A SCREENTIME production for SHOWTIME Australia Premiering in 2011 exclusively on showcase, available on FOXTEL and AUSTAR Last updated \6.11.10 Media Kit Media contacts: Catherine Lavelle CLPR for SHOWTIME Australia T 0413 88 55 95 E catherine@clpr.com.au Vanessa Hollins Publicity Manager SHOWTIME Australia T 02 8374 6820 E vhollins@showtime.com.au cloudstreet The highly anticipated mini-series realisation of Tim Winton’s cloudstreet will premiere in 2011 exclusively on showcase available on FOXTEL and AUSTAR. Adapted for the screen by the novel’s award winning author Tim Winton, cloudstreet – the novel, was first published in 1991 and has been a best-seller since its publication. With the screenrights originally acquired by American producers, in late 2008 SHOWTIME Australia, in partnership with highly regarded Australian producers SCREENTIME, bought the rights back ensuring that cloudstreet would be an all Australian production. Set during WW2 and the post-war years in and around Perth, and directed by multi-award winning director MATTHEW SAVILLE (Tangle, The King, The Surgeon, Noise) cloudstreet was shot in and around Perth, Western Australia over a span of thirteen weeks in 2010. The story of two families sharing a house at No 1 Cloud St, the outstanding ensemble cast includes STEPHEN CURRY (The Cup, The King, Changi) as SAM PICKLES and ESSIE DAVIS (The Silence, The Girl With The Pearl Earring, After The Deluge, The Matrix) as his wife DOLLY PICKLES, and EMMA BOOTH (Swerve, Underbelly 3, Clubland) as their daughter ROSE, with LARA ROBINSON (Knowing, The Long Weekend) as YOUNG ROSE. Joining them as the tenants are GEOFF MORRELL (Rake, Bastard Boys, Curtin, Grass Roots, Changi) as LESTER LAMB, KERRY FOX (Bright Star, Shallow Grave, An Angel At My Table) as his wife ORIEL LAMB, with TODD LASANCE (Underbelly – Tell Them Lucifer Was Here, Police Rescue Special Ops, Home & Away, Fools Gold) as QUICK, recent NIDA graduate HUGO JOHNSTONE-BURT (Underbelly – The Golden Mile) as FISH, with CALLAN McAULLIFE (I Am Number Four, Flipped, Franswa Sharl) as YOUNG QUICK and TOM RUSSELL (Matching Jack, The Tree, Last Ride) as YOUNG FISH. Also appearing is KELTON PELL (The Circuit, September, Australian Rules, One Night The Moon) as the ethereal BOB CRAB and OLIVER ACKLAND (The Proposition, Pirate Islands) as the debonair TOBY RAVEN. Written by TIM WINTON and ELLEN FONTANA, produced by GREG HADDRICK and BRENDA PAM and executive produced by KIM VECERA, DES MONAGHAN, KIRK HALLAM and SEAN FERRER, cloudstreet is a SCREENTIME production for SHOWTIME Australia, and will premiere in mid-2011, marking the twentieth anniversary of the book’s first publication. Page 2 cloudstreet cloudstreet follows the fortunes of two typically boisterous clans, the Pickles and the Lambs, as they share a ramshackle house and struggle to come to terms with life in 40s and 50s Australia - the various hurdles that luck and fate have tossed in their path, and the meaning of faith and family. cloudstreet Part 1 During the years of World War II, bad luck robs Sam Pickles of the fingers on his right hand and the Lambs’ youngest son is left brain damaged through a near-drowning. But Sam Pickles inherits a huge house in Perth, and when a further run of bad luck leads him to rent a half of it out, the Lambs become tenants in Number 1, Cloud Street. cloudstreet Part 2 The Lambs have established a successful local store in the front room of their half of the house, while the Pickles are still blown by the winds of fate in their half. Both families have ups and downs but then good times seem to be there for both. cloudstreet Part 3 Good times quickly end as tragedy strikes the Pickles. But slowly things come round. Both families unwittingly help the other as journeys away from faith, away from family, away from home and away from love, all return to find their natural place in cloudstreet. Page 3 cloudstreet Key Cast PICKLES FAMILY Sam Pickles Stephen Curry Dolly Pickles Essie Davis Rose Pickles Emma Booth Ted Pickles Sean Keenan Chub Pickles Shannon Lively Young Rose Pickles Young Ted Pickles Young Chub Pickles Young Dolly Pickles Lara Robinson William Mattock Reece Sardelic Sierra Bathurst Joel Pickles Andrew Lewis LAMB FAMILY Lester Lamb Oriel Lamb Quick Lamb Fish Lamb Lon Lamb Elaine Lamb Hat Lamb Red Lamb Geoff Morrell Kerry Fox Todd Lasance Hugo Johnstone-Burt Adam Sollis Sarah McKellar Siobhan Dow-Hall Amanda Woodhams Young Quick Lamb Young Fish Lamb Young Lon Lamb Young Elaine Lamb Young Hat Lamb Young Red Lamb Callan McAuliffe Tom Russell Rohnan Tierney Annie Smith Freya Tingley Grace Ray OTHER CAST Bob Crab Toby Raven The Voice of The Pig Narration Kelton Pell Oliver Ackland Bruce Spence Rod Haddrick Page 4 cloudstreet Key Crew Director Matthew Saville Writers Tim Winton & Ellen Fontana Producers Greg