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This year has seen the release of several new comedic golds, including Beef, Mrs. Davis, and Apple TV+'s Shrinking, as well as a slew of returning shows, like Ted Lasso, Succession, and Barry. While most of these have been hugely successful as they captivated audiences from the start through the end with flawless comedic timing, a handful of them have kept viewers coming back for more. To add more to the year's collection, Prime Video is releasing an exciting comedy series, Deadloch.

Deadloch is an upcoming comedy series co-created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan that will star Kate Box and Madeleine Sami. The series, produced by Amazon Studios, Guesswork Television, and Ok Great Productions, will combine a riveting mystery storyline with the Kates' signature sense of humor. That said, here's everything you need to know about Deadloch, the forthcoming mystery comedy series on Prime Video.

Deadloch: The Plot...

The leading sales, finance and production outfit Beta Cinema will present first footage from the upcoming Australian comedy drama “How to Please a Woman” at next week’s Pre-Cannes Screenings. Variety has been given the first still from the film, starring Sally Phillips, whose credits include the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” movies, and a recurring guest role as the Finnish Prime Minister in “Veep.” The Munich-based firm will show five completed films during the virtual event.

In “How to Please a Woman” Phillips plays a woman in middle age who feels she has become “invisible to everyone.” The film follows her as she learns how to ask for what she wants and encourages other women to do the same. She sets up a house cleaning service, staffed by good-looking male cleaners, with benefits.

Other cast include Erik Thomson, Alexander England (“Alien: Covenant”), and Caroline Brazier. The director and writer is Renée Webster.

Exclusive: Emmy winner Pamela Adlon (Better Things) and Rhys Wakefield (True Detective) are set to co-star opposite Viola Davis and Michelle Pfeiffer in The First Lady (working title), Showtime’s anthology executive produced by Davis and directed and executive produced by Susanne Bier.

Co-produced by Showtime and Lionsgate TV, The First Lady was created by Aaron Cooley. It is a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Season 1 focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Davis).

Adlon will play Nancy Howe, who was Betty Ford’s trusted confidante and social secretary. The two were inseparable through thick and thin, from facing Betty’s struggle with breast cancer to turning dusty White House traditions upside down.

Wakefield will play Dick Cheney, who served as Chief of Staff to President Gerald R. Ford. The youngest person in U.

Kelly Lefever.

Prolific screenwriter, script producer and story editor Kelly Lefever is juggling multiple projects – not least a deeply personal series about disability.

Inspired by her own family’s experiences, Care will look at five families who each care for a family member who was born with or acquired a disability.

Her daughter Alexandra, who is 30, was born with Kabuki syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.

“This is a universal story,” Kelly told If. “There are more than 3 million people in Australia who care for a family member or a close relative.

“Most of us will have to deal with this at some time in our lives with aging parents. For me it has been a very grounding experience which has also brought tremendous joy and humour.”

Lefever is in talks with a producer and intends to pitch the project to the ABC, Sbs or streamers.

Another project she created is Sundown,...

Kelly Lefever.

Prolific screenwriter, script producer and story editor Kelly Lefever is juggling multiple projects – not least a deeply personal series about disability.

Inspired by her own family’s experiences, Care will look at five families who each care for a family member who was born with or acquired a disability.

Her daughter Alexandra, who is 30, was born with Kabuki syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.

“This is a universal story,” Kelly told If. “There are more than 3 million people in Australia who care for a family member or a close relative.

“Most of us will have to deal with this at some time in our lives with aging parents. For me it has been a very grounding experience which has also brought tremendous joy and humour.”

Lefever is in talks with a producer and intends to pitch the project to the ABC, Sbs or streamers.

Another project she created is Sundown,...

‘Feel the Beat’s’ Wolfgang Novogratz with Elissa Down.

Elissa Down’s teen dance movie Feel the Beat premieres worldwide on Netflix this week. Sofia Carson stars as April, a self-centred dancer who, after blowing a Broadway audition, reluctantly returns home and agrees to coach a squad of young misfits for a big competition.

The director tells If how she landed her first Netflix gig, which was produced by What Women Want’s Susan Cartsonis; collaborating with fellow Aussies, composer Michael Yezerski and editor Jane Moran; and how her career has ebbed and flowed since her debut film The Black Balloon.

Q: How did you get the gig?

A: I met with producer Susan Cartsonis to discuss the project and we connected right away. Susan responded to the vision I had for the movie and she then presented me to Netflix to pitch – which had to be done over Google...

