Actualités

Romance is one of the most prolific genres, in literature, adaptations, music, and original stories. However, there's something undeniably timeless about Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams' 21-year-old drama, The Notebook.

The movie came out in 2004, a year that was great for Rachel McAdams, as she premiered the Nicholas Sparks adaptation, alongside Gosling, and also the iconic Mean Girls. The movie tells the story of Noah and Allie's romance over the years, including their beginning as teenagers, choosing each other years later, growing old together, and dealing with a heartbreaking disease. Just in time for Valentine's Day, The Notebook will be available to stream on Hulu starting Feb. 1.

Related Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively Didn't Read the Novel Before Filming It Ends With Us

Justin Baldoni's new lawsuit against Blake Lively brings to light new allegations.

The Notebook is one of romance author Nicholas Sparks' most famous novels and the 2004 adaptation is undeniably his most popular.

Quick Links Gosling & McAdams' Chemistry Still Sizzles A Relationship That Continues to Last the Decades Let's Not Forget the Red Flags Justice for Lon The Power of Love Prevails

Few romantic pictures in the modern age of Hollywood have impacted moviegoers all across the world quite like the beloved 2004 juggernaut The Notebook, which famously starred Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a star-crossed couple in the 1940s whose love story transcended time and defied the odds. Based on the popular Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, the captivating classic told the tale of how lumber mill worker Noah Calhoun and heiress Allie Hamilton met and fell head-over-heels in love with one another in the summer of 1940 in South Carolina.

When their vastly different backgrounds threaten their life-altering love affair, Noah and Allie fight to preserve their profound connection and are faced with unfathomable obstacles like war, disapproving parents, and rival romantic suitors.

Chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in The Notebook led to real-life romance, despite initial on-set tension. The director regrets revealing the actors did not get along, but the film's success showcases Gosling and McAdams' talent. Despite initial critical response, The Notebook remains a romantic classic with new audiences, leading to a successful Broadway musical.

Even twenty years after its initial release, The Notebook is widely considered one of the best romantic dramas ever made. Much of the love for the film comes down to the palpable chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, who shine as Noah Calhoun and Allison "Allie" Calhoun. With such rich chemistry being displayed on screen, the audience would think that the pair hit it off when the cameras weren't rolling, but director Nick Cassavetes let it slip ten years ago that the performers did not get along while filming the movie, something he now deeply regrets.

The Notebook movie changes the narrative structure of the book, starting Duke's story off with Noah and Allie as teenagers rather than as adults like in the book. The movie shows a lot more of Noah and Allie's early relationship during their first summer together, which is only summarized in the book. At the end of the movie, Noah and Allie die in each other's arms, which is not how the book ends.

The 2004 romance drama The Notebook brought Nicholas Sparks' 1996 novel of the same name to the big screen, but the film adaptation made some key changes to the book. The Notebook tells the story of two teenagers, Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams), from different socioeconomic backgrounds who share a summer romance in 1940, and later reunite after years apart. At a nursing home in the present, an elderly man named Duke (James Garner) reads the story aloud...

Britney Spears loves to defy expectations, whether she’s releasing hits, dancing with knives, or unveiling a memoir with white-hot gossip about Justin Timberlake. In addition to being one of pop music’s most memorable artists of the past several decades, Britney Jean Spears dabbles in bringing her unique energy to the silver screen. In a shocking twist, an audition tape featuring the star of 2002’s Crossroads is making the rounds. The video depicts Spears’ tearful 3-minute audition for Nick Cassavetes’ 2004 romance The Notebook. The video, recorded 21 years ago, is going viral, displaying Spears’ emotional bid for the role she lost to Rachel McAdams.

In the video, Spears reads lines with Ryan Gosling. According to The Daily Mail, casting director Matthew Barry hid the tape for decades. Still, the video is out in the public eye, with Barry saying Spears impressed the producers with her soulful interpretation of The Notebook’s Allie.

Update, with revised preview date: A new stage musical adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel The Notebook will arrive on Broadway this spring, with music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright and This Is Us writer/producer Bekah Brunstetter, producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch announced today.

Previews will begin at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Saturday, February 10, 2024, ahead of a Thursday, March 14 opening night.

The production will be directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge! The Musical).

Casting will be announced at a later date.

The novel, which chronicles the lifelong romance of couple Allie and Noah, was published in 1996 and has since sold millions of copies. A hit 2004 film adaptation, directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi,...

The “After” movie series is an American romantic teen drama based on Anna Todd’s authored After novels. The series has captivated viewers worldwide and has become a global phenomenon.

In this series, Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin team up to tell the story of an inexperienced young woman who embarks on a passionate romance with a mysterious student in her first semester at college. The series was popular among viewers for its gripping story and romantic tension.

If you enjoyed “After,” you might want to check out these romance movies with a similar tone and focus.

