Release date: September 10

Running time: 113 mins

Rating: MA (Strong themes, coarse language and sexual references)

Screen Australia and Wildheart Zizani

present

in association with

Film Victoria

The Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund

and

Head Gear Films

BLESSEDAN ANA KOKKINOS FILM

Starring

FRANCES O’CONNOR

MIRANDA OTTO

DEBORRA-LEE FURNESS

VICTORIA HARALABIDOU

Directed by

ANA KOKKINOS

Produced by

AL CLARK

Written by

ANDREW BOVELL, MELISSA REEVES, PATRICIA CORNELIUS AND CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS

Based on their play

“WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?” co-written with Irine Vela

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PRINCIPAL CREWDirected by ANA KOKKINOS

Produced by AL CLARK

Written by ANDREW BOVELL

MELISSA REEVES

PATRICIA CORNELIUS

CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS

Executive Producers MARIAN MACGOWAN

ANA KOKKINOS

Executive Producers ANDRENA FINLAY

PHIL HUNT

COMPTON ROSS

Line Producer/Production Manager BARBARA GIBBS

Director of Photography GEOFF BURTON ACS

Edited by JILL BILCOCK ACE ASE

Music by CEZARY SKUBISZEWSKI

Production Designer SIMON McCUTCHEON

Costume Designer LOUISE McCARTHY

Make-up and Hair Designer CHRISTINE MILLER

Casting Director JANE NORRIS

Sound Recordist JOHN WILKINSON

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PRINCIPAL CASTRhonda FRANCES O’CONNOR

Bianca MIRANDA OTTO

Tanya DEBORRA-LEE FURNESS

Gina VICTORIA HARALABIDOU

Laurel MONICA MAUGHAN

James WAYNE BLAIR

Peter WILLIAM MCINNES

Gail TASMA WALTON

Katrina SOPHIE LOWE

Trisha ANASTASIA BABOUSSOURAS

Daniel HARRISON GILBERTSON

Roo EAMON FARREN

Stacey EVA LAZZARO

Orton REEF IRELAND

Young Laurel MONICA BEDDIE

Young Jimmy JAY KENNEDY

Sergeant Kerrick NEIL PIGOT

Constable Clarke KELLIE JONES

Michael BRETT CLIMO

Pornographer KEN RADLEY

Su AMANDA MA

Chris COSTAS KILIAS

O’Manney ROBERT PRICE

Scott NICK FARNELL

Nathan DITCH DAVEY

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SYNOPSIS

ONE LINER

BLESSED is a film about mothers and children, about love and beauty, about being lost and finding your way home.

PARAGRAPH SYNOPSIS

During the course of one day and night, seven children wander the streets in an urban odyssey. But not all of them will find their way home. Dawn breaks and it’s the same day but now we experience the journey from their mothers’ viewpoint.

FULL SYNOPSIS

Seven children wander the streets in an urban odyssey over one day and night. But not all will find their way home. Katrina and Trisha are two street-smart girls, with sharp tongues and attitude. When they wag school and are caught shoplifting, the cops make sure they leave knowing they’ve got nothing, that they’re worth nothing. Having recently fled his mother’s cloying love, Roo is now living on the street. But when he finds himself shooting a porn film he realises he’s not so tough and just wants to go home. Unfairly accused of stealing his mother’s money, Daniel decides he may as well stage a real theft. But the outcome of his actions is not the one he expects. Brother and sister, Orton and Stacey, must flee the mother they love in order to survive. And James is the most lost of all; a young Aboriginal man with no place in the white or black world.

As each child moves deeper into peril, a mother’s scream pierces the night and we know that a life has been lost.

Dawn breaks, and it’s the same day but now we experience the journey from the viewpoint of the five mothers. Over-wrought Tanya wrongly accuses her son of theft. Deeply religious Gina has a premonition that her missing son is dead. With little to look forward to, but much to reflect upon, Laurel must acknowledge that she kept a child from his rightful mother. Lonely Bianca loses her winning steak but finds comfort from a stranger. And Rhonda, tough yet achingly vulnerable, lets the children she loves go because she believes they are safer without her. Over the course of their respective journeys we understand that they are as lost and defenceless as the children they care for. And by night’s end, one of them must face her worst nightmare.

PRODUCTION NOTES

WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?In 1997, the Melbourne Workers’ Theatre marked their ten-year

anniversary by commissioning three writers, with whom they had a past association, to pen a play that would acknowledge various political and socio-

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economic issues prevalent at that time. They also felt that it was important to introduce a new writer to the mix, and so Christos Tsiolkas joined Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves, Patricia Cornelius and composer Irine Vela , to create a work which evolved into the award-winning play WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?, first performed at the Victorian Trades Hall Council in May 1998.

The play consisted of four separate but interwoven stories - SUIT written by Christos Tsiolkas; MONEY by Patricia Cornelius; DREAMTOWN by Melissa Reeves and TRASH by Andrew Bovell. Four stories which provided a stark yet profoundly moving portrait of working-class life in Australia at that time.

Director Ana Kokkinos first encountered WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS? during its premiere season and was struck by its boldness and veracity. “The characters were so compelling and engaging,” she recalled. “Ordinary people dealing with everyday life and adversity with great courage, humour and energy. I was deeply affected and saw the potential for a very moving and beautiful film, so I optioned the play.”

In optioning the material, Kokkinos approached the original writers to work with her on adapting it for the screen. But because of the play’s content and structure, which often involved characters talking directly to the audience, it was never going to be a quick or easy process. So throughout the next eight years, Kokkinos worked on the project predominantly with executive producer Marian Macgowan and writer Andrew Bovell.

“With any adaptation,” explained Kokkinos, “whether it’s a novel or a play, there comes a point where you have to dispense with the source material and reinvent the work as a film without losing the richness, texture and essence of what initially attracted. After a number of early drafts, we certainly had a great bunch of characters but the screenplay just wasn’t hanging together. So we took a break and what emerged during this hiatus was that we were really dealing with a story about mothers and children. This certainly resonated for Andrew and he subsequently proposed a fresh structure; tell the story in two parts, starting with the children’s journey over the course of one day and night and then revisit the same twenty-four hours, but explore the narrative from the mothers’ viewpoint. We then created connections between the characters and expanded on the mothers’ stories, whilst maintaining the central theme.”

