Nexus 6 Films have announced that it has signed the highly sought after film editor Jason Ballantine, for its upcoming feature movie Crush.
Crush tells the story of Julian Meadows, an American exchange student and disgraced Tae Kwon Do champion whose life is transformed into a living hell after being seduced by the mysterious yet beautiful, Anna.
Recently nominated for an Australian Screen Editors (ASE) award for The Caterpillar Wish, as well as an Australian Film Institute (AFI) and Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) award for Wolf Creek, Ballantine is currently editing Nelson McCormick’s teen thriller Prom Night in Los Angeles for Screen Gems.
His recent works include feature films The Bet (directed by Mark Lee, starring Aden Young and Matthew Newton) and creature feature Rogue (directed by Greg Mclean, starring Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell and Sam Worthington).
In a career spanning 14 years, Ballantine has worked alongside some of the world’s best directors and editors on such films as Mission Impossible 2, Moulin Rouge, Star Wars Eps 2 and 3, Babe and Babe II – Pig in the City, Charlotte’s Web, Happy Feet, Dark City, Hearts in Atlantis, and The Quiet American.
According to Nexus 6 Films producer Deidre Kitcher, Ballantine was the Company’s first preference.
‘Crush means a great deal to everyone involved in this project, and as such, we wanted to employ the services of the very best cast and crew Australia has to offer. As a producer, I am particularly rapt to have someone as brilliant as Jason onboard,’ said Kitcher.
Crush is the brain child of Western Australian screenwriter John V. Soto, whose horror script Prey (directed by George Miller, starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Christian Clarke and Jesse Johnson) is due for cinematic release in August 2008.
Filming of the $2 million dollar thriller will take place in and around Perth from 2 January to 8 February 2008.
Crush is planned to open in cinemas across the United States in Autumn 2009, with an Australian release expected later that year.
http://www.crushthemovie.com/
[release from Buzz Corporate Communications]