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Jason Momoa is set to make his big debut as Aquaman in Zack Snyder’s “Justice League” next year, but before we see the actor as the DC Comics superhero fans can see him as a ruthless thug in “Sugar Mountain.”

The thriller centers around two brothers, deep in debt with Momoa, who fake a disappearance in the wilderness so they’ll have a great survival story to sell. Their hoax quickly turns sour when their plan puts their lives at risk.

The film is directed by Richard Gray and also stars Drew Roy, Haley Webb, Shane Coffey, and Cary Elwes as the local sheriff who begins to suspect fowl play.

Read More: ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ Trailer: Ang Lee’s War Drama Pushes The Boundaries Of Cinema To Polarizing New Limits

Gray’s previous credits include “Summer Coda,” “Blinder,” and “The Lookalike” starring Gillian Jacobs and Justin Long.

Well Go USA will launch Richard Gray's The Lookalike in Us cinemas and on digital HD on Friday November 7.

The dark comedy crime-romance stars Justin Long, John Corbett, Gillian Jacobs, Jerry O.Connell, Gina Gershon, Scottie Thompson and Luís Guzman.

Gray (Blinder, Mine Games, Summer Coda) is in post-production on the thriller Sugar Mountain, which stars Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes..

He's working with producer Mario Kassar on a new adaption of the Ryû Murakami novel, the story of a widower who, with the help of a TV producer friend, holds auditions supposedly for a leading lady as a cover to find a wife. The novel was adapted into a Japanese film in 1999.

.We.re thrilled to bring The Lookalike to audiences throughout the Us starting in November,. said Doris Pfardrescher, CEO/President of Well Go USA. .It.s a phenomenal film with extraordinary talent that seamlessly blends the elements of the thriller,...

Actor Paul Ireland is set to make his feature directing debut on Pawno, a dramedy set in a seedy pawn shop in Melbourne's western suburbs.

Scripted by actor-turned-writer Damian Hill, the film will follow one day in the lives of 14 characters as they attempt to survive, thrive or maintain their way of life in an often cruel world.

.It is a unique and unapologetic journey into the underbelly of our society,. said Hill, who is producing with Ireland through their company Toothless Pictures.

Due to start shooting in Footscray on November 23, the film.s ensemble cast includes John Brumpton, Hill, Maeve Dermody, Malcolm Kennard, Mark Coles Smith and Tony Rickards.

Hill and Ireland, who formed Toothless Pictures last year, raised $12,500 via crowd-funding site Pozible and the balance of the budget from philanthropic investors after two years of toil.

.Our focus is to tell a compelling, poignant and layered story that will move and entertain,...

Baz Luhrmann, George Miller, Robert Luketic, Alex Proyas and Phillip Noyce have carved out impressive careers in Hollywood over the past three decades. A second wave of directors are also now carving out impressive Us careers . and flying under the radar in their homeland.

Richard Gray recently finished filming The Lookalike . a Us thriller/crime comedy starring Justin Long and Luis Guzman . which was filmed in New Orleans and the Bahamas. The filmmaker has made four feature films (two shot in the Us) since Australian romance Summer Coda in 2010 and is currently promoting his Australian Rules drama Blinder, which will be seen on more than 100 screens from March 7.

.I'm such a fortunate guy,. Gray said by email. .I have a tremendous team and we've basically worked seven days a week for last five years to get us into a position where we can do what we love regularly. It's all...

Richard Gray

An Australian film-maker has sold the international rights to his latest film, The Lookalike, set in the USA.

Arclight Films has acquired the film from director-producer Richard Gray and is presenting it to buyers in Berlin.

The Lookalike wrapped last month y in Louisiana and stars John Corbett, Justin Long, Jerry O’Connell, Gina Gershon, Gillian Jacobs and Luiz Guzman.

The deal was brokered by Gray’s Yellow Brick Films and Clay Epstein VP of sales and acquisitions for Arclight Films.

Gray said of the acquisition: “I’m extremely excited to be working with Arclight Films. Their reputation and ability to bridge the gap between us filmmakers and the marketplace is crucial to the success of The Lookalike.”