“What makes a good play doesn’t necessarily make a good film,” agreed Andrew Bovell. “WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS? was a multi-narrative, multi-character piece. But we needed to identify a core theme that would carry a feature film. With theatre, you generally need dialogue to convey the meaning and emotion to the audience, whereas with film, which is such a visual medium, you just keep stripping it back, as often a gesture, pause, or even silence will suffice. Therefore we had to ‘bust open the world of the play’ in order to find the world of the film. And given that the women in the play were such interesting and compelling characters, we gradually realized that it was, in fact, a fascinating study of motherhood. So we broke it into two parts - the first being a story of seven children told over twenty-four hours, with the second being the story of their five mothers throughout the same period. This was a real breakthrough in our cinematic conceptualisation and allowed us to create a clear structure.”

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BLESSED is about the depth of connection between mothers and children. It’s about love and beauty, about being lost and finding your way home.

In the first half of BLESSED we meet the seven children of five mothers. There’s fourteen year-old Orton, who has run away from home, and his fey, younger sister Stacey, who has been sent to find him, and in the process opts to stay by his side. Fifteen-year-old schoolgirls, Trisha and Katrina, smoke, drink, skip school, and indulge in petty theft, whilst Trisha’s older brother, Roo, tired of his mother’s smothering love, has absented himself from the family nest to live on his terms and explore his sexuality. Fifteen year-old Daniel feels disconnected from his parents - an overworked mother and an unemployed father - and in the process has lost sight of himself, whilst James Parker, a young Aboriginal man with suppressed emotions, has turned his back on the white mother who adopted him as a child. Angry, resentful and spiritually lost. Seven children whose core maternal relationship has apparently failed them. But nothing in life is black and white and a mother’s love endures, regardless of how it’s expressed.

Halfway through the film we’re introduced to five very different women, with varying degrees of parental skills. Rhonda, the mother of Orton and Stacey, is the sort of person whom ‘decent’ people love to hate. Dependent on social welfare, unmarried with a passing parade of boyfriends, and pregnant...yet again. Then there’s Bianca, whose daughter Katrina yearns for a mother, but instead has a helpless ‘older sister’ who seeks refuge in sleep, waking only to lose herself amidst the tawdry excitement of poker machines. Battler Tanya, mother of Daniel, is the sole breadwinner for a family that has ceased to care, whilst widowed Gina, mother to Trisha and Roo, spends her time sewing and praying, but not necessarily in that order. And lastly there’s Laurel, the elderly adoptive mother of James, adrift in a big house with nothing but memories for company.

A BLESSED CASTIn casting BLESSED, Kokkinos, producer Al Clark and casting director

Jane Norris, assembled an amazing ensemble. “The most important thing about actors,” observed Clark, “is that you believe in them, because if you don’t, there’s nothing else. Although BLESSED is an intimate drama, it’s full of big emotions and despite taking place over just twenty-four hours, the world changes in some way for everyone concerned. So it was vital that our actors were credible and understood the power of the camera, because in this instance they weren’t playing to the back row of the balcony, but on a very personal level, reflecting the intimacy of the material.”

Internationally acclaimed actor Frances O’Connor was cast as Rhonda, who Kokkinos describes as ‘an extreme character.’ “Rhonda pushes and pulls an audience’s sympathies,” observed Kokkinos, “so we needed an actress who could embody her without playing a single false note to allow people to experience her journey in all its toughness, bravado and vulnerability. Frances physically transformed herself into Rhonda so totally, inhabiting her so deeply, that by the end, her emotional truth was undeniable, which is a rare thing to achieve.”

“Rhonda is stuck in a vicious cycle on several levels,” reflected O’Connor. “She’s totally dependent on welfare with no foreseeable escape, yet hates being

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so dependent. But although she’s quite an irresponsible mother, she loves her children very much. When we meet her, she’s just lost one of them to the state, which she has difficulty accepting, and her other two, Orton and Stacey, have run away. She’s also pregnant and stuck in a slightly abusive relationship, as having a man in her life is paramount. I suspect that she wasn’t well mothered, so when it comes to caring for her own children, she doesn’t have the necessary skills or maturity to provide them with a grounded upbringing. And because she often feels empty, she needs to fill the void with things - people, going out, getting drunk, etc. As a character, she’s always moving. It’s very hard for her to be still, because if she actually stopped for a minute, she would feel that emptiness, so she goes from relationship to relationship which is really bad for both her and her children. One could also imagine that she gives Orton too much responsibility by treating him as an equal, instead of a son. Such behaviour can be flattering, but no child should be placed in that position. So when we encounter them, their relationship is very fractious and her daughter Stacey has regressed into a semi-childlike state, possibly because of abuse she has suffered at the hands of several of Rhonda’s boyfriends.”

Versatile leading lady, Miranda Otto, portrays Bianca, mother to fifteen year-old Katrina. Bianca is a dreamer, but lonely and depressed. One day a high-spirited young girl, the next, a single mother with a teenage daughter, who finds it difficult to cope with life’s responsibilities. Leaving her bed is challenging, and the only time she comes alive is when she loses herself amidst the tawdry excitement of the ‘pokies.’ There, she can enjoy a glass of wine and dream of a big win. For Bianca, gambling is an escape from a life that seems sad and empty and a daughter whom she struggles to relate to, as a mother should. “I’d always wanted to work with Miranda,” remarked Kokkinos. “She gives Bianca a presence that’s quite remarkable. She’s a highly intelligent and physical actor who imbues Bianca with fragility, without reducing her to the status of victim. Bianca may be misguided and somewhat lost in a fantasy world, but she’s forever the optimist who hits emotional highs and lows”. Otto concurred. “Bianca likes to be high, energetic and ‘turned on.’ On a personal level, I imagine that her best years were her late teens and early twenties, when she would have been going out, listening to music and just enjoying herself. Gambling represents a way, perhaps, of gaining a potential ‘high.’ It allows her to dream her way out of a situation that she’s not happy with. And when it comes to her daughter, Katrina, I suspect that Bianca has difficulty disciplining her. Katrina is looking for some boundaries, but Bianca really doesn’t know how to be a mother. I’ve no doubt that she loves Katrina deeply, but she finds it hard to accept the role of authoritarian, as she doesn’t really want to move into that stage of her life. She would rather be Katrina’s sister and friend.”

