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Feature film development

2015 features summary

Single-project STORY DEVELOPMENT

JULY 2015
 

BABYTEETH
Like Minded Films Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Producers Alex White, Katherine Slattery
Executive Producer Jan Chapman
Director Richard Roxburgh
Writer Rita Kalnejais
Synopsis A bittersweet comedy about how good it is not to be dead yet – and how far we will go for love.

CARGO
Causeway Films HQ Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller
Producers Kristina Ceyton, Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder
Directors Yolanda Ramke, Ben Howling
Writer Yolanda Ramke
Indigenous Script Consultant Jon Bell
Synopsis Stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic, an infected man desperately seeks a new guardian for his infant child – and a means to protect her from his own changing nature. Salvation may lie with an isolated Aboriginal tribe, but to gain access he must first earn the allegiance of a young Indigenous girl on a tragic quest of her own.

DEATH IS FOR THE LIVING
Jungleboys FTV Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romantic comedy
Producer Linda Micsko
Executive Producer Jason Burrows
Director Trent O’Donnell
Writers Kirsty Fisher, Marieke Hardy
Synopsis In search of pain relief from her terminal illness, Sara encounters Dan, a psychotherapist who, through hypnosis, gives her a way to ‘live’ her ‘future’ in her subconscious – but things get complicated when Dan, enamoured by Sara, begins to write himself into her dream future.

THE DEVIL’S FEATHER
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller
Producer Jennifer Jones
Director Ashlee Page
Writer Belinda Chayko
Executive Producer Kristian Moliere
Synopsis After war correspondent Connie Burns is kidnapped, tortured and abused by a mercenary in Baghdad, it seems her life is irrevocably broken. But, hiding in the isolation of the South Australian bush, and through her friendship with another damaged young woman, Jess Derbyshire, Connie forges a new sense of who she is. So, when her tormentor comes looking for her again, Connie is ready for him.

DIGGER
Bluebird Productions
Genre Comedy
Producer Alexandra Blue
Writer/Director Dave Wade
Executive Producer Marian Macgowan
Synopsis After being betrayed by a local hero, the residents of a small town celebrate and embrace a mysterious stranger who is digging a hole on the outskirts of town.

DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS?
Swing Wing Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producer David Curzon
Executive Producer Carolyn Johnson
Writers Randa Abdel-Fattah, David Curzon
Synopsis To hijab or not to hijab – that is the question!

EMO (THE MUSICAL)
Matthewswood Productions
Genre Satire, Musical
Producer Lee Matthews
Executive Producer Yael Bergman, Jonathan Page, Shaun Miller
Writer/Director Neil Triffett
Synopsis Ethan, an Emo kid who hates almost everything, falls in love with Trinity, a good Christian girl with a passion for life and her Lord Jesus Christ.

UNTITLED ALIEN LOVE STORY
Ludo Studio Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Writers/Producers Daley Pearson, Charlie Aspinwall, Nicholas Boshier
Synopsis Twenty years after a lonely boy became best friends with a stranded extraterrestrial, the alien is back and ready to start a kraktix (translation: family).

THE FABULIST
Essential Media and Entertainment
Genre Drama
Producers Ian Collie, Liza Marshall
Writer Adam Gyngell
Synopsis Inspired by a true story, The Fabulist is about a charismatic con artist in Victorian England, and the magazine editor desperate to believe his story.

FLAMMABLE CHILDREN
Wildheart Films Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Producer Al Clark
Writer/Director Stephan Elliott
Synopsis A love letter to a world of careless parenting, constant sunburn and dangerous unsupervised activities – framed by an extraordinary event.

THE GHAN
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producers Julie Byrne, Kristian Moliere, Jennifer Jones
Writer Emma Jensen
Synopsis Australia’s iconic train journey, The Ghan, is famously celebrated as a “trip of a lifetime”, but for one group of travellers it turns out to be more than that – it’s a journey that will change their lives forever.

HONEY TRAP
Emerald Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller
Producer Sheila Jayadev
Executive Producer Liz Watts
Writer Sophie Miller
Synopsis A dangerous friendship between two teenage girls leads to a murder that fractures their close bond, with devastating consequences.

THE MURDEROUS URGES OF ORDINARY WOMEN
Jungleboys FTV Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Crime
Producer Chloe Rickard
Writer Joan Sauers
Executive Producers Jason Burrows, David Field
Synopsis When they realise their invisibility is a superpower rather than a curse, four older women go on a rampage of revenge... but will they get away with it?

NOTHING ELSE MATTRESS
Genre Comedy, Drama
Producers Christopher Sharp, Michael Weber
Writer/Director Bryn Chainey
Synopsis When his parents split up, a 15-year-old boy finds himself desperate to stop his mother from moving he and his brother away from Brisbane to Wales.

PINK MIST
Red Lamp Films Pty Ltd
Genre Romance, Action, Drama
Producer Sylvia Wilczynski
Writer/Director Kim Mordaunt
Synopsis Australian army bomb disposal specialist, Richard, has his world turned upside down when he is assigned a new mission in Angola, Africa, with a new team: 10 black women who work with TNT-sniffing rats, headed by the straight-talking Paula.

THE RENOVATOR’S DREAM
Hedone Productions
Genre Comedy, Mystery
Producers Kate Croser, Sandy Cameron
Writer Richard Vilensky
Synopsis A DIY home renovator named Stan turns DIY detective after he and his house fall victim to an anonymous vandal with a predilection for penis graffiti. Consumed by paranoia, Stan’s life begins to unravel as his investigation leads him into a bizarre suburban conspiracy.

SKYDOOR
Revolution Partners Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction
Producers Stephen Amis, Tait Brady, Lynne Wilson
Writer Ian David
Synopsis When three UFOs are witnessed by hundreds of people at a suburban school in Australia, the school’s science teacher and a renowned American physicist investigate the incident, uncovering an international cover-up.

TOURMALINE
Taylor Media & Newtown Films
Genre Western, Science Fiction
Producers Sue Taylor, Bryan Brown
Writer/Director Rachel Ward
Synopsis Isolated from the rest of the world, Tourmaline lies dormant until a random stranger appears out of the desert offering salvation. Adapted from the book by Randolph Stow.

VANISHED
PJ Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Supernatural Thriller, Mystery
Producers Josh Pomeranz, Keith Sweitzer, Josh Weinstock
Writers Alexei Mizin, Ryan van Dijk
Synopsis When a 10-year-old boy disappears in an isolated country town, a young teacher finds herself unravelling a decades-old mystery, unwittingly placing herself in the crosshairs of those who would kill to keep their secrets hidden.

VATERSACHE
Causeway Films HQ Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producers Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings
Writer/Director Shane Danielsen
Synopsis After his father dies unexpectedly, 23-year-old Christian discovers that the old man had a much younger lover for decades. Curious to uncover the secret life of the father he clearly never knew, Christian takes a false name and pursues his father’s mistress.