Emma Thompson will play a widow who hires a sex worker for a "night of bliss" in the UK comedy Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, directed by Sophie Hyde.
First-time feature directors Thomas Wright ('Acute Misfortune'), John Sheedy ('H is for Happiness'), Ben Lawrence ('Hearts and Bones') and Natalie Erika James ('Relic') will vie for the Australian Directors' Guild Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film ($1 million or over) against Sophie Hyde ('Animals') and Wayne Blair ('Top End Wedding').
The overseas sales prospects for Sophie Hyde’s 'Animals' look bright following rave reviews for the female-led comedy at the Sundance Film Festival.
Ian Darling documentary 'The Final Quarter', which looks at AFL footballer and Indigenous leader Adam Goodes' public call out of racism and Australia's heated response, will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in June.
Some 34 feature films will compete for nominations for this year's AACTA Awards, and the longlist covers diverse range of titles, from box office earners like 'Top End Wedding' and 'Storm Boy', through to the critically lauded 'The Nightingale' and micro budget indies like 'Suburban Wildlife'.
Neon and Hulu have jointly acquired US rights to Abe Forsythe’s 'Little Monsters' in the first major deal for the Australian films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.