"I'm trying to help them, but it's like a brick wall." Netflix has debuted a trailer for an upbeat dance comedy titled Feel the Beat, from director Elissa Down. Feel the Beat stars actress / dancer Sofia Carson (from "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists" and Disney Channel shows) as April. After blowing a big Broadway audition, a self-centered dancer reluctantly returns home and ends up coaching a squad of young misfits for a big competition. The full cast includes Enrico Colantoni, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Dennis Andres, Wolfgang Novogratz, Donna Lynne Champlin, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Rex Lee, and Marcia Bennett. This seems a bit like School of Rock but for dance. Have fun. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Elissa Down's Feel the Beat, direc from Netflix's YouTube: After failing to find success on Broadway, April (Sofia Carson) returns to her hometown and reluctantly is recruited to help train a misfit...

There’s a climatic moment in Josh and Benny Safdie’s 2012 short “The Black Balloon” where the titular character tries to free his fellow balloons from a van by breaking the vehicle’s back window. The scene was staged in an industrial area of Sunset Park, the camera on the opposite side of eight lanes of high-speed traffic.

“The probability of impact, of the glass breaking, the probably of it being blocked was probably 60 percent — a truck could pass by and that’s it, you miss the moment,” said Josh when he and his brother Benny were guests on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast. “But it was the only place you could see the action from, from my point of view. It added to it. It added to the stress of it, that there were cars running through, and subconsciously I think it makes the stunt feel less catered-to, which...

Melbourne/Brisbane-based production company Continuance Pictures has selected the top 25 script submissions for its Continue Short Film Initiative, which aims to establish a platform for emerging talent to create a short to serve as a proof of concept for a feature film or TV series.

Three winners will be chosen from the shortlist and receive up to $10,000 each.

Unexpectedly, the initiative proved popular internationally, with filmmakers from all corners of the globe submitting their film and television scripts. A third of submissions came from female screenwriters, and of the top 25 finalists, over a third were written by women.

Continuance Pictures was founded by Tristan Barr and David Gim, who have hopes that the short film initiative will result in more than 50 shorts over five years.

“Having filmmakers from a variety of backgrounds provides our development department with engaging stories and endless entertainment,” Barr says.

“Prestige horrors, fourth-wall-breaking comedies and touching...

"This one isn't just for Honor, it's for you." Lionsgate has debuted an official trailer for indie coming-of-age drama titled The Honor List, from Australian director Elissa Down (Pink Pyjamas, The Black Balloon). The Honor List is about four friends who, before high school, were besties, but by senior year they wouldn't even speak to each other. When tragedy strikes, they bond over a list they have to complete together. It's a bittersweet film that "explores the complexities of friendships, family, love, loss, and high school." It's also a film "made by women for women", with over 60% of the crew being women. This stars Meghan Rienks, Karrueche Tran, Arden Cho, and Sasha Pieterse. It looks like a meaningful, empowering film for all. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Elissa Down's The Honor List, direct from YouTube: The story of four friends and a bucket list. The summer before high school,...

'What If It Works?' . Writer-director Romi Trower.s debut feature What If It Works? is set to make its world premiere at the 2017 Cinequest Film and Vr Festival in San Jose next month. . What If It Works?.is inspired by Trower.s own family history. It stars Luke Ford (Animal Kingdom, The Black Balloon, Red Dog) as Adrian, an irrepressibly chirpy tech nerd who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He connects with his new neighbour, Grace (Anna Samson, Skylight, Birdland; The Leftovers), a street artist with Dissociative Identity Disorder. . Brooke Satchwell (Wonderland, Jack Irish, Packed To The Rafters) and Wade Briggs (Still Star-Crossed, Please Like Me) also star. . .My interest in telling this story is born of my personal experiences," said Trower. "My older brother has a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and my aunt is a psychiatrist who specialises in Dissociative Identity Disorder, whose career sparked my fascination with this disorder.

Screen Women Series (photo credit: Emma Leslie).

Film Fatales is a network of female filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive community in which to make their films. The Sydney chapter was started by Brooke Goldfinch and is now co-run by Megan Riakos..

Brooke Goldfinch:.

Film Fatales was started by writer/director Leah Meyerhoff. She was making her first feature I Believe in Unicorns and she invited a bunch of veteran female directors to her house for dinner to ask their advice. The evening was so productive that Leah decided to start an organisation, in which groups of women directors would meet monthly at someone.s house to discuss filmmaking. It.s a simple, grass-roots concept that has become a powerful global movement, with chapters all over the world. I knew Leah from the grad film program at Nyu where I got my Mfa.

