Ban Conversion Practices In Western Australia, South Australia, Say Survivors

LIVE – Updated at 13:57Follow live F1 coverage as the French Grand Prix weekend kicks off with free practice sessions one and two at Circuit Paul Ricard. Charles Leclerc reignited his world championship hopes by racing to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix last time out as team-mate Carlos Sainz emerged unscathed from his Ferrari after it caught fire. Leclerc passed championship leader Max Verstappen three times to claim his first triumph since he took the chequered flag in Australia on April 10.

LIVE – Updated at 17:52Follow live F1 coverage as the French Grand Prix weekend kicks off with free practice sessions one and two at Circuit Paul Ricard. Charles Leclerc reignited his world championship hopes by racing to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix last time out as team-mate Carlos Sainz emerged unscathed from his Ferrari after it caught fire. Leclerc passed championship leader Max Verstappen three times to claim his first triumph since he took the chequered flag in Australia on April 10.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAustralia-set fantasy-drama “Boy Swallows” is to shoot in Brisbane, Queensland from next month. The series is an adaptation of Trent Dalton’s international best-selling novel “Boy Swallows Universe” and is being produced by Brouhaha Entertainment for streaming platform Netflix.“Boy Swallows Universe” follows working-class Brisbane teenager Eli Bell in a whirlwind story about drug addiction, ex-cons, poverty, violence and the discovery of hope through the power of love, said local screen agency Screen Queensland.

No surprise the Yellow Brick Road ends in Oz, but which Oz? Australia can now make the claim after the country’s Warner Bros. Movie World amusement park announced the 2024 opening of a new park district devoted to The Wizard of Oz.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentNew York-based real estate entrepreneur and producer Noam Baram (“Walking to Paris”) has joined forces with Italian film exec Augusto Pelliccia to launch Valiah Entertainment, a new production company that will tap into Italy’s generous film production incentives.The new outfit, called Valiah Entertainment, has also forged a joint venture with veteran Hollywood producer Mark Lipsky (“Coming to America,” “Beverly Hills Cop III”) whose WOF Entertainment will help finance the production and handle distribution of Valiah’s multi-picture slate.The first film out of the Valiah gate will be “The Curfew,” a rom-com directed by Australia’s Nadia Tass who is known for directing Australian cult comedies such as “Malcolm,” “The Big Steal” and more recently the doc “Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story.” Shooting on “Curfew” is planned to start this fall at Valiah’s studio facilities in Rome. The film centers on an utterly unremarkable man named Raphael Di Stefano whose mediocre life suddenly gets a jolt when women begin to find him utterly irresistible.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Warner Bros Australia Head of Television Shaun Murphy has launched his own production company. Focusing on TV and film, Big Owl Pictures has backing from Balance Vector, the private equity group owned by California billionaire businessman Steve Luczo.

Bindi Irwin is celebrating someone special! On Tuesday, the wildlife conservationist took to her Instagram to celebrate her mother, Terri Irwin, on her birthday.“Mum, I couldn’t wait to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! So excited to celebrate your birthday tomorrow and the amazing, beautiful, inