  Ari Mattes explores the visual differences between film recorded by high resolution sensors and film shot on celluloid.

REVIEWS

• TV Review: The Cheap Seats
  The latest topical comedy from Working Dog does the job well, says Anthony Morris.
• TV Review: The Moth Effect makes fun of hypocrisy
  Amazon Prime’s new sketch comedy series features an A-list cast and some sharp yet silly social satire. Mel Campbell samples the first 2 episodes.
• TV Review: Mr Inbetween’s Aussie crime chapter comes to an end
  Scott Ryan’s highly successful drama about a charismatic hitman is finishing up this month. Anthony Morris takes an admiring look at season 3.
• Game Review: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles delivers thrilling legal drama
  The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is the most narratively and thematically consistent entry to date for the legal drama series.
• Review: ‘Outlines’ is a lockdown gift from Sydney Opera House
  Four substantial new digital works from Australia, the UK and Korea are freely available to stream. Chris Boyd applauds the season, with some reservations.