Karen Radzyner.

Screen Nsw development and production executive Karen Radzyner is spearheading Screen Nsw.s new script development program, Amplifier. If gets the lowdown on how it differs from its predecessor.

Why the change from Aurora to Amplifier?

Amplifier will build on Aurora.s successes, this time with an individual focus on each project. We wanted to signal the change in the program to the industry. Giving it a new name and shape we hope will magnify Amplifier.s fresh approach.

What are the key differences?

The main difference is the bespoke nature of the program. Its defining factor is that it is customised to the individual projects. We will make the key decisions about how Amplifier: Adaptation can best nurture each project, only when we know those projects have been selected. In this way, we can work with the creative teams to make Screen Nsw's funding and relationships...

TNT’s compelling new crime drama “Animal Kingdom” takes on a criminal family, the generations of lost innocence, and a young boy caught in the middle. The series follows Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole) who moves in with the rest of his family, a criminal clan governed by fierce matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin), after the death of his mother. J’s uncles include Barry “Baz” Brown (Scott Speedman), Smurf’s adopted son and robbery leader; Andrew “Pope” Cody (Shawn Hatosy), the mentally disturbed oldest son; Craig Cody (Ben Robson), the party-minded middle son; and Deran Cody (Jake Weary), the closeted youngest son. The series premiered this past June.

Read More: Review: ‘Animal Kingdom’ Season 1 Honors the Film, But Lacks the Dynamic That Made It Great

The logline for tonight’s penultimate episode of the season reads, “While the Codys go after the biggest score of their lives, the...

Sneak Peek Australian model, actress Gemma Ward ("The Great Gatsby") in the July 2016 issue of "Elle" (Australia) magazine, photographed by Georges Antoni:

Ward's first film starring role was in Australian director Elissa Down's feature "The Black Balloon" (2008).

This was followed by work in the suspense thriller "The Strangers" (2008).

In 2011 she played 'Tamara' the 'mermaid' in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".

Ward plays the 'Languid Girl' in "The Great Gatsby".

Click the images to enlarge...

Sneak Peek Australian model, actress Gemma Ward ("The Great Gatsby") in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of "Unconditional" magazine, photographed by Alexandra Nataf and styled by Ilona Hamer:

Ward's first film starring role was in Australian director Elissa Down's feature "The Black Balloon" (2008).

This was followed by work in the suspense thriller "The Strangers" (2008).

In 2011 she played 'Tamara' the 'mermaid' in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".

Ward plays the 'Languid Girl' in "The Great Gatsby".

Click the images to enlarge...

The Legend of Gavin Tanner.

We Were Here and Flushed have scooped the nominations for the West Australian Screen Awards.

The West Australian Screen Awards celebraes excellence and achievements in feature film, short film, web series, music videos, television production, documentary, games and interactive productions.

Short drama We Were Here, directed by David Vincent Smith and produced by Joshua Gilbert and Simon Camp, earned six nominations, the most for the awards.

Short comedy Flushed, directed and produced by Richard Eames, also received six nominations.

ABC comedy TV series The Legend of Gavin Tanner, written and directed by Matt Lovkis and Henry Inglis and produced by Lauren Elliott received five nominations, as did short drama Sol Bunker, produced by Glen Stasiuk and directed by Nathan Mewett.

Film and Television Institute Wa (Fti) chief executive, Paul Bodlovich, said the WASAs were one of the most important events on the cultural calendar in Western Australia.

A still from Megan Riakos' directorial debut Crushed.

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Megan Riakos' directorial debut Crushed is set for a March 15 theatrical release followed by screenings nationally via cinema-on-demand service Fan-Force.

The new Australian thriller is direct from a successful international film festival run including Montreal World Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival and Napa Valley Film Festival..

The film, written and directed by Riakos (50-50, The Shed), is the story of a young woman (played by Sarah Bishop, doing double-duty as a producer alongside Full Clips's Robbie Miles) who returns home to the family vineyard after her father dies in an accident.

Riakos, an Aftrs graduate, recently completed the Professional Screenwriting program at UCLA, where she wrote two feature scripts over the course of a year, one of which was Crushed.

After returning home the director enlisted Bishop, with whom she'd made the short film Blue Bird in 2013, in addition...

