Cate Blanchett isn’t the only Australian nominated for this year’s Oscars. Former Melbourne producer now based in New York, Eva Orner has been nominated as producer in the category of Best Feature Documentary for the film Taxi to the Dark Side, directed by Alex Gibney.
Eva has been producing documentaries in New York for the passed three years after making a name for herself as an independent producer in Melbourne. Eva’s previous awards include being part of the team that won the first ever Logie Award for SBS back in 1995 for her first film Untold Desires with Writer / Director Sarah Barton. Following that Eva produced several more documentaries and feature films in Melbourne and even worked for a while on the local drama Blue Heelers.
Former business partner Sarah Barton today congratulated Eva on her nomination and said she hopes to entice her back to Australia in the near future to produce a three part documentary series Unnatural Selection – A History of Disability which is currently in development. Barton says, ‘Eva is keen to return to work on this project if we can get it financed but in Australia it’s just so difficult to get support for high end documentaries that need substantial research and have bigger budgets.’
Orner meanwhile is thrilled with her Oscar nomination. Currently attending the Sundance Film Festival with the film Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr Hunter S Thompson in competition, Orner says, ‘This is the best way to find out about being nominated – there’s been quite a bit of celebrating over here.’
A short version of Taxi to the Dark Side screened recently on SBS television.
Synopsis – Taxi To The Dark Side
The case of an Afghan taxi driver beaten to death in 2002 while in U.S. military custody forms the heart of this examination of the abuses committed during the detainment and interrogation of political prisoners. When New York Times reporter Carlotta Gall investigates the death of cab driver Dilawar–officially declared by the military to be from natural causes–she uncovers incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.
[release from Fertile Films]