Niki Aken.
When screenwriter Niki Aken started writing TV shows seven years ago, she was the only one with an Asian or non-white heritage in the room.
That situation did not change until two years ago when the writer, who has a Malaysian father and an Aussie mother, and Benjamin Law began developing a show for Fremantle.
“For the first five years nearly everyone I worked with was middle class, Anglo and aged 40-plus,” she tells If.
As a founder member of Australian Writers’ Guild’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee alongside Law, Kodie Bedford, Jaime Browne, Mithila Gupta and Que Minh Luu, she has been heartened by the much greater diversity on screen and in writers’ rooms in the past couple of years.
One show she is developing with Ian Collie’s Easy Tiger is emblematic of the advances in pluralism across the industry. Based on an idea by Collie,...
When screenwriter Niki Aken started writing TV shows seven years ago, she was the only one with an Asian or non-white heritage in the room.
That situation did not change until two years ago when the writer, who has a Malaysian father and an Aussie mother, and Benjamin Law began developing a show for Fremantle.
“For the first five years nearly everyone I worked with was middle class, Anglo and aged 40-plus,” she tells If.
As a founder member of Australian Writers’ Guild’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee alongside Law, Kodie Bedford, Jaime Browne, Mithila Gupta and Que Minh Luu, she has been heartened by the much greater diversity on screen and in writers’ rooms in the past couple of years.
One show she is developing with Ian Collie’s Easy Tiger is emblematic of the advances in pluralism across the industry. Based on an idea by Collie,...
- 6/16/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
(L-r) Peta Astbury-Bulsara, Que Minh Luu and Warren Clarke (Photo credit: Bohdan Warchomij).
The ABC had greenlit the development of The Heights when Que Minh Luu, who co-created the drama serial with Warren Clarke, was alerted to a job vacancy at the public broadcaster.
Sally Riley, the ABC’s head of drama, comedy and Indigenous, suggested Luu apply for the role of an executive producer.
That presented a dilemma for the Matchbox Pictures development executive. “On one hand I was keen to see the show through to completion,” she tells If. “On the other hand I wanted to get into producing, jobs like that are rare and I may not have had the opportunity again.”
So she applied, got the position and continued to oversee the 30-episode production from Matchbox and Peta Astbury-Bulsara’s For Pete’s Sake Productions as an Ep.
Clarke and Luu had set up the writers...
The ABC had greenlit the development of The Heights when Que Minh Luu, who co-created the drama serial with Warren Clarke, was alerted to a job vacancy at the public broadcaster.
Sally Riley, the ABC’s head of drama, comedy and Indigenous, suggested Luu apply for the role of an executive producer.
That presented a dilemma for the Matchbox Pictures development executive. “On one hand I was keen to see the show through to completion,” she tells If. “On the other hand I wanted to get into producing, jobs like that are rare and I may not have had the opportunity again.”
So she applied, got the position and continued to oversee the 30-episode production from Matchbox and Peta Astbury-Bulsara’s For Pete’s Sake Productions as an Ep.
Clarke and Luu had set up the writers...
- 4/2/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Mithila Gupta.
After screenwriter Mithila Gupta began her career in the Neighbours writers’ room in 2010, she often found she was the “only brown person” in the room.
Nine years on, Gupta is a torch-bearer for diversity in her craft, with an impressive resume that includes Winners & Losers, Playing for Keeps, Network 10’s upcoming Five Bedrooms and the ABC’s The Heights.
“We’re taking the right steps,” Mithila tells If. “The biggest challenge is having more people of colour in the writers’ room. This isn’t just ticking boxes, it is getting authentic voices who can provide a fresh perspective. Diversity is personal to me; it is emotional.”
The Indian-born writer who came to Australian when she was three hails the formation last year of the Australian Writers Guild’s diversity and inclusion advisory committee as a big breakthrough. She is serving on the committee alongside Niki Aken, Kodie Bedford,...
After screenwriter Mithila Gupta began her career in the Neighbours writers’ room in 2010, she often found she was the “only brown person” in the room.
Nine years on, Gupta is a torch-bearer for diversity in her craft, with an impressive resume that includes Winners & Losers, Playing for Keeps, Network 10’s upcoming Five Bedrooms and the ABC’s The Heights.
“We’re taking the right steps,” Mithila tells If. “The biggest challenge is having more people of colour in the writers’ room. This isn’t just ticking boxes, it is getting authentic voices who can provide a fresh perspective. Diversity is personal to me; it is emotional.”
