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Jonathan Hardy
Jonathan Hardy (20 September 1940 – 30 July 2012) was a New Zealand-Australian film and television actor, writer and director, he worked also in Australia. Early career Hardy was born in New Zealand in Wellington and began his training at the New Zealand Players' Drama School. He traveled to Britain where he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and was a gold medal student. This brought interest from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre where he secured contracts. He returned to his home of New Zealand in a touring production of ''The Comedy of Errors'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1966) and remained to help expand the country's theatre industry. He emigrated to Australia in 1972. Career 1972-2012 Jonathan Hardy had a long and very successful career for over 40 years. He appeared in over 20 films, guested in over 26 television series, acted in many television movies and mini-series. His preference was t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mad Max (film)
''Mad Max'' is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and produced by Byron Kennedy. Mel Gibson stars as "Mad" Max Rockatansky, a police officer turned vigilante in a near-future Australia in the midst of societal collapse. Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, and Roger Ward also star. James McCausland and Miller wrote the screenplay from a story by Miller and Kennedy. Principal photography for ''Mad Max'' took place in and around Melbourne and lasted for six weeks. The film initially received a polarized reception upon its release in April 1979, although it won four AACTA Awards. Filmed on a budget of A$400,000, it earned more than US$100 million worldwide in gross revenue and set a ''Guinness'' record for most profitable film. The success of ''Mad Max'' has been credited for further opening up the global market to Australian New Wave films. The film became the first in the ''Mad Max'' series, giving rise to three sequels: ''M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsible for producing Australia's premier annual film and television awards, the AACTA Awards (previously the AFI Awards)."The Australian Film Institute – Celebrating 50 Years of Pride and Passion" Overview The work of the institute is supported by government funding, corporate sponsors and approximately 10,000 members nationally. As Australia's foremost motion picture industry association, AFI promotes the Australian film and television industry and plays a cent ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mango Tree (film)
''The Mango Tree'' is a 1977 Australian drama film directed by Kevin James Dobson and starring Geraldine Fitzgerald and Sir Robert Helpmann. Lead actor Christopher Pate is the son of actor Michael Pate who also produced and wrote the film. It is based on the book of the same name, by Ronald McKie. Plot The film is about Jamie, a young man in his formative teen years, growing up in rural subtropical town of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, set around World War I. Jamie, raised by this grandmother, enjoys his life in "Bundy", until the town's reaction to the insanity of a local preacher leads him to leave his hometown for life in the city. Cast *Christopher Pate as Jamie Carr *Geraldine Fitzgerald as Grandma Carr *Robert Helpmann as the Professor *Gerard Kennedy as Preacher Jones * Gloria Dawn as Pearl *Carol Burns as Maudie Plover *Barry Pierce as Agnus McDonald *Diane Craig as Miss Pringle *Ben Gabriel as Wilkenshaw * Gerry Duggan as Scanlon *Jonathan Atherton as Stinker Hat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie
''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a character created by Barry Humphries for a cartoon strip in ''Private Eye''. It was the first Australian film to surpass one million dollars in Australian box office receipts.Don Groves"Beresford reflects on his 'colossal mistake': A TV screening of an iconic Australian comedy brings back mixed memories for the filmmaker." SBS, 23 March 2010. A sequel, ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'', was produced in 1974. Barry Humphries appears in several roles, including: a hippie, Barry McKenzie's psychiatrist Doctor de Lamphrey, and as Aunt Edna Everage (later Dame Edna Everage). Humphries would later achieve fame with the character of Dame Edna in the UK and US. The film was produced by Phillip Adams. Plot summary Barry 'Bazza' McKenzie (Barry Crocker) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matilda Awards
The Matilda Awards are awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre, and performance in southeast Queensland. History Established in 1987 by Alison Cotes and Sue Gough, the awards are an annual event held in February or March. The awards are voted by a panel of industry personnel and critics and membership of the panel has changes over time. In 2012 Silver and Gold Matilda statuettes were introduced, awarded for either a single work or a body of work over time. There were five Gold Awards each year but in 2015 only one was awarded as a result of industry advice. In 2013 the Award for the Best Emerging Artist was changed to Bille Brown Award for Best Emerging Artist, named after the late actor. At the 2015 awards co-founder Alison Cotes was farewelled after 25 years on the committee. She later wrote: "In spite of many changes over its 29 year history, and the often bitter political rows about format and judges, the Matilda Awards are still going strong, and wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farscape
''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment. The Jim Henson Company was responsible for the various alien make-up and prosthetics, and two regular characters (the animatronic puppets Rygel and Pilot) are entirely Creature Shop creations. Although the series was planned for five seasons, it was abruptly cancelled after production had ended on its fourth season, ending the series on a cliffhanger. Co-producer Brian Henson later secured the rights to ''Farscape'', paving the way for a three-hour miniseries to wrap up the cliffhanger, titled '' Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars'', which Henson directed. In 2007, it was announced that the creator was returning for a web-series but production has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dominar Rygel XVI
