JUNE FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 07 JUNE 2007
With Samantha Lang Australian writer/director
SAMANTHA’S FEATURES INCLUDE:
‘L’idole’ starring Leelee Sobieski and James Hong, which screened in Edinburgh Film Festival 2002, World of Women Cinema, Sydney 2002, Toronto Film Festival, 2002, Locarno Film Festival, France 2002, Montreal Film Festival, 2002, Bordeau Womens Film Festival, 2002 and San Tropez Antipodean Film Festival, 2002

‘The Monkey’s Mask’ starring Kelly McGillis, Susie Porter, which screened St. Tropez Film Festival, 2000 – received Audience Prize

‘The Well’ starring Miranda Otto and Pamela Rabe, which screened in over 30 Festivals including: 1997 Official Competition 50th Cannes International Film Festival, 1997 Stockholm International Film Festival – Aluminium Horse Award for Best Actress – Pamela Rabe – FIPRESCI Special Mention, 1998 Sundance Film Festival – World Cinema category, Hamburg Festival and New York Womens Film Festival

DECEMBER FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 18 DECEMBER 2006
Our December Filmmakers’ Studio is with Susie Porter.
Susie has two AFI nominations this year for ABC drama RAN and The Caterpillar Wish for which she is also nominated for a Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. Susie has had five previous FCCA nominations, two AFI nominations for her work in Two Hands and Better Than Sex and one Inside Film Award nomination as well as winning Best Actress at the St Tropez Festival for her performance in Mullet.

Susie garnered critical acclaim for her role as a sexually and creatively frustrated wife in director Davida Allen’s feature, Feeling Sexy. Other film credits include David Caesar’s Idiot Box, Bruce Beresford’s Paradise Road, and Nadia Tass’s Mr Reliable while studying at NIDA. Susie was the lead in director Samantha Lang’s thriller, Monkey’s Mask, co-starring Kelly McGillis and worked alongside Cate Blanchett in Little Fish.

All audience members will also receive a 2 for 1 pass to Francis Veber’s new comedy, The Valet, starring Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas; opens Dec. 21, courtesy Sharmill Films.

OCTOBER FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 02 NOVEMBER 2006
Our October Filmmakers’ Studio is with Jason Ballantine.
Delve into the world of editing with Australian film editor Jason Ballantine [Wolf Creek] and be see the trailer for the next big budget action/thriller Rogue. Another Filmmakers’ Studio exclusive.

Nominated for an AFI and FCCA Award in 2005 for Wolf Creek, Jason is currently editing Greg Mclean's follow up feature film Rogue. This Weinstein Company funded big budget action/thriller has a heavy VFX component at the cutting edge of digital film making technology.

Jason recently completed the soon-to-be-released feature film, The Bet – Directed by Mark Lee, starring Aden Young and Matthew Newton, and The Caterpillar Wish – Directed by Sandra Sciberras, starring Susie Porter and Wendy Hughes.

As 1st Assistant Editor and Visual Effects Editor, Jason has worked alongside many noteworthy Directors and Editors on films such as Babe 1 and 2, Dark City, MI2, Moulin Rouge, Hearts in Atlantis, The Quiet American and Star Wars Eps 2 and 3 in a career spanning 14 years.

SEPTEMBER FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 21 SEPTEMBER 2006
Our September Filmmakers’ Studio is with Robert Connolly.
As part of Metro Screen is 25 | We’re celebrating | You’re invited, a range of celebratory activities in September, we are holding a special Filmmakers’ Studio event.

Get up close and personnel with this celebrated and important Australian filmmaker at Metro Screen’s Filmmakers’ Studio. Robert Connolly is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Three Dollars and The Bank, and the producer of the award-winning film The Boys.

The Bank and Three Dollars both won AFI awards, The Boys had its world premiere In Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for 13 AFI awards, Robert has received a Centenary Medal for services to the Australian Film Industry and in 1998 was named by Variety Magazine as one of the 10 best emerging producers in the world. Robert has screened his films in over 30 major international film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival. Robert is currently producing Romulus, My Father with director Richard Roxburgh, and developing his third feature as director The Balibo Five with screenwriter David Williamson, best known for Gallipoli and The Year Of Living Dangerously.

AUGUST FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 17 AUGUST 2006
Our August Filmmakers’ Studio is with Phillip Noyce.
Phillip directed and co-wrote Newsfront, Heatwave, starring Judy Davis, Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger starring Harrison Ford, Dead Calm starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill and Billy Zane and The Bone Collector which starred Oscar© winner Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.