Great Movies Like “After” for Young People “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018) “Love, Simon” (2018) “The Kissing Booth” (2018) “Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011) “The Notebook” (2004) “Endless Love” (2014) “Blue Lagoon: The Awakening” (2012) “Alex Strangelove” (2018) “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018)

Susan Johnson helms this delightful 2018 American teen romantic comedy, with Sofia Alvarez providing the clever script.

Australian Writers’ Guild (Awg) group CEO Jacqueline Elaine is resigning after 15 years at the helm of the organisation due to a health condition.

Having battled illness for some months, the guild reported today that Elaine has stepped back from both Awg and the Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society (Awgac) to focus on regaining her health.

Awg president Shane Brennan said that both the guild’s national executive council and the board of Awgacs fully support her and wish her a speedy and full recovery.

“With her passion and dedication to the writers’ cause, Jacqueline has been tireless in the never-ending quest to protect and promote the interests of writers, both for screen and stage,” Brennan said, noting her impact would be long-lasting.

“There is little doubt she leaves the guild a stronger, more vibrant and more relevant organisation than when she first joined it.”

Awgacs chair Jan Sardi also paid tribute to Elaine,...

PBS Distribution has snapped up US rights to Halifax: Retribution, to premiere on Amazon Prime Video’s PBS Masterpiece Channel.

Originally commissioned by the Nine Network and produced by Beyond Lonehand, the procedural drama stars Rebecca Gibney and Anthony Lapaglia in a reboot of Halifax F.P.

Original creator and writer Roger Simpson returns as writer, alongside Mac Gudgeon , Peter Gawler and Jan Sardi.

The series sees Gibney reprise her role as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax, who returns to work in the field after a two-decade hiatus when a sniper starts terrorising the city and Commander Tom Saracen (Lapaglia) urgently needs her assistance.

Jane comes to realise that the killer’s invisibility to the surveillance cameras and his sophisticated hacking skills hold the clue to what he wants.

Halifax: Retribution was recently nominated in the Best Drama Series category for the prestigious 2020 Aacta Awards, while Rebecca Gibney was nominated for...

The Notebook essentially launched Ryan Gosling's career as an A-lister in Hollywood, but the iconic romance movie could have starred George Clooney. In his upcoming movie The Midnight Sky, 59-year-old Clooney will be playing an older version of a character played by 34-year-old Ethan Peck. Speaking about the movie with Entertainment Weekly, Clooney was reminded of the time he was set to star in The Notebook in the role that later went to Gosling.

"I was going to do a movie years ago called The Notebook, that Ryan Gosling actually did, and I was going to do it with Paul Newman. I was playing the flashback and Paul Newman was the old guy."

In The Notebook, James Garner played an older version of Gosling's character, and this would have been the role meant for Newman. While both actors saw the potential of the project, Clooney says they got cold...

Robyn Nevin in ‘Relic’.

Former Australian Writers’ Guild president Jan Sardi and actor Robyn Nevin were among the screen professionals to receive Queen’s Birthday Honours over the long weekend.

Sardi, Oscar-nominated for Shine and whose credits also include Mao’s Last Dancer and Love’s Brother, was named an Officer to the Order of Australia (Ao) for distinguished service to the film and television industries as a screenwriter and director, and to professional guilds.

Co-collaborator Mac Gudgeon, who worked with Sardi on projects like Ground Zero and The Secret River, said: “It’s a richly deserved honour. Not only because Jan’s a bloody good writer, but because it’s recognition of his selfless service, generosity of spirit, and courage and persistence in fighting for performance writers’ creative rights and remuneration for over 40 years.

“And the timing couldn’t be more ironic given Jan’s passionate advocacy for what’s unique about Australian culture,...

Mark Ruse. (Photo: Annie Beach)

Mark Ruse, who was partnered with Stephen Luby in Ruby Entertainment for 20 years, died unexpectedly on Saturday. He was 64.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Ruse produced more than 250 hours of prime-time comedy and drama, more than 20 hours of documentaries and 300 hours of live television.

“Mark was a true gentleman; incredibly talented, understated and generous, he gave many lucky people a leg up in the industry,” Julie Marlow, screen industry consultant and former Film Victoria director, tells If. “He was a joy to deal with and will be sadly missed by so many.”

Luby said of his colleague and close friend: “Mark was a man of incredible integrity, kindness, creativity, intelligence, dedication, work ethic, humour and goodness.

“His express philosophy was to ‘enable other people’s talents to shine.’ He loved to support and nurture people’s creative journeys (including mine).

“Producer skills developed...

Mac Gudgeon and Jan Sardi.

Shaun Grant, Tony McNamara, Jacquelin Perske, Andrew Knight, Kate Mulvany, Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon were among the recipients of the 52nd annual Awgie Awards presented in Sydney on Thursday night.

Grant won the feature film adaptation prize for True History of the Kelly Gang while McNamara and Deborah Davis shared best original feature screenplay for The Favourite.

Sardi and Gudgeon accepted the award on Grant’s behalf; he is in La and will head to Toronto for the world premiere of Justin Kurzel’s bushranger tale which stars George Mackay, Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult, Essie Davis and Harry Greenwood.