Epstein said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Justin, Richard and their extremely talented team of filmmakers and actor. The Lookalike has the perfect combination of commercial viability and...

A new company has launched into the Australian film distribution sector charging producers a flat fee for its service.

The model varies from a typical film distribution company which takes a percentage of box office revenue.

The Melbourne-based Backlot Studios is led by directors Tony Ianiro and Mark D’Angelo, both most recently of Paramount Pictures.

The company’s first film will be Richard Gray’s Aussie Rules-based film Blinder. It opens on March 7.

D’Angelo told Encore: “Part of our service is to liase with the producers and work with them as to how wide a film should go. Our job is to assess everything on a case by case basis. We can move a bit more fluidly.

Blinder was originally to be distributed this month through Jump Street Films but was dropped after Jump Street formed an exclusive distribution deal with Us-based multi-purpose film company Cargo Entertainment.

Gray...

Australian director Richard Gray has secured an impressive cast for upcoming Us feature The Lookalike. Justin Long, John Corbett, Luis Guzman, Jerry O'Connell, Gina Gershon, and Gillian Jacobs have all signed onto the project, which commences principle photography on November 28. To be filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Paradise Island, Bahamas, The Lookalike is an indie thriller said to be in the same vein of True Romance and Get Shorty. Gray.s previous credits include Summer Coda, starring Rachael Taylor and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver, and Mine Games, which has just completed the festival circuit.

His latest film, Blinder, gets wide theatrical release in Australia on February 21, 2013. The Lookalike was written by Gray.s wife Michele Gray, who is also producing. Producing alongside the pair are Justin Long, Richard Gray, Mike Gillespie, Frank Lotito, Virginia Kay, and Kaine Harling. .

Director Richard Gray is set to begin filming his fourth feature film, The Lookalike, in November with actor Justin Long.

The Us thriller/crime comedy is being produced through Gray's Yellow Brick Films production company and will shoot in New Orleans and the Bahamas.

Long, who has appeared in films such as He's Just Not That Into You and Live Free or Die Hard, plays Holt - one of four leads. The other three actors will be announced shortly, with the shoot scheduled for November 26 - January 15.

Gray said The Lookalike, which was written by his wife Michele, was reminiscent of films such as True Romance and Get Shorty. The film follows Bobby and Frank who set out to find a lookalike for Sadie, whose death has jeopardised a major deal. The crazy search propels an ex-basketball champion, a gossip writer, a coke addict, and a deaf beauty into unlikely...

Cinematographer Don McAlpine, documentary director Jennifer Peedom, producer Helen Bowden and actor/director Damian Walshe-Howling are among the members of the jury announced for the Cockatoo Island Film Festival.

The announcement:

A number of Australia’s award-winning movie heavyweights have been confirmed for the three juries of the Cockatoo Island International Film Festival starting next week.

The juries will be for the Dramatic Feature competition, Documentary section and for Short Films.

The Golden Feather Awards, in six categories, will be presented at a major red carpet event on the island on Saturday night, 27 October. The Festival opens with acclaimed Us film The Master, on Wednesday 24 October.

Veteran cinematographer, Don McAlpine (Predator, Wolverine, Moulin Rouge) will chair the feature jury, award winning documentary film-maker Jennifer Peedom (Miracle on Everest and Solo) the documentary section and actor/director/producer Jeremy Hartley Sims will head the Shorts jury.

Other members of the juries...

Australian rules football drama Blinder is searching for a new distributor.

A theatrical release was originally planned for January 24 but a clash with another planned release by independent distributor Jump Street Films spurred the change, according to director Richard Gray.

The $5 million film will now be screened for distributors in the next fortnight ahead of a planned wide theatrical release next year. Gray said keeping the release date within the window between the Australian Open in January and the start of the Afl main season was crucial with executive producers and former Afl greats Glenn Archer and Sam Keckovich, and legendary actor Jack Thompson, also lined up to do "a mountain of publicity".

