John Sheedy’s feature debut 'H is for Happiness', an adaptation of Barry Jonsberg’s young adult novel My Life as an Alphabet, has won this year's $100,000 CinefestOZ Film Prize.
Seven films supported by the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund will make their premiere at this year's iteration, including Maziar Lahooti’s 'Below' and Paul Ireland's 'Measure for Measure'.
Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Joel Jackson, Deborah Mailman and newcomers Daisy Axon and Wesley Patten are starring in H is for Happiness, a family drama/comedy which marks the feature debut of theatre director John Sheedy.
As more cinemas around Australia opened their doors, ticket sales improved last weekend from a low base as several art house titles led by Kitty Green's The Assistant entered the market.
"Don't adapt and change cultural differences: some projects lose their originality because they are designed for world platforms or global deals."
Led by newcomers Daisy Axon and Wesley Patten, 'H is for Happines's is the story of Candice Phee, a relentlessly optimistic and hilariously forthright girl on the cusp of her 13th birthday. Candice’s family is in disarray: her mum has been living with depression since the death of Candice’s baby sister, while her dad and his brother – Candice’s beloved Rich Uncle Brian – are not on speaking terms. As she faces the uncertainties of impending adolescence with the help of her new friend Douglas Benson, Candice hatches a variety of outlandish schemes to make her nearest and dearest happy again.
The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has unveiled the first 29 films on its line-up this year, including the world premiere of Good Thing Productions and Passion Pictures’ 'The Australian Dream' which will open the festival August 1.
Special effects maestro Brian Cox and producer and costume designer Catherine Martin were both honoured at the Australian Production Design Guild Awards on Sunday.