Wish You Were Here film-makers among Screen Australia recipents for Memorial Day
The team behind Australian film Wish You Were Here is among seven film-making teams to receive funding from Screen Australia.
Writer director Kieran Darcy-Smith, with his Wish You Were Here producer Angie Fielder as well as Ted Hope, producer of 21 Grams and Martha Marcy May Marlene, have received a share in the $216,000 of development support from the national screen agency for their film Memorial Day.
Billed as a crime drama, Memorial Day’s synopsis reads: “Two brothers – one out of his depth in a hard world he doesn’t understand, the other recently returned from a period of self-imposed exile – struggle to redress the fallout from a past family tragedy.”
Both Darcy-Smith and Fielder have been nominated for AACTAs for Wish You Were Here.
Two Australian film-makers have received professional internships through Screen Australia’s Talent Escalator Program. Bec Cubitt will join Ridley Scott’s production company Scott Free under the mentorship of Jack Arbuthnott while Will Kuether will head to LA to Disruption Entertainment under the mentorship of Luke Ryan.
Single-Project development:
ALI’S WEDDING
Genre Comedy
Producers Helen Panckhurst, Michael McMahon
Writers Osamah Sami, Andrew Knight
Synopsis A young Muslim man with big dreams and an even bigger heart must find a way to marry the love of his life, despite being promised to another.
LIFE
Genre Biopic
Producers Emile Sherman, Iain Canning
Writer Luke Davies
MEMORIAL DAY
Genre Crime Drama
Producers Angie Fielder, Ted Hope
Writer/Director Kieran Darcy-Smith
Synopsis Two brothers – one out of his depth in a hard world he doesn’t understand, the other recently returned from a period of self-imposed exile – struggle to redress the fallout from a past family tragedy.
PANDAMONIUM
Genre Family Comedy Adventure
Producers Janelle Landers, Aidan O’Bryan
Writer Duncan Kennedy
Synopsis The main ‘stud’ from China’s panda breeding program has lost his interest in the ladies. To save the species (and her job), beautiful hard-working zoologist Li-Chen must travel to Australia to retrieve a replacement panda that was lent to Taronga Zoo. Accompanied by WuHu’s love-struck keeper Mick, the return journey goes hilariously off the rails when the replacement panda goes missing.
THE RAPTURE
Genre Horror
Producer James Brown
Writer Grant Scicluna
Synopsis A group of scientists, accompanied by a journalist, set out to protest the drilling of a cave in Indonesia, a cave teaming with new species. Forced into the cave by the miners, they have to try and get out alive. As one of the group’s mental state deteriorates, she is forced to question what is real and what is in her head.
THEY SHOOT HOSTAGES, DON’T THEY?
Genre Comedy
Producer Julie Ryan
Executive Producers Jonathan Page, Bryce Menzies
Writer/Directors Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Synopsis Mono, a small-time crook out for revenge, cons Braandi and Telford, a beautiful but naive film student and an out of work method actor, into helping him make his first film. But the team is blissfully unaware that they are taking part in an elaborate fraud and that Mono is producing a ransom plea for a hostage that isn’t even alive.
VERSUS VAMPIRE
Genre Comedy
Producer/Writer Patrick McDonald
Synopsis Two hapless animal control ‘professionals’ and lifelong friends are called out to Chinatown for a job, literally, from hell. On meeting up with a beautiful Taoist vampire hunter, they must use all their skills to fight the powerful Triad vampire and save the city.