The film also stars Josh Helman (Animal Kingdom, The Pacific), Oliver Ackland (The Slap, Cloudstreet), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Steve Bisley (Red Hill), Anna Hutchison (Wild Boys), Zoe Carides (Death In Brunswick), Bob Morley (Road Train...

A new film by the director of Summer Coda has been announced for a late January theatrical release.

Blinder, the third feature film by Richard Gray after Summer Coda and the yet to be released Mine Games is scheduled for a January 24 opening.

The film began production in February in Torquay, Victoria before moving to Boston, USA to finish filming.

The story follows a former Afl player Tom, played by The Slap’s Oliver Ackland, who flees Australia on the back of a scandal that ended his career before it began.

On returning to clear his his name he reignites a relationship with an ex girlfriend. With his return also comes revelations regarding the shameful aftermath of his team’s grand final begin to cause termoil in his life once again.

Producing with Gray is co-writer Michele Davis-Gray as well as Virginia Kay, Mike Gillespie and Chris Lemole, executive produced...

Afl feature film Blinder kicks off its 10-week shoot today in Torquay, Victoria, before moving to Boston, Massachusetts.

The upcoming film has also cast Josh Helman (Animal Kingdom, The Pacific), who will appear alongside Oliver Ackland (The Slap, Cloudstreet), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Steve Bisley (Red Hill), Anna Hutchison (Wild Boys), Zoe Carides (Death In Brunswick), Bob Morley (Road Train) and Angus Sampson (Insidious).

Helman will star as James Mortimer, a great centre half-forward for the Torquay Tigers, in the $5 million Blinder, which is being marketed as a sports drama brimming with romance and sports action in the vein of Friday Night Lights and Bend It Like Beckham.

The story centres on 18-year-old Tom (Ackland) from Torquay who, having fled Australia on the back of a football scandal that ended his career before it started, returns home to clear his name and reignite an old flame. While celebrating the life of his recently-departed coach,...

Afl feature film Blinder has unveiled its cast ahead of a 10-week shoot which begins next month in Victoria.

The film will star Oliver Ackland (The Slap), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Steve Bisley (Red Hill), Anna Hutchison (Wild Boys), Zoe Carides (Death In Brunswick), Bob Morley (Road Train) and Angus Sampson (Insidious).

Ackland plays an ex-footballer who returns home after a long absence to clear his name and reignite an old flame.

Richard Gray (Summer Coda, Mine Games) is directing the screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Didier and Michele Gray. They are also producing the film alongside former footballers Glenn Archer, Adrian Gleeson and Sam Kekovich, as well as Virginia Kay, Bryce Menzies, Chris Lemole and Mike Gillespie.

.I grew up holidaying with family on the Great Ocean Road and always dreamed of shooting a film there," Gray said in a statement. "We have locations from Torquay to Apollo...

Afl feature film Blinder has unveiled its cast ahead of a 10-week shoot which begins next month in Victoria. The film will star Oliver Ackland (The Slap), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Steve Bisley (Red Hill), Anna Hutchison (Wild Boys), Zoe Carides (Death In Brunswick), Bob Morley (Road Train) and Angus Sampson (Insidious). Ackland plays an ex-footballer who returns home after a long absence to clear his name and reignite an old flame. Richard Gray (Summer Coda, Mine Games) is directing the screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Didier and Michele Gray. They are also producing the film alongside former footballers Glenn Archer, Adrian Gleeson and Sam Kekovich, as well as Virginia Kay, Bryce Menzies, Chris Lemole and Mike Gillespie. .I grew up holidaying with family on...

Afl feature film Blinder has unveiled its cast ahead of a 10-week shoot which begins next month in Victoria. The film will star Oliver Ackland (The Slap), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Steve Bisley (Red Hill), Anna Hutchison (Wild Boys), Zoe Carides (Death In Brunswick), Bob Morley (Road Train) and Angus Sampson (Insidious). Ackland plays an ex-footballer who returns home after a long absence to clear his name and reignite an old flame. Richard Gray (Summer Coda, Mine Games) is directing the screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Didier and Michele Gray. They are also producing the film alongside former footballers Glenn Archer, Adrian Gleeson and Sam Kekovich, as well as Virginia Kay, Bryce Menzies, Chris Lemole and Mike Gillespie. .I grew up holidaying with family on...

