Dean Francis' Feature Debut Announced
3 June, '08
Dean Francis will direct supernatural thriller ROAD TRAIN for producer Michael Robertson. The film, from a script by Clive Hopkins, is scheduled to shoot March 2009.
Click to read the annoucements:
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Sydney Film Festival to Include Francis Blog
3 June, '08
Dean will be blogging for this years Sydney Film Festival, presenting recomendataions and reviews for the duration of the festival (June 4th - June 22nd).
Click here for the Sydney Film Festival blog
PIGS Web Series Launched on Funny or Die
May 26, ’08
The web series PIGS, starring Rick Viede as a cop on the wrong side of the law has been released on Will Ferrell’s comedy portal Funny or Die.
The Dean Francis-directed series is a parody of the US reality show COPS and follows Detective Gunn Rade as he strives to keep the streets clean of perversion, filth and immorality.
PIGS is part of a TV comedy concept in development by Francis and Viede, who last collaborated on the 2002 short feature Crazy Richard.
Click here to watch and rate the series on Funny or Die.
Film Victoria Funds Development of BABI Feature
22 May, '08
The Dean Francis-produced psychological thriller BABI has received feature film script development funding from Film Victoria. Writer Peter Ivan will create the screenplay based on a story by Francis about an oppressed house wife who becomes convinced she is turning into an animal after receiving a kidney transplanted from a baboon.
More information from Film Victoria
In the media: Time Out and The Age
18 May, '08
Dean Francis is featured in recent media discussion about sex scenes in films.
Click here to read the Green Guide’s article “Tricks of the Trade”
Click here to read Time Out’s article “Making it Faking It”
VERMIN London Screening Sells Out
Mar. ‘08
The London Premiere of VERMIN at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival has sold out for both of its sessions at the National Film Theatre at Southbank.
VERMIN is the third film of Dean’s to screen at the prestigious film festival. In 2002 Dean personally presented his short feature CRAZY RICHARD to a sold out audience and in 2005 the festival screened Dean’s short TRANSGRESSION.
This year VERMIN screens in a shorts program with another Australian film, LOVE BITE by Craig Boreham, which Dean worked on as the Director of Photography.
VERMIN has also recently been invited to screen in Canada as part of the Toronto International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
MILK AND WATER Premiere at Seymour Centre, Sydney
Dec, '07
Dean Francis will direct a short play for the SHORT AND SWEET play festival in Sydney, January 2008. MILK AND WATER follows aspiring stand-up comedian Daniel in the lead up to an open mic night at a Los Angeles comedy club as his relationship with girlfriend and baby daughter becomes strained under the pressure to hit the bigtime.
The play, written by New York screenwriter Sammy Burch, will star Daniel Collopy and Lisa Kowalski It is one of 130 plays to be staged during the four-week long festival at venues in the inner west in early 2008.
Milk and Water January 21-26, 2008 Seymour Center, Cnr. City Rd and Cleveland St, Broadway Bookings: MCA TIX 1300 306 776 or www.mca-tix.com.au Click here for more info on Short and Sweet
3 Titles Picked up Underground
Nov, '07
Three of Dean Francis- directed films, Boys Grammar, Transgression and Too Little Justice have been acquired by Undergoundfilm.org, a non-profit portal is dedicated to using digital distribution to bring filmed entertainment to audiences throughout the world.
Click here to view the films at Undergroundfilm Film
Festival Screenings This month
Nov, 07
AFTERLIFE screens at the Bondi Short Film Festival (Nov. 24th), VERMIN screened at Poland’s prestigious national festival TOFIFEST (Nov 10th) and at the Japanese Film Festival (Dec. 3rd). Both VERMIN and AFTERLIFE screened at the Show Me Shorts film festival in New Zealand (Nov. 11th). And TRANSGRESSION screened in the Alandalesgai Film Festival in Spain.
Directors Guild Nomination for VERMIN
Sept 28, ‘07
Dean Francis has been nominated for an Australian Directors Guild (ADG) Award in the category of Best Student Short for the 22-minute film VERMIN.
VERMIN has screened at festivals around the world, including the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Sydney Underground Film Fetsival where it picked up two awards.
The ADG Awards will be held on the night of Saturday 13 October, during the 2007 ADG Atlab Conference. 42 Directors were nominated in all, covering thirteen categories across a range of genres including feature film, television, documentary, music video, short film and television commercials.
“The Guild has been overwhelmed with the number of entries received – Australian Directors have really embraced these awards,” Executive Director of the Australian Directors Guild DREW MACRAE said.
Click here to read the ADG press release.
VERMIN Picks Up Underground Awards
Sept. 20 ’07
VERMIN has picked up two awards at the Sydney Underground Film Festival. The awards went to writer / director Dean Francis for Most Innovative Narrative and to lead actor Damon Gameau for Best Actor.
The Festival, dedicated to showcasing independent, artistic shorts and features from Australia and around the world, screened over four nights in Enmore and featured premieres by David Lynch.
Click here for more info on Sydney Underground Film Festival Awards
Dale Johnson-Green in Vermin
‘Nice’ Online Film Deal
2 Sept '07
Six short films by Dean Francis have been acquired by Melbourne-based web film portal NiceShorts.com.au . The titles include the controversial Boys Grammar and the documentary Transgression as well as some of Dean’s early award-winning shorts created through production company jj splice.
To coincide with the launch of the films online, Dean was interviewed by Aaron Roach of Nice Shorts about impetus behind an ‘uncompromising’ style of filmmaking.
Click here to read the interview.
Click here to view the short films at Nice Shorts
VERMIN Infests Perth…
2 Jul '07
VERMIN will screen at the Perth Revelation International Film Festival this month, in front of the short feature ‘Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis’.
Dean will attend the film’s first Revelation screening on Friday July 13th at the Luna SX Cinema, Essex St, Freemantle, and then participate in a panel discussion about ‘The Art of Short Film’ on Sunday July 15th, 11am at the WA Art Gallery Theater. VERMIN will screen again the following Sunday 22nd of July at the Luna Leederville Cinema.
From www.revelationfilmfest.org: ‘For close to a decade Melbourne filmmaker Dean Francis has been honing his own uncompromising style of filmmaking. Afterlife screened at Rev 06 and Vermin is his graduation film from AFTRS, and it’s not the usual ‘calling card’ movie we’re used to seeing from the nation’s prestigious film school… Accomplished and disturbing Vermin homages David Lynch at his early best.’
VERMIN exposed in New York City
17 Jun '07
Dean recently returned from New York City where he presented VERMIN at NEWFEST, the city’s largest and oldest Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Film Festival.
Programmed in the short film program ‘Lost Boys’, VERMIN screened to near full houses and generated strong responses from audiences. Dean participated in lively audience Q and A sessions, a chance to talk about the themes and inspiration for VERMIN.
Also screening in the ‘Lost Boys’ session was Jamie Travis’ morbidly absurd THE SADDEST BOY IN THE WORLD and Darren Stein’ hysterical COLOR ME OLSEN.
Dean also presented the 14-minute STRAY, which he co-directed with gay and lesbian teenagers at risk of homelessness as part of a co-production Channel Free and Twenty Ten. The crowd-pleasing ‘dramedy’ was a hit with NYC audiences. It was produced and co-directed with Craig Boreham stars Richard Viede of Crazy Richard fame. Stray will now screen at the Frameline Festival in San Fransisco and at Outfest in Los Angeles.
VERMIN will screen at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival (see above).
Dean acknowledges the support the Australian Film Commission in providing a travel grant to attend Newfest.
Richard
Viede in STRAY
BOYS
GRAMMAR TAKES OUT STELLA PRIZE
24 May '07
BOYS GRAMMAR took
out a prize at the Newtown Film Festival on Thursday May 14th 2007, selected
from fourteen finalists screened at the Newtown Hotel on King Street. The prize
was a slab of Stella Artois!
AFTERLIFE
WINS ACS NATIONALS
15 May '07
AFTERLIFE has taken out BEST
STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY in the Australian Cinematographers Society National Awards.
The win comes after the film won a Gold Award at the Queensland ACS Awards. Congratulations
to Cinematographer Simon Gray and everyone involved in the production.
DEADLINE
Completed
20 Jan '07
The
Dean Francis-directed short film DEADLINE (above) has recently been completed.
Dean shot the project in Brisbane in late 2005 with Director of Photography
Jason Ramp and a volunteer crew of students from the Griffith University Film
School. Produced by Janelle Evans and written by Marcus Waters, DEADLINE stars
Lafe Charlton and Rodney Boschman.
For a sneak preview of Deadline, click
here.
More
Sydney and Melbourne Screenings!