Of the five mothers in BLESSED, only Tanya, portrayed with great humanity by Deborra-lee Furness, has a husband, Peter. However, given the state of their marriage and his contribution to the family dynamic, she may as well be single. A battler by nature and a nurse by profession, Tanya is a giver, but somewhere along the way, her relationship with Peter, and their son Daniel, has floundered. Peter, unemployed and resentful of being supported by his wife, is a broken man who has lost the respect of his son. They’re a family that barely exists and Peter is no longer engaging in life. As William McInnes who portrays

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Peter, describes him, “he’s like a moon orbiting a star. A dying rock that’s being held by the gravity of the sun, which in this case, is Tanya.” Peter’s self esteem has been seriously eroded and in the process he has stopped treating his wife as a woman. He also hates the fact that despite their financial stress, she still manages to pay their monthly mortgage, a constant cause of friction. Tragically, their dysfunctional relationship impacts upon their son Daniel, who at fifteen is already experiencing the emotional rebellion that afflicts most teenagers. Daniel desperately wants his mother’s attention, but goes about attracting it, as some children do, in a negative way. “Tanya is not fulfilled,” explained Furness, “and when your own needs aren’t being met it’s very hard to meet the needs of someone else. Therefore, you have this relationship where both parties want to connect but they haven’t got the necessary tools. Subsequently they try to do so in an adverse fashion, which doesn’t serve either. Daniel seeks her attention by taking money and engaging in bad behaviour, so she tries to discipline him, which only makes things worse. As for the mortgage - a frequent bone of contention between her and Peter - it represents the one thing in her life - their house - which is constant. The relationships in her life might keep changing, but having a home provides security for her. It’s something that she has achieved, that she can hold onto, because although she’s desperately trying to maintain relationships with her husband and her son she’s flailing, so the house has become her anchor.”

In fact, the only relationship in Tanya’s life that provides her with any warmth is one that she shares with Michael, a patient. Together, they enjoy an intimacy that is non-sexual, yet provides each with a vital connection. “Tanya’s relationship with Michael is unusual, but not necessarily uncommon,” observed Furness. “We form these connections because of a need within ourselves. Michael has a very obvious need in that he’s sick and needs to be cared for. Tanya’s whole ‘modus operandi’ is to serve, so her role as his nurse allows her to reach out to him. She’s needed. He needs her, which is not the case at home. But with Michael, she has a physical relationship, even though it’s non-sexual. She’s able to hold him. He’s curious about who she is. Tanya doesn’t get that from her husband, or her son. They have ceased to find her interesting. So with Michael she can enjoy an intimacy under the umbrella of her job, whilst still making money to survive.”

Like Tanya, Gina, the widowed mother of two teenagers, Roo and Trisha, works hard, relentlessly sewing private school uniforms to put food on the table and a roof overhead. But for Gina, a devout Greek Orthodox, whose sewing is interspersed with prayers at the home-built shrine to her late husband, Roo and Trisha are a mystery. Portrayed by Russian-born actress Victoria Haralabidou, who starred in the internationally celebrated drama BRIDES, Gina can no more relate to her children than they can to her. “Gina is a very private person,” offered Haralabidou, “but suddenly, with the death of her husband, her whole life has changed. She’s alone with two teenagers and trying to put her life into order but circumstances have altered her perception. For Gina, living now means survival.” Further complicating matters is the all-consuming love that Gina has for her son, Roo, effectively relegating Trisha to the role of ‘second-best’ child. Gina looks at Trisha, but doesn’t see her - she’s just a girl. So it’s no wonder that Trisha rebels by missing school, and indulging in acts of petty theft with her best friend Katrina

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- a teenager also desperately seeking maternal love and direction. “When you look at the relationship between Gina and Roo,” commented Eamon Farren, who portrays the troubled teen, “it’s absolutely one of obsession. It’s that beautiful European sensibility where she totally mothers this boy. And to some degree he is a ‘mummy’s boy,’ but he’s now outgrown that phase of his life. As far as Roo’s concerned, he’s Australian, not Greek, so doesn’t want a bar of his mother’s religious and cultural obsession.” Roo is also grappling with his sexuality. Outwardly confident, but inwardly confused, the question of his sexual predilection can’t be explored under Gina’s slavish gaze, so he leaves the nest, throwing her world into disarray, as she spends every spare moment praying for, and obsessing over, the fate of her adored son to the detriment of her very present daughter.

The last lost ‘child’ in BLESSED, is James, a young, white-collar Aboriginal, whose upbringing by adoptive mother Laurel, a politically-left white woman, has resulted in a man who copes with life by suppressing all feeling for it; a tragic by-product of an act prompted more by political ideology than maternal longing. Denied contact with his birth mother and estranged from his adoptive one, James exists in an almost robotic fashion, bottling emotions that, if unleashed, would overwhelm. And Laurel, now old and lonely, spends her days adrift in a world where past and present merge and guilt presides. So when Daniel, son of Tanya and Peter, breaks into the sad, rambling house where Laurel lives, it’s a meeting of two lost souls. Treated like a ‘bad’ boy by his parents, Daniel reasons that he may as well act like one. But when confronted by Laurel, whose gentle reaction to his attempted robbery throws him off-guard, his anger, if not his confusion, subsides.

BEAUTY COMES IN MANY GUISESVisually, can a film set amidst working-class families be beautiful? The

answer is ‘yes.’ Beauty can be found in the most unlikely places as well as the most obvious. “My aim was to combine the poetic with the visceral and the ‘real,’” explained director, Ana Kokkinos. “The cinematic heart of BLESSED lies within the faces of the characters, their intrinsic beauty and the power of their emotional truth. These characters are very immediate and provide strong points of connection for the audience, which meant performances were critical to the realisation of the screenplay. I wanted to achieve ‘fluidity,’ so Geoff Burton (the film’s cinematographer) and I shot most of the film hand-held, a technique I also used for HEAD ON. I wanted the camera to linger lovingly on the faces of the characters, revealing their inner beauty. It allows us to feel them more deeply, in order to achieve an intimacy and engagement.”

Geoff Burton continued. “The beautiful moments are critical to the film and well specified within the script. I liked and admired the way they were so cleverly placed within the narrative and didn’t want to mess with them as they could easily have become overly sentimental and syrupy. Both Ana and I trusted our instincts with these shots and ran with them and the emotions that they prompted within us. We didn’t want BLESSED to look like a drama-doco, so any realism had to be heightened and then traded off against moments of great beauty, which happily was made possible by the script. From the outset, our priority was visual honesty. For the characters to be plausible, the audience needed to believe in the world

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we had created for them. We could have taken a totally naturalistic approach with a type of neo-realism overlaid, but this would have been too obvious. With Ana’s support, I was looking for the power of the frame and, within that space, the placement of metaphoric elements that would carry the visual storytelling more powerfully than just the use of mood lighting. So we adopted a largely naturalistic lighting style, as we didn’t want BLESSED to look highly illuminated. Kodak’s Vision 2 High Speed Stock (500 ASA), which we used for all scenes, including exteriors, greatly assisted in this regard. I’d been following its development, so when Kodak released it just prior to the shoot, I was ecstatic. We were the first major Australian film to run with it, and I was lucky to have courageous and trusting producers who were happy for me to use an untried stock on their film.”

