"It really caught my eye because it was such an absurd, crackpot story, of an art heist that I'd never heard of."
High-profile talent on both sides of camera punctuate the four feature films, three television dramas, and one virtual reality project that will share in more than $6.5 million of production funding from Screen Australia.
Expectations were understandably high for Jane Campion's first feature film in 12 years, but the majority of critics believe 'The Power of the Dog' has a deserved place among her previous successes following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Thursday.
Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
A trio of music icons and a legendary racehorse are among the subjects of eight projects to receive $2.3 million in documentary production funding from Screen Australia.
'Buckley's Chance', from Canadian director Tim Brown ('Treasure Hounds', 'Devil in the Dark'), sees Bill Nighy alongside a new screen star: a dingo named Buckley.
Last weekend's broad new releases in Australian cinemas included a US crime thriller that was completed in 2018, a political satire that went straight to streaming in the US, and a melancholy UK drama about a marriage breakdown.
Most independent Australian distributors are doing it tough, forced to postpone releases while the exhibition business languishes with Victorian cinemas closed and seating capacity restricted in the rest of the country.