That was Shaun’s fourth Awgie following Snowtown, Jasper Jones and Deadline Gallipoli.

Perske’s The Cry was named best telemovie or miniseries of four hours or less and Knight’s first episode of the second season of Jack Irish was judged best series or miniseries of four hours plus.

Anthony Lapaglia and Jessica Marais will star alongside Rebecca Gibney in Australian drama series “Halifax: Retribution.”

The crime thriller follows forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax and was on Australian free-tv network Nine in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has resurrected the Melbourne-set show, with production getting underway this month, on location.

Other cast for the new miniseries include Jacqueline McKenzie (“Romper Stomper”), Rick Donald (“Wentworth”), Hannah Monson (“Glitch”), Craig Hall (“The Doctor Blake Mysteries”), Mavournee Hazel (“Neighbours”), and Louisa Mignone (“Rake”).

After years on the police frontline, Halifax has carved out a new career as a university professor in the new series. She has to return to the field when a serial sniper starts terrorizing Melbourne, and Halifax finds herself in his sights.

“’Halifax’ has a rich and revered heritage and I am very much looking forward to working opposite the legend that is Rebecca Gibney in this latest iteration,...

Rebecca Gibney, Anthony Lapaglia and Jessica Marais head the cast of crime thriller mini-series “Halifax: Retribution.” The show is the revival of an iconic Australian series that ran on the Nine Network for six seasons from 1994 to 2002, starring Gibney.

In the new show, produced for Nine, Gibney’s forensic psychiatrist character is called back from academia to the police front line when a serial sniper begins attacking Melbourne.

Original creator and writer Roger Simpson returns as writer and producer, alongside executive producer Mikael Borglund and writers Mac Gudgeon (“Killing Time”), Peter Gawler (“Underbelly”) and the Oscar-nominated Jan Sardi (“Shine”).

Production starts next month in Melbourne with Jacqueline McKenzie, Rick Donald, Hannah Monson (“Glitch”), Craig Hall, Mavournee Hazel and Louisa Mignone among the supporting cast.

“Halifax: Retribution” is a Beyond Lonehand Production with major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Film Victoria. Beyond Distribution is handling international sales of...

Anthony Lapaglia, Jessica Marais.

Anthony Lapaglia and Jessica Marais will co-star with Rebecca Gibney in the Nine Network’s crime thriller miniseries Halifax: Retribution, which will start shooting in Melbourne later this month.

Jacqueline McKenzie, Rick Donald, Hannah Monson, Craig Hall, Mavournee Hazel and Louisa Mignone round out the cast of the Halifax reboot produced by Beyond Lonehand.

Original creator and writer Roger Simpson returns as writer and producer alongside executive producer Mikael Borglund and writers Mac Gudgeon, Peter Gawler and Oscar-nominated Jan Sardi.

Gudgeon and Sardi both worked with Simpson on Halifax f.p., which ran for seven seasons on Nine and ended in 2002. Rebecca Gibney reprises her role as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax, who has carved out a new career as a university professor.

When a serial sniper starts terrorising Melbourne, she is lured back into the field to help the police task force find the killer. As...

Week of meetings for nine sponsored writers.

A contingent of leading Australian screenwriters is in Los Angeles for a week of Hollywood meetings and to attend the Us launch of Showcase, an online platform for writers from NCIS showrunner Shane Brennan’s Scripted Ink.

As Scripted Ink opens a Hollywood office, Brennan has flown over nine sponsored screenwriters to help promote the all-Australian online platform, Showcase, designed to support writers and connect them to the marketplace.

Showcase launches on Monday (24) at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood and offers international producers and financiers the opportunity to browse through more than 150 curated ideas and connect with their creators.

L-r: Fred Schepisi, Minister Martin Foley, Andrew Knight, Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher, Film Victoria president Ian Robertson, Claire Dobbin, Jan Sardi, John Howie and Tony Reed.

Film Victoria’s annual screen awards were held yesterday evening, honouring writer/producer Andrew Knight, director Daina Reid, games advocate Tony Reed and Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) chair Claire Dobbin.

Knight, whose credits include TV shows such as Fast Forward, Full Frontal, SeaChange and Jack Irish and features like The Water Diviner, Ali’s Wedding and Hacksaw Ridge, was recognised with the Jan Sardi Award for his significant achievements as a screenwriter.

Daina Reid was presented Fred Schepisi Award for significant achievement in directing. Reid began her career in television as a comedy writer and actor, before moving into directing. Her creidts include Blue Heelers, The Secret Life of Us, Rush, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Offspring, Nowhere Boys, The Secret River,...

Shane Brennan.

Shane Brennan has been elected the president of the Australian Writers’ Guild (Awg), succeeding Jan Sardi.

Sardi, who was president for eight years, left the post this month, though will continue to work with the guild as the recently elected chair of the Awg Authorship Collecting Society (Awgacs).