Director Richard Gray

Casting has been announced for Australian Afl film Blinder, directed by Summer Coda’s Richard Gray.

Oliver Ackland (The Slap, Cloudstreet, Wasted on the Young), Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones), Steve Bisley (Red Hill), Angus Sampson (Insidious), Anna Hutchison (Wild Boys), Zoe Carides (Death in Brunswick) and Bob Morley (Road Train) will begin a 10 week shoot in Torquay Victoria on February 20 before moving to Boston Massachusetts.

Written by Gray, Scott Didier and Michele Gray, the film is produced by the three as well as Afl greats Glenn Archer, Adrian Gleeson and Sam Kekovich as well as Virginia Kay, Bryce Menzies and Us producers Chris Lemole and Mike Gillespie.

The story is of an ex-footballer who reignites an old flame after a long absence away from his home town, Blinder promises to be “a sports drama brimming with romance and scandal.”

Gray said: “We have locations from Torquay...

Richard Gray, writer director of Summer Coda and the American Thriller Mine Games will direct Blinder, a film about Afl, romance and scandal.

Written by Gray, Scott Didier and Michele Davis-Gray the film is in the vein of Friday Night Lights and Bend it Like Beckham, but with a Sherrin, about an ex-footballer plagued by scandal who returns home after a long absence to clear his name and falls in love.

Casting is currently underway for the feature which will begin production in Torquay, Victoria on February 20, 2012 before moving to Boston Massachusetts to finish filming.

Gray, and Didier will produce with Virginia Kay and Bryce Menzies (Malcolm, Death in Brunswick, Two Hands) alongside Afl greats Glenn Archer, Adrian Gleeson and Sam Kekovich.

A new Australian sporting feature film, Blinder, is set to be filmed in Torquay, Victoria next February. The film is described as an Afl sports drama in the vein of the hugely popular Bend it Like Beckham and Emmy award-winning series Friday Night Lights. It will tell the story of an ex-footballer embroiled in a scandal who returns to his hometown in order to clear his name and reignite an old flame. Richard Gray (Summer Coda) is directing the screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Didier and his co-producer (and wife) Michelle Davis-Gray. Producing the film are Virginia Kay and Bryce Menzies (Ten Canoes) and also lending their expertise are former Afl players Glenn Archer, Adrian Gleeson and Sam Kekovich. The film marks the director.s return to Australia after shooting...

When If catches up with Richard Gray, he is in Los Angeles, in the midst of putting together a cut for supernatural thriller Mine Games. .It.s really exciting actually,. he says. .We.ve had some great calls from studios, so will be scheduling some screenings shortly. All fun stuff.. Described by Gray as Deliverance meets Donnie Darko, the film follows a group of young friends as they make a shocking discovery in an abandoned mine. When time loops back on itself, and they realize that one of them will be responsible for the death of the others, they struggle to change the future, only to find that this serves to seal their fate. It may seem an unusual follow up choice after last year.s romantic drama Summer Coda, which starred Rachael...

Red Dog, about a hitchhiking kelpie in 1970s Dampier, Wa that unites the male-dominated mining town, has opened around the country with the largest first-weekend takings for an Australian film so far in 2011. Producer Nelson Woss told Encore, “I’m absolutely thrilled Red Dog been given a pat on the head by Australian audiences.”

The film – adapted from the Louis de Bernieres’ novelisation of the myth – posted $1.78 million across 245 screens which placed it fourth at the local box office with an average of $7265 per screen.

However, Woss wants you to take another look. “Against Transformers, Captain America, and Rise of the Apes, our little underdog movie on was second on screen average takings.”

“If you watch Planet of the Apes this weekend, it’s taking will decline,” said Woss. “So will Red Dog‘s, but I guarantee it will decline less than the apes. People are embracing this film. It’s an unusual phenomenom.