The Aftrs Open Summer School — now in its third year — has expanded to 17 intensive courses, including a new six-week doco school and a six-week film school.

These introductory and intermediate film courses running between November and January are designed for intensive learning and the chance to upskill in the rapidly changing media landscape.

Amongs the screen industry speakers and lecturers are writer/director David Caesar (Nowhere Boys, Underbelly, Dirty Deeds, Mullet), cinematographer Ross Emery (The Wolverine, Woman In Gold, I Frankenstein), TV writer Vicki Madden (The Bill, Water Rats, Blood Brothers, McLeod.s Daughters and Foxtel drama The Kettering Incident), feature film director Elissa Down (The Black Balloon, Offspring) and documentary director/producer Madeleine Heatherton (Call Me Dad, Bondi Rescue, The Nest,. Last Chance Surgery, Outback Truckies).

Also screenwriter Ian David ( Police Crop: The Winchester Conspiracy, Police State, Joh's Jury, Blue Murder, Killing Time, 3 Acts of Murder, The Shark Net,...

Isabel Lucas and Luke Ford have joined the cast of Shane Abbess. new sci-fi feature SFv1.

They join Kellan Lutz (Expendables 3, Hercules 3-D, The Twilight Saga) and Daniel MacPherson (Infini, Shannara Chronicles, The Cup).

The ensemble cast includes Temuera Morrison (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III . Revenge of the Sith, Once Were Warriors), Bren Foster (Infini, The Last Ship, Terminus, Days Of Our Lives), with Rachel Griffiths (Saving Mr Banks, Beautiful Kate, Brothers & Sisters, Six Feet Under, Muriel.s Wedding), Firass Dirani (House Husbands, Underbelly: The Golden Mile, The Combination, The Black Balloon) Dwaine Stevenson (Infini, Gabriel), Grace Huang (The Man with the Iron Fists 1 and 2, Infini, Hiding) and introduces Teagan Croft.

Currently filming in Sydney and outback South Australia, the film is set in the future in a time of interplanetary colonization, when Sy (Kellan Lutz), a drifter,...

Rhys Wakefield has signed with ICM Partners. The Australian actor is onscreen in Endless Love, and his other credits include The Purge, Nobody Walks and The Black Balloon, for which he earned Best Actor noms from the Australian Film Institute and the Film Critics Circle of Australia. He is managed by Anonymous Content. Gina Wendkos has signed with Apa. Her feature writing credits include The Perfect Man, Coyote Ugly, Jersey Girl and the Princess Diaries films along with the telepic Do No Harm. Wendkos is scripting Carnival for CBS Films and Kabul Beauty School, which is in development at Columbia. She is additionally repped by The Gotham Group.

Sneak Peek Australian model, actress Gemma Ward ("The Great Gatsby") in "Vogue" magazine.

Ward's first film starring role was in Australian director Elissa Down's feature "The Black Balloon" (2008).

This was followed by work with Liv Tyler in the suspense thriller "The Strangers" (2008).

In 2011 she played 'Tamara' the 'mermaid' in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".

Ward plays the 'Languid Girl' in "The Great Gatsby".

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek Gemma Ward ...

Sneak Peek Australian model, actress Gemma Ward ("The Great Gatsby") in the May 2013 issue of "Vogue" magazine.

Ward's first starring role was in Australian director Elissa Down's feature "The Black Balloon" (2008).

This was followed by work with Liv Tyler in the suspense thriller "The Strangers" (2008).

In 2011 she played 'Tamara' the 'mermaid' in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".

Ward will next be seen as the 'Languid Girl' in "The Great Gatsby".

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek Gemma Ward ...

Veronika Jenet accepts an If Award for her work on Snowtown.

Veronika Jenet began her film career in the same place as many others, at film school. Unlike many others, she wasn.t enrolled there.

.At the time, film school was not as regimented . the place was basically open 24 hours. I was hanging around solidly all year and I wasn.t a student. The teachers kind of looked at me strangely but hey, I was there; I was doing work,. she says. .I.m sure I wouldn.t be able to do that now..

The Australian Film, Television and Radio School (Aftrs) played a pivotal role in Jenet.s life. It.s where she met director Ray Quint, now her husband and business partner, and director Jane Campion, with whom she has collaborated on five feature films.

Quint and Campion were both final year students at the school when Jenet...

Here’s the first trailer for the surfing-based action-drama Drift starring Sam Worthington (Avatar), Xavier Samuel (Twilight Eclipse) and Myles Pollard (Wolverine).

