World Film Report Australia: Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown Receives Funding, Animal Kingdom Receives Full Length Trailer

Australian Film Scene: Local
Screen Australia recently announced funding approvals for 11 new projects, including 2 feature films, contributing a total of $5 million. Among the projects to receive funding is Snowtown a true-crime story from Justin Kurzel whose short film Blue Tongue screened at Cannes in 2005. The film follows a teenager who befriend’s John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer (wiki entry here), and his world is altered when confronted by fear and loyalty for the man.

“Snowtown is a sophisticated character drama with an engaging yet horrific twist. In this chilling and compelling true story, we go behind the headlines and experience one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s modern history, a gruesome series of murders known as ‘the bodies in the barrels’. Australian filmmakers have a rich history of creating socially relevant cinema based on true-life crimes, as in The Boys, or larger-than-life criminals, as in Chopper, and Snowtown continues in this vein,” said Ruth Harley, Chief Executive of Screen Australia.

The Australian Film Institute has updated its eligibility criteria, including the definition of ‘Australian’ productions and direct entry/pre-selection requirements. All categories – Screen Content Innovation, Documentary, Short Fiction Film, Short Animation, Feature Film and Television – are now open.

Among the new releases we have the upcoming Beneath Hill 60, a film set in the trenches of World War 1 involving underground mine warfare. Directed by Jeremy Sims, the film opens nationally on April 15. Here’s a is glimpse.

The teaser trailer for Needle has been released, with John V. Soto’s second feature scheduled for release early next year. The film tells the story of a University student who inherits an 18th century contraption with supernatural powers before the machine goes missing and his friends start dying.

Australian Film Scene: International

Mao’s Last Dancer, the highest grossing Australian film of 2009, has nabbed a distribution in the U.S via Samuel Goldwyn Films. Bruce Beresford’s feature about Chinese-born dancer Li Cunxin will be released on August 6. Another Aussie item heading to the U.S. is Patrick Hughes’ Red Hill which was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group – which means they might add this to their output deal with Apparition.

Paramount has released the trailer for Tomorrow When The War Began, the directorial debut from Stuart Beattie based on the novel by John Marsden. The film will be released on the 2nd of September.

Russell Crowe who received his big break in the film industry through Australian films such as Romper Stomper and The Sum of Us, will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 12. His next feature role as the titular character in Robin Hood, will open the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Finally, a full length trailer of Animal Kingdon has been released with a local release date of June 3 announced, although international dates are still yet to be determined.

Look out for an overview of the Cannes selections of Australian cinema in our next edition.

Richard Keep is our Australian film correspondent.