Production designer Simon McCutcheon, worked in tandem with the visual palette envisaged by Kokkinos and Burton. “Although BLESSED is firmly based within a certain socio-economic setting, which we needed to acknowledge,” said McCutcheon, “we also wanted to capture the softness and femininity of the characters, the moments of beauty, and the highlights of colour that relieve their often dark existence. The script was full of rich imagery: sunset moments where each person is isolated and briefly stripped to their simple, beautiful core; the image of a candle burning in the night; and the unseen but destructive power of fire. Our main visual starting points were photographs - particularly the work of Bill Henson, Nan Golding and Jessica Dimmock. Frequently the colours we chose were somewhat dark, but we used bright highlights, especially red, for many of the sets. Often these were small but strong accents, such as a fire extinguisher, rubbish bin or telephone. These fragments of red, scattered throughout, lent a certain energy and also worked as a visual link. Red also represents the colour of passion, which had strong symbolic resonance, and was also, on occasion, used in larger blocks for dramatic effect, such as the red charity bin where Orton & Stacey shelter from the world.”

A visual concept explored throughout was the spectrum of colours within a flame, ranging from blue, purple, red and orange to yellow and gold. Each mother’s domestic interior featured various combinations and degrees of these shades, which were amplified for specific plot points. At the film’s conclusion, red, yellow and orange come into strong effect as each character tries to find peace and a way to connect with their loved ones; i.e., the red curtain in Bianca’s bedroom; the yellow Eminem poster in Roo’s room and the orange curtain in the pub where Rhonda dances.

With so many characters, finding suitable locations for their homes, was challenging, as each dwelling needed to be identifiable with each character yet sufficiently distinct to enable viewers to readily distinguish between them, which was assisted by the colour palette adopted for each. Tanya and Peter’s house was scripted as being run-down but still needed to feel like a ‘home,’ so was decorated with an emphasis on natural textures, colours and items to reflect both Tanya’s nurturing nature, and constant financial struggle amidst strained family relations. By way of contrast, the home of Michael, Tanya’s patient, provided a stylish and elegant backdrop; an important factor in emphasizing their warm and tender friendship. An artistic man, dying of an unnamed disease, Michael’s bed sits in the living room of his beautiful deco house as his world shrinks in sync with

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his declining health. But although his home possesses a beauty and unity of style beyond Tanya’s means, it’s her presence that imbues it with warmth.

As a Housing Commission tenant trapped in a welfare cycle of unemployment and single-mother benefits, Rhonda’s dwelling needed to be dire and was dressed with cheap, trashy furnishings, layers of dirty kids’ toys and general mess - a testament to her poor housekeeping skills. Poignantly, there were a few details that relieved the squalor such as remnants of blue (another colour in the flame spectrum) lace draped around her ‘boudoir,’ tattered children’s drawings and a few pictures that revealed a naïve spirituality, but ultimately the chaos of her life proved the dominant factor in dressing her flat.

Bianca’s house also needed to be depressing and unkempt, but with a different take. Having once aspired to the good life through a safe, yet unexciting marriage, Bianca is now divorced, lonely and broke; lodged in a sparsely furnished, soulless house, indicative of the emptiness she feels, bereft of the material world to which she aspires.

Laurel’s home was very different to the other dwellings depicted and needed to reflect her privileged background and political leanings. Her bookshelves - which James ultimately tears down - crammed with volumes on Western civilization and leftist politics, symbolize the education which has ultimately failed him. Laurel’s house is also viewed over two eras; the 1980s, where rich colours and bright lighting reflect hope and political optimism, and present day, where the once affluent surroundings now echo the decay of her dreams.

For Gina’s neat house they sought to capture some of the traditional aspects of the Greek migrants’ aesthetic without being clichéd. It was also the only dwelling where family photos played an important role, and many used were actual family portraits belonging to Gina’s alter ego, actor Victoria Haralabidou. Religion was also vital to Gina, and accordingly her home was layered with numerous religious items, with varying degrees of subtlety. Although many Greek houses have shrines, Gina’s needed to reflect her increasing dependence on religion, and accordingly was somewhat over the top, with photos of both her dead husband and very alive son, Roo.

As BLESSED takes place over twenty-four hours, costumes for each character were limited, and again the spectrum of colours within a naked flame dominated. As Rhonda, Frances O’Connor wears a bright blue, ‘going-out’ dress (in stark contrast to her grungy daytime apparel) when desperately seeking her children; Bianca’s clothes have touches of purple and mauve; Tanya wears pinks and reds, whilst Gina, still in mourning, dons mostly black. In dressing Stacey, Rhonda’s daughter, costume designer Louise McCarthy envisaged a ‘small angel.’ “She’s this little innocent,” said McCarthy, “and I had a strong impression of her lifting off the ground and floating away. I saw her as being very feminine, so dressed her in pale leggings and a dress, rather than jeans. The white of Tanya’s nursing uniform was a really angelic vision for me too.”

One outfit, which stands in marked contrast to all the other clothes in BLESSED, is a special dress worn by Bianca, after she unexpectedly receives several hundred dollars from a stranger, who the audience will recognize as

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Peter, Tanya’s husband. In a memorable scene, the two connect in a bar, where Peter feels compelled to make Bianca a gift of Tanya’s precious mortgage payment. Suddenly, through this meeting, Peter is granted a bit of authority and for the first time we see him actively engaging in life. Through this act he ultimately realizes how he has behaved by not engaging with the woman he really loves, so on one level, receives more than he has given. But what does Bianca do with this sudden windfall? Does she pay her mounting bills? Does she put the money away for a rainy day? No, she goes and spends the entire sum on a gorgeously inappropriate party dress.

Sequins, sparkles and dreams...the whole kit and caboodle. In the privacy of her glum home, Bianca swirls around in her new frock, wine in hand, dreams in full flight. Whenever McCarthy pictured this scene, she had an image of Bianca, sitting on her bed like a ‘crumpled princess.’ However, Bianca’s reverie is rudely shattered when her teenage daughter Katrina arrives and bluntly tells her that she’s too old to be wearing such a dress, and that it would look much better on her.

