News

Wil Anderson.

Stan has commissioned Guesswork Television to produce the Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival, a series which will see local comedians perform material from their planned 2020 shows – from their homes.

Signed on are Wil Anderson, Cal Wilson, Nazeem Hussain, Dave Hughes, Zoe Coombs Marr, Tommy Little, Geraldine Hickey, Dilruk Jayasinha, Steph Tisdell, Aaron Chen, Sam Campbell, Michelle Brasier and Nath Valvo, with more to be announced soon.

The series has been announced as a direct result of the cancellation of many of Australia’s comedy festivals and tours as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival.

Filming will take into consideration all current health measures – including comedians setting up and operating their own cameras, with a director on hand via video conferencing.

Stan’s chief content officer Nick Forward said: “The brand-new Stan Original Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival will bring together some of our brightest talent,...

Netflix is continuing its strong push into the stand up comedy space with a new comedy event series set to launch in 2019.

The streaming giant announced Tuesday that it will bring together 47 comedians from 13 regions around the world for the series. Each comedian will perform a half-hour stand-up special, some of which will be recorded at the upcoming Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, with sets also being taped in Brazil, Mexico, India, Germany and The Netherlands. All episodes will be released at once.

The currently untitled project will feature comedians of different styles, genders, ethnicities, and languages, with all of the episodes to launch at once.

“Few things are better than discovering a new comedian you love,” said Lisa Nishimura, vice president of original documentary and comedy for Netflix. “With this event, we’re creating a true comedy festival experience for our members where they can scour the globe...

Netflix has announced the United Nations of comedy specials with a stand-up comedy event series that will bring together 47 comedians from 13 regions.

The yet-to-be-titled special, which will launch in 2019 will feature The Good Doctor‘s Chris D’Elia, Nailed It host Nicole Byer, former Chapelle Show host writer Neal Brennan and comedy fave Nick Swardson representing the U.S.

The worldwide event series will feature a wide array of stand-up specials from comedians diverse in style, gender, and ethnicity and will tape in seven languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, German and English. All episodes are slated to launch on a Tbd date in 2019 for your bingeing and laughing pleasure.

The roster of stand-up comedians recording at this year’s Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal will also include Nish Kumar, Joel Dommett, Mae Martin, and Ellie Taylor from the United Kingdom as well as Shirley Souagnon and Jason Brokerss from France.

This quirky family comedy conceived as an antidote to blaxploitation pictures was adapted from a play that claims no goal beyond feel-good entertainment — and a little preaching about black solidarity. Broad humor, simple characters and thin dramatic conflicts can’t blur the fact that this comedy has its heart in the right place. A game group of talented actors assures us that we’re gonna be glorified, unified and filled-with-pride!

Five on the Black Hand Side

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 21.99

Starring: Clarice Taylor, Leonard Jackson, Virginia Capers, Glynn Turman, D’Urville Martin, Richard Williams, Sonny Jim Gaines, Ja’net DuBois, Bonnie Banfield, Frankie Crocker, Tchaka Almoravids, Carl Mikal Franklin, Cal Wilson, Philomena Nowlin, Brenda Sutton, Imamu Sukuma, Godfrey Cambridge.

Cinematography: Gene Polito

Film Editor: Michael Economou

Original Music: H.B. Barnum

Written by Charlie L. Russell, from his play

Produced by Brock Peters,...

Peter Weir on the set of his last feature 'The Way Back'.

Adg CEO Kingston Anderson told If earlier this year that he was angling for a high-profile director to present the Feature award at this year's Adg awards.

Now we know who it is: Peter Weir will present the Best Direction in a Feature Film award at the awards in Melbourne.

Weir will bestow the award on one of the five nominees; Garth Davis (Lion), Simon Stone (The Daughter), Ben Young (Hounds of Love), Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks) and Jonnie Leahy (Skin Deep).

.It is a great privilege to have one of Australia.s pre-eminent directors, Peter Weir, presenting the award for Best Direction in a Feature Film," said Adg CEO Kingston Anderson..

"We have a tradition at the awards to have our best feature directors presenting this award. Directors who have presented the award in the past include Fred Schepisi,...

Back: Tegan Higginbotham & Tom Walker, Middle: Steen Raskopoulos, Cal Wilson, Rhys Darby & Susie Youssef, Front: Tommy Little & Bridie Connell (Photo credit: Foxtel/Kelly Gardner)

The Comedy Channel has revealed the cast of its local adaptation of the popular improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

The lineup boasts the likes of Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), alongside comedy festival favourites Cal Wilson, Tegan Higginbotham, Susie Youssef, Steen Raskopoulos and newcomers Bridie Connell and Tom Walker.

The ten-part series is currently filming in front of live audiences in Melbourne, led by host Tommy Little.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia will air later this year on The Comedy Channel.

It is executive produced by Kevin Whyte, Guesswork Television, and Craig Campbell, +61 TV. .