While Hollywood surf movies are mostly lame and stereotypical, the Aussie-set story written and directed by Morgan O’Neill and co-directed by Ben Nott centers on the Kelly brothers who launch a backyard surf gear business but get caught up with a local drug dealer, threatening their family and their future.

Interestingly, Worthington was content to take a back seat, playing photographer Jb and let Samuel and Pollard playing the leading pair, Jimmy and Andy Kelly.

The Drift production started in summer 2011. Aside from the three lead actors, other notable cast members include Ann Brandt (Memphis Beat), Robyn Malcolm (Outrageous Fortune), Steve Bastoni (Underbelly) and Aaron Glenane (The Black Balloon).

Hopscotch Films will release the film in April/May 2013, while Wrekin Hill acquired an early 2013 theatrical release in...

Here's the latest in Austin and Texas film news.

Austin-based director Richard Linklater's latest film Bernie opened on Friday in limited runs in New York, L.A. and Austin (at Violet Crown). The Austin Chronicle reported the result: the best opening weekend ever for a Linklater feature. Needless to say, Bernie killed at the box office with more than $30,000 estimated per screen ($90,400 total).IndieWIRE reported that Dallas filmmaker David Lowery is set to write and direct the Rooney Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Ben Foster, Casey Affleck flick Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Lowery's short film Pioneer (Jette's article) won the Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2011 and his feature debut, St. Nick (Jette's article), was a 2007 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund recipient. Ain't Them Bodies Saints, a project of the 2011 Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit at Sundance, tells the story of a 1970s outlaw who escapes from prison...

Tristram Miall

Seven screen veterans have been added to the roster of Screen Australia’s project assessors, as two depart, and a revised set of Feature Film Production Guidelines is announced.

The change sees the departure of assessors Victoria Treole and Matthew Dabner after serving out their contracts as Tristram Miall producer of Strictly Ballroom, Children of the Revolution and The Black Balloon returns.

Treole came under fire last month in the Encore comment thread when a film that she was executive producing, Galore, received funding while she contributed on the assessment board.

Screen Australia followed up the industry concerns of nepotism within the agency by publishing a statement defending its Conflict of Interest Policy.

Glen Boreham, chair of Screen Australia said: “Screen Australia has a rigorous conflict of interest policy to ensure that Board members and industry specialists employed by Screen Australia are not advantaged by their involvement.

“In essence,...

Screen Australia has again called on producer Tristram Miall to help determine which feature film applications get letters of interest and production funding, and has also brought on six external specialists to advise on investment decisions.

Producer Jan Chapman (Lantana, The Piano), director Chris Noonan (Babe), writer Andrew Bovell (Lantana, Head On), editor Marcus D.Arcy (Tomorrow, When The War Began and the upcoming I, Frankenstein), script consultant Joan Sauers and Neil Peplow, head of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.s screen content division, make up the gang of six.

Miall was on board at Screen Australia during the early years of the agency and before industry specialists Victoria Treole and Matthew Dabner, whose contracts are due to expire, were appointed. Producer of the seventh biggest homegrown hit of all time in Strictly Ballroom and, most recently, The Black Balloon, he will be employed part-time under the new arrangements.

Actor Rhys Wakefield has been cast in the Michael Bay-produced sci-fi thriller, Vigilandia.

The former Home and Away star joins a cast that includes Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, 300).

According to horror news website Bloody Disgusting, the film is the first installment in a planned post-apocalyptic franchise that Bay is producing alongside Paranormal Activity's Jason Blum.

Set in the future, the story follows a regime called "New Founding Fathers of America." The organisation seeks to control an outbreak of violence and crime with a movement called "The Cure" - an event which allows murder to be legalised for 12 hours, three times a year.

The film is helmed by writer-director James DeMonaco, who has previously penned the screenplays for Assault on Precinct 13 and Robin Williams vehicle Jack.

Wakefield was most recently seen on screen in claustrophobic cave thriller Sanctum. In 2008 he was nominated for...

The film critic on the receiving end of a rant by a director at Tuesday’s inaugural Aacta Awards after giving the film a negative review has told Encore that there was no personal attack to the director.

During the Aacta Awards, A Few Best Men director Stephan Elliott attacked The Age’s Jim Schembri over the critic’s review of the film, accusing Schembri of personal attacks. The attack was removed from Nine’s broadcast of the show.

