Director Jonathan Teplitzky is busy at work with the official shoot for his latest film The Railway Man starting this week. Longtime DOP collaborator Garry Phillips is also onboard.
The film is based on Eric Lomax’s autobiography as a soldier in World War II captured and tortured by the Japanese in Thailand. Haunted by these experiences in his later life, he uncovers the whereabouts of one of his torturers and returns to Thailand to confront him. The film stars Colin Firth as Lomax in his later years and Jeremy Irvine when he was still a soldier, Nicole Kidman plays his wife and Stellan Skarsgård is a solider friend who helps Lomax in tracking down his torturer, played by Hiroyuki Sanada.
The first two novels by Malla Nunn received great acclaim, international publication and lots of love from readers. Now A Beautiful Place to Die and Let the Dead Lie are joined by Silent Valley.
The body of a seventeen-year-old girl has been found covered in wildflowers on a hillside in the Drakensberg Mountains, near Durban. She is the daughter of a Zulu chief, destined to fetch a high bride price. Was Amahle as innocent as her family claims, or is her murder a sign that she lived a secret life?
In this page-turning tale of murder and mystery, Nunn entangles us in a rich and complex web of witchcraft, tribalism, taboo relationships… and plain old-fashioned greed.
Silent Valley by Malla Nunn, Pan Macmillan Australia, RRP $24.99.
Also out this month is The Italian Girl by Rebecca Huntley. 
In 2001 Rebecca Huntley’s maternal grandmother – her Italian nonna– died. This sparked a decade-long search for the ‘truth’ about her grandmother’s life, and the lives of the men and women in her family from Innisfail, Northern Queensland, during the hard times of World War II.
The nonna Rebecca knew was a kind-hearted and quiet individual. Short and slight, she was a wonderful cook who embroidered every day of her life. Rebecca loved her dearly but saw her as a conservative, pliant and generally uninteresting Italian woman. After her death, however, incredible stories of her nonna as a young woman surfaced and Rebecca realised that she didn’t know her at all.
Learning more about nonna stirred up old ghosts in Rebecca’s relationship with her mother and challenged Rebecca’s own sense of self as she, pregnant with her first child, had to wonder what it really means to be a mother. With evocative stories and tender honesty, Rebecca takes us on this significant search.
The Italian Girl by Rebecca Huntley, University of Queensland Press, RRP $29.95.
Further great news for ABC/Matchbox series ‘The Slap’, receiving a BAFTA Nomination in the International category. The miniseries is nominated alongside Danish drama ‘Borgen’, ‘The Killing’ and comedy series ‘Modern Family’.
Cameron’s would especially like to congratulate all of our clients involved in this great production: Melissa George (who recently received the Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress), writers Emily Ballou and Alice Bell and director Jessica Hobbs.
The awards will take place on Sunday May 27.
Kieran Darcy-Smith’s film Wish You Were Here is now screening in Australian cinemas. The film stars Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer and Felicity Price (who co-wrote the film with Smith) and follows two couples on holiday in Thailand and the dramatic repercussions when one of them goes missing, both abroad and back home.
Cameron’s is thrilled for client and costume designer on the film Joanna Park. 2012 looks set to be a great year for Joanna, especially in light of the great reviews Wish You Were Here is getting – David Stratton giving it four and half stars and calling it a “top rate Australian film”. Joanna also recently finished on The Grandmothers for director Anne Fontaine, with Naomi Watts and Robin Wright.
Telemovie Beaconsfield aired last Sunday night on Channel Nine with 1.63 million viewers, making it the second most popular show of the evening. Cameron’s would like to congratulate everyone involved in the project, especially client Judi McCrossin who wrote the script based on the rescue of the Tasmanian miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb.
Reviews for the production were great, The Daily Telegraph mentioning the “extraordinary cinematography, pulsating writing and sharp performances” and the Sun Herald naming it the Show of the Week – “completely compelling, with real character development, emotional movement and growth.”
For anyone who missed it on Sunday, you can watch it online at Channel Nine through catch-up.
It’s not quite right to say that ‘The Book of Everything’ is one of the best children’s shows in town. It’s one of the best shows, period. – The New York Post
Supported by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Service and Indigenous Affairs, Richard Tulloch’s brilliant adaption of Guus Kuijer’s 2006 novel The Book of Everything enjoyed its first New York production at the New Victory Theatre on 20 April and opened to rave reviews. New Victory Theatre is New York City’s only theatre dedicated to young audiences.
Directed by the highly acclaimed Neil Armfield, The Book of Everything is about a nine-year-old boy who is writing a book. His father says all important books are about God. Even so, Thomas writes down all the interesting things he sees that other people seem to ignore: tropical fish in the canal, a deluge of frogs and the Son of God popping in for a chat. He also writes down his greatest determination: ‘When I grow up, I’m going to be happy’.
The season at New Victory Theatre runs until 29 April.
Cameron’s would like to congratulate clients nominated for the 2012 ADG Awards.
In the Feature Film category, Brendan Fletcher was nominated for his film Mad Bastards. The film screened in competition at last year’s Sundance Festival and recently was nominated for 5 AACTA awards, including Best Film and AFI Members’ Choice Award.
Peter Duncan was also nominated in the Television Drama Series category for the ABC series Rake (episode 1: R vs Murray). The show for which Peter is creator, writer, director and producer is currently in development for series 2.
We would like to wish both Brendan and Peter the best of luck when the winners are announced on May 11 at the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney.
Cameron’s client Kim Hardwick directs the Australian premier of Tony Award-nominated play Time Stands Still, from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies.
The play documents the lives of war journalists Sarah and James, who find the adrenalin and excitement of documenting the realities of war addictive. They lead a heightened life between the extremes of domesticity and danger.
But when Sarah is injured in a car bombing their lives catch up with them and they are forced into a more conventional, and sometimes suffocating way of life.
Marguiles’s quietly powerful play illustrates just how much is required in the everyday business of two people creating a life together.
“In the hands of director Kim Hardwick the productions hits all the right beats.” – Aussie Theatre Online.
The season runs until 22 April.
Cameron clients Noëlle Janaczewska and Verity Laughton are part of ‘No Nudity, Weapons Or Naked Flame’, a project created by playwright company 7-On. A self contained performance text conceived with senior school students and young actors in mind. The text was created through a commitment by both the writers and publishers to “get good new writing onto Australian stages.”
Each monologue in the text is accompanied by notes to help young performers understand, research and communicate their chosen piece. There is also a glossary of key theatrical terms and an afterword on how to construct an individual IP.
Other playwrights showcased in the text include Donna Abela, Vanessa Bate, Hilary Bell, Ned Manning and Catherine Zimdahl.
Purchases can be made through the Federation Press website.
Marion von Adlerstein’s wonderful debut novel, The Freudian Slip, has just been announced as a finalist for General Fiction Book of the Year in the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), hosted by the Australian Publishers Association.
The Freudian Slip was published by Hachette Australia in December last year and has found a wide and enthusiastic readership. Marion von Adlerstein had previously written two non-fiction books – and many articles for Vogue Australia. You can read more about this delightful novel here.
The ABIA award winners will be announced in Sydney on 18 May. Congratulations, Marion!