To celebrate MIFF’s contribution to cinema and screen culture in Melbourne over the past seven decades, MIFF is launching its first-ever XR Commission.
With thanks to MIFF Major Supporter Ling Ang, a philanthropic grant of A$80,000 will be awarded for the creation of an immersive XR work that celebrates, interrogates, and illuminates Melbourne – its history and future, its communities and inhabitants – as well as MIFF’s integral role in sustaining the city’s relationship with the moving image.
Submissions are open to Australian artists from all disciplines, whether it be filmmaking, digital media, game development, visual art, or theatre. The chosen project will have its world premiere at MIFF’s 70th edition, to be held on 4–21 August 2022.
Actor Zoe Terakes makes THEIRStory today as the first nonbinary Australian actor in consideration for Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film at the 2021 AACTA Awards.
Terakes made the history-making decision to enter the category, which will see them recognised amongst their male peers for their performance as the cool and complex Abbie in romantic comedy Ellie and Abbie.
Abbie became one of the most beloved characters of the coming-of-age rom-com, which tells the story of Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw), a year 12 student and captain of her school, who has recently realised she has fallen for a girl in her class, Abbie (Terakes). The film premiered at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in 2020 as the first Australian film in 27 years to open the festival and received a national theatrical release on November 19, 2020.
Terakes said: “It’s not an easy decision. I’m not a woman, but I also don’t feel entirely like a man. I’m a boy human. A human boy. And so, until there is an awards system that accommodates genderqueer/trans folks, we’re gonna have to make the system work for us. I’m an actor, not an actress. I definitely feel more aligned with “male” identifiers. And I don’t want to be nominated for the gender of the character I’m playing. Yes, ‘Abbie’ in the film is female. But Eddie Redmayne wasn’t nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars when he did the Danish girl.
“So, listen. It’s all a bit confusing and feels a bit, to quote Missy Higgins, “triangle trying to squeeze through a circle” but until we de-gender awards ceremonies altogether, I’ll be up for nomination in the category that most aligns with my gender; best male actor.”
In a group statement AACTA said: “While AACTA have had other non-binary entrants and nominees in the past, this is the first time a non-binary actor has engaged in the conversation and exercised their right to choose which award suited them. To the best of AACTA’s knowledge, Zoe is also the first person to enter a gendered award for a role portraying a different gender character.”
Voting in the AACTA Awards determines which productions, performers and practitioners will be honoured with Australia’s highest screen accolade. Voting is exclusive to AACTA members, with members drawn from every sector of the screen entertainment industry. Voting for this year’s AACTA Awards closes on Monday 18 October, 2021.
Cast:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn
Synopsis:In Nightmare Alley, an ambitious carnival worker (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is. A film by Guillermo del Toro.
Walt Disney Company recently released a new trailer, poster, and stills for Academy Award® winning director Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of the musical “West Side Story,” which will open only in cinemas on Boxing Day, 2021.
Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Tony Kushner, “West Side Story” tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony®, and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also serves as an executive producer; Tony Award® winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award® winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (“Anastasia”), who arranged the score; Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), who supervised the cast on vocals; and Grammy®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago”), who served as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, Academy Award®-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Award®-winning producer Kevin McCollum. “West Side Story” has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and concept, direction, and choreography by Jerome Robbins.
From 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company will release “West Side Story” in Australian cinemas on Boxing Day, 2021. Check out the trailer below:
2021 has been a tough year for the movie industry. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to drastically affect the world, the year’s biggest films were caught in the crossfire which resulted in a number of setbacks and cancellations brought upon by the pandemic. However, Walt Disney Australia has decided to put some of these skepticisms to rest, with the company revealing their Australian release schedule for all their films until 2023. Without further ado, check out Paramount Pictures Australia’s release schedule as of September 2021.
Christmas comes early as STUDIOCANAL and Blueprint pictures launch the main trailer and artwork for Gil Kenan’s (Monster House, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) live-action magical adventure, A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS.
The film boasts an incredible ensemble cast including newcomer Henry Lawfull as the protagonist, Nikolas, Toby Jones (Infamous, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, Paddington 1 & 2), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Wonder Woman 1984), Michiel Huisman (The Haunting of Hill House, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), Zoe Colletti (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), Stephen Merchant (Jojo Rabbit, Fighting With My Family, Logan) Jim Broadbent (Paddington 1 & 2, The Iron Lady) and Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter) and Indica Watson (Gold Digger, Radioactive).
Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Gil Kenan adapted the screenplay from the bestselling book by Matt Haig, the first of 5 books in the acclaimed series, all of which are published by Canongate Books.
STUDIOCANAL produced with Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin of BAFTA and Academy Award® winning Blueprint Pictures.