Brennan, who established Scripted Ink three years ago, has been a member of the guild for 40 years and was the creator and showrunner of NCIS: Los Angeles. With his wife Cathryn, he established the guild’s David Williamson Prize. He was appointed to the president by the guild’s national executive committee.

“I’m deeply honoured to step into the position of guild president,” said Brennan.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Jan on behalf of all guild members for his outstanding service as President over the past eight years. The guild owes Jan an enormous...

Rebecca Gibney in ‘Halifax f.p.’

Rebecca Gibney will return to the Nine Network next year as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax in the miniseries Halifax: Retribution, which looks at the character 20 years after the original series.

Roger Simpson, who created and was the lead writer on Halifax f.p., which ran for seven seasons and ended in 2002, returns as writer and producer, together with writers Mac Gudgeon and Jan Sardi, who both worked on the series.

Produced by Beyond Lonehand, a Jv between Beyond and Simpson, with Mikael Borglund as executive producer, the new version will see Halifax hunting for a killer who is terrorising an entire city, potentially putting herself and her family in danger. Beyond Distribution has the worldwide sales rights outside Australia/Nz.

“I’ve had people asking me for years if we could bring Jane Halifax back,” Gibney told 9Honey Celebrity. “I loved the character – Roger...

Awg president Jan Sardi.

After more than two and a half years, the Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society (Awgacs), Australian Writers’ Guild and Screenrights have settled their Federal Court dispute.

Awg and Awgacs launched legal action against Screenrights in March 2016, alleging it had failed to pay scriptwriters’ royalties. Screenrights was established in 1990 to administer provisions in the Australian Copyright Act that allow educational institution and government departments to pay royalties for radio and TV programs they use or copy, and also collects royalties from pay TV companies who re-transmit free-to-air programs.

At the time of filing the court proceeding, the Awg issued at statement saying: “Based on Screenrights’ own figures, they appear to have collected over $50 million in script royalties over the past 20 years, yet Awg’s Australian members may have received as little as $350,000.”

The guild and its collecting agency alleged Screenrights had engaged in numerous breaches of statutory duty and trust,...

Vr project Buried.

Screen Australia has announced its latest funding round, with $3 million in production and development funding split between two Indigenous TV projects, eight multiplatform projects, eight feature films, and two individuals and two companies.

The two Indigenous television projects to have received production investment are:

–... ABC TV.s previously announced Indigenous comedy drama series The Warriors. From Robert Connolly's Arenamedia, the show is set in the competitive world of Australian Rules Football, and has major production investment from Screen Australia and funding support from Film Victoria;

–... Nitv documentary Carry The Flag,.which delves into the story behind the Torres Strait Island flag designed by Bernard Namok, from Tamarind Tree Pictures with Screen Queensland and Screen Territory support.

The eight multiplatform projects to have received production investment are:

–... Vr project The Buried, a 3D experience that plunges the viewer into a magical Dreamtime world, from Indigenous writer/director Tyson Mowarin,...

The Code. . Shelley Birse has taken out the top prize at this year.s Awgie Awards, winning the Major Award for the second season of ABC cyber-thriller The Code..

The first season of The Code also took out the Australian Writers. Guild Major Award in 2014. This year.s award makes it the only series to have been recognised by two Major Awards for both of its seasons. The Code also received the Awgie Award for the Television: Miniseries — Original category.

Overall, more than 25 Australian writers —.from radio, television, film, theatre and interactive media — were honoured at this year.s Awgie Awards, held in Sydney on Friday evening.

Andrew Knight and Osamah Sami.s Ali.s Wedding took out the award for most outstanding script for an original feature, while Shaun Grant and Craig Silvey received the award for most outstanding feature adaptation for Jasper Jones.

Samantha Strauss was honoured for her original telemovie,...

Alison Nisselle, Greg Mclean, Ian Anderson, Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger.

Greg Mclean and Alison Nisselle are among the five industry leaders honoured by Film Victoria at last night.s Screen Leader Awards.

The Screen Leader Awards were established by Film Victoria in 2012 to recognise screen professionals who.ve shown leadership through their achievements and a commitment to further developing the industry.

This year saw the addition of two new categories to recognise writing and directing.

The inaugural Fred Schepisi Award was presented to Mclean, acknowledging his achievements in directing from his 2005 debut feature Wolf Creek through to his most recent film The Belko Experiment, which screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.

Nisselle, whose credits include television dramas Phoenix, Janus, Bed of Roses and the feature film Healing, received the Jan Sardi Award for her significant achievement as a screenwriter.

Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger, the duo behind Miss...

Craig Pearce.

One of Australia.s most successful screenwriters, Craig Pearce, has been presented the Australian Writers' Guild's 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Over the course of his 30 year career, Pearce has worked extensively with director Baz Luhrmann. Together they pair have co-written some of Australia.s most iconic films, such as Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge.

Pearce said it was a great honour to win such a prestigious award.

"I'm humbled and it is a huge honour particularly to be getting this award from fellow writers," he said..

Pearce will be officially presented the Lifetime Achievement Award tonight at the Awgie Awards in Sydney.