Despite the often-sombre nature of the material, the on-set atmosphere was one of optimism. “There was trust and love,” recalled DOP Geoff Burton. “Ana’s understanding of the film-to-be was just overwhelming. We talked a lot and bounced many things around but almost always came back to her initial ideas. But as soon as we rolled film on the first shot, we both knew exactly what we were seeking. And as we completed the very last frame, we were still after the same things. This is an incredibly rare situation and one that I have never experienced so completely on any of the other fifty feature films I’ve shot.”

But perhaps the final word should go to producer Al Clark, who simply said, “When I read the script, I could envisage the film and it was definitely one that I wanted to see made. That being the case, I was prepared to do whatever necessary to ensure that it happened.”

* * * * * *A Wildheart Zizani production, BLESSED was shot entirely on location in

Melbourne, Victoria, from September 29 until November 21, 2008, with funding provided by Screen Australia, Film Victoria, MIFF Premiere Fund, Head Gear Films and Icon Film Distribution. Icon will also handle distribution throughout Australia with Bankside Films serving as international sales agent.

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CAST BIOGRAPHIES

FRANCES O’CONNOR (Rhonda)Born in Oxfordshire, England and raised in Australia, Frances O’Connor

has steadily built an impressive body of work, garnering attention from some of the industry’s most influential filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg and John Woo. She starred in Spielberg’s futuristic drama, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, alongside Jude Law, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST with Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth and in Woo’s WWII film, WINDTALKERS opposite Nicolas Cage.

Additional film credits include TIMELINE, based on the Michael Crichton novel, BEDAZZLED, opposite Brendan Fraser, THE LAZARUS CHILD, with Andy Garcia and Angela Bassett, as well as MANSFIELD PARK in which she had the principal role of “Fanny Price” - one of Jane Austen’s classically, socially-repressed and independent-spirited heroines. Notably, she first received critical praise for her roles in the Australian features KISS OR KILL, a crime thriller directed by Bill Bennett (for which she was named Best Actress at the Montreal Film Festival) and in Fox Searchlight’s LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES.

In 2001 O’Connor received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series for PBS’ critically acclaimed MADAME BOVARY and in 2008, with Lucy Liu and Miranda Otto, led the cast in the US TV series CASHMERE MAFIA. She also starred alongside Hilary Swank, Anjelica Huston and Julia Ormond in HBO’s historical drama concerning strong-willed American suffragettes, entitled IRON-JAWED ANGELS.

On stage, she was recently nominated for an Evening Standard Award for her riveting portrayal of “Viv” in Almeida Theatre’s production of TOM & VIV. O’Connor also starred in the West End playing “Maggie” opposite Brendan Fraser in the Anthony Page-helmed production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.

MIRANDA OTTO (Bianca)Following numerous accolades for her body of Australian film and stage

work, Miranda Otto received international acclaim for her role as the warrior “Eowyn” in director Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS and LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING.

Her feature film credits also include director Steven Spielberg’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, in which she co-starred with Tom Cruise and FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX, alongside Dennis Quaid and Giovanni Ribisi. Other roles include the title character in JULIE WALKING HOME, for acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland, IN MY FATHER’S DEN, DOCTOR SLEEP, WHAT LIES BENEATH, DANNY DECKHAIR, IN THE WINTER DARK, DEAD LETTER OFFICE, DOING TIME FOR PATSY CLINE, THE WELL and LOVE SERENADE.

Otto’s television portfolio is also extensive and includes lead roles in the US TV series CASHMERE MAFIA and THE STARTER WIFE, as well as the central role in the Australian drama THROUGH MY EYES, in which she starred

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as “Lindy Chamberlain.”

DEBORRA-LEE FURNESS (Tanya)Born in Melbourne, Deborra-lee Furness graduated from the American

Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She has since received a string of awards including honours from the Seattle International Film Festival, the Australian Film Critics’ Circle and the prestigious Variety Award. Additionally, her guest role on the Australian ABC’s hit television series SEACHANGE earned her a nomination for an Australian Film Institute Award.

Furness has worked extensively in Australian film, television and theatre. Recognized for her roles in the Australian features JENNY KISSED ME, WAITING, A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE, ANGEL BABY and SHAME, she has also distinguished herself in several television productions including the popular series CORELLI, in which she played the title role. Most recently she starred with Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney in director Ray Lawrence’s big-screen drama, JINDABYNE and in the dark thriller, BEAUTIFUL.

Deborra-lee’s US credits include SLEEPWALKING, BLUE HEAT, VOYAGER and NEWSIES. Having directed theatre in both London and the US, in 2004 she directed her first short film, STANDING ROOM ONLY, which has subsequently screened at many major film festivals around the world.

VICTORIA HARALABIDOU (Gina)Born in St Petersburg, cosmopolitan actor Victoria Haralabidou studied her

craft at the Russian Institute of Cinematography in Moscow and at the Greek Drama School in Athens.

Haralabidou is widely recognized for her lead role in the acclaimed romantic feature-drama BRIDES, opposite Damian Lewis. Selected by the film’s executive producer, Martin Scorsese from amongst 2000 hopefuls, Haralabidou was hailed for her sensitive portrayal of “Niki Douka,” a young Greek woman bound for America and an arranged marriage, and was subsequently named Best Actress at the 2004 Thessaloniki Film Festival. She also enjoyed huge success on Greek television with the series SUDDENLY for Mega Channel.

Since relocating to Australia, Haralabidou has appeared in the telemovie THE INFORMANT and in the television series EAST WEST 101, ALL SAINTS and THE STRIP, as well as starring in David Hare’s STUFF HAPPENS at Belvoir St Theatre.

Having also majored in Foreign Language Translation at the Linguistic Institute in Moscow, Haralabidou has translated numerous plays and novels, and recently returned to Greece to shoot SOUL SO DEEP for BRIDES director Pantelis Voulgaris.

MONICA MAUGHAN (Laurel)One of Australia’s most revered character actors, who recently celebrated

fifty years in the entertainment industry, Maughan has been the recipient of many acting awards throughout her career, including an AFI Award for Best Actress for her role as “Monica McHugh” in the landmark ABC Television production, THE

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DAMNATION OF HARVEY MCHUGH.

Feature film credits include the character of “Eileen” in Mick Molloy’s enormously popular CRACKERJACK and the gentle comedy ROAD TO NHILL, directed by Sue Brooks. She also appeared in A WOMAN’S TALE and GOLDEN BRAID, both directed by Paul Cox.

Maughan’s theatrical resume is extensive and her association with Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) can be traced back to 1957. From 1957 to 1960 she played many roles for the company in a variety of productions - local reviews, musicals, classics and contemporary dramas.

In 1963 she re-located to England, appearing in three BBC Television plays and performing in the West End as well as provincial repertory theatre. Returning to Australia, she re-joined MTC in 1967 and since that time has appeared in over fifty plays for the company. Aside from her work with MTC, Maughan has performed with major companies throughout Australia including Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Playbox and Queensland Theatre Company.

WAYNE BLAIR (James)Born in Taree, New South Wales, BLESSED marks Blair’s second feature

film appearance, having previously starred alongside Ben Mendelsohn and Susie Porter in director David Caesar’s MULLET.

A seasoned actor who has worked predominantly in theatre and television, Blair studied acting at the Queensland University of Technology, but not before he and his cousin formed “The Didgeridoo Brothers,” a Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis style act which enjoyed great success on the club circuit.

Switching to acting in his early twenties, Blair has gone on to appear in many major Australian TV series including WILDSIDE, ALL SAINTS, WATER RATS, FIREFLIES and SMALL CLAIMS. His stage portfolio is extensive and includes performances with Bell Shakespeare, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Queensland Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company in productions ranging from ROMEO AND JULIET, SKIN, CLOUDSTREET, INHERITANCE and CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEAD, to RUN RABBIT RUN, THE SAPPHIRES, STUFF HAPPENS and OTHELLO. Blair has also directed his own short films and is currently based in Sydney.

WILLIAM McINNES (Peter)One of Australia’s foremost acting talents, with a slew of industry awards

and nominations, McInnes enjoyed a distinguished stage career before embarking on a series of high-profile television roles in shows such as A COUNTRY PRACTICE, BLUE HEELERS and SEACHANGE. He also featured in the acclaimed mini-series MY BROTHER JACK, THE SHARK NET, MARSHALL LAW and EAST WEST 101.

McInness’ additional television credits include CRASHBURN, a hilarious cameo as the philandering “Sandy Freckle” in the cult comedy series KATH & KIM and the recent ABC drama, STEPFATHER OF THE BRIDE.

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McInnes has also starred in several feature films, but perhaps his most acclaimed role was in LOOK BOTH WAYS, written and directed by his wife, Sarah Watt. The film won several 2005 AFI Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. Other notable feature credits include DIRTY DEEDS, alongside Toni Collette, Sam Neil and Bryan Brown, the World War II drama KOKODA, IRRESISTIBLE with Susan Sarandon and Emily Blunt and the poignant UNFINISHED SKY, for which he was named Best Actor in a Feature Film at the 2008 AFI Awards.

SOPHIE LOWE (Katrina)Possessed of an ethereal beauty, Lowe is at the threshold of a promising

acting career and has been studying her craft since the age of sixteen.

Lowe - who counts Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett amongst her preferred actors - has featured in the short films HE. SHE. IT., MISGIVING, THE MIRAGE and KINDLE. She also recently completed shooting on THE CLINIC, a psychological thriller set in the late 1970s, from director James Rabbitts.

Lowe will next be seen starring alongside Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown and Ben Mendelsohn in BEAUTIFUL KATE, the highly anticipated mystery/drama written and directed by Rachel Ward.

ANASTASIA BABOUSSOURAS (Trisha)Vivacious Anastasia Baboussouras makes her big-screen debut in

BLESSED as the rebellious daughter of the devout “Gina.”

With no prior professional acting experience, director Ana Kokkinos discovered Baboussouras when she attended a community play in Melbourne. Kokkinos was struck by the girl’s “raw talent and immense energy,” and thereafter invited her to audition for BLESSED. The casting process for the roles of Trisha and Katrina was exhaustive, with over 500 girls being tested. However, Baboussouras kept on impressing Kokkinos and her team, eventually winning the sought-after part of “Trisha.”

A real-life dynamo, Baboussouras would like to continue acting and lists Eric Bana, Alex Dimitriades and Vince Colosimo as three of her favourite leading men.

HARRISON GILBERTSON (Daniel)Although still in his mid-teens, Gilbertson has a maturity that belies his

youth and has already been acting for seven years. One of his first roles was in director Paul Goldman’s drama AUSTRALIAN RULES and in 2008 he was chosen to star opposite Geena Davis in the film ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.

He has also appeared in Opera Australia’s production of MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Adelaide Festival Opera’s staging of WRITING TO VERMEER, under the direction of Peter Greenaway, and MY LIFE MY LOVE for State Theatre Company of South Australia.

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EAMON FARREN (Roo)Born in North Queensland, Farren spent his formative years living on the

Gold Coast with his mother and younger brother. His acting career was set in motion when his mother, a teacher, decided to enrol him in drama classes to prevent him from distracting her when she was marking her students’ papers.

Realizing he’d found his vocation, Farren auditioned for, and was accepted into, Sydney’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating in 2007. Since then, he has performed in several notable theatrical productions including THE LOST ECHO, directed by Barrie Kosky for Sydney Theatre Company, THE MAN IN THE ATTIC for Sydney Theatre Company and Griffin Theatre Company’s production of THE KID.

On television, Farren has featured in the HBO production of THE PACIFIC and Seven Network’s long-running series ALL SAINTS and recently finished filming HOME for director Kriv Stenders.

EVA LAZZARO (Stacey)At only 13 years of age, Lazarro has already accrued an impressive slate

of acting credits. Her professional career began with a guest role in Southern Star’s popular television series BLUE HEELERS. She was next seen in director Ray Lawrence’s JINDABYNE, alongside Laura Linney, Gabriel Byrne and Deborra-lee Furness.

Additional credits include the US series NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES, Nine Network’s series UNDERBELLY, in which she appeared as Roberta Williams’ daughter, and a supporting role in the fantasy series THE ELEPHANT PRINCESS. As with her on-screen brother, Reef Ireland, Lazarro will next be seen in the Showtime TV series, TANGLE.

REEF IRELAND (Orton)Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Ireland moved to Australia with his

family when he was five years old. Discovered in his high school drama class at the age of fourteen, Ireland subsequently appeared in Joel Kohn and Ben Esler’s short film GRAVEDIGGERS, which whet his appetite for acting.

A self-confessed movie-buff who also enjoys surfing, Reef will next be seen in the Showtime series TANGLE, alongside Ben Mendelsohn, Matt Day and Kat Stewart.

CREW BIOGRAPHIES

ANA KOKKINOS (Director)Based in Melbourne, Kokkinos worked as a lawyer for seven years, before

switching her talents to film and gaining a post-graduate diploma from Victorian College of the Arts’ School of Film & Television in 1991. Her film debut was the short feature ONLY THE BRAVE (1994), which she co-wrote and directed. ONLY THE BRAVE was subsequently invited to numerous festivals, including Venice, New Directors’ New Film in New York as well as Toronto International Film

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Festival. Its many accolades include Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards for Best Short Fiction, Best Screenplay and Best Performance, Grand Prix for Best Film at Melbourne International Film Festival and Best Film (Fiction) at Sydney Film Festival's prestigious Dendy Awards.

In 1998 Kokkinos directed her first feature length movie, the explosive HEAD ON, starring Alex Dimitriadis, which she co-wrote with Andrew Bovell and Mira Robertson. HEAD ON premiered at Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes International Film Festival and went on to win a slew of global awards including Best First Feature Director at San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, the International Film Award at Los Angeles Outfest Film Festival, and an Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. HEAD ON was also honoured with Best Actor and Supporting Actor Awards from the Australian Film Critics' Circle.

In 2006, Kokkinos co-wrote and directed the controversial drama THE BOOK OF REVELATION, based on the best-selling novel by Rupert Thomson, starring Tom Long and Greta Scacchi, which was nominated in three major categories at the 2006 AFI Awards.

In addition to her film work, Kokkinos has many television credits including the children’s series EUGENIE SANDLER PI, Nine Network’s YOUNG LIONS and the cult Network Ten series, THE SECRET LIFE OF US.

AL CLARK (Producer)Al Clark began his working life as a journalist on the London magazine

Time Out before joining the UK-based Virgin group, first as a publicity director for the record company, then as the founder and editor of The Film Yearbook, and finally as head of production for the film division. His UK film credits, as co-producer, include Michael Radford's NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR and ARIA, directed by, among others, Robert Altman, Jean-Luc Godard and Nicolas Roeg. Whilst in the UK he also served as executive producer on Zelda Barron's SECRET PLACES, Julien Temple's ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, Paul Mayersberg's CAPTIVE and Ken Russell's GOTHIC.

Moving to Sydney, he was appointed to the board of Australian Film Commission from 1989 until 1992. During this period he produced THE CROSSING starring a young Russell Crowe, with whom he later worked again on HEAVEN’S BURNING. In 1994 Clark produced the Stephan Elliott directed, cross-dressing musical-comedy, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, which won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, two BAFTAs and numerous festival awards, and remains one of the most successful Australian films of all time, both locally and internationally.

Clark’s additional producing credits include EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, director John Polson’s SIAM SUNSET, THE HARD WORD with Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, and director Ana Kokkinos’ THE BOOK OF REVELATION, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.

As an executive producer, Clark’s credits include Andrew Dominik’s CHOPPER, which launched the international career of Eric Bana, and the wry

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mockumentary RAZZLE DAZZLE: A JOURNEY INTO DANCE, which premiered in Official Selection at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival.

Clark is also the author of two books: RAYMOND CHANDLER IN HOLLYWOOD (Silman-James Press 1996) and THE LAVENDER BUS (Currency Press 1999).

MARIAN MACGOWAN (Executive Producer)Prior to working on BLESSED, Macgowan produced DEATH DEFYING

ACTS, an Australian/UK co-production directed by Gillian Armstrong and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Macgowan’s previous producing credits include LILIAN’S STORY and TWO HANDS, which won both the 1999 AFI and Film Critics’ Circle of Australia Awards for Best Film, as well as RISK and RAGE IN PLACID LAKE.

Prior to establishing her own company Macgowan Films, her other roles have included the production and publishing of the Australian film industry bible. THE PRODUCTION BOOK and a period as Head of Production at Australian Film and Television School (AFTRS), where she now works as a consultant.

Under the banner of her company, Macgowan is currently developing a number of projects including the feature film SOUTH SOLITARY, written and to be directed by Cannes Camera d’Or winner Shirley Barrett.

ANDREW BOVELL (Writer)Bovell is one of Australia's most celebrated writers, with an impressive

body of work spanning film, theatre, television and radio.

His first feature credit was Baz Luhrmann's STRICTLY BALLROOM, for which he co-wrote the original draft. Next was HEAD ON, which he co-wrote with Ana Kokkinos and Mira Robertson, and which went on to win an AWGIE Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. But it was his third film, the Ray Lawrence-directed drama, LANTANA, which brought him international recognition. LANTANA was a box office hit in Australia and acclaimed at film festivals around the world. It won seven AFI Awards including Best Screenplay from an Adapted Source (Bovell's own play Holy Day), Best Film, and Best Director. It also earned Bovell the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Film Critics’ Circle of Australia along with Best Screenplay at the 2003 London Critics' Circle Film Awards.

In 2007 Bovell co-wrote, with Ana Kokkinos, the screenplay for her 2006 drama THE BOOK OF REVELATION, which screened at film festivals around the world, including Toronto International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Rome International Film Festival.

Andrew Bovell has also written or co-written numerous award-winning plays that have been produced both locally and overseas. These include WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?, on which BLESSED is based (which he co-wrote), HOLY DAY and SPEAKING IN TONGUES, which has been produced in the UK, USA and across Europe.

His television credits include SEVEN DEADLY SINS, NAKED and TRASH, all for ABC Television, and DOGWOMAN for the Nine Network.

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MELISSA REEVES (Writer)Reeves is a Melbourne-based playwright whose credits include THE

SPOOK (awarded the 2005 Louis Esson Prize for Drama in the Victorian Premier’s Awards plus two AWGIES for Best New Play), SALT CREEK MURDERS (winner of the Wal Cherry Award), ROAD MOVIE, STORMING HEAVEN, SWEETOWN, GREAT DAY, IN CAHOOTS and THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES.

Reeves has also co-written a number of plays including THE GIRL I LOVE, NEVER LET ME GO, MAGPIE, FEVER and WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?

PATRICIA CORNELIUS (Writer)Cornelius, a founding member of Melbourne Workers' Theatre, is an

award-winning playwright, as well as director, dramaturg and novelist. In 2002, her first novel, MY SISTER JILL, was published by Random House. To date, Cornelius has written over twenty plays, including THE CALL, DO NOT GO GENTLE, BOY OVERBOARD, LOVE, FEVER, HOGS HAIRS AND LEECHES and WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?, which she co-wrote with Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves and Christos Tsiolkas.

The recipient of many professional accolades, her play LOVE, won the 2004 Wal Cherry Play of the Year Award plus the 2006 AWGIE for Best Play. The following year, DO NOT GO GENTLE received the prestigious Patrick White Award.

CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS (Writer)Born in Melbourne, the son of Greek migrants, Tsiolkas’ first novel,

LOADED, created a furore when first published, and was subsequently made into the feature film HEAD ON, directed by Ana Kokkinos.

LOADED was followed by JUMPCUTS, co-written with Sasha Soldatow, and his second novel, THE JESUS MAN. Tsiolkas’ 2005 novel, DEAD EUROPE, was short-listed for the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards and Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and was named The Age Book of the Year for Fiction in 2006. His subsequent novel, THE SLAP, published in 2008, took an unflinching look at middle-class suburban Australia and its notions of child-rearing and acceptable behaviour.

In addition to co-writing WHO’S AFRAID OF THE WORKING CLASS?, Tsiolkas co-wrote (with Spiro Economopoulos) NON PARLO DI SALO, based on the censoring of director/poet Pier Paolo Pasolini's last film, SALO, and collaborated with renowned photographer Zoe Ali, on a series of exhibitions dealing with refuge and exile: DESTINATION UNKNOWN 1, 2 & 3.

GEOFF BURTON ACS (Director of Photography)Burton is one of Australia's most distinguished directors and

cinematographers, as evidenced by his 2005 induction into the Australian Cinematographers’ Society, Hall of Fame.

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As a director, his credits include SYDNEY: THE STORY OF A CITY (for Imax), the telemovie AFTERSHOCKS, the ABC TV production BASTARDS FROM THE BUSH and THE SUM OF US (co-director) which starred Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson.

Burton was also the writer/director of the critically acclaimed ABC TV series AUSTRALIANS AT WAR as well as THE ACTOR AND THE PRESIDENT, and FLIGHT OVER THE EQUATOR for Discovery Channel.

Amongst his extensive cinematographer credits are many seminal films of Australian cinema including SUNDAY TOO FAR AWAY, STORM BOY, THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE, FLIRTING, DEAD CALM, FRAUDS, SIRENS and LUCKY MILES. Burton has also worked on many notable Australian television productions, including VIETNAM, BANGKOK HILTON, HELL HAS HARBOUR VIEWS and AFTER THE DELUGE.

In 2008 Geoff directed two drama documentaries for Film Australia, CHIFLEY and FLANDERS.

JILL BILCOCK ACE ASE (Editor)Internationally recognized for her outstanding editing skills, the multi-

award winning Bilcock has worked with many directing heavyweights throughout her career, including Sam Mendes, Baz Luhrmann, Fred Schepisi and Phillip Noyce

Bilcock’s early credits include STRIKEBOUND, DOGS IN SPACE, TILL THERE WAS YOU, A CRY IN THE DARK (aka EVIL ANGELS), STRICTLY BALLROOM, SAY A LITTLE PRAYER, MURIEL’S WEDDING, IQ, HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT, ROMEO + JULIET and Ana Kokkinos’ HEAD ON.

Always in demand, the last decade has seen Bilcock edit an eclectic slate of feature films, including ELIZABETH, THE DISH, MOULIN ROUGE!, ROAD TO PERDITION, JAPANESE STORY, THE LIBERTINE, CATCH A FIRE and ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE.

Her 2001 collaboration with Baz Luhrmann for MOULIN ROUGE! earned her many industry accolades including the American Film Institute’s Award for Editor of the Year, the AFI Award for Best Editing, the American Cinema Editors’ Award for Best Edited Feature Film - Comedy or Musical, and both Academy Award and BAFTA nominations for Best Editing.

Bilcock is also the recipient of the AFI Byron Kennedy Award for outstanding creative enterprise, and the IF Living Legend Award

Her most recent credit is the period drama, THE YOUNG VICTORIA starring Emily Blunt as the youthful British monarch.

SIMON McCUTCHEON (Production Designer)An industry professional for the last two decades, McCutcheon has

worked predominantly as an art director, amassing a diverse range of credits in both film and television.

As art director, his television credits include ROUND THE TWIST (series

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3), DOGWOMAN, HALIFAX FP, FERGUS McPHAIL, DIRT GAME and the HBO 10-part mini-series, THE PACIFIC.

Feature film credits, also in the field of art direction, list the multi award-winning LOOK BOTH WAYS, HORSEPLAY and THE BOOK OF REVELATION. He has also worked in the art department of many other productions such as MR NICE GUY, THE INTERVIEW, THE QUIET AMERICAN, ROMULUS MY FATHER and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.

Most recently, McCutcheon served as production designer on director Sarah Watt’s latest film MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX.

LOUISE McCARTHY (Costume Designer)In addition to amassing many notable film and television credits, McCarthy

has also worked extensively for stage. Since the early nineties, she has taken charge of both set and costume design for over twenty theatrical shows including NED KELLY, CAN WE AFFORD THIS?, BLUE/ORANGE, FEVER, BIRTHRIGHTS, BIRD@3000, A SINGLE ACT and TRACEY, for organizations ranging from Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne Workers’ Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival, to Perth’s Regal Theatre and Darwin Theatre Company.

Feature film credits include Sue Brooks’ ROAD TO NHILL and the gritty drama, LIFE, directed by Lawrence Johnston, along with the doco-drama, POZIERES, written and directed by Wain Fimeri.

In addition to her stage and film work, McCarthy’s television portfolio includes many critically acclaimed series, including RAW FM, QUEEN KAT, CARMEL & ST JUDE and SECRET BRIDESMAID’S BUSINESS, all for ABC Television and SBS Independent’s 2006 series, KICK.

CEZARY SKUBISZEWSKI (Composer)Born in Poland, Cezary Skubiszewski migrated to Australia in 1975, where

he continued piano studies at the University of Melbourne. Since that time, he has forged a career as one of Australia’s most versatile and outstanding composers of film scores.

His first feature score was for LILIAN’S STORY, for which he won an APRA Award for Best Film Score. Since that time he has garnered a slew of awards and nominations for his feature film work, including AFI Awards for Best Original Music for TWO HANDS, BOOTMEN and LA SPAGNOLA. Other feature film credits include THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING, STRANGE FITS OF PASSION. THE WOG BOY, BLACK & WHITE, THE RAGE IN PLACID LAKE, HATING ALISON ASHLEY, THE BOOK OF REVELATION, NIGHT and most recently director Gillian Armstrong’s feature DEATH DEFYING ACTS

Skubiszewski has also scored extensively for television, from EUGENIE SANDLER PI., WITCH HUNT, HALIFAX FP, AFTER THE DELUGE and THE BRUSH OFF to THE SOCIETY MURDERS and CARLA CAMETTI PD. His talents have also extended to scoring many documentaries and he has composed a number of orchestral works including the music for the 2006

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Commonwealth Games.

In 2003, Skubiszewski received the Centenary Medal for services to Australian society and film production.

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