Haddrick Brenda Pam Executive Producer Kim Vecera Des Monaghan Sean H. Ferrer Kirk M. Hallam Director of Photography Mark Wareham Production Designer Herbert Pinter Casting Ann Robinson Mullinars Casting Consultants Costume Designer Terri Lamera Make Up/Hair Designer Peta Hastings Editor Geoff Hitchins Composer Bryony Marks Sound Designer Emma Bortignon VFX Supervisor Scott Zero Page 5 cloudstreet Page 6 cloudstreet SAM PICKLES Insert character description – coming from Greg STEPHEN CURRY is SAM PICKLES Stephen became a household name with his breakout role in the Australian hit, The Castle, playing the character of Dale Kerrigan opposite Michael Caton and Eric Bana. His other feature credits include the 2006 thriller Rogue and the yet to be released The Cup with Stephen in the leading role of Damien Oliver. Stephen has been a regular face in many of Australia’s most respected television shows including Frontline, The Secret Life of Us, Changi, Day of the Roses and the mini-series Mary Bryant. In 2007, he took on the challenging role of portraying one of Australia’s most legendary personalities, Graham Kennedy, in the biopic, The King. Awards followed, including the AFI Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama, the TV Week Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama, and the ASTRA Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor. Since working on The King, Stephen has performed leading roles in the telemovie The Informant; and the miniseries False Witness. He also shot the short film You Better Watch Out with Chris Haywood and Dan Wylie, the film was nominated for Best Short Film for the 2008 IF Awards. In 2009, Stephen played a regular role in 30 Seconds. Page 7 cloudstreet DOLLY PICKLES Insert character description – coming from Greg ESSIE DAVIS is DOLLY PICKLES Since graduating from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, Essie Davis has become one of Australia’s most respected and acclaimed film, theatre and television actors. With feature film credits including Peter Webber’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Wachowski Brothers’ The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46, Charlotte’s Web, Isolation and Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, In 2010, Essie starred in two feature films, The Wedding Party which premiered at the 2010 Melbourne Film Festival and South Solitary which opened the 2010 Sydney Film Festival. Essie has starred in numerous television series and miniseries including Sweeney Todd for the BBC, The Silence, After the Deluge which earned her an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress and Halifax fp: The Spider and the Fly for which she was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actress. Essie has also gained critical acclaim for her theatre roles. For the Sydney Theatre Company she has starred in Tot Mom directed by Steven Soderbergh and The School for Scandal directed by Judy Davis, which earned her a Helpmann Award nomination, and for the Melbourne Theatre Company her performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof saw her nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Female Performer. Essie was also nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Dottie in the Broadway run of the London’s National Theatre’s production of Jumpers, and her performance as Stella in the London’s National Theatre’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire won her an Olivier Award. In 2011, Essie will also be seen in Jonathan Teplitzky’s Burning Man opposite Matthew Goode and Rachel Griffiths. Page 8 cloudstreet ROSE PICKLES Insert character description – coming from Greg EMMA BOOTH is ROSE PICKLES Emma Booth is one of Australia’s leading young actors in film and television. Emma made her feature film debut in Cherie Nowlan’s Clubland aka Introducing The Dwights, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Her performance in the film earned her the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, and the Best Australian Newcomer at the 2008 Movie Extra Filmink Awards. Emma went on to star in Joel Schumacher’s Blood Creek, Karl Golden’s independent feature Pelican Blood and Scott Hicks’ The Boys Are Back opposite Clive Owen, which premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Emma will also appear as Germaine Greer in the Working Title feature, Hippie Hippie Shake opposite Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller, and in 2011 she will be seen in Craig Lahiff’s Swerve alongside Jason Clarke and David Lyons. Emma’s television credits include starring as Kim Hollingsworth in Underbelly: The Golden Mile, Rowan Woods’ ABC miniseries Three Acts Of Murder, The Shark Net, Small Claims, The Circuit and All Saints. LARA ROBINSON is YOUNG ROSE PICKLES With an impressive