It will sit alongside Pearce's many other accolades, including an AFI award for best screenplay (Strictly. Ballroom), a BAFTA award for best adapted screenplay (Romeo + Juliet), a WGA nomination for best original screenplay (Moulin Rouge) and eight Academy Award nominations, including best film (Moulin Rouge).

Most recently,...

Australian Writers' Guild President, Jan Sardi.

The Australian Writers' Guild's legal action against Screenrights, whom it alleges has failed to pay scriptwriters. royalties, has been referred to meditation.

The case came before Justice Jagot today for a further directions hearing in the Federal Court. It was ordered proceedings be referred to mediation prior to September 30.

As If has previously reported, the action, filed on March 3 by the Awg and its Authorship Collecting Society (Awgacs), came after protracted negotiations between the Awg and Screenrights over the distribution of royalties.

Screenrights was established in 1990 to administer provisions in the Australian Copyright Act that allow educational institutions to copy from television and radio, provided payment is made to the copyright owners.

The Awg/Awgacs have alleged that Screenrights has engaged in numerous breaches of statutory duty and trust, misleading or deceptive conduct and interference with contractual relations.

As a result, the guild argues...

Australian Writers' Guild President, Jan Sardi.

The Australian Writers. Guild has launched a multi-million dollar legal action in the Federal Court against royalty collection and distribution society Screenrights.

The action, which was filed on March 3 by the 2,600 member guild, comes after protracted negotiations between the Awg and Screenrights over the distribution of royalties to writers.

Screenrights was established in 1990 to administer provisions in the Australian Copyright Act that allow educational institutions to copy from television and radio, provided payment is made to the copyright owners.

A case management hearing has been set for April 5, with Justice Jane Jagot presiding.

The Awg has issued a statement alleging that screenwriters have been deprived of royalties for more than two decades.

.Scriptwriters say that instead of protecting them, Screenrights may have misdirected possibly tens of millions of dollars in royalties that should have been paid to writers over the past two decades,. according to the Awg.

Laura Jones.

Laura Jones will receive the inaugural Australian Writers. Guild Lifetime Achievement Award at this year.s National Screenwriters. Conference.

A joint initiative of the Awg and Foxtel, the Lifetime Achievement Award is decided by a unanimous vote of the Awg National Executive Committee, and recognises significant contribution to the Australian screen industry. .

Jones' screenwriting credits include Angela.s Ashes, Possession, A Thousand Acres, Oscar and Lucinda, The Portrait of a Lady, An Angel at My Table, Hightide and Brick Lane. .

.Laura.s characters and stories resonate powerfully with audiences and bring a uniquely Australian perspective to the world,. said Foxtel.s Group Director of Corporate Affairs Bruce Meagher..

.She has achieved a sustained critical and commercial success throughout an entire career which is a brilliant feat for an Australian feature film writer. We are delighted that Laura is the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award..

Australian Writers. Guild President,...

Us writer and producer, Jesse Stern.

.

NCIS co-executive producer and writer Jesse Stern has been confirmed as a speaker at this year's National Screenwriters' Conference.

Stern's credits include five seasons as a co-executive producer and writer of NCIS, writer of the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2.

Stern works across independent features, network television and video games and is currently the lead writer for studio Respawn Entertainment on their hit game Titanfall and its forthcoming sequel Titanfall 2..

Over the course of his career Jesse has sold comedy and drama television pilots to CBS, NBC and Fox..

Stern joins international guests including Shane Brennan (show runner NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles), Michael Petroni (Backtrack, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Till Human Voices Wake Us), Alexa Junge (Sex and The City, Friends, The West Wing), and Jan Sardi (The Notebook, Shine) as the industry discusses creating...

Michael Petroni with Adrien Brody on the set of Backtrack.

Australian writer Michael Petroni has been confirmed as a speaker at this year's National Screenwriters' Conference in March.

Petroni, whose writing credits include The Book Thief, The Rite and The Chronicles of Narnia, has joined this year's lineup of speakers strong lineup of speakers at the conference which is being held from March 9-11 at the Silverwater Resort in Phillip Island, Victoria.

He is also the writer of the upcoming Adrien Brody starrer Backtrack, as well as Dawn Trader.

With Masterclasses, Discussions and In Conversations, the National Screenwriters Conference has gathered leading international industry authorities including the previously announced Shane Brennan (show runner NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles), Alexa Junge (Sex and The City, Friends, The West Wing), Douglas Petrie (American Horror Story, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Daredevil) and Jan Sardi (The Notebook, Shine).

Petroni started his career in the...

The Australian screen Industry Group has blasted the Federal Government for cutting Screen Australia's budget by more than $50 million in just 18 months. .

Asig, which consists of all the guilds, unions and associations that represent more than 10,000 Australian filmmakers, has issued a statement outlining its concerns over the cuts and their impact on the industry..

"The Australian Screen Industry Group... are angered by the recent cut to Screen Australia by the Turnbull Government," according to a statement..

"We are particularly alarmed at the use of funds to supplement the tax offset for overseas productions..