Australia’s screen professionals must be free to practice their skills anywhere in the world, but how do we stop this healthy career development from becoming a dangerous brain drain? Miguel Gonzalez reports.

If we were to make a list of all the Australian screen practitioners who have made it overseas, it would be a very long list indeed. It would probably start with the A-list creatives everybody knows, followed by the more anonymous and numerous executives, directors, producers, editors, cinematographers, VFX artists and technicians working all over the world.

While it is to be expected that many – if not all – industry practitioners would seek to expand their horizons and work internationally at some point in their careers to reach other markets, work in other systems and cultures and develop new skills, leaving Australia should not be an act of professional desperation.

The historical fluctuation in the volume of international...

Summer Coda director Richard Gray will direct. U.S. psychological horror film Mine Games. The story focuses on a group of friends that make a disturbing discovery in an abandoned mine while on holiday. As time loops back on itself, the friends realise that one of them will be responsible for the death of the others. "I'm over the moon actually," Gray told If via email. "I've been looking at this genre for a number of years and the Mine Games screenplay is really special." The film is to be produced by Mark and Christine Holder of L.A based company Zero Gravity, alongside Mike Gillespie of Yellow Brick productions. Zero Gravity is a literary and talent mangagement house and the producer of cult movie Malice in Wonderland. Preproduction...

Source: FilmShaft - Zero Gravity Announces Underground Horror ‘Mine Games’

This latest announcement draws together two of my greatest and most unhealthy obsessions: bad puns and horror movies. Oh yes, it has been announced that Zero Gravity will be producing a new underground time-travel horror movie: the brilliantly titled Mine Games.

The name may have caught my eye, but it's the concept that's got me hooked; the film is about a group of friends who, after entering an underground mine complex, find themselves in a time loop that reveals that one of the character will quite literally be the death of them all.

Since that tantalising summary is all we've learnt so far about the film's plot, let's take a closer look at the creative team behind it. Zero Gravity producers Mark and Christine Holder will be joining forces on this project, with Richard Gray (pictured) directing. The Holders' company...

In a small bit of news that surfaced over at Variety, Richard Gray ( Summer Coda ) has been tapped to direct a horror film called Mine Games . No, it's not about folks throwing land mines at one another. The backdrop for the film is an abandoned mine. A group of friends discover the location while on vacation. According to Variety, time "loops" back on itself and the bodies begin to drop. Zero Gravity will produce.

Madman Entertainment has sent us Richard Gray’s first film, the romantic Summer Coda, set in the orange groves of Mildura.

A woman (Rachel Taylor) who grew up with her mother in Nevada returns to her hometown, seeking closure with the memory of her estranged father. An orange picker (Alex Dimitriades) offers her a ride, and an unexpected connection soon blossoms.

It also stars Jacki Weaver, Susie Porter, Angus Sampson, Nathan Phillips and Cassandra Magrath.

To win, email encore@focalattractions.com.au and tell us, what’s your favourite Australian romance film?...

Everybody knows there is no exact formula to raise the funds necessary to produce a film or television program, but it doesn’t hurt to ask those who have done it successfully, using both traditional and new methods.

(note from the editor: this article was originally published in the November issue of Encore, before Screen Australia released the Drama Production Report for 2009/10)

According to the most recent National Survey of Feature Film and TV Drama Production, in 2008/09 thirteen features were financed mainly by film/TV industry sources (including cash flow against the Producer Offset); 11 were financed “substantially” by Screen Australia, State agencies and the Adelaide/Melbourne festival funds; seven (including three co-productions) were financed mainly from foreign sources; and one was financed mainly from private sources. Private investment dropped from $40m in 2007/08 to $5m in 2008/09, mainly due to the disappearance of the 10Ba model.

Under Screen Australia’s revised Terms of Trade,...

Encore was asked by Matt Riviera to provide its list of the Top 10 films released theatrically in Australia in 2010 and, even though our specialty as a publication is local productions, it was a pleasant surprise to look at our final list and see two Australian films (and one with a considerable amount of Aussie talent) that deserved a spot in it. It wasn’t a pat on the back for the local industry, but a genuine recognition of the power of their stories and the skill of its execution.