The Indian-born writer who came to Australian when she was three hails the formation last year of the Australian Writers Guild’s diversity and inclusion advisory committee as a big breakthrough. She is serving on the committee alongside Niki Aken, Kodie Bedford,...
- 1/28/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Twelve years after their breakout mockumentary hit “Kenny,” which followed a big-hearted plumber described as “the Dalai-Lama of Waste Management” as he touched the lives of many, brothers Shane and Clayton Jacobson are back with a very different kind of vehicle that nevertheless continues to showcase their distinctive, blue-collar sibling interplay. Though brimming with pitch-black comedy, “Brothers’ Nest” actually plays like more of an absurdist tragedy as it pits good brother against good-brother-gone-bad in a cautionary tale of longing and desperation that packs a surprisingly affecting punch.
In chilliest rural Victoria, mastermind Jeff and his nervous little brother Terry (Shane Jacobson) arrive early at the house in which they were raised. Ominously, they have to break in, and as they prepare for some kind of intricate crime, it is soon revealed that their plan involves murder most foul.
The target of the mission is their stepfather Rodger (Kim Gyngell), whom...
In chilliest rural Victoria, mastermind Jeff and his nervous little brother Terry (Shane Jacobson) arrive early at the house in which they were raised. Ominously, they have to break in, and as they prepare for some kind of intricate crime, it is soon revealed that their plan involves murder most foul.
The target of the mission is their stepfather Rodger (Kim Gyngell), whom...
- 6/18/2018
- by Eddie Cockrell
- Variety Film + TV
Brothers’ Nest follows two siblings played by real-life brothers Clayton and Shane Jacobson.
Clayton Jacobson’s dark comedy Brothers’ Nest has been acquired by Australian sales outfit Odin’s Eye Entertainment (Oee) and La-based Guardian Entertainment International (Gei), who have teamed up to manage worldwide sales.
Brothers’ Nest follows two siblings — played by real-life brothers Clayton and Shane Jacobson — who return to their childhood home intending to murder their stepfather.
The film had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW and is slated for a theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand in late Q2 through executive producer Tait Brady’s Label Distribution.
Clayton Jacobson’s dark comedy Brothers’ Nest has been acquired by Australian sales outfit Odin’s Eye Entertainment (Oee) and La-based Guardian Entertainment International (Gei), who have teamed up to manage worldwide sales.
Brothers’ Nest follows two siblings — played by real-life brothers Clayton and Shane Jacobson — who return to their childhood home intending to murder their stepfather.
The film had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW and is slated for a theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand in late Q2 through executive producer Tait Brady’s Label Distribution.
- 4/9/2018
- by Adam Weddle
- ScreenDaily
The awkwardly titled Brothers' Nest sees director Clayton Jacobson follow up his sweetly comic debut feature, 2006's Kenny, with an Aussie spin on the kind of bloody farce we expect from Ben Wheatley or the Coens. Jacobson stars alongside his brother and Kenny leading man Shane, working off a script from Jaime Browne (The Mule, which premiered at SXSW in 2014) that's set almost entirely on one secluded country property, and the filmmaker manages to sustain a short-film premise — two brothers stake out a house in the middle of nowhere, with murder on their minds — for a mostly...