"This is a worrying precedent and continues to provide the local and international screen community with uncertainty about the government's approach to the screen industry..

"The Asig calls on the Turnbull Government to outline an effective and innovative policy for the screen industry rather than making policy on the run."

The impact of the December Myefo budget...

Us writer, producer and showrunner Alexa Junge has been a writer or producer on Friends, Sex and the City, West Wing and United States of Tara.

Next year she will be one of the international headline guests at the 2016 National Screenwriters' Conference, Australia's premier gathering of film and television writers.

Junge has been an important figure in the screenwriting industry for two decades and is now leading the charge into online entertainment with projects including Netflix.s Emmy-nominated Grace and Frankie starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Martin Sheen.

The conference at Phillip Island in Victoria from 9-11 March next year will bring together screenwriters from around Australia together with international speakers and other industry luminaries from around the world.

Awg executive director, Jacqueline Elaine, said Nsc 2016 would be one of the major film and television industry events of the year and a must-attend for professional and aspiring screenwriters and...

Melbourne-based screenwriter, video artist and filmmaker Harry Aletras has won the 2015 Australian Writers Guild.s Insite award for unproduced screenplays.

Aletras will attend the Adelaide Film Festival (October 15-25) and meet industry directors and producers with a view to moving the project, crime thriller Martingale, onto the screen.

Martingale follows Finnigan Wallace, a 24-year-old gambling addict and philosophy major whose addictions have ruined his relationships with his girlfriend and his widowed mother. Owing a considerable debt to a gangland boss, he is ordered to go to a criminal club in Vietnam to collect a sizeable quantity of heroin, an ultimatum. which he sees as a symbolic suicide.

Awg president Jan Sardi hailed the screenplay as a .taut crime thriller showcasing a talented writer with a bright future..

Aff director Amanda Duthie joined the Awg panel to determine the winner. The judges gave a special runner up (highly recommended) commendation to...

Documentary filmmaker Sonya Pemberton and post production maven John Fleming are the latest recipients of the Film Victoria Screen Leader Awards.

The agency also announced the creation of two awards for a director and screenwriter in 2016, honouring Fred Schepisi and Jan Sardi.

The Film Victoria — Fred Schepisi Award for Achievement in Directing salutes the director, producer and screenwriter who made his name with The Devil.s Playground and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith.

Among his stellar credits are Iceman, Barbarosa, Plenty, Roxanne, Six Degrees of Separation, Iq, Evil Angels, Last Orders, The Eye of the Storm and Words and Pictures.

The Film Victoria — Jan Sardi Award for Achievement in Screenwriting recognises the achievements of the screenwriter whose first feature was Moving Out in 1983, followed by such works as the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for Shine, Love.s Brother, Mao.s Last Dancer and, most recently, the ABC miniseries The Secret River,...

Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight.s The Water Diviner won the top prize and the gong for best original feature at the 2015 Awgie Awards.

It was the first time a feature collected the Australian Writers' Guild's Major Award and the gong for original feature since 2012 when Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson won with The Sapphires.

The prize for feature film adaptation was shared by Brendan Cowell for Scarlett Productions'. Ruben Guthrie and Tommy Murphy for Matchbox Pictures' Holding the Man.

Matchbox and Full Clip.s Deadline Gallipoli was named best original TV miniseries, acknowledging the work of writers Jacquelin Perske (also script producer), Stuart Beattie, Shaun Grant and Cate Shortland.

FremantleMedia.s Wentworth Season 3, Episode 3 The Governor.s Pleasure by Stuart Page shared the TV series award with Endemol Australia.s Offspring Episode 511 by Michael Lucas. Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon took the award for best miniseries adaptation for...

Nine features have been nominated for this year's Awgie Awards for performance writing.

Eight telemovies and miniseries are in contention. The Australian Writers. Guild says nominations in the 25 categories for the 48th Annual Awgie Awards reflect the abundance of outstanding work currently being produced in Australia. Nominees for best original telemovie are Steven McGregor for Redfern Now: Promise Me and Katherine Thomson for House of Hancock, while Christopher Lee.s Gallipoli and Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon.s The Secret River contend for best adaptation in a television miniseries. There are four nominees for original television mini-series: The Principal by Alice Addison and Kristen Dunphy; The Kettering Incident by Vicki Madden, Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland and Louise Fox; Deadline Gallipoli by Jacquelin Perske, Stuart Beattie, Shaun Grant and Cate Shortland; and Love Child: Series 2 from Tim Pye, Cathryn Strickland, Chris McCourt, Jane Allen and Tamara Asmar. In the categories...

When Daina Reid was offered the chance to direct The Secret River, the ABC miniseries based on Kate Grenville.s novel, she found the subject confronting.

The 2-part drama, which premieres on June 14, depicts the dispossession of Indigenous Australians by the British colonialists.

.I was confronted by my own lack of education about our history,. says Reid, whose recent credits include Nowhere Boys, Offspring, Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of Inxs and Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries.

