PRESS RELEASE
Monday 30th June, 2014: Shooting commenced today on the Australian feature film “Manny Lewis”, starring and written by Australia’s most popular comedian – Carl Barron. “Manny Lewis” is Carl’s debut feature, directed and co-written by Anthony Mir and produced by Martin Fabinyi for Beyond Screen Production.
The film is financed by Seven Productions, A-List Entertainment and Beyond Films and will be released theatrically in Australia and New Zealand by Studiocanal in 2015.
Carl’s live popularity is unparalleled. His last tour alone was seen by over 300,000 people in Australia and N.Z. On DVD, he still holds the mantle of Australia’s highest grossing comedy DVD in Australian retail history with his first DVD – Carl Barron LIVE! He has subsequently released three further DVDs – all of which appear in the top ten ‘Best Sellers’ list. Shot around Sydney, the story follows a fictional stand-up comedian, who connects with millions of fans but finds it hard to connect to one person.
The movie also features a talented Australian cast including Leanna Walsman, Roy Billing and Damien Garvey and will have some hilarious new stand-up from the self-professed love child of Paul Kelly and Gandhi. “People ask me and I say: it’s a movie about my life as a comic on the road for the last 20 years. I got a bit worn out from touring, so I decided to take a rest and make a movie!”, said Carl Barron.
Mikael Borglund, CEO of Beyond International, said "Beyond is excited about expanding our existing home entertainment relationship with A-List and Carl Barron to co-producing “Manny Lewis”. I am also very pleased that Seven are backing the project – their enthusiasm for the film from the day Brad was presented with the script has made the development process a joy."
Brad Lyons, Director of Network Production, Seven Network, said “We’re pleased to be a part of this project. We’re building on our leadership in content development and production, and expanding our presence. We’re pleased to be working with A-List and Carl. We’re also delighted to be a partner with Mikael and his team at Beyond.”