Schembri on behalf of himself and The Age told Encore: “We respect Stephan Elliott’s right to bite back at negative reviews. However, we never engage in personal attacks in film reviews and cannot see how referring to him as ‘having proved himself worthy of so much better’ constitutes one.

“Also, journalists must never feel any obligation whatsoever to “support” Australian films, only good ones. Stephan Elliott showed with Easy Virtue...

Ken Jacobs' Seeking The Monkey King, Alexis Dos Santos' Random Strangers and the Cannes winning Nash Edgerton's Bear are part of the shorts program which this year is comprised of 64 films selected from a whopping 7,675 submissions. Among the titles that have caught our attention we find actress Brie Larson getting behind the camera for The Arm, The Safdie brothers continue what they do best which is an output of films in all lengths (The Black Balloon), we have one fourth of Kyle Henry short film collage in Fourplay: Tampa and also in the U.S. Narrative section of 32 we have one of our 2010 American New Wave 25 selected individuals who brings The Fort to the fest (see pic above). Other new shorts worth noting come from Lucy Walker who visited Japan's devastated zone coming up with the short docu The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, we have Don Hertzfeldt...

Barring any late additions or surprises, the full lineup for the 2012 edition of the Sundance Film Festival (January 19 through 29) is now complete. We've seen the the Competition and Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, Next <=> and New Frontier lineups, the Premieres and the Documentary Premieres. Today's the festival's unveiled its Short Film program. Once again, straight from the release:

U.S. Short Films

This year's 32 U.S. short films were selected from 4,083 submissions.

U.S. Narrative Short Films

’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card (Director: Todd Sklar, Screenwriters: Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie) — Jim and Dave are brothers who haven't spoken in years and don't like each other very much, but are forced to come together for a week when their dad dies in Kansas City. A limited edition 1992 Skybox Series Alonzo Mourning rookie card is a point of contention.

The Arm (Directors and screenwriters: Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis) — In an...

Below are the titles selected to screen in the Short Film Program at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

See films in competition. See films in the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, Next and New Frontier sections. See films in Premieres section.

64 films have been selected from a record 7,675 submissions (up 16% from last year).

This year the shorts program will be presented by Yahoo!. Part of their sponsorship includes featuring a select group of shorts from this year on their premium video destination, Yahoo! Screen during the fest. There you will be able to vote on your favorite and the winner will be presented with the Yahoo! Audience Award at the end of the fest.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival takes place Jan. 19-29.

U.S. Narrative Short Films

’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card (Director: Todd Sklar, Screenwriters: Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie) — Jim and Dave are brothers who haven’t spoken in years...

I tend to get my Gemmas mixed up, frequently confusing Arterton(Quantum of Solace) with Ward. In this case we're dealing with the latter, the ex-supermodel who quit the runway in 2008 in order to pursue a full-time acting career. So far it's been a smart move, scoring her first major role in 2008's The Black Balloon opposite Toni Collette. She received a fair amount of praise from the Australian...

Due to begin shooting next week, surf drama Drift, depicting the 1960s and ’70s surf communities that helped to create an international youth lifestyle will employ over 70 Wa cast and crew.

Directed by Morgan O’Neill and Ben Nott, the film will star Myles Pollard (Wolverine, McLeod’s Daughters) and Zavier Samuel (Twilight Eclipse, The Loved Ones) as the Kelly Brothers alongside Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator Salvation) as a travelling surf photographer and filmmaker.

Other cast include Ann Brandt (Memphis Beat), Robyn Malcolm (Outrageous Fortune), Steve Bastoni (Underbelly) and Aaron Glenane (The Black Balloon).

In a statement, co-directors O’Neill and Nott said “The story is about the birth of the relationship between Australian surf culture and global youth culture that still resonates around the globe today. The wandering surf lifestyle is now the mystical ‘dream life’ for many, but in the early days the quest...

Avatar actor Sam Worthington will trade the "smurf suit" for the boardies as he rides his way into Western Australia next week to shoot new surfing film, Drift. Worthington, who grew up in the region before he reached international superstardom after James Cameron's massive sci-fi flick in late-2009, joins other homegrown talent Myles Pollard (Wolverine) and Xavier Samuel (Twilight Eclipse) in the $11 million character-based action/drama. Other cast members include Lesley-Ann Brandt (Memphis Beat), Robyn Malcolm (Outrageous Fortune), Steve Bestoni (Underbelly) and Aaron Glenane (The Black Balloon). The Morgan O.Neill-penned film, set in the 1960s and 70s, follows the Kelly brothers (Pollard and Samuel) after their mother escapes from Sydney to the Margaret...

