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Watch the trailer for Ticket To Paradise starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, in theaters October 21.

https://www.tickettoparadise.movie/

Academy Award® winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts reunite on the big screen as exes who find themselves on a shared mission to stop their lovestruck daughter from making the same mistake they once made. From Working Title, Smokehouse Pictures and Red Om Films, Ticket to Paradise is a romantic comedy about the sweet surprise of second chances.

Directed by Ol Parker from his script with Daniel Pipski, Ticket to Paradise is produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for Working Title, by Sarah Harvey, by Deborah Balderstone, by George Clooney and Oscar® winner Grant Heslov for Smokehouse Pictures and by Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill for Red Om Films.

Ticket to Paradise is filmed on location in Queensland, Australia, aided by incentives from the...

Brian Lenz and Julian Ogrin.

Since launching in May, Foxtel’s streaming service Binge has signed up more than 217,000 subscribers, primarily targeting the younger generation who never subscribed to Foxtel.

The low-cost, independently-operated platform has beefed up local content and is adding a raft of US series over the next two months.

Binge CEO Julian Ogrin and chief product officer Brian Lenz discuss the service’s growth, the most watched shows and upcoming content.

Q: Last week News Corp reported Binge had 217,000 subscribers as of August 4. How would you describe the uptake?

Julian Ogrin: We are very happy with how Binge is performing. What’s pleasing is how people are enjoying some of the binge-worthy best shows either for the first time, or all over again. Shows like Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, Modern Family and The Walking Dead.

Q: You were confident Binge would appeal to the...

Stan Original ‘I Am Woman.’ (Photo credit: Lisa Tomasetti).

Stan has warned the Federal Government that mandating minimum levels of spending on Australian content would undermine the streaming industry’s ability to generate the revenues needed to invest in high-quality Australian productions.

Similarly, Amazon Prime Video opposes regulation that would oblige it to screen a prescribed number of hours of Australian programming on its service, claiming that would reduce the non-Australian content selection or lead to the “inclusion of low quality or low viewership content.”

In their submissions to the government’s ‘Supporting Australian Stories on Our Screens’ options paper review posted online this week, both endorse Netflix’s call for a voluntary investment model.

“This model would also mitigate the risk of introducing a new regulatory regime that suffered from the same shortcomings that have led to this review, which became necessary largely because the current content quota system...

It's been almost three months since Tyler Cameron's mom, Andrea Hermann Cameron, passed away. On Tuesday, The Bachelorette alum marked her birthday by posting a touching tribute on Instagram. "Happy birthday momma. We miss you," the reality TV star captioned an old photo of his mother smiling alongside her sons. The message came just weeks after Tyler honored Andrea with a heartfelt Mother's Day post, writing "Always had my back. Still do." News of Andrea's death broke in March. The Palm Beach Post reported she passed away from a brain aneurysm at the age of 55. According to the publication, Andrea was raised in Schaumburg, Ill. and moved to Palm Beach County in...

Rachel Griffiths, Liz Doran and Que Minh Luu.

Screen Australia has announced the 18 members of the new iteration of the Gender Matters Taskforce, which provides independent advice to the agency, and works beyond Screen Australia’s direct sphere of influence to deliver outcomes for female creatives and assist in broader industry efforts to achieve gender parity.

Formed in 2016 and updated in 2018, the Gender Matters Taskforce is a volunteer-based advisory body made up of women working across the Australian screen sector. Returning members include taskforce chair Joanna Werner; deputy chair Deanne Weir and Lisa French.

Werner said: “These 18 brilliant women represent a cross section of the screen sector and come from varying backgrounds with a range of expertise locally and internationally. This taskforce will be integral in helping to shape Screen Australia’s next steps as well as promoting the broader industry systemic change that is needed.”

“Whilst Screen Australia’s...

Plus Jennifer Kent’s elegant and brutal colonial drama, Lupita Nyong’o battling zombies, and the best biopic since Chopper

Do impressive box office results indicate a film is worth seeing? Should good business be considered as important as rave reviews?