01 Feb '07
TOO LITTLE JUSTICE will screen at the Starlight Cinema in North Sydney in
front of Phillip Noyce's CATCH A FIRE on Saturday Febuary 10th. See www.starlightcinema.com.au
for details.
AFTERLIFE will screen at the
Junkyard Cinema, 20 Rose Street, Fitzroy on Thursday 29th March at 7pm. See www.junkyardcinema.com.au
for details.
Dean
featured on Sydney Film Company Screentest
15 Jan '07
Dean Francis
was this month featured on the Sydney
Film Company's online mag SCREENTEST, which is distributed to the TV advertising
industry. Click here
to view the piece (then click the link to Screentest).
Boys
Grammar released in the US on DVD
28 Nov '06
BOYS
GRAMMAR, the horrific true story of ritualized rape in Sydney private boarding
schools has been released in North America on the DVD compilation BOYS
BRIEFS 3, through Picture This! Entertainment.
The film is one of
eight featured on the compilation, the theme of which is gay male hook-ups.
Also
included is a behind-the scenes-short which shows the making of Boys Grammar and
contains an interview with Director Dean Francis.
To date Boys Grammar
has had 19 festival screenings.
From Amazon.com:
"Boys Grammar"
to me was the highlight of the compilation. Through the use of violence in an
exclusive prep school, two boys find each other and love. As short as it is, this
movie packs a wallop as the young guys suddenly accept themselves for who they
really are. It is graphic and a disturbing look at the ritual of hazing."
-
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride, Nov 18th 2006
Transgression acquired
by LOGO, newest MTV Channel
Nov 24'06
TRANSGRESSION
was recently acquired by US Cable Company Logo.
Logo is the newest channel from MTV Networks, the force behind channels
like VH1, MTV, TV Land and SpikeTV. Logo is entertainment programming for lesbians
and gays and just about anyone who enjoys a gay point of view.
TRANSGRESSION will air on "The Click List" a short film package that airs every Tuesday at 10pm
EST. As part of the acquisition, TRANSGRESSION is also
featured
for streaming on the Logo website along with an interview with Writer / Director
Dean Francis.
Viewers can vote for their favorite short film online. Currently,
TRANSGRESSION is in the top twenty films. Be sure to vote
here!
The
10th Hollywood Film Festival
20 Nov '06
Dean with AFTERLIFE'S writer Rozlyn Clayton-Vincent
at the Hollywood
Film Festival
Dean recently presented his 9-minute short AFTERLIFE
at the Hollywood Film
FestivalÆ.
The Hollywood FestivalÆ and Hollywood AwardsÆ were created
to honor excellence in the art of filmmaking and celebrated their tenth anniversary
this year. They have fast become recognised as a pre-OscarÆ showcase, and the
festival included symposiums, premieres and special screenings of over 100 films
including features, shorts and documentaries.
AFTERLIFE, the dramatic
story of a flight attendant who is forced to confront the unspeakable as she faces
the last five minutes of her life, was screened in front of the US / UK co-production
PLAYED.
Highlights of the festival included Olivers Stone's presentation
of his classic BORN ON THE FORTH OF JULY which was followed by a Q&A with
Stone and Ron Kovac, upon whose life story the film was bassed. Phillip Noyce
also presented his latest film CATCH A FIRE and held a lively Q&A afterwards.
The Hollywood Awards honnored Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Penelope
Cruz and Sandra Bullok to name but a few.
Other recent film festival
screenings of Dean's work include the Australian
International Film Festival in Melbourne (AFTERLIFE
and BOYS GRAMMAR) and the LesGayCineMad
Film Festival in Madrid (BOYS GRAMMAR).
Click here to View
the Press Release from Stacey Testro International
AFTERLIFE wins ACS Gold
20 Nov '06
AFTERLIFE,
photographed by Simon Gray has taken out the Gold Award at the Queensland ACS
Awards.
AFTERLIFE was one of six awards
won by Gray on the night, including a Silver ACS Award for VERMIN.
Also this month, Sound Designer Chris Stevenson was nominated for an
Australian Sound Award for his work on AFTERLIFE.
Dean Mentors Homeless Film Project
20 Nov '06
Dean is currently mentoring a film project with Twenty10,
a Sydney-based youth homeless shelter for Gay, Lesbian and Transgender children.
The film is based on the children's real life stories and is also acted and crewed
by them. As yet untitled, the 6-minute short is a co-production with Craig
Boreham from youth media access organization Channel
Free.
