News

Anthony Hayes.

Anthony Hayes (The Boys, Animal Kingdom) will direct crime thriller Stingray, set to start shooting next year in Canada.

Hayes wrote the script and will produce with John and Michael Schwarz. He will also appear in the film alongside American actor Jon Bernthal (The Wolf of Wall Street, Sicario).

The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, describes Stingray as the story of "a young man (Bernthal) caught up in organized crime who accidentally kills the brother of a powerful crime figure. He must then kill one of his own family in the next two days to pay off his blood debt."

The project is being shopped at the American Film Market next month.

It's been a big week for Hayes, who received Screen Australia development funding only a couple of days ago for another writing-directing project: Gold follows two men who find a huge gold nugget in the desert.

Oscar-nominated Miracle Fish director and Animal Kingdom editor Luke Doolan has been appointed head of editing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

“I am delighted to welcome Luke to Aftrs. His extensive experience and creative drive will certainly prove to be a real asset for our students. His career path to date has been inspirational, and we feel his hands on experience will translate well into the practical education that Aftrs offers. He is a great addition to our roster of teachers who are all highly experienced working professionals,” said Aftrs CEO Sandra Levy.

Doolan’s editing credits include The Square, Ten Empty and New Skin, as well as the shorts Spider, Crossbow, Lucky and Fuel. He assisted Jill Bilcock on Moulin Rouge and edited previsualisation on both Australia and Baz Luhrmann’s failed project Alexander, as well as the Sydney-shot Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Actor, writer and director Anthony Hayes has many nicknames.

While "Tony" or "Hayes" are obvious, he's also been called "the John Turturro of Australian acting" given his tendency to nail standout supporting roles and the fact that filmmakers tend to offer him roles they have earmarked for him, rather than audition him. Luis Guzman could be another comparison.

His roles playing bearded, mulleted, working-class criminal types have spawned a moniker: "The King of Western Grit" -- and his most hardcore fans have created an online shrine as a homage to this idea.

Nominated for four Australian Film Institute awards and winner of two, he's played bogans and crims, soldiers and cops; in David Ceasar's Prime Mover he played three separate roles, and in his most recent work on the box -- in the dark black satirical comedy series Review with Myles Barlow -- he played himself, albeit a mad drug-dealing criminal version.

Romantic comedies make money. Lots of it. So why isn’t Australia making more? Miguel Gonzalez spoke with the creators of I Love You Too, a comedy that will help fill that gap in the film market.

I Love You Too is comedian Peter Helliar’s big screen debut, produced by Princess Pictures’ Laura Waters (We Can Be Heroes, Summer Heights High) and Yael Bergman (Love and Other Catastrophes).

Helliar had worked with Waters in the pilot episode for Rove in 1999 and kept in touch with the producer.

Knowing he had a number of ideas for features, in 2002 Waters asked Helliar to choose one and start working on it. Due to other commitments, it took a while before that idea became a treatment and, finally, a film script.

According to Waters, the message that drove Helliar to write the story and guided every draft was “tell people that you love them”, and from that premise,...

This a shout out to all my London-based (and other UK-with-the-ability-to-go-to-London) readers. The London Australia Film Festival kicks off today in your city and you have the chance to see some good movies. The main reason I am writing this, however, is because Steve Kastrissios' The Horseman is screening and, as you may or may not remember, I thought it was amazing. It's not for the "faint of heart" (to coin a cliche), it's violent and I was thoroughly disturbed, but boy is it a great film. Absolutely powerful in looking at how we see violence and the levels to which we are able to sustain. It sounds wanky, yes, but once you're sitting in the cinema experiencing it it most definitely not. I'm not you will get many more chances to see the movie, so do try and make an effort to see it if you can.

Also screening...