In its 60th incarnation, the Melbourne International Film Festival appears to be ripening with age, featuring a diverse and tasteful blend of titles. Although the full program won't be announced until July 5, Filmink gives you a sneak peek into some of the festival's hottest tickets...   Highly anticipated Australian Film Red Dog (pictured) will close the festival in a red carpet event. Directed by Kriv Stenders, Red Dog tells the celebrated true story of Koko, the canine who unites a mining community as he roams the outback in search of his mislaid master. A sure fire crowd-pleaser, the film features an all star cast, including Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama), Rachael Taylor (Transformers), Luke Ford (The Black Balloon, Animal Kingdom) Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) and Noah Taylor (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Shine).

Australian supermodel Gemma Ward made her stage debut in her native Perth on Tuesday night, winning favourable reviews for her first theatre role.

Ward has stepped away from the catwalk in recent years to star in a number of movies including 2008's The Black Balloon and The Strangers opposite Liv Tyler, while she also appears in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

She has now turned to theatre with a starring role in Perth Theatre Company play The Ugly One - and the performance won her positive feedback.

A reviewer for Perth Now writes, "She made a good go of it... despite her inexperience, she is mesmerising to watch," while a writer for The West Australian adds, "Ward does well on her stage debut.. it's impossible to ignore her international celebrity as a beauty but... it does it no harm."...

Gemma Ward has made her stage debut. The 23-year-old Australian supermodel, who is known for her role in The Black Balloon and was recently cast in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starred in Perth Theatre Company's The Ugly One on Tuesday night for the first time. Ward plays the wife of Lette, a very ugly man, in the Marius von Mayenburg play about the modern world's obsession with looks. According to Perth Now, Ward stumbled over her lines at one point (more)...

Sanctum 3D follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.

With the UK release of James Cameron’s next 3D extravaganza, Sanctum getting closer and closer, Universal are ramping up the marketing for the film – and so we have a newly-delivered package of five images from the movie which dropped in our mailbox today! I don’t know if these are new, but they’re new to us, so enjoy!

Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible II) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa’ala caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood,...

From executive producer James Cameron comes 3D underwater adventure Sanctum, released in UK cinemas on 4th February 2011. The official UK artwork has just been released, please find a high res version attached to this email.and we have it for you!

The 3D epic underwater adventure Sanctum, from three-time Academy Award-winning executive producer James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic), follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.

Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible II) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa’ala caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s key team-including 17-year-old...

Casting is underway for Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Killer, after the film was finally greenlit last month. The film is a darker version of the classic Jack & the Beanstalk fairy tale and starts with a shaky truce between humans and giants being broken. The title character leads an expedition into the giants’ kingdom in the hopes of rescuing a kidnapped princess.

A number of young British actors have been tipped for the role of Jack, with Aaron Johnson the hot favourite, closely followed by Alex Pettyfer.

THR is reporting that screen tests are likely to start in London in the next two weeks, with Nicholas Hoult, who was cast as the mutant Beast in “X-Men: First Class,” and relative newcomer, Welsh actor Aneurin Barnard of Spring Awakening fame, also in contention.

Jamie Campbell Bower was apparently also on the list, but insiders say he broke his ankle (during...

From Psycho to Shutter Island, why is the portrayal of mental illness in the movies stuck in the dark ages?

Cinema has long been bad news for the mentally ill, typically representing them as the likes of Psycho's Norman Bates – crazed, dangerous and in need of harsh restraint. Film-makers have treated them as conveniently dehumanised as useful monsters, inviting cinemagoers to assume they should be feared, shunned and confined.

So what, you may feel: people can tell the difference between fiction and fact. Unfortunately, such research as has been conducted suggests otherwise. It has shown the mass media shapes people's ideas about mental illness, and that entertainment plays a bigger role in this process than factual output. In focus groups, people with hostile attitudes have cited films like Psycho as influences on their outlook.

To be fair, in Hitchcock's day harsh attitudes to mental illness pervaded not just films but society as a whole.