The television series ''Farscape'' features an extensive cast of characters created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. The series is set aboard a living spacecraft named Moya of the Leviathan race. The physical, racial and species-specific cultural characteristics, as well as underlying mythological/sociological similarities' and differences of the alien races portrayed in ''Farscape'' were conceptualised and created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Main characters John Crichton John Robert Crichton, Jr. , played by Ben Browder, is an International Aeronautics and Space Administration (most commonly referred to on the show as IASA) astronaut who, in the opening few minutes of the pilot episode, is accidentally catapulted through a wormhole across the universe, thus; setting the scene for the show as a whole. As the only regularly appearing human on the show, he is the main focus and is the main character as he narrates the weekly credits and is the only character to appear in every episode. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laura Branigan
Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. Branigan's "Gloria" was a cover of a song written by Italian singer-songwriters Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany with the U.S. No. 4 hit "Self Control", which was released by Italian singer and songwriter Raf the same year. Both "Gloria" and "Self Control" were successful in the United Kingdom, making the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. Seeing her greatest level of success in the 1980s, Branigan's other singles included the Top 10 hit " Solitaire" (1983), the U.S. AC chart number one "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (1983), the Australian No. 2 hit "Ti amo" (1984), her return to the top ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Backstage (1988 Film)
''Backstage'' is a 1988 Australian film starring American singer Laura Branigan. The film was written and directed by Academy Award nominee Jonathan Hardy, who had also written ''Breaker Morant''. Plot The plot centred on American pop singer Kate Lawrence (Branigan) wanting to embark on a career as an actress. The only job she can find is playing the lead role in an Australian theatre production of ''The Green Year Passes''. The hiring of an American causes conflict with her Australian cast and crew, and the chagrin of theatre critic Robert Landau with whom she has an affair. Production In 1981 Frank Howson set up a company, Boulevard Films, with a view to making movies. He wanted to make a film on Les Darcy, ''Something Great'', and collaborated with Jonathan Hardy on the script. They could not secure financing but Hardy showed Howson some other scripts he had written, including ''Backstage''. ''Backstage'' had originally been meant to be directed in 1982 by John Lamond starr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand Film And Television Awards
New Zealand film and television awards have gone by many different names and have been organised by different industry groups. As of 2017, New Zealand has relaunched a standalone New Zealand Television Awards after a five-year hiatus. The film awards continue to be sporadically awarded as the Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards (Moas). History Early years The first New Zealand television awards were the National TV Awards, which ran from 1964–1965, organised by the New Zealand Television Workshop. The trophy was designed by noted sculptor Greer Twiss. From 1970–1985, the New Zealand Feltex Awards honoured New Zealand television, sponsored by carpet manufacturer Feltex. GOFTA Awards The Feltex Awards were superseded by annual awards organised by the Guild of Film and Television Arts (GOFTA). The awards ran from 1986 to 2003 and were known by a number of different titles, including the GOFTA Awards. The awards were run as joint film and television awards until 2000 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment industry worldwide. Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette as a trophy, officially called the "Academy Award of Merit", although more commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Oscar". The statuette, depicting a knight rendered in the Art Deco style, was originally sculpted by Los Angeles artist George Stanley from a design sketch by art director Cedric Gibbons. The 1st Academy Awards were held in 1929 at a private dinner hosted by Douglas Fairbanks in The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The Academy Awards cerem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breaker Morant (film)
''Breaker Morant'' is a 1980 Australian war drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, who co-wrote the screenplay based on Kenneth G. Ross's 1978 play of the same name. The film concerns the 1902 court martial of lieutenants Harry Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton—one of the first war crime prosecutions in British military history. Australians serving in the British Army during the Second Anglo-Boer War, Morant, Handcock, and Witton stood accused of murdering captured enemy combatants and an unarmed civilian in the Northern Transvaal. The film is notable for its exploration of the Nuremberg Defence, the politics of the death penalty and the human cost of total war. As the trial unfolds, the events in question are shown in flashbacks. In 1980, the film won ten Australian Film Institute Awards including: Best Film, Best Direction, Leading Actor, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Editing. It was also nominated for the 1980 Academ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
