The former BBC executive will be based in London
The world premiere of the privately financed science fiction action thriller will be at Cannes
The effort put into negotiating a VPF deal for exhibitors was one of the factors behind the awards, presented at the annual conference
Zephyr Films, Scott Free, Future Films Group, StudioCanal, Film 4 and BBC Films are among the participants.
The addition of Wayne Blair's debut about an all-girl Aboriginal group singing to the troops in Vietnam gives Australia a feature in official selection.
A new technology-neutral regime should be introduced, the committee argues, but for distributors offering professional television-like content only.
The official UK/Australian co-production will be filmed in Scotland, Thailand and Queensland.
The thriller is one of a number of high-profile Aussie films being presented at Cannes by sales agents