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LevelK has acquired world sales rights to “Lone Wolf,” an Australian thriller starring Hugo Weaving (“The Matrix”) and Tilda Cobham-Hervey (“Hotel Mumbai”) in the run up to Cannes.

Written and directed by Jonathan Ogilvie, “Lone Wolf” is set in contemporary Melbourne and tells the story of Winnie, a young woman who runs a struggling political bookshop with her boyfriend Conrad and takes care of her disabled brother. But Winnie’s efforts to hold everything together get thwarted when Conrad becomes entangled in an act of terrorism. “Lone Wolf” is based on Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel “The Secret Agent.”

Ogilvie’s previous films include “The Tender Hook,” an AFI award-winning film with Rose Byrne and Weaving; as well as “This Film is a Dog” and “The Despondent Divorcee” — both of which played in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

“‘Lone Wolf’ is an incredibly timely story on two counts,” said Ogilvie.

Screen Media will release the 2008 Australian movie The Boxer and The Bombshell starring Hugo Weaving (The Wolfman) and Rose Byrne (Insidious) on DVD on Sept. 27 for the list price of $24.98.

Hugo Weaving and Rose Byrne each have ulterior motives in The Boxer and The Bombshell.

Written and directed by Jonathan Ogilvie and entitled The Tender Hook when it was released theatrically Down Under, the crime drama tells the story of a love triangle set against the backdrop of Sydney’s crime-filled boxing underworld in the 1920s. Filled with deception, scheming and murder, the story is about the rise of femme fatale Iris (Byrne) to the tip of a pyramid that includes her includes her English con man lover McHeath (Weaving) and a young, aspiring boxer (Matt Le Nevez).

The film played a couple of film festivals in the U.S. but is premiering commercially on these shores on DVD.

The...

Review by Dana Jung

The masterful Hugo Weaving is the main reason to see the Australian noir film The Tender Hook. Whether he’s cast in villainous roles such as Neo’s nemesis in the Matrix movies, or as the eloquent political insurgent in V For Vendetta, Weaving is always interesting to watch. The Tender Hook is no different, with Weaving’s portrayal of the rather sadistic ring promoter McHeath.

Set in 1930′s Australia, Weaving’s performance drives the movie toward its rather predictable conclusion. McHeath is a man who seems to enjoy flaunting his power over everyone, both male and female. However, there are layers to this mobster: he enjoys Shakespeare, has genuine feelings for his woman, and, in a few all-too-brief scenes, he sings with a band! Enter a promising young boxer (hence the double meaning of the title), trouble is brewing. One rule of noir films that...

Burning Inside, the second feature film by West Haven, Ct filmmaker Nathan Wrann, will be making its world premiere at the Connecticut Film Festival on May 8. The film is a tense thriller about a man who wakes up from a coma to begin a new life only to be plagued by vague, violent memories of his past. Or, are they just evil hallucinations? Either way, “John Doe” is out for revenge.

Following this film festival screening, Burning Inside will be released on DVD on May 11 by the brand new distributor Channel Midnight Releasing, which was created by filmmaker James Felix McKenney and producers Lisa Wisely and Chase Tyler. (And, yes, the title of the film comes from the song by Ministry.)

The Connecticut Film Festival runs May 4-9 in Danbury, Ct and features a mix of movies and music. While the festival will be screening a combination of short films and features,...

SYDNEY -- Hugo Weaving and Rose Byrne have signed on to Australian feature The Tender Hook, which starts shooting next week in Melbourne, production shingle Mandala Films said Tuesday.

Billed as a contemporary film noir set in Sydney in the 1920's, the production will be helmed by writer-director Jonathan Ogilvie.

The story centers around Byrne's character and her involvement in a love triangle that includes her English lover, played by Weaving, and a young boxer played by Matt Le Nevez.

The film is being produced by Michelle Harrison and John Brousek of Mandala Films, who previously collaborated on the 2000 comedy hit The Wog Boy.

Financed by the Film Finance Corporation Australia and U.K.-based Parkland Pictures with support from Film Victoria, Tender Hook is scheduled for release in 2008. Parkland will handle International sales, with Dendy Films distributing in Australasia.

SYDNEY -- Australia's Film Finance Corp. has greenlighted three feature films, bringing the number of features it's backing this financial year to 16 -- its biggest slate ever. FFC chief executive Brian Rosen said Thursday that the booming slate is the result of additional funding the government agency received in last year's budget. An additional AUS$10 million ($7.4 million) was added to the agency's base funding of AUS$50 million ($37.5 million) during the next three years. The diverse new slate includes The Tender Hook, a 1920s film noir feature set in Jazz Age Sydney; Lucky Miles, a comedy set in the Australian desert about a Cambodian, an Indonesian and an Iraqi who become hopelessly lost; and Dr. Plonk, a black-and-white silent comedy from producer-writer-director Rolf de Heer.