The dichotomy between great art and popular art is almost as old as art itself. This year in Australian cinema there was a profound disconnect between the best locally produced films and the ones audiences most wanted to see. Titles such as Ride Like a Girl, Palm Beach and Storm Boy, for instance, did commendable business at the box office, but all were artistically wanting, to say the least.

In this context, as always, the role of the critic is surely to separate the wheat from the chaff. To qualify for this list, films must have had either some kind of theatrical release this year outside the festival circuit or a direct-to-television/streaming release.

Sam Neill. (Photo: Ross Coffey)

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) will next month bestow actor Sam Neill with its highest honour, the Longford Lyell Award.

First presented in 1968, the award honours Australian film pioneer Raymond Longford and his partner in filmmaking and life, Lottie Lyell. It recognises a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia’s screen environment and culture.

Neill joins previous recipients such as Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi, Jan Chapman, David Stratton, Don McAlpine, Al Clark, Jacki Weaver, Andrew Knight, Cate Blanchett, Phillip Noyce and most recently, Bryan Brown.

“I am very thrilled by this honour indeed,” said Neill. “And very surprised! Let me check just in case they’ve made a mistake…”

Neill made his feature debut in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs in 1979, which led to a breakthrough role in Gillian Armstrong’s My Brilliant Career opposite Judy Davis.

‘Ride Like a Girl.’

Australian writers, producers, directors, funding agencies and distributors should ask one key question when evaluating feature film projects: Does this warrant a theatrical release or is streaming a smarter option?

That’s among the most perceptive propositions put forward by a cross-section of screen industry professionals as If sought suggestions on ways to maximise the potential of Australian films as the independent film sector continues to suffer in the cluttered theatrical market.

Some ideas proferred – such as filmmakers identifying their audience at the outset, spending more money on marketing – appear to be stating the obvious. But the fact that some execs see the need to re-emphasize these points suggests lessons have not been learned in some quarters.

The Australian features released in cinemas this year plus holdovers have grossed $37.6 million, trailing the $54.2 million collected in the same period last year, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

David Seargeant.

The chairman of the National Association of Cinema Operators (Naco) has warned that Netflix and other streaming companies are endangering medium-sized films that can gross $5 million-$8 million in Australia.

In his opening address at the Australian International Movie Convention on Monday David Seargeant reiterated his criticism of a handful of Australian cinemas that have booked Netflix productions The King, The Irishman, Marriage Story and The Two Popes despite a three-week theatrical window.

Seargeant expressed his disappointment at these exhibitors’ decision “to take a film on the basis of a technical release for short term gain and not giving the film the benefit of a theatrical season.”

He did not name the cinemas, which If has identified as Dendy Cinemas, Eddie Tamir’s Classic, Lido and Cameo Cinemas in Victoria and Randwick Ritz, the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, New Farm Cinemas and The Elizabeth Picture Theatre in Brisbane and The Backlot in Perth.

Sam Neill in ‘Ride Like A Girl’.

Actor, writer, producer and director Sam Neill has been named the recipient of the 2019 Equity New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award, after being nominated by the Equity board and other Kiwi performers.

“Sam’s career as an actor is remarkable, but what makes this award so special is that it recognises much more than career success,” says Equity Nz president Jennifer Ward-Lealand.

“It acknowledges those members of our industry who give back at every opportunity, who strive to use their influence for important causes and who continually inspire their peers with their good will and humility. Sam leads by example. This award pays tribute to who he is as a person, as much it does his extraordinary talent.”

Neill joined Equity in 1979, and has more than 75 films and over 45 television programs to his credit. His film debut was in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs...

‘Ride Like a Girl’.

Rachel Griffiths’ Ride Like a Girl will take the crown of highest grossing Australian film on home soil this year.

Meanwhile the low visibility and modest returns from limited releases including Kim Farrant’s Angel of Mine, Sophie Hyde’s Animals and Rodd Rathjen’s Buoyancy have prompted renewed calls from exhibitors to address the challenges facing most Aussie films in the crowded theatrical market.