41st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
26 July
'06
Dean
recently attended the Karlovy
Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic to present the World
Premiere of his latest short VERMIN.
VERMIN
played with three other short films as part of the Forum of Independents program
and was received with a high level of enthusiasm by audiences and critics alike.
Opening night at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival
Dean was joined
by VERMIN's producer, Justin Davies who currently works as an associate producer
at the BBC in London.
The Karlovy Vary Festival, nestled in the picturesque
spa town, is distinctive for its relaxed atmosphere and high quality of films,
many of which are world or European premieres.
Special guests included
Terry Gilliam, Andy Garcia, DA Pennebaker and Danny Huston.
Dean is
currently back in Sydney briefly before heading off to the Palm Springs International
Short Film Festival in the US.
For
Dean's full report of the festival, including photos and media, click
here.
VERMIN
US PREMIERE
08 Aug '06
VERMIN, the latest
film by Dean Francis will screen in the prestigious Palm Springs International
Short Film Festival. The news comes days after it was announced that Dean's other
short AFTERLIFE had been selected for the festival,
one of the largest festivals of short films in the world.
AFTERLIFE FESTIVAL DREAM RUN
20 June '06
AFTERLIFE
will screen in the PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL from August
24th - 30th 2006.
The invitation comes after the film's recent acceptance
into the REVELATION PERTH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL which takes place from July
13th-23rd.
AFTEFLIFE, one of 21 shorts in
Revelation will screen on the 16th, 21st and 22nd of July. For program details
see http://www.revelationfilmfest.org
BOYS
GRAMMAR and TRANSGRESSION to find a US Audience
8 May '06
Five
US festival screenings of Dean's short films have been confirmed for June and
July 2006.
TRANSGRESSION, a short documentary
about a girl born with a male body and BOYS GRAMMAR,
about school yard bullying, will both screen at New Fest, the New York Gay and
Lesbian Film Festival which runs from June 1st - 11th.
The
following week, BOYS GRAMMAR will screen at the
San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which is the largest festival event
of its type in the world. Previously, the San Francisco Festival screened Dean's
1999 short ESCAPE FROM HELL.
Continuing its US
run, BOYS GRAMMAR will then show at the Philadelphia
International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival which runs from July 13th - 25th.
Philadelphia was the festival of choice for the US premiere of Dean's 2002 short
feature CRAZY RICHARD and also screened TRASNGRESSION
in 2005.
After Philladelphia, BOYS GRAMMAR will screen in Chicago at
the Reeling at Gay Games VII Fillm Festival.
Dean
wins Australian Film Television and Radio School Directing Award
1 April
'06
Dean Francis has been awarded the Australian
Screen Directors Association award for Best Directed Drama in recognition
of his short film AFTERLIFE.
AFTERLIFE
tells the story of a flight attendant who fights to save her passengers in the
wake of a terrorist attack on a trans-Atlantic aircraft.
The 9-minute
film was written by Rozlyn Clayton-Vincent, Produced by Justin Davies and stars
Lisa Hensley (Brides of Christ). It was undertaken as an "off-slate" which means
it was made out side of the curriculum of AFTRS
but supported by the school through the provision of equipment.
The
award ceremony took place on March 31st as part of the graduation celebrations
at AFTRS Sydney campus in
North Ryde.
Dean, who has been a full-time student for the past two years,
graduated with a Graduate Diploma and a Master of Arts in Film and Television
specializing in Directing. During the course Dean directed nine projects and attained
seven High Distinctions.
SBS
Acquires Two Dean Francis Films
6 Mar, '06
SBS Television recently acquired two of Dean Francis' films TOO
LITTLE JUSTICE and TRANSGRESSION for broadcast on
the late-night short film package SOS.
Both films were made during Dean's time at the Australian
Film Television and Radio School and have screened at film festivals around
the world.
TOO LITTLE JUSTICE tells the story
of an Aboriginal boy's fight for dignity on his first day at a new school. It
won an award at the Auburn Festival for Children and Young Adults and screened
at the NADOC Aboriginal Legal Rights Conference.
TRANSGRESSION
is a documentary about a teenage girl with a body problem: she was born with a
male body. The 7-minute film screened at DocNZ, the New Zealand Documentary Film
Festival and at Outfest, Los Angeles.
Previously, SBS acquired Dean's
controversial 1999 short ESCAPE FROM HELL which told of
the graphic suicide of a teenage boy.