.I knew some of the stories from primary school but I remember learning about Aboriginal culture as if it was a dead culture..

Scripted by Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon, the $8.7 million drama stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Mr Selfridge, Raven, Dracula) as Will Thornhill, an English convict who is transported to Nsw in 1805.

Sarah Snook plays his wife Sal. Will.s claim over a piece of land on the Hawkesbury River brings...

The ABC's 1970s crime and political corruption drama Power Without Glory based on Frank Hardy.s classic 1950 novel is to get a remake.

Producer Jane Scott and screenwriter Jan Sardi have optioned the TV rights from Hardy.s estate and the screenplay will be written by Sardi and Mac Gudgeon.

Oscar Whitbread produced the 26-episode series which aired in 1976 and starred Martin Vaughan as John West, Heather Canning, Irene Inescort, Rosalind Speirs and George Mallaby.

Scott is shopping the project, envisioned as two series each of six episodes, to Australian and international networks and distributors. No director is aboard yet.

A fictionalised version of the life of Melbourne businessman and Alp power-broker John Wren, the plot followed rise of John West from his poverty stricken beginnings in the slums of Melbourne ín the late 19th century to one of the most powerful and corrupt men in the land. The primary...

Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.

The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.

Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.

Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.

As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...

Australian guilds are worried about the threat to Australian drama on free-to-air television as audiences continue to migrate to on-demand services.

The Australian Directors Guild is calling for the 10% quota on Foxtel.s drama channels to be applied to VOD and Svod platforms.

That would entail changes to the copyright act, which the government is proposing to amend to facilitate the blocking of pirated web sites and to require ISPs to send up to three warning notices to customers suspected of repeatedly downloading content illegally.

Adg CEO Kingston Anderson tells If, .The question is, .How is Australian content going to survive in this new world?. There is no clear road map yet but changing the copyright act will be the key. We need to work with government to come up with new policies..

Anderson said the issue of how to protect Australian storytelling is being discussed by all the major guilds including Screen Producers Australia,...

Projects by Stephan Elliott, The Babadook writer- director Jennifer Kent, Ben Elton, Rowan Woods, Trent O'Donnell and Jacqueline McKenzie are among the recipients of the latest round of development funding from Screen Australia.

The agency is investing more than $550,000 in 16 feature film projects, including 11 new ones and five that get continued support.

Screen Australia.s Head of Production Sally Caplan, said, .The funding decisions made in this last quarter reflect the breadth of stories coming out of this country and the depth of talent. It is great to be able to support such a spread of genres and ideas and such a range of established and emerging writing, directing and producing talent..

Elliott.s Madams is a comedy from the writers of Easy Virtue. Kent gets funding for Interior, a revenge thriller set in Tasmania in the 1820s.

Woods. The Phobos Experiment is a thriller in which people simulate training...

Producing a TV drama series in a third world country can be a hazardous undertaking- particularly when Molotov cocktails are detonated in the city nearly every night.

That was one of the risks that Australian producer Mark Ruse faced when he spent the past year in the Bangladesh capital Dakar producing a 16-part series for the national broadcaster Btv.

Other occupational hazards included 100 days of strikes, violent street demonstrations, cars and buses being set on fire, and a cyclone. Despite all that Ruse tells If, .It was a lots of fun working around all these things to make a drama series..

He is partnered with Stephen Luby in Ruby Entertainment; their credits include Bed of Roses, Let Loose Live, The Murray Whelan telemovies and the movie The Extra.

Ruse was commissioned to create the series by the BBC, which produces TV projects in third world countries via its BBC Media Action program,...

Screen Australia board.s first meeting since Graeme Mason was hired as CEO was eventful as the agency approved $11 million investment in four feature films, four adult dramas and one children.s series.

All told, that will trigger $70 million in production. The features include family film Oddball from the team who made Kenny, starring Shane Jacobson and directed by his brother Clayton; and See-Saw Films. Life, which stars Dane DeHaan and Robert Pattinson.

Two theatrical documentaries were funded: Only the Dead, which explores the career of Australian war correspondent Michael Ware; and Sherpa: In the Shadow of the Mountain, which looks at the drama of a high altitude Everest expedition from the point of view of the Sherpas.

.This is a strong line-up of character-driven feature projects coming from an incredibly talented mix of filmmakers,. said Mason.

Scripted by Peter Ivan, Oddball centres on an eccentric chicken farmer who saves...

Kim Mordaunt won the Australian Writers. Guild best original screenplay award for his debut film The Rocket and Cate Shortland and Robin Mukherjee got the feature film adaptation prize for Lore at the Awgie awards held in Melbourne on Friday night.

David Roach and Warwick Ross.s Red Obsession took the award for public broadcast documentary screenplay.

Underbelly again won best original mini -series and Robert Connolly.s Underground: The Julian Assange Story was named best telemovie adaptation.

The $25,000 Foxtel prize for a significant and impressive body of work in television went to Jacquelin Perske, whose screenwriting credits include The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way, Spirited and Little Fish.