Griffiths’ biopic starring Teresa Palmer as ground-breaking jockey Michelle Payne pocketed nearly $4 million in its first eight days, including $317,000 on Thursday.

So the Transmission Films release co-starring Sam Neill as Payne’s father Paddy and her brother Stevie Payne as himself will overtake Palm Beach’s $4.4 million this weekend and will zoom past Top End Wedding’s $5.2 million and Storm Boy’s $5 million.

Exhibitors are confident the film is heading for upwards of $10 million and could reach Ladies in Black’s $12 million.

‘Downton Abbey’.

Downton Abbey continues its box office domination, having now taken over $7 million in two weeks and beating out new releases Ad Astra, Good Boys and Rambo: Last Blood.

The Universal title eased by just 30 per cent in its second run, bringing in $2.6 million from 452 screens.

The period drama’s success has also been reflected overseas, enjoying a buoyant North American opening weekend – a record for Focus Features with Us$31 million across 3,079 theatres. Downton also opened in 15 other markets with global box office takings sitting royally at Us$61.8 million.

Cinema Nova Gm Kristian Connelly says Downton Abbey’s outstanding cinema performance across both weekends amplified the importance of content for older audiences.

“The traditionally slow to act senior set, older demographic audience needs ample time to get around to see films like Downton Abbey and The Farewell which is already in release,” he said.

He added that the same...

“H is for Happiness” was a popular winner on the first Saturday of September at the CinefestOZ festival in Western Australia. Not only is the picture uplifting — a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by an unusual new boy at her school and challenges herself to mend her broken family – “Happiness” was made locally, just a few miles from where the prizes were handed out at the Orana Cinema in Bussleton.

There was always a good chance that a local film was always going to come out on top. Among the five films in competition others had West Australian connection or included festival returnees.

The West Australian focus is no accident, though it is not where the 12-year-old festival started.

In its early days, CinefestOZ had sought a niche as festival focusing on Australian and French films and cultural connections between the two countries. That was a calculated attempt to capitalize...

‘Top End Wedding’, ‘Hearts and Bones’ and ‘The King’ are among the 34 longlisted films.

Some 34 feature films will compete for nominations for this year’s Aacta Awards, and the longlist covers a diverse range of titles, from box office earners like Top End Wedding and Storm Boy, through to critically lauded films like The Nightingale and micro budget indies such as Suburban Wildlife.

However, perhaps the most notable inclusion in the longlist is David Michôd’s Netflix Original The King, which premiered at Venice Film Festival last week to an eight-minute standing ovation.

Typically, to be eligible for Aacta Awards, a film – even when made for a streaming platform – must have paid cinema screenings in Australia or local festival play.

Aacta has made an exception for The King, which is not due to play in Australian cinemas or in festivals before its release on Netflix later this year, because of...

Glenn Gainor.

Glenn Gainor, the president of Sony Innovation Studios and head of physical production at Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s CinefestOZ.

Screen Gems has been responsible for numerous high-grossing movies includings The Intruder, The Perfect Guy, No Good Deed, Think Like a Man, Friends with Benefits and Obsessed.

Housed on the Sony lot, Sony Innovation Studios provides the latest virtual production technology for film, television, gaming and other platforms across Sony companies and the broader industry.

Gainor’s keynote address, Embracing Technology as an Empowerment Tool, will explore how filmmakers can have their stories heard by millions through the use of emerging technologies.

He will present the world premiere of Taste, the film fronting the global launch of Sony’s new Xperia smartphone technology, Cinema Pro powered by CineAlta, which offers cinema-quality images from a pocket-sized camera.

The story of a...

Wayne Blair and Miranda Tapsell on the set of ‘Top End Wedding’.

Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding has edged past Shawn Seet’s Storm Boy to rank as the highest grossing Australian film this year.

At the half way mark of the year, the Australian films and feature docs released in cinemas, plus holdovers, have racked up a modest $15.6 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

That’s a long way below the $40 million generated in the same period last year, led by Peter Rabbit’s $26.6 million, Breath’s $4.4 million (finishing with $4.6 million) and Sweet Country’s $2 million.