list of credits to her name Lara Robinson has emerged as one of Australia's most promising young actors. In 2009 Lara worked on the thriller Knowing. Starring Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne and Chandler Canterbury, Lara played both Byrne's daughter Abby, as well as her mother Lucinda, in flashback scenes that give the film its powerful opening sequence. Previously, Lara worked on the remake of the 1978 classic Australian thriller The Long Weekend starring Claudia Karvan. Her television credits include City Homicide, The Elephant Princess and the SBS telemovie Saved. Page 9 cloudstreet LESTER LAMB Insert character description – coming from Greg GEOFF MORRELL is LESTER LAMB One of Australia’s most prolific and award winning actors, Geoff Morrell has played some of Australia’s best loved characters on stage and screen. With feature credits including lead roles in Ten Empty and Rogue as well as supporting lead roles in Ned Kelly, Lucky Miles, The View from Greenhaven Drive, and Coffin Rock, Geoff has created some of Australia’s best loved television characters in Grass Roots, Bastard Boys, Curtain and Blue Heelers and Changi, as well as appearing in The Secret Life Of Us, Stingers and Farscape. Morrell has won the 2000 AFI Award for Best Actor for Grass Roots, and has been nominated four times, for Fallen Angels Grass Roots (2nd series), Changi and Marking Time. He has been nominated for three TV Week Silver Logies for Grass Roots (1st and 2nd series) and Changi. Geoff has most recently been seen on Australian screens in the ABC mini-series, Rake. Page 10 cloudstreet ORIEL LAMB Insert character description – coming from Greg KERRY FOX is ORIEL LAMB Kerry Fox is one of New Zealand’s most internationally respected and awarded actors. Kerry’s body of work includes Jane Campion’s An Angel At My Table for which she was awarded the New Zealand Film Award for Best Actress, the San Sebastian Film Festival Award for Best Actress and the Venice Film Festival Elvira Notari Award for Best Performance; Gillian Armstrong’s The Last Days of Chez Nous which earned her the Asia-Pacific Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress; and Patrice Chereau’s Intimacy which saw her win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress Award. She has also starred in Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave, Michael Winterbottom’s Welcome to Sarajevo, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, Country Life, The Gathering, The Hanging Garden, Storm and most recently Bright Star directed by Jane Campion. Kerry has appeared in numerous productions for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the UK including A Village Affair, Saigon Baby, Déjà Vu, Waking the Dead and Trial and Retribution and for HBO in the telemovie The Affair. In 2010, Kerry starred in Rowan Joffe’s BAFTA Award winning telemovie The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall. Kerry trained at The New Zealand Drama School and is an accomplished theatre actress having appeared on stage in Wellington, Sydney and London. Most recently, Kerry performed in Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in Tongues at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre. In 2011, Kerry will also be seen in Jonathan Teplitzsky’s feature Burning Man and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s Intruders. Page 11 cloudstreet QUICK LAMB Insert character description – coming from Greg TODD LASANCE is QUICK LAMB Winner of the 2009 TV Week Silver Logie for ‘Most Popular Actor in a Television Series’ for his role as Aden in Home & Away, Todd was nominated for the same award a year later. In 2010 Todd was cast in Underbelly – Tell Them Lucifer Was Here, and most recently completed filming a recurring guest lead role in Channel 9’s Rescue Special Ops Season 3. His other television credits include McLeod’s Daughters, Blue Water High and Blackjack – Ghost. On film, Todd played the role of Frat Boy in the US feature Fools Gold - opposite Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. CALLAN McAULIFFE is YOUNG QUICK LAMB One of Australia’s rising young stars in film and television, in 2010 Callan made his feature debut as Rob Reiner’s romantic lead in the Warner Bros’ coming of age film Flipped. He has recently completed filming the Dreamworks high action feature I Am Number Four, directed by D J Caruso and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, which will be released in 2011. Callan starred in the award winning short film Franswa Sharl, directed by Hannah Hilliard. Awarded the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival, the film also received the IF Media Award for Most Popular Film at the Flickerfest International Short Film Festival and Best Australian Short Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It