Mini Studios and head Pictures have delivered the Stephen Baker directed animated short for Mitsubishi as part of an on going opportunity given by Tropfest to it’s past winners.
see it here - http://tropfest.ninemsn.com.au/supershortseries/
Screen Australia has supported the 4th draft of Please Explain to be written by Stephen Sewell as award winning Director Anna Broinowski joins the team to steer the story to production in late 09. Anna Broinowski is best known for her AFI award winning debut feature “Forbidden Lies” - the most successful Australian documentary feature from Australia in 08. The project has been steered through Screen Australia by outgoing project officer Megan Simpson Huberman. The project has letters of interest from a variety of Distribution companies in Australia and International Sales Agents. Broinowski and Sewell will work closely together on the next draft. Mini Studios would like to thank all those involved at Screen Australia in supporting the project.
See more on Forbidden Lies here - http://www.forbiddenlies.com.au/
HOLLYWOOD CHOOSES AUSTRALIAN TEAM
HEAD PICTURES and MINI STUDIOS have announced their involvement in an untitled feature produced by Peter Farrelly and Charles Wessler consisting of two dozen short comedy films in the vein of “The Groove Tube” and “Kentucky Fried Movie.”
Head Pictures directors Steve Baker and Damon Escott & will co-direct and Mini Studios producers Steve Kearney and Leanne Tonkes will produce their short, entitled The Apprentice. Other directors already in talks include Brett Ratner, Todd Phillips, Mike Judge, Josh Gordon and Will Speck. Farrelly also will direct two of the shorts.
“Peter and I are very excited about The Apprentice, our only Australian contribution to the project. Steve’s script is both disturbing and hysterically funny. It is unique and will stand out from all the other short films in the movie. Steve and Damon are terrific filmmakers. We have an amazing team assembled for our movie and these guys fit right in”, Wessler said.
Steve Baker, a multi- award winning director and animator (Winner Tropfest 2007 An Imaginary Life) is currently nominated for an AFI Award for Dog With Electric Collar. Dog opened Sydney and Brisbane film festivals and has just screened at Hiroshima Animation Festival. Damon Escott is a successful director with award winning music videos (Aria winner 2006) for some of Australia’s finest music artists, including Silverchair, Powderfinger, Bernard Fanning, John Butler Trio, Sarah Blasko, End of Fashion and the Grates. He also directs TVC’s for brands including Coke, Nestle, Arnotts etc. The two have collaborated on a number of projects under the HEAD PICTURES banner.
Screen Australia has also come on board with support for The Apprentice, which could end up being one of the final shorts to receive funding.
Overture will handle US distribution, while GreeneStreet Films Intl. is set to sell the film internationally.