Supermodel turned actor Gemma Ward (The Strangers, The Black Balloon) has been cast for a role in producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall 's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. According to the report from The Courier Mail, Ward has been cast in a "small speaking part" as a mermaid, but won't shoot her scenes until August. I'm sure Ward will probably play a friend of Syrena, "a beautiful and alluring young mermaid" played by French Actress Astrid Bergès-Frisbey. Previously: Ward joins the already announced cast of Johnny Depp, who is reprising his role of Captain Jack Sparrow, Ian McShane who will play Edward Teach, better known as the legendary pirate Blackbeard, a notorious black-bearded pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies during the early 1700s, and famously piloted the ship Queen Anne's Revenge, Penelope Cruz, who will be playing...

Although a few sources were originally hedging their bets on Megan Fox taking on the small part of a mermaid in the upcoming 'Pirates' sequel 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' the part has actually been given to the equally hot and saucy Australian model Gemma Ward (below). Although her acting credentials are limited it'll still be something to look forward to in the fourth installment of the Disney franchise. Rob Marshall is helming the project and Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush return to once again play their respective characters. Ward, who has appeared previously in the popular Australian movie 'The Black Balloon' also appeared as Dollface in the 2008 home-invasion thriller 'The Strangers'. ...

Australian actress, Gemma Ward, will join Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Sam Claflin and Max Irons.

So, the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has added another new actress.

Pirates 4 finally starts shooting in Hawaii this week but Ward will start shooting her scenes on August.

There’s no details on Ward’s character but it was said that the role is “a small speaking part.”

The model/actress had previously starred in 2008 horror film The Strangers and The Black Balloon and in 2001 Pink Pyjamas.

Anyway, let’s just remind you that Johnny Depp will be reprising his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, in which he will hunt for the legendary Fountain of Youth In the film, Ian McShane will play the villainous pirates Blackbeard and Penelope Cruz will play Blackbeard’s daughter and Sparrow’s love interest.

Spider-Man

Aaron Johnson ("Kick-Ass," "Nowhere Boy") and Anton Yelchin ("Star Trek," "Terminator Salvation") have both apparently been added to the list of potential contenders to play Peter Parker in Sony's upcoming reboot reports The Los Angeles Times.

The pair join five other candidates previously mentioned including Josh Hutcherson, Jamie Bell, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich and Andrew Garfield.

My Idiot Brother

Adam Scott has joined the cast of the indie comedy "My Idiot Brother" reports Variety.

He becomes part of a cast which already includes Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer and Rashida Jones.

The Knights Of Badassdom

Summer Glau has joined the cast of Joe Lynch’s "The Knights Of Badassdom" reports Bleeding Cool

Alongside her in the live-action RPG players turned demon hunters-themed feature are Ryan Kwanten, Peter Dinklage, Danny Pudi and Steve Zahn.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Aussie actress Gemma Ward ("The Black Balloon,...

Gemma Ward signs on for Stranger Tides The cast of an upcoming Disney adventure has added another actress. Australian site The Courier Mail is reporting that actress Gemma Ward has joined the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

It was said that the film starts shooting in Hawaii this week, but Ward won't start shooting her scenes until August. The site wouldn't reveal any details on the Australian actress' character, but added that the role was, "a small speaking part."

The model/actress had previously appeared in the 2008 horror film The Strangers and the French film The Black Balloon.

We'll be sure to keep you posted on any further details on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which will be directed by Rob Marshall, as soon as we have more information.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides comes to theaters May 20th, 2011 and stars Johnny Depp,...

Australian newspaper The Courier Mail (spotted by the local boys at Moviehole ) is reporting that Australian supermodel-turned-actress Gemma Ward will be joining Johnny Depp and fellow Aussie Geoffrey Rush in Rob Marshall's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , which is currently shooting in Hawaii. The 23-year-old Perth-born model, who quite ironically had her beauty covered in a doll mask in Bryan Bertino's The Strangers and previously appeared in the Australian drama The Black Balloon , will be joining French actress Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as a mermaid in the movie, which is scheduled for release on May 20, 2011 in 2D and 3D theaters. It will only be a small speaking role.

Out of Australia comes a movie about the bond among a family; even more so, the bond between brothers. The Black Balloon's titular character causes a lot of grief for Thomas, a kind, but timid, high schooler who was born into a military family who, as most military families do in films, move a lot. Will Thomas have a shot at a normal life? To him, that all depends on his brother.

The story focuses on the teetering relationship between Thomas and his brother Charlie, who is autistic and has been diagnosed with Add. With his special needs, Charlie is a handful, but systems are in place and methods are used to ensure the whole family gets along relatively effortlessly. The cornerstone of said systems and methods is the mother, Maggie, played by Toni Collette, a ferociously terrific actor who molds herself into a mother who convincingly displays two...