also screened in Official Selection at the Aspen International Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. With television credits including Packed to the Rafters, Comedy Inc. and Blue Water High, Callan has also appeared in Darren Ashton’s short film Undertow and Young Jonathan directed by Iain McDonald. Page 12 cloudstreet FISH LAMB Insert character description – coming from Greg HUGO JOHNSTONE-BURT is FISH LAMB Recent NIDA graduate Hugo Johnstone-Burt is fast building a career on stage and screen. Whilst at NIDA he appeared in theatre productions including Rabbit Hole, Importance of Being Earnest and Measure for Measure. Hugo has also appeared in the short films One More Day and Crowtrap. In 2010, Hugo played the role of Alan Rossini in Underbelly: The Golden Mile, and received a nomination for the Out Of The Box Award recognising new talent at the 2010 IF Awards. TOM RUSSELL is YOUNG FISH LAMB Tom's screen debut came in 2008 with the title role in the short film Daniel, before being cast in the lead role of Chook in the feature film, Last Ride opposite Hugo Weaving. Tom has recently been honoured with an AFI Nomination for Best Young Actor for his performance. In 2010 Tom played the key role of Jack in Nadia Tass’ feature film Matching Jack, opposite James Nesbitt, Richard Roxburgh, Kodi Smitt-McPhee and Jacinda Barrett, and the same year he also played the role of Lou in The Tree, directed by Julie Bertucelli and starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Page 13 cloudstreet BOB CRAB Insert character description – coming from Greg KELTON PELL is BOB CRAB Kelton Pell has built a reputation for being one of Australia’s finest indigenous actors. Widely recognised for his role as Sam Wallan in SBS’s highly acclaimed The Circuit, Kelton has also appeared in Bush Patrol. On the big screen, Kelton has appeared in The Last Ride, Bran Nue Dae, Blackfellas, Australian Rules, Confessions of a Headhunter, Cold Turkey, Where Two Rivers Meet, September, One Night The Moon and To Hell and Back. In 2010, Kelton Pell used his unique charm to effect in the films Aunty Maggie and the Womba Wagkun and Mad Bastards. TOBY RAVEN Insert character description – coming from Greg OLIVER ACKLAND is TOBY RAVEN Awarded the inaugural Heath Ledger Scholarship in 2009, Oliver Ackland is a rising star of Australian film and television. With feature credits including Roger Scholes’ Cable and John Hillcoat’s highly acclaimed The Proposition, Oliver’s most recent feature is Ben Lucas’ Wasted on the Young which premiered at the 2010 Sydney Film Festival and screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. With television credits including All Saints, Always Greener, Young Lions, Outriders and Pirate Islands, Oliver also appeared in the telemovie Emerald Falls and co-starred in the miniseries Jessica. Oliver has also appeared in numerous short films including 50-50, Emergence, Damian WalsheHowling’s The Bloody Sweet Hit and Eve directed by Hannah Hilliard. Page 14 cloudstreet CLOUDSTREET - The Novel An Australian classic, Tim Winton’s cloudstreet was first published in 1991. It has been a best seller since its publication in 1991 and was recently voted the most popular Australian novel by the Australian Society of Authors, and voted as Australia’s favourite novel in the 2009 Australian Book Review. Awards include National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction, 1991; West Australian Fiction Award 1991; Deo Gloria Award (UK), 1991 and the 1992 Miles Franklin Award. cloudstreet, was adapted for the stage by Nick Enright and Justin Monjo, and played to sell-out houses around Australia and in Zurich, London and Dublin in 1999. It toured internationally again in 2001, playing in London, New York and Washington. Published in eleven countries and adapted for radio and published as an audio book, cloudstreet is studied at secondary and tertiary levels around Australia. About SHOWTIME Australia SHOWTIME is the provider of Australia's premium suite of movie and original television channels: showtime premiere, showtime premiere HD, showtime two, showtime action, showtime action HD, showtime comedy, showtime drama, showcase, showcase HD and showcase two. Jointly owned by four of the world's leading film studios NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox as well as Liberty Global International, the SHOWTIME channels are available on and exclusive to FOXTEL and AUSTAR. About SCREENTIME Screentime is a specialist television, new media and corporate communications production company operating in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Our programmes and formats are seen and produced all over the world. SCREENTIME’S recent Australian productions are A Model Daughter, RBT and Underbelly The Golden Mile. Page 15