The Good News Week writing team received a ninth Awgie for the final season of the series.

Playwright Alana Valentine picked up three awards including most outstanding script of 2013 and the inaugural David Williamson Prize.

Australian Writers. Guild president Jan Sardi said,...

Tickets are selling fast for the 46th Annual Awgie Awards, to be held in Melbourne on October 4.

To be hosted by writer, comedian and singer Sammy J, the ceremony will honour the achievements made by Australian writers for performance. The Awgie Awards are the only Australian awards judged solely by writers on the basis of the script . the writer's intention . rather than the finished production.

"The Awgies are the highlight of the year for us and a unique chance to celebrate the oft-unsung but stellar work created by Australian writers of the script," says Awg.s President and Academy Award nominee Jan Sardi..

.It.s a night that really just celebrates the importance of story and storytelling. And that.s what sets us apart from other animals in the end, the ability to tell stories..

Sardi says the slate of nominated work is once again a strong one.

.It.s...

Megan Simpson Huberman has agreed to direct Salvation Creek, an Australian movie about a high-flying magazine editor whose husband and brother die within three days of each other.

The producer is Heather Ogilvie, CEO of Galvanized Film Group, who collaborated with the director on her two previous features, Alex (1992) and Dating the Enemy (1996).

Ross Grayson Bell is writing the screenplay based on the novel by Susan Duncan, which has sold more than 250,000 copies. The narrative follows the grief-stricken protagonist as she throws in her city job and buys a rundown shack on Sydney.s Pittwater, where she finds friendship, love and a new life.

Ogilvie optioned the book in 2010 and has developed the project with the support of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw. Grayson Bell is working on the third draft and shooting is planned for mid-.2014.

The producer has an in-principle agreement for Australian distribution with Paramount Pictures. MD Mike Selwyn.

Screen Australia has committed almost $360,000 in funding to assist 15 filmmaking teams and three new internships.

The announcement, made earlier today, confirmed eight new projects will receive Screen Australia support while another seven teams will benefit from continued funding..

The new projects to receive support include I Am Jack, Confessions of a Super Man, Long Tan, Mulan, Common Foe, and Soundtrack..

Three internships, developed through Screen Australia.s Talent Escalator Project, will send Australian filmmakers overseas to further develop their chosen crafts..

Writer/director Alex Murawski will work alongside Bruce Beresford in Los Angeles for three months on Beresford.s latest production Bonnie and Clyde.

Natalie Lindwall will gain six months experience in the UK working with Ecosse Flims as a development producer, and producer Raquelle David will spend six months in Toronto working with Niv Fichman at Rhombus Media..

Also through the Talent Escalator Program, Screen Australia will assist directors Cris Jones,...

Veronika Jenet accepts an If Award for her work on Snowtown.

Veronika Jenet began her film career in the same place as many others, at film school. Unlike many others, she wasn.t enrolled there.

.At the time, film school was not as regimented . the place was basically open 24 hours. I was hanging around solidly all year and I wasn.t a student. The teachers kind of looked at me strangely but hey, I was there; I was doing work,. she says. .I.m sure I wouldn.t be able to do that now..

The Australian Film, Television and Radio School (Aftrs) played a pivotal role in Jenet.s life. It.s where she met director Ray Quint, now her husband and business partner, and director Jane Campion, with whom she has collaborated on five feature films.

Quint and Campion were both final year students at the school when Jenet...

In this roundup from the Encore and Mumbrella Annual, we look at the industry’s best training grounds.

1. Aftrs

The Australian Film Television and Radio school in Sydney has been producing industry-ready graduates for 40 years. Past alumni include director Gillian Armstrong and radio’s Jason Morrison and the school delivers long and short term courses equipping students with skills both behind the scenes and in front of the camera or microphone.

2. Award School

Australia’s leading advertising school, Award, offers a nationwide program that teaches wannabe adlanders the tricks of the trade. Past grads include Matt Eastwood, chief creative director of Ddb New York, and David Droga, executive creative director, Droga5 New York.

3. Sydney Film School

With Academy Award-winning producer Emile Sherman as patron and a board of well-known film-making identities, Sydney Film School caters to Australian and international students.

The institution has a reputation for its collegiate environment and...

The Australian Writers. Guild (Awg) released their first line-up announcement for the biennial National Screenwriters Conference, which will take place at Mornington Peninsula in Victoria from 20-22 February 2013. Shameless creator Paul Abbott, announced as international headliner last month, will be joined by a host of industry elite including John Collee (Happy Feet, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), Craig Pearce (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom), Stephan Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Easy Virtue), Jacquelin Perske (Spirited, Love My Way, Little Fish, The Secret Life of Us), Keith Thompson & Tony Briggs (The Sapphires), Ian Simmons (Good News World, Good News Week, The Sideshow) and Peter Moon (Fast Forward, Full Frontal). "We bring together an unrivalled number of preeminent writers at the top of their game for the Nsc, which is a not-for-profit event. The retreat-like setting creates a hothouse of ideas,...