The public is slowly starting to recognise it too; the top 10 highest grossing Australian films of 2010 made $45m at the box office, a figure that has brought optimism to an industry in desperate need of reassurance from the audience it serves.

This is the list Encore has contributed – and probably the only one topped by Toy Story 3, as animated films...

<p><a href="http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/The-Sapphires.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-3055 alignright" title="Farmer and Anu in the current stage version of The Sapphires" src="http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/The-Sapphires-150x150.jpg" alt="Farmer and Anu in the current stage version of The Sapphires" width="150" height="150" /></a>Screen Australia announced its last investment round for 2010, with almost $18m for five features, three drama series, two low budget TV dramas, a children&#8217;s TV series, and 17 docos.</p> <p>The films include the musical <em>The Sapphires </em>(dir. Wayne Blair),<em> The King is Dead!</em> (dir. Rolf de Heer), <em>Dead Europe</em> (dir. Tony Krawitz), <em>Venice </em>(dir. Miro Bilbrough) and <em>Summer Coda</em> (dir. Richard Gray).<span id="more-6142"></span></p> <p><em>Summer Coda </em>was released in October, and today&#8217;s announcement by Screen Australia refers to a September decision that provided the film with post-production funding.</p> <p>The projects are:<br /> Feature Drama<br /> <strong>Dead Europe</strong><br /> See Saw Films Pty Ltd<br /> Producers Emile Sherman, Iain Canning<br /> Writer Louise Fox<br /> Director Tony Krawitz<br /> Sales and Distribution Cross City Sales, Wild Bunch International Sales, Transmission Films<br /> Synopsis Isaac, a late 20s Greek Australian, spirals out of control when he’s forced to confront<br /> his own family’s cursed legacy on his first trip to...

The star of Aussie films (Wolf Creek, Balibo, Summer Coda) and Hollywood flicks (Snakes On A Plane, Surfer, Dude), Nathan Phillips has an interest in working on the other side of the camera. After co-founding the independent production company Sons of Outlaws, Phillips directed his first short entitled Message from the CEO in September last year.   Phillips can now add another credit to his directorial resume. He's just finished shooting the short Post Apocalyptic Man. Starring Damian Walshe-Howling (Underbelly, the upcoming The Reef) and Michael Dorman (Daybreakers, Suburban Mayhem), it follows one man's quest for revenge against a totalitarian empire, set in a post-apocalyptic Australian outback.

A new short film titled Post Apocalyptic Man and starring Damian Walshe-Howling (Underbelly, the upcoming The Reef) and Michael Dorman (Daybreakers, Suburban Mayhem) has just commenced shooting in Melbourne.   Set in the Australian outback, the short - which has been described as a mash-up of genres - chronicles one man's drive for revenge against a totalitarian empire.   It's directed by Nathan Phillips who is best known for his skills in front of the camera. Many will recall the Aussie actor as the terrorised backpacker Ben Mitchell in the hit horror film Wolf Creek. Phillips has also starred in a number of other home grown flicks including the comedy You And Your Stupid Mate, the acclaimed Balibo and this year's romantic drama Summer Coda.

Director Richard Gray has revealed that his debut feature Summer Coda cost $680,000 to make.

“Do you want to know a big secret? My fabulous team and I made Summer Coda for $680,000. Total. That’s all in. Not a cent more. Finished with print. We didn’t want anyone to know because we didn’t want to be seen as just another low budget Aussie film. I’m so bored with that stigma. But now that we’ve been reviewed and judged and seen, I can let you know. Because we believe we’ve made something really beautiful, with an amazing cast that looks and sounds like Five Times more than we spent. And we’re really proud of it. We can do More for Less,” he said.

So, did Summer Coda avoid that stigma?

“The audiences that we’ve spoken to really enjoyed the film,” Gray told Encore. “They thought...

Sean Byrne’s acclaimed horror film The Loved Ones (Madman Entertainment) failed to capture the Australian box office, opening outside the top 10 with a screen average of $1,586 ($141,152 from 89 screens).