So can the industry surpass or match the 2018 calendar year total of $57.4 million? That was the third biggest year ever behind 2001’s $63.1 million and the all-time record of 2015’s $88.1 million, the year of Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dressmaker and Oddball.

Exhibitors are optimistic about the outlook for the rest of the year,...

In “Palm Beach,” a Murderer’s Row of vintage yet durably sparkling Australian acting talent, combined with recent Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant, makes for a bright and eventful weekend in the sun at the eponymous northern Sydney enclave. The second feature-length directorial credit from actress-turned-director Rachel Ward following the resonant and well-received 2009 drama “Beautiful Kate,” this breezy yet sturdy dramatic comedy is aimed squarely at a mature demographic that will join the party both Down Under — where the film kicked off the Sydney Film Festival ahead of its Aug. 8 domestic rollout — and abroad, where older audiences are also sure to stargaze.

On the occasion of his 73rd birthday, long-marrieds Frank (Bryan Brown) and Charlotte (Greta Scacchi) are entertaining family and friends at their spectacularly airy, low-slung home perched above the stunning natural beauty of the ritzy Sydney peninsula Palm Beach. Joining them are longtime couples Leo (Sam Neill) and...

Favorite films from Sundance, Berlin and Cannes feature prominently to give a rich competition section at next month’s Sydney Film Festival. The festival run June 5-16, and will open with Rachel Ward’s comedy “Palm Beach.”

The competition lineup, announced Wednesday, includes “Synonyms,” winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin for Israel’s Nadav Lapid. From Cannes, the competition includes “Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” and Kleber Mendonca Filho’s “Bacurau.” Sundance prize-winners include Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” and Alejandro Landes’ “Monos.”

Other titles in competition include Mirrah Foulkes’ “Judy & Punch,” Sacha Polak’s “Dirty God,” Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s “Never Look Away,” another Berlin competition title “God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya,” the world premiere of Australian director Ben Lawrence’s “Heart and Bones,” and New Zealand drama “Bellbird,” by first time feature director Hamish Bennett.

Other festival of festival selections...

‘Judy & Punch’. (Photo: Ben King)

Two Aussie films, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy & Punch and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones, will be among the 12 features in official competition at this year’s Sydney Film Festival (Sff).

Also up for the festival’s $60,000 Sydney Film Prize are Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Never Look Away, which was nominated for two Oscars; recent Cannes selections such as Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory, Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite, and Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau; Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award winner Monos, from directors Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos; Joanna Hogg’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner The Souvenir; Nadav Lapid’s Golden Bear winner Synonymes, as well as Sacha Polak’s Dirty God, Teona Strugar Mitevska’s God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya, and Kiwi director Hamish Bennett’s Bellbird.

Sydney Film Festival launched the full program for its 66th...

‘Top End Wedding’.

It’s been a quiet start for the year for Australian films at the national box office, particularly compared to last year when Peter Rabbit and Sweet Country were drawing crowds.

However exhibitors are very optimistic about the outlook for the rest of the year, including Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding which opened yesterday, Rachel Ward’s Palm Beach and Kriv Stenders’ Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (both August 8) and Rachel Griffiths’ Ride Like a Girl (September 26).

Ten new releases plus holdovers collectively racked up $9.06 million through April 30, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

That’s way below the first four months of 2018, which generated $32 million, with Will Gluck’s Peter Rabbit making $25.4 million en route to a final total of $26.7 million and Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country $2 million.

Shawn Seet’s Storm Boy pocketed nearly $5 million, not a bad result,...

Greer Simpkin and Joanna Werner.

The percentage of female feature film producers in Australia is already well above the global average, a new report reveals, and is continuing to improve.

But female representation in features is still well short of gender parity despite tangible results from Screen Australia’s Gender Matters initiative.

“Industry wide in Australia there has been an increase in female producers working in feature films,” says Werner Film Productions’ Joanna Werner, a member of the Gender Matters Taskforce. “We’re seeing a lot of female producers active in major forthcoming features including Top End Wedding, Palm Beach, Relic, The Nightingale and Little Monsters.