Synopsis
An ordinary young boy called Nikolas sets out on an extraordinary adventure into the snowy north in search of his father who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm. Taking with him a headstrong reindeer called Blitzen and a loyal pet mouse, Nikolas soon meets his destiny in this magical, comic and endearing story that proves nothing is impossible…
2021 has been a tough year for the movie industry. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to drastically affect the world, the year’s biggest films were caught in the crossfire which resulted in a number of setbacks and cancellations brought upon by the pandemic. However, Paramount Pictures Australia has decided to put some of these skepticisms to rest, with the company revealing their Australian release schedule for all their films until June 2022. Without further ado, check out Paramount Pictures Australia’s release schedule as of August 2021.
STUDIOCANAL, Film4, Shoebox, SunnyMarch, and Amazon Studios today debut the first clip from Will Sharpe’s THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN, ahead of the film’s World Premiere at Telluride Film Festival later today.
The clip debut offers audiences a first glimpse of Academy Award® Nominee and BAFTA-winning Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, Patrick Melrose, The Imitation Game) as forgotten British artist Louis Wain in the extraordinary true story of a brilliant but troubled soul, whose fascination with the mysteries of the world is both complicated and deepened when he meets the love of his life Emily, played by Emmy® Winner and BAFTA Nominee Claire Foy (The Crown, First Man).
The film boasts an impressive ensemble supporting cast including Andrea Riseborough (Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Death of Stalin), Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Hunger Games), Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary, Dumbo), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake, Southcliffe), Stacy Martin (Nymphomaniac, Vox Lux), Phoebe Nicholls (The Elephant Man), Adeel Akhtar (The Big Sick, Pan, Four Lions, Utopia), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), Richard Ayoade (Soul, The Souvenir) and Julian Barratt (Mindhorn, Flowers, The Mighty Boosh) and Sophia di Martino (Loki, Flowers). It was recently announced that Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Free Guy), Nick Cave (20,000 Days on Earth), and Olivia Colman (The Crown, The Favourite) appear in the film, with Colman narrating.
The film will receive its World Premiere at Telluride on September 2, with its Canadian Premiere following at Toronto International Film Festival on September 11. Amazon Studios will release the film theatrically and on Prime Video later this year, with STUDIOCANAL releasing the film in cinemas across their territories – UK, France, Germany, Australia & New Zealand early in 2022.
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN is directed by BAFTA winner Will Sharpe (Flowers). Story by Simon Stephenson (Luca, Paddington 2), and screenplay by Simon Stephenson and Will Sharpe. The film is produced by Shoebox Films and SunnyMarch, and financed by STUDIOCANAL & Film4. STUDIOCANAL has sold the film worldwide.
SYNOPSIS:
The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public’s perception of cats forever. Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy).
Set in Sydney, 1999, after an unlikely encounter at a train station, a young terminally ill girl befriends a fugitive teenage boy and they travel to visit a moon rock that the girl believes will heal her
SYNOPSIS:
MONDAY, a nine-year-old girl home-schooled by her father BOB (Aaron Jeffery) in Sydney. Due to her terminal illness, Monday’s only contact with the outside world is her weekly visit to the hospital. Monday’s imagination is captured by the Moon Rock (Uluru) which she believes will heal her and desires to travel to the middle of Australia to find it. By a twist of fate. She becomes caught up in a police chase involving TYLER (George Pullar), a street kid with a massive heart. Tyler uses Monday to evade the police, but despite the circumstances, they soon form a friendship.
They decide to go on the run, road tripping to the Northern Territory to find the Moon Rock. Along the way, they meet a cast of outback characters, some helpful and some not-so. Meanwhile, Bob is desperately trying to track his daughter down before DETECTIVE LIONELL ( David Field) and the police – who are out for blood. It all culminates in a gripping finale set in the heart of Australia, and a heart-warming end to a touching journey of friendship.
CREW
DIRECTOR – Kurt Martin PRODUCER – Jim Robison WRITER – Kurt Martin PRODUCTION COMPANY – Lunar Pictures
CAST:
Monday – Ashlyn Louden-Gamble The Bobbins – Nicholas Hope Nurse Roz – Jessica Napier Tyler – George Pullar Johnny – Clarence Ryan Roach – Alan Duke Bob – Aaron Jeffery Maddie – Bonnie Ferguson Elvis – Suzan Mutesi Detective Lionell – David Field Moose – Rahel Romahn
Available to rent or buy on digital and DVD 8th September 2021
Digital Retailers:
GooglePlay
Fetch TV
Microsoft Store
Amazon Prime
iTunes
Foxtel Store
Celebrating the joy of being back together with your best friends and a perfectly executed shot to the dingdong, the original jackass crew return for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd, and often dangerous displays of comedy with a little help from some exciting new cast. Johnny and the team push the envelope even further on October 21 in jackass forever.
DIRECTED BY: Jeff Tremaine
PRODUCED BY: Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Shanna Zablow Newton, and Greg Iguchi
CAST
Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, Preston Lacy and introducing Jasper, Rachel Wolfson, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Zach Holmes, and Eric Manaka
CREDITS ARE NOT FINAL AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Check out the trailer below courtesy of Paramount Pictures and MTV Entertainment Studios:
