The Australian Film Commission today announced the Australian films to screen in official selection at the 1998 Cannes International Film Festival.
Two Australian feature films, Dance Me To My Song and Head On and two short films, I Want You and Fetch, have been selected.
Dance Me To My Song, directed by Rolf de Heer, will screen In Competition. Produced by Giuseppe Pedersoli, Domenico Procacci and Rolf de Heer, Dance Me To My Song is based on a screenplay written by Heather Rose, Frederick Stahl and the director. Heather Rose also stars in the film, alongside Joey Kennedy, John Brumpton and Rena Owen.
This is the second of Rolf de Heer's films to screen In Competition at Cannes; The Quiet Room was selected for the 1996 festival. Bad Boy Bubby, which he directed, wrote and co-produced, won the Special Grand Jury Prize and the International Film Critics' Award in Venice in 1993. Last year he produced The Sound of One Hand Clapping, which screened in Official Competition at the 1998 Berlin International Film Festival and will be screened in the market at Cannes 1998.
Dance Me To My Song received funding from Intra Films in Italy which will be representing the film internationally, the Australian Film Commission and the South Australian Film Corporation.
Head On, from director Ana Kokkinos, will screen in Directors' Fortnight at Cannes, making it eligible for the Camera d'Or, a prize awarded each year to a director of a first feature film. The most recent Australian film selected for the Directors' Fortnight was PJ Hogan's Muriel's Wedding in 1994.
Head On is a Great Scott Production produced by Jane Scott from a screenplay written by Andrew Bovell, Ana Kokkinos and Mira Robertson, adapted from the book Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas. The film stars Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian Garner, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Elena Mandalis and Eugenia Fragos.
Head On follows Ana Kokkinos' highly-acclaimed short drama, Only the Brave; the film is producer Jane Scott's first feature since Shine. Head On received financing from the Australian Film Finance Corporation, Southern Star Film Sales, Film Victoria and Palace Films. The film is represented internationally by Southern Star Film Sales and in Australia by Palace Films.
I Want You directed by Gregory Quail, and Fetch directed by Lynn Maree Danzey, will screen in Short Competition.
I Want You was privately funded and has received post-production funding from the Australian Film Commission. Fetch received finance from the NSW Film & Television office, SBS (pre-sale), industry production companies and the Australian Film Commission.
In addition to Festival screenings, more than ten Australian films will be screened in the Marché (market). They include: Amy, directed by Nadia Tass; The Boys, directed by Rowan Woods; Crackers, directed by David Swann; Dags, directed by Murray Fahey; Dead Letter Office, directed by John Ruane; The Interview, directed by Craig Monahan; Justice, directed by Ron Elliott; Radiance, directed by Rachel Perkins; The Sound of One Hand Clapping, directed by Richard Flanagan; and The Sugar Factory, directed by Robert Carter.
"To have two features films and two short films selected for the world's pre-eminent film festival is a tremendous achievement for the Australian film industry. Australian filmmakers have long been held in high regard at Cannes and our strong presence again this year indicates the depth of talent in the industry," said Cathy Robinson, Chief Executive of the Australian Film Commission.
The 1998 Cannes International Film Festival will be held from May 13 to 25. |