But it’s not like Australians reject torture on film; a different kind of physical abuse did reach the top of the box office, with Jackass 3D (Paramount) earning $3,582,884.

It should be noted that Indian film Golmaal 3, from specialty distributor Eros Entertainment, managed to make more money than The Loved Ones and Summer Coda. Eros has a very limited market budget, limited screens and its films are aimed at a limited ethnic group, yet they performed better than two Australian titles in their local territory.

The other Australian projects currently in cinemas saw a decline in their earnings. Richard Gray’s Summer Coda earned $26,010 (26 screens), while the Animal Logic production Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole made $67,377. In Australia,...

Presided over by revered actress Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) and presented by fellow Aussie actors Alex Dimitriades (Summer Coda), Gyton Grantley (Underbelly) and AFI Ambassador Cate Blanchett, the AFI Awards nominations were announced this week.   Weaver, who stepped into hosting duties for an unavailable Catherine McClements, had the right amount of finesse and comedic timing to ensure the announcements were entertaining. She quickly struck up a rapport with the now smitten Shane Jacobson, whose ahem... smooth moves failed to impress the actress.   Star of the hit comedy Kenny, Jacobson will host the award ceremony itself, scheduled for December 11 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

International sales agent Entertainment One (E1) has signed up Richard Gray’s debut feature Summer Coda, to represent the film in all world territories outside Australia/New Zealand.

“The movie is truly exceptional, a perfectly observed love story, beautifully rendered through extraordinary performances framed by a wonderful setting. There are never enough good love stores – this is surely one,” said Evp for international sales and acquisitions Charlotte Mickie.

According to Gray, E1 was the production company’s first choice. He described Mickie as “a tremendous advocate for Summer Coda“, and the 24-screen $64,307 opening week box office result as “encouraging”.

“We’re keen to find similar reactions overseas. On the back of E1’s representation of Animal Kingdom, we believe we’re in fantastic hands,” said Gray.

Summer Coda was released by Jump Street Films and Sharmill Films last week.

Rachael Taylor has thanked the women in her life for their support. The Australian actress, who recently applied for an apprehended domestic violence order against former boyfriend Matthew Newton after he allegedly attacked her in a Rome hotel, said that she could not have got through the last few months without her mother and friends. The actress made her first public appearance since the split last night at the Melbourne premiere of her movie Summer Coda. She told The Daily Telegraph: "I am really close (more)...

Sharmill Films and Jump Street Films invite you to the orange groves of Mildura, as seen by director Richard Gray in his first feature, the romantic drama Summer Coda.

Hitchhiking home to a family she’s never known, Heidi (Rachael Taylor) meets Michael (Alex Dimitriades). In the orange groves and river country of Mildura, they embark on an unexpected adventure, discovering that their secrets and lives may be better shared.Summer Coda stars Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades, Susie Porter, Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Angus Sampson and Jacki Weaver.

It will be released on October 21.

To win, email miguel@focalattractions.com.au and tell us, what’s the best summer you’ve ever had?...

Richard Gray’s directorial debut Summer Coda became the first film at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival to sell out. It was a heartening affirmation for Gray, who poured his heart into making the film. He told Hansika Bhagani that it was all well worth it.

Summer Coda came second in Movie Network’s Project Greenlight competition in 2005, but that success was quickly followed by years of struggle and rejections at the hands of national and state film funding bodies.“We had a good opportunity after Project Greenlight to progress the project faster than you would normally. We got so close to getting it up so many times, so it’s felt like a longer journey, but it’s definitely been worth it,” said Gray.

Set in the orange groves of Mildura, along the Murray River, the story revolves around Heidi (Rachael Taylor) who returns to Australia to...

The Melbourne International Film Festival has announced this year’s favourite films, as voted by the audience.