- 3/10/2018
- by Harry Windsor
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Title: The Mule XLrator Media Director: Tony Mahony, Angus Sampson Writers: Jaime Browne, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell Cast: Hugo Weaving, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Ewen Leslie, Georgina Haig, Noni Hazlehurst, and John Noble Running time: 103 min, Unrated (Violence, language) In Theaters, VOD And iTUNES: November 21, 2014 Based on true events. In 1983 a naive man named Ray Jenkins (Angus Sampson) who still lives at home with his parents, travels to Thailand with his soccer team. Ray’s friend Gavin (Leigh Whannell) whom is in a bit of trouble with drug dealer Pat Shepherd (John Noble), convinces Ray to take the task of swallowing 20 condoms filled with heroin and [ Read More ]
The post The Mule Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Mule Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 12/3/2014
- by juliana
- ShockYa
‘The Mule’s title character is withholding important evidence about his unsuspecting involvement in his local Australian drug trade in the trailer for the upcoming crime thriller. Co-writer, co-director and lead star Angus Sampson stars as Ray Jenkins, a seemingly naive and innocent man whose sole talent is repairing electrical appliances at the local repair shop. He inadvertently becomes a mule for local Melbourne dealer, Pat (John Noble), as his stepfather owes him a large sum of money. Sampson reunited with his ‘Insidious’ series co-star, Leigh Whannell, to co-scribe ‘The Mule,’ along with Jaime Browne. The director also teamed with Tony Mahony to co-helm the thriller together. Besides Sampson, Whannell and [ Read More ]
The post Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell Reunite as The Mule Withholds Evidence in the Thriller’s Trailer appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell Reunite as The Mule Withholds Evidence in the Thriller’s Trailer appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/31/2014
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
The new Australian film The Mule is not a horror film -- although, yeah, I bet we'd all love to see a flick about a man-eating, rabid mule. Nor is The Mule exactly a suspense movie or a "thriller" in a traditional sense. So why are we reviewing it at Fearnet? Well, here's the plot:
A sad-sack loser stupidly decides to transport a lot of heroin (in his stomach) from Bangkok to Australia, only he gets caught at the airport and held as a suspect. Law of the land dictates that Ray Jenkins can only be held for seven days, so that's good news, right? The bad news should be obvious: have you ever tried to "hold it in" for seven days? And that's just normal food. One can only assume that 20 condoms filled with heroin would be in an even bigger rush to leave one's belly. Set in early '80s Australia and,...
A sad-sack loser stupidly decides to transport a lot of heroin (in his stomach) from Bangkok to Australia, only he gets caught at the airport and held as a suspect. Law of the land dictates that Ray Jenkins can only be held for seven days, so that's good news, right? The bad news should be obvious: have you ever tried to "hold it in" for seven days? And that's just normal food. One can only assume that 20 condoms filled with heroin would be in an even bigger rush to leave one's belly. Set in early '80s Australia and,...
- 3/18/2014
- by Scott Weinberg
- FEARnet
For those who find humour in bodily functions, Australian dark comedy The Mule is a lot of fun, laced with killings and beatings and featuring strong performances. That.s according to several critics who attended the world premiere at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Co-directed by Tony Mahony and Angus Sampson, who plays one of the leads, the film is based on the story of a Victorian man who in 1983 is suspected of smuggling drugs back from Thailand. He.s locked in a hotel room by the cops who expect him to deliver the evidence within a day or so. In Australia Entertainment One will release the film scripted by Leigh Whannell, Sampson and Jaime Browne, date to be confirmed. Sampson plays the slow-witted Ray, who foolishly agrees to act as a drug mule for his friend Gavin ( Whannell), who is acting as a front man for local mobster...
- 3/12/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Australian Writers’ Guild held its annual awards ceremony on Friday 24 August. The Sapphires and screenwriters Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson won most outstanding script. Michael Lucas won two awards, in the feature film original category for Not Suitable For Children and in the TV series category for an episode of Offspring.
The announcement:
The 45th Annual Australian Writers’ Guild Awgie Awards were held on Friday 24th August at Doltone House in Sydney. The only Australian scriptwriting awards judged solely by writers on the basis of the script recognised a new crop of creative talent bringing Australian stories to our screens and stages.
The best of Australian performance writing across feature films, theatre, television, radio, interactive and animation were celebrated at a star-studded affair at Doltone House in Sydney last night as part of the golden 50-year anniversary of the Australian Writers’ Guild. The awards were hosted by iconic Australian...
The announcement:
The 45th Annual Australian Writers’ Guild Awgie Awards were held on Friday 24th August at Doltone House in Sydney. The only Australian scriptwriting awards judged solely by writers on the basis of the script recognised a new crop of creative talent bringing Australian stories to our screens and stages.
The best of Australian performance writing across feature films, theatre, television, radio, interactive and animation were celebrated at a star-studded affair at Doltone House in Sydney last night as part of the golden 50-year anniversary of the Australian Writers’ Guild. The awards were hosted by iconic Australian...
- 8/28/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The 45th annual Australian Writer.s Guild Awgie Awards, held at Doltone House in Sydney, have honoured local productions including The Sapphires, Not Suitable for Children and The Slap.
Hosted by Roy and Hg.s John Doyle, the event was attended by key industry figures and featured Australian writing talent from across film, theatre, television, radio and animation.
Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson work on The Sapphires earned them an Awgie Award for Most Outstanding Script of 2012 and another for best Feature Film Adaption. Up-and-comer Michael Lucas also collected two awards, for an episode of the television show Offspring and in the Feature Film Original category for Not Suitable For Children.
The teams behind The Slap and The Straits won AWGIEs for Best Mini Series Adaption and Television Mini Series . Original respectively. Brides of Christ and The Leaving of Liverpool scribe Susan Smith cemented her place as a Australian scriptwriting...
Hosted by Roy and Hg.s John Doyle, the event was attended by key industry figures and featured Australian writing talent from across film, theatre, television, radio and animation.
Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson work on The Sapphires earned them an Awgie Award for Most Outstanding Script of 2012 and another for best Feature Film Adaption. Up-and-comer Michael Lucas also collected two awards, for an episode of the television show Offspring and in the Feature Film Original category for Not Suitable For Children.
The teams behind The Slap and The Straits won AWGIEs for Best Mini Series Adaption and Television Mini Series . Original respectively. Brides of Christ and The Leaving of Liverpool scribe Susan Smith cemented her place as a Australian scriptwriting...
- 8/27/2012
- by Anthony Soegito
- IF.com.au
ABC’s new series The Straits has had a slow ratings start to its ten episode run.
Produced by Matchbox Pictures, producers of last year’s success The Slap, The Straits movie length premiere averaged 599,000, peaking at 696,000 viewers last night, according to preliminary ratings by Oztam.
Matchbox Pictures’ creative director Penny Chapman spoke to Encore in January: “It’s the violence and the black humour that is going to make this pretty special. I’ve not made a show like this – maybe blue murder but the Straits’ humour is quite enjoyable. Young men respond to it strongly. It’s a real blokes show. And for the ABC that’s great because young men don’t watch the ABC.”
The Straits is based on an idea by Aaron Fa’aoso which has been developed by a team of writers, including: AFI winning Louis Nowra (Cosi, K-19: The Widowmaker, Radiance); Blake Ayshford (Crownies,...
Produced by Matchbox Pictures, producers of last year’s success The Slap, The Straits movie length premiere averaged 599,000, peaking at 696,000 viewers last night, according to preliminary ratings by Oztam.
Matchbox Pictures’ creative director Penny Chapman spoke to Encore in January: “It’s the violence and the black humour that is going to make this pretty special. I’ve not made a show like this – maybe blue murder but the Straits’ humour is quite enjoyable. Young men respond to it strongly. It’s a real blokes show. And for the ABC that’s great because young men don’t watch the ABC.”
The Straits is based on an idea by Aaron Fa’aoso which has been developed by a team of writers, including: AFI winning Louis Nowra (Cosi, K-19: The Widowmaker, Radiance); Blake Ayshford (Crownies,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
ABC1′s new 10 hour drama, The Straits, produced by Matchbox Films’ Penny Chapman and Helen Panckhurst begins shooting today. Scottish actor Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy, Troy, Braveheart) joins the troupe of Australian actors assembling in Cairns and Torres Strait Islands.
The Montebello family are Far North Queensland’s Corleones, running drugs into Australia and guns and exotic animals out with ambitious bikies in Australia and Papau New Guinean raskols across the Strait also wanting a piece of the action. Cox plays Patriach Harry Montebello, with actress Rena Owen playing his part Torres Strait Island, part Maori wife, Kitty.
Joining Cox and Owen in the cast will be AFI Nominated Aaron Fa’aoso (East West 101, Ran), Logie winner Firass Dirani (Underbelly, Pitch Black) as well as new Australian talent; Jimi Bani (Ran, The Sapphires) and Suzannah Bayes-Morton (All Saints, The Tumbler), who together play the Montebello’s children.
In a statement,...
The Montebello family are Far North Queensland’s Corleones, running drugs into Australia and guns and exotic animals out with ambitious bikies in Australia and Papau New Guinean raskols across the Strait also wanting a piece of the action. Cox plays Patriach Harry Montebello, with actress Rena Owen playing his part Torres Strait Island, part Maori wife, Kitty.
Joining Cox and Owen in the cast will be AFI Nominated Aaron Fa’aoso (East West 101, Ran), Logie winner Firass Dirani (Underbelly, Pitch Black) as well as new Australian talent; Jimi Bani (Ran, The Sapphires) and Suzannah Bayes-Morton (All Saints, The Tumbler), who together play the Montebello’s children.
In a statement,...
- 6/14/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
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