In 2002 Phillip released The Quiet American starring Michael Caine and Rabbit Proof Fence. Between these two films Noyce won numerous best director awards including National Board of Review in the US and UK’s London Film Critics Circle. .

Currently Phillip is in post production on the political thriller Catch A Fire, shot in South Africa in 2005. Phillip’s next project will be an adaptation of Tim Winton’s award winning Australian novel Dirt Music starring Heath Ledger and Rachel Weisz and to be produced by Miranda Culley.

At this Filmmakers’ Studio be the first to see clips from Catch A Fire.

JULY FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 20 JULY 2006
Our July Filmmakers’ Studio is with Al Clark.
Al Clark is the award-winning producer of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Chopper.

Al‘s credits as producer or executive producer also include the no.1 US box office film Eye of the Beholder with Ewan McGregor as well as Chopper (2000), The Hard Word (2002), Thunderstruck (2004) and most recently Razzle Dazzle which is currently in postproduction.

Al began his working life as a journalist on the London magazine ‘Time Out’, before making the move to the music industry and then film. His British film credits as co-producer include 1984 starring John Hurt, and Aria (1987), directed by, among others, Robert Altman and Jean-Luc Godard. When he moved to Sydney he was appointed the board of the AFC from 1989 to 1992.

JUNE FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 22 JUNE 2006
Our June Filmmakers’ Studio is with John Seale ASC/ACS.
Oscar winning Australian cinematographer John Seale ASC/ACS will discuss his journey from Gallipoli to Cold Mountain to his most recent work Poseidon.

John’s first credits as camera operator include several films directed by fellow countryman Peter Weir, notably Picnic at Hanging Rock. Continuing his work with Weir, John was nominated for an Oscar for his work as Director Of Photography on Witness. He earnt his second Oscar nomination for his vivid colour camerawork on director Barry Levinson’s Rain Man. John won an Oscar and a European Film Academy Award for his work on The English Patient in 1996. He collaborated with the same director on The Talented Mr. Ripley, lending his own distinctive touch to the film’s Venetian setting.

Some of John’s other notable credits as cinematographer include Gorillas In The Mist, The Perfect Storm and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. He has won an AFI award, been voted Australian Cinematographer of the Year, more than once and been nominated for and won many BAFTA’s.

MAY FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 11 MAY 2006
Our May Filmmakers’ Studio is with Bruce Beresford.
Bruce Beresford is one of Australia's most prolific and influential film directors.

In the late 1970s and early '80s Bruce made The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie, The Getting Of Wisdom, Don's Party and Breaker Morant, a bitter account of the Boer War. The latter film, screened in competition at the 1980 Cannes Festival, won acclaim and a number of honors, including the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film.

Bruce’s recent film credits include Double Jeopardy, Paradise Road, the critically acclaimed and academy award winning film Driving Miss Daisy and Tender Mercies for which he won a Best Director Academy Award Nomination. Bruce is currently in production on The Contract with John Cusack and Morgan Freeman.

FIRST FILMMAKERS’ STUDIO – 20 APRIL 2006
Our first Filmmakers’ Studio was with Cate Shortland.
Cate discussed her filmmaking career, the highs, the lows and where she first learnt to direct.

Cate studied Fine Arts at Sydney University and has a Graduate Diploma in directing from the AFTRS where she received the Southern Star Award for most promising student.

The award winning feature Somersault was Cate's feature film debut and her two part series The Silence will air on ABC April 2 and 9 and repeat mid April. Between 2001 and 2003 Cate directed episodes of The Secret Life of Us for Southern Star/Channel 4.

She has also written and directed four award winning short films: Strap on Olympia (1995), Pentuphouse (1998), Flowergirl (1999) and Joy (2000) - all of them in collaboration with producer Anthony Anderson. The films have been received with acclaim at festivals around the world including Oberhausen, Tampere, Clermont-Ferrand, Berlin and London.

Metro Screen’s Filmmakers’ Studio is proudly sponsored by

The comfortable chairs of Kennards Hire, www.kennards.com.au


The floor protecting carpets of Carpet Disposals,
620 Forest Rd Bexley T: (02) 9588 6363

Door prizes from Cinemarket, where storytellers shop


For details of future Filmmakers’ Studio guest line ups, topics and how to book tickets please contact us on (02) 9356 1818 or training@metroscreen.org.au

Interview opportunities with our host Andrew Urban and the Filmmakers’ Studio Director Michael Chrisoulakis are available through Metro Screen’s Marketing Manager Katrina Beck marketing@metroscreen.org.au