Nz’s Boy (directed by Taika Waititi and opening in Australia on August 26) was the top film, while Bill Cunningham: New York was the favourite documentary. Australian features The Wedding Party and Summer Coda were also in the top 10, at numbers six and 10 respectively

Top 10 Features

1. Boy Dir. Taika Waititi (Nz)

2. Desert Flower Dir. Sherry Hoffman (Germany/Austria/France)

3. Certified Copy Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (France/Italy)

4. Four Lions Dir. Chris Morris (UK)

5. Summer Wars Dir. Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)

6. The Wedding Party Dir. Amanda Jane (Australia)

7. I Love You Phillip Morris Dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa (USA/Canada)

8. Women Without Men Dir. Shirin Neshat (Germany/Austria/France)

9. The Ballad of Des and Mo Dir. James Fair (Ireland)

10. Summer Coda Dir Richard Gray (Australia)

Top 10 Documentaries

1. Bill Cunningham New York Dir. Richard Press (USA)

2. The Invention of Dr.

Forget marauding rubber tyres, world's greatest dads, machete maidens and 3D cane toads, the hottest ticket at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival is Richard Gray's debut Summer Coda. 

The romantic drama was the first film to sell out at the festival -- one of the large Acmi theatres no less -- and not even sweet talking or who-you-knows will get you one of the last minute reserve seats; they're gone too! I've tried. 

Summer Coda was the runner up in the Australian version of Project Greenlight back in 2005, narrowly missing out on the $1 million first prize. However Gray stuck to his guns and shot the film with a stellar Aussie cast back in November last year, up in the orchard and vineyard country around Mildura in northern Victoria, and later in California. 

"Stellar cast" may sound like the usual film hyperbole, but seriously when you've got Rachael Taylor (Transformers,...

Richard Gray’s romantic Summer Coda will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival and has become the first session to be sold out.

The film, which stars Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades, Susie Porter, Jacki Weaver, Nathan Philliips, Angus Sampson and Cassandra Magrath, will be released on October 21.

Summer Coda was financed privately, with post-production support from Film Victoria. It will be distributed by by Sharmill Films and Jump Street Films.

Also having its world premiere at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival is Summer Coda, a romantic drama set in vineyard and orchard country in rural Australia -- and California. 

Written and directed by Richard Gray, and starring Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades, Kate Bell, Jacki Weaver, Nathan Phillips and Susie Porter, Summer Coda is starting to look very good indeed. 

Check out the brand new trailer below!

With Summer Coda heading the new wave of Australian feature dramas, it looks like we are finally out of the dark, gloomy territory that has characterized local dramas this past decade. 

Billed as a romantic drama set in the orchards of the Australian countryside, directed by upbeat young writer/director Richard Gray with a brilliant local cast, Summer Coda is shaping up to be another great entry in the current Aussie film resurgence.

Richard sent us the poster for the film's Australian release, currently set for October 21.

Here is the lowdown...

In the vein of Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty, Richard Gray's Summer Coda is an Australian film with a decidedly unique setting -- the stunning orange groves of sun-baked Mildura against the majestic backdrop of the Murray River. Rachael Taylor (Transformers, Bottle Shock, Cedar Boys) and Alex Dimitriades (Head On, Three Blind Mice) star in the romantic drama, supported by...

Richard Gray's debut feature, Summer Coda, recently wrapped its 6 week shoot in Mildura, plus a few additional days in Melbourne, and is now moving to Reno, Nevada in January for the final part of the shoot before bunking down for post-production with an eye for a late 2010 theatrical release.   "Directing Summer Coda has been a dream come true," says Gray, who was runner-up in the final year of the filmmaking reality series Project Greenlight with the script for Summer Coda.   "Six years in the making, it's finally happened and we couldn't be happier," he continues. "Phenomenal performances in spectacular locations -- what more could I ask for?...

Summer Coda, the debut feature from Australian writer and director Richard Gray, will begin filming next month in Mildura, Victoria.   Known under the working title When She Gets There and currently in pre-production, the film sees star turns from Alex Dimitriades (Underbelly, Head On) and Rachael Taylor (Transformers, Cedar Boys) who lead the Australian ensemble in Gray's romantic drama.   "After five years of hard work we have the strongest cast and crew imaginable," the director explains.