“There is no denying that since the launch of the Gender Matters initiative positive steps have been made to address gender parity in the sector. In 2017/18 Screen Australia hit our Gender Matters Kpi for the first time and in August this year we’ll...

When Vicente García pulled in three Latin Grammys for his 2016 album A La Mar, he did so on the strength of handsome ballads: “Bachata en Kingston,” a swaying reggae fusion that was awarded Best Tropical Song, and the tender, conversational “Carmesi,” which became a moderate chart hit. A student of bachata and bolero singers but also American shapeshifters like Paul Simon, García laid claim to a unique corner of singer-songwriter-dom, where he made intricate hybrids sound relaxing.

So it’s notable that “Sanbá,” an early highlight on his upcoming third solo album,...

(L-r) Catherine Armstrong, Josh Pomeranz and Dave Hollingsworth (Photo credit: Daniel Asher Smith).

Strengthening its management team Spectrum Films has promoted Catherine Armstrong to general manager, Sydney, and hired Dave Hollingsworth as executive director.

Both moves have been triggered by the resignation of general manager Adam Scott, who departs next month to take up an international position yet to be announced.

Armstrong’s promotion rewards her efforts over the past three years as head of post production. Hollingsworth, who starts on Monday, will oversee the technical operation and workflow as well as focusing on the company’s strategic growth in Australia and internationally.

Both report to managing director Josh Pomeranz, who tells If: “Catherine has made an outstanding contribution to the company and this promotion is a natural progression for her.

“Dave’s experience internationally with post and VFX divisions in Vancouver and Los Angeles, Warner Brothers Studios post facility...

Miranda Tapsell in ‘Top End Wedding.’

In a further sign of consolidation in the independent film sector, Universal Pictures International will take over the theatrical marketing and distribution of Entertainment One (eOne) releases in Australia and New Zealand.

The new arrangement takes effect in April and will include Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding (which opens on May 2), Rachel Ward’s Palm Beach, Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth and the Roache-Turner brothers’ Nekrotronic.

There was no immediate indication of layoffs among the eOne team headed by MD Sandie Don. Formerly head of distribution, Don was elevated to MD in November 2017 after Troy Lum stepped up to become executive vice president of international productions.

Lum departed eOne in November to focus on Hopscotch Features, his joint venture with writer John Collee and producer Andrew Mason, and was not replaced.

“Sandie is discussing roles with the team as they prepare for a transition...

‘Ladies in Black.’

As the Australian feature films and feature docs released in cinemas this year have surpassed the calendar 2017 total exhibitors generally are happy with the diversity of product and the number of titles that have resonated with mainstream audiences.

While some say there have been too many niche and small-scale films, the consensus is that local films overall have held their own in a fragmented theatrical market and in the face of competition for eyeballs from the burgeoning Netflix and Stan.

Their outlook for 2019 is even more optimistic – if distributors and exhibitors are smart with their dating.

Through Wednesday, Oz films and feature docs including holdovers have racked up $54.2 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa), beating last year’s $49.4 million, which was a market share of 4.1 per cent.

So the industry will finish the year ahead of the 2009 total of $54.8 million. The stand-out...

‘Ladies in Black.’

The Australian titles released in cinemas this year including holdovers will overtake the calendar 2017 total in the next week or so, boosted by Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black.

Through the end of September the Oz films and feature docs had grossed $47.8 million, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (Mpdaa), within spitting distance of last year’s $49.4 million.

After a second weekend drop of just 10 per cent Ladies in Black’s takings have increased by nearly $800,000 to $5.97 million, including $361,000 on Tuesday, so the 1950s-set comedy-drama distributed by Sony is on course to surpass $12 million.

Distributed by Universal Pictures as an alternate content release, Mark Joffe’s biopic Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy rang up $823,000, ranking as the year’s second biggest feature doc behind Paul Damian Williams’ Gurrumul, which made $984,000.

Among the other September debutantes, Mark Grentell’s The Merger collected $405,000 and Benjamin Gilmour...