Lian Lunson (born 3 February 1959) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

actress who became a filmmaker and author.

Biography

Lian Lunson was born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, outside

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. After attending The Ensemble drama school in Sydney and working as an actor, she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1987 to join the film industry. Lunson produced commercials and music videos, and in 1997 opened her own production company based in LA, Horse Pictures. At the request of Island Records, Lian made a video for

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for his Spirit album. For the song 'She Is Gone', she also made a 15-minute electronic press kit. It was at that time that Lian took Nelson to meet U2 at their studio in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. Whilst there, U2 and Nelson recorded the song 'Slow Dancing', which was captured on film by Lunson and used in the documentary that she would make for Willie called, ''Willie Nelson: Down Home''. It aired in 1997 on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

She also produced ''

The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film produced, directed and co-written by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, mother of Jesus, and Monica Bellucci as Mary ...

: Songs Inspired By'', an alternate soundtrack to the

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

film. Gibson would go on to produce Lunson's documentary about the poet and singer/songwriter

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

, called '' Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man'' Which released in 2005. During production, she met

Kate & Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed until Kate McGarrigle's death on January 18, 2010. Music ...

, subject of Lunson's next documentary, '' Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle''. Released in 2012, the film chronicles a tribute concert that happened in New York following Kate's 2010 death, and was produced by Kate's musician son

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

. In 2006, she was awarded the Women in Film Dorothy Arzner Directors Award for her work on this film. Lunson made her feature film debut with ''

Waiting for the Miracle to Come ''Waiting for the Miracle to Come'' is a 2018 fantasy drama film written and directed by Lian Lunson, and stars Sophie Lowe, Charlotte Rampling, and Willie Nelson. Cast * Sophie Lowe as Adeline Winter * Charlotte Rampling as Dixie Riggs * Willie N ...

'', filmed in Willie Nelson's hometown of Spicewood, Texas, and features Nelson, Charlotte Rampling and

Sophie Lowe Sophie Lowe (born 5 June 1990) is a British-born Australian actress and singer-songwriter. She is known for appearing in films such as '' Beautiful Kate'', '' Autumn Blood'', ''After the Dark'', '' Adore'', '' Road Kill'', '' Above Suspicion, M ...

. Wim Wenders and Bono were executive producers, with Bono also contributing a song performed by Nelson.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Interview with Lunson

''.]
The Guardian Newspaper's profile on Lian Lunson

Past winners of the Women in Film awards
Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Australian filmmakers Australian film directors Australian women film directors Living people 1959 births People from Victoria (Australia) {{Australia-film-bio-stub