Cezary Skubisewski has composed music for numerous films and TV programs and also wrote music for many advertising campaigns including Sydney 2000 Olympics, AFL Finals, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and most recently conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and 160 person choir for the Carlton Draught 'Stubby Symphony' campaign that became a sensation all over the world WATCH IT HERE.
He now has two films releasing in cinemas across Australia within the next few months - NIGHT and DEATH DEFYING ACTS. Releasing February 7 down the eastern seaboard in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Lawrence Johnston's NIGHT is a stunning and cinematic big screen event, which celebrates the wondrous world at night. Epic in scale and hauntingly beautiful, it combines beautiful imagery and voices of the night with a lush symphonic score. View the trailer.
DEATH DEFYING ACTS is set in 1926 when the great escapologist Harry Houdini is on the last leg of a triumphant world tour. At a time of great scientific debate he arrives in Edinburgh a superstar and offers a fortune to anyone who can meet his psychic challenge. Mary McGarvie and her daughter Benji perform a music-hall act and decide to try and out-con the great con-man himself. With the two con-artists playing each other for all they're worth, they face the biggest risk of all, a far more complicated and dangerous affair - falling in love. Directed by award-winning director Gillian Armstrong (Charlotte Grey, Little Women), DEATH DEFYING ACTS boasts an acclaimed ensemble of actors including Guy Pearce, Academy AwardŽ winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, Timothy Spall and 12-year-old Golden Globe nominee, Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Atonement). It releases March 13 - view the trailer.
LUCKY MILES picked up the prize for Best Screenplay at the fifth International Film Festival of the Asia-Pacific region countries 'Pacific Meridian' on the weekend, while THE HOME SONG STORIES will screen in Competition in the third International Eurasia Film Festival in Turkey, later this month.
Screened alongside 166 films from 36 countries, LUCKY MILES won the Scripts Magazine Editorial Award for Best Script and will now be translated into Russian and published by Scripts Magazine.
Jo Dyer, producer of LUCKY MILES, said; "This is a fantastic achievement for debut screenwriters Michael James Rowland and Helen Barnes. And it means LUCKY MILES has now been awarded on three separate continents!". LUCKY MILES also won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Sydney Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at the Czech Republic's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Tony Ayres' THE HOME SONG STORIES continues its successful international festival run by screening later this month in Competition in the third International Eurasia Film Festival in conjunction with the 44th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, held in Antalya, Turkey.
The Competition section includes 12 films only from Asia and Europe, competing for a 75,000 USD prize for Best Film and 25,000 USD for Best Director. The Festival's opening film is 'Lust Caution' by acclaimed director Ang Lee ('Brokeback Mountain').
Tony Ayres, director of THE HOME SONG STORIES said, "It's an honour to be invited to attend the Antalya Film Festival in competition, especially given the prestigious line-up with Ang Lee's latest film opening the competition."
THE HOME SONG STORIES is the true story of a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer (Joan Chen), who struggles to survive in seventies Australia with two young children. It is an epic tale of mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, unrequited love, betrayal and secrets. THE HOME SONG STORIES is based on events that took place during Ayres' childhood. His extraordinary life story makes for a compelling film - it's a deeply emotive, dramatic and compelling tale of love, hope, adversity and survival. Most recently Tony attended both Edinburgh and Toronto International Film Festivals where the film screened to positive receptions, and he appeared on the immensely popular Al Jazeera English channel's program THE FABULOUS PICTURE SHOW which hosts screenings and live audience Q & As, and is broadcast throughout the world.
Richard Payten, joint general manager of Dendy Films congratulated both Tony Ayres and Michael James Rowland on their successes; "These films are both truly unique and inspirational immigrant stories. They have a contemporary and personal relevance to many people, which obviously translates across all international borders".
Dendy Films is delighted to announce that LUCKY MILES has won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film (at the State Theatre), at this year's Sydney Film Festival.
The accolade came as a pleasant surprise to first time feature film Director Michael James Rowland, who received the award at the closing gala ceremony.
To receive the people's choice award is a real honour for me especially considering the high calibre of films featured in this year's festival. I am so appreciative that people are able to resonate with the humour and pace of the film he said.
Releasing in cinemas nationally on July 19, LUCKY MILES is a bittersweet comedy based on a collection of true stories. The film is set in 1990 when an Indonesian fishing boat abandons Iraqi and Cambodian refugees in a remote part of the Western Australia. Whilst most are quickly caught by officials, three men with nothing in common but their misfortune and determination escape arrest and begin an epic journey into the heart of Australia. Pursued by an army reservist unit, our three heroes wander deeper into the desert, desperately searching for civilisation amongst the stones of the Pilbara.
Dendy Films joint General Manager, Richard Payten congratulated Rowland on his success: " Michael James Rowland has delivered a stunning first feature film and Dendy Films is delighted to be distributing it. We pride ourselves on releasing entertaining, challenging and thought-provoking films from Australia and around the world and LUCKY MILES definitely fits that criteria."
"It is a bold move to tackle one of Australia's hottest subjects at all, and to pull it off with such a lightness of touch is a credit to first- time feature director Michael James Rowland" says Clare Stewart, Executive Director of The Sydney Film Festival.
Join delicious. magazine for an exclusive advance preview in Sydney. Upon arrival guests will be treated to a range of canapes and wine.
When: July 24 and 25
Where: Dendy Opera Quays Cinemas, Sydney
Cost: $25
Book in person at the box office, or over the phone with credit card (02) 9247 3800. (phone booking fees apply)
For further information please email: info@dendyfilms.com.au
What you will receive:
Advance preview screening
Canapes and wine
Kenwood lucky door prizes
Goodie bag to take home
Filmmaker Tony Ayres has been awarded the $15,000 Screenplay Prize at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards for his feature film script, THE HOME SONG STORIES TBC.
THE HOME SONG STORIES TBC is the true story of a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer, who struggles to survive in seventies Australia with two young children. It is an epic tale of mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, unrequited love, betrayal and secrets.
Releasing in cinemas nationally in August, THE HOME SONG STORIES TBC is based on events that took place during Ayres' childhood. His extraordinary life story makes for a compelling film - it's a deeply emotive, dramatic and compelling tale of love, hope, adversity and survival.
"A film script is the beginning of the creative process in filmmaking, not an end point in itself, like a novel or a poem, so its literary merits can be hard to distinguish. So, it was thrilling for me to have my script recognised as a piece of writing, and to be in the company of writers such as Peter Carey, Robert Hughes, and Gerald Murnane." said Tony Ayres.
Richard Payten, joint general manager of Dendy Films congratulated Ayres on his success; "This film is a truly unique and inspirational immigrant story. It has a contemporary and personal relevance to many Australians, which will translate across all ethnic communities. Dendy Films is proud to be releasing THE HOME SONG STORIES TBC in cinemas across Australia on August 16."
Producers Michael McMahon and Liz Watts said, "We're thrilled that the Premier's Literary Awards have recognised the power and distinctiveness of Tony's script, which he has translated as a director into an equally compelling and distinctive feature film which Australian audiences will have the opportunity to see in August."
THE HOME SONG STORIES TBC will screen at the Sydney Film Festival on 9 and 13 June. Lead actor Joan Chen will be in Sydney as a festival guest.