The films will appear on SBS late
2006.
A
Double Invitation to the St Kilda Film Festival
1 Mar, '01
This
year the St Kilda
Film Festival has invited two of Dean's short films to participate in its
competition. The controversial BOYS GRAMMAR will
screen along with TRANSGRESSION in what is described as
the largest short film festival in Australia.
BOYS
GRAMMAR is based on the horrific true story of a boy who was raped by his
peers at an exclusive private boys school. The 8-minute film attracted significant
media attention in 2005 including a feature on Channel Nine's A
CURRENT AFFAIR (click for interview), a screening on SBS TV's INSIGHT
and feature articles in Who Weekly and The
Sydney Morning Herald (click for article). The release of the film prompted
fierce debate within the community about bullying and saw the filmmakers inundated
with hundreds of letters from victims of bullying and their parents.
TRANSGRESSION is a short documentary about a young transgender
girl and was recently acquired by SBS after a successful film festival run. Dean
and the film's producer Katie Shortland are currently working on a longer follow-up
project.
The
St Kilda Film Festival has long taken an interest in Dean's work, in the past
screening DYSPOSIA, DUPION,
TOO LITTLE JUSTICE and ESCAPE FROM HELL
which was awarded the prize for Best Student Film in 1999.
The festival
takes place from May 30th in Melbourne.
AFTERLIFE
Nominated for Golden Reel Award
6
Feb, '06
Dean Francis' short film AFTERLIFE is one of five short films worldwide to be nominated for Best Sound in a Student Production by the Motion Picture Sound Editors of America.
The action film, sound designed by Christopher Stevenson, tells the story of a fight attendant who responds to a terrorist attack on board a trans-continental flight.
The award ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on March 4th 2006, after a screening of the nominated films.
AFTERLIFE is one of three films on which Christopher Stevenson and Dean Francis have collaborated. Their latest, VERMIN is due for final mix this week.
Dean
Francis in Berlinale Talent-Campus
22 Jan,' 06
Dean
will travel to Berlin on February 10, 2006 for the
Berlinale Talent Campus, held as part of the Berlin Film
Festival.
Selected
from over 3,600 entrants, Dean will take master classes with other emerging filmmakers,
and lead by experts in all aspects of filmmaking from around the world.
Experts in
previous years have included Win Wenders (Paris, Texas), Ridley Scott (Bladerunner)
and Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries).
Scroll down for news archive...
CRAZY
RICHARD Mardi Gras screening almost ends in violence...
19 Feb, '03
CRAZY RICHARD screened at the Academy Twin Cinema in Sydney's Darlinghurst on February 18th as part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival.
Reaction to the films was strong, with a full cinema giving a vigorous round of applause as the credits rolled.
Some punters, however, were not as thrilled. One woman stopped co-director and star Katrina Mathers on the way out of the cinema to express her disgust - she felt Katrina was responsible for the death of ex-child-star Richard Veed.
In reality, the character Richard Veed plays is fictional, but there was no convincing the woman of this, especially as Richard was nowhere to be seen (he had gone to move his car). After the argument became more heated, Richard returned and Katrina escaped without injuries.
Australian
Premiere of CRAZY RICHARD!
2 Oct, '02
Dean Francis and Katrina Mathers' debut short-feature, CRAZY RICHARD is set to make it's Australian Premiere on the Opening Night of Brisbane's inaugral AUSFEST, the first Australian film festival dedicated to digital filmmaking.
Selected from over 450 films entered in the festival from more than 25 countries, CRAZY RICHARD will screen at the Judith Wright Center for Contemporary Art in Fortitude Valley, followed by an Opening Night Party.
The 64-minute dramatized documentary tells the "shocking real-life story" of ex-child-star Richard Veed's fatal attempt to recapture the public spotlight.
CRAZY RICHARD has received rave reviews at film festivals in the UK and US.
World Premiere of CRAZY RICHARD in London
13 Apr '02
The world premiere of CRAZY RICHARD took place yesterday at the The National Film Theater at London's Southbank as part of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Co-directors Dean Francis and Katrina Mathers introduced CRAZY RICHARD to a packed session in the biggest of the three NFT theaters and later took 20-minutes of audience questions. British audiences responded vigorously to the film's themes of media voyeurism and "reality culture" and were interested to discover that the Q and A session was being filmed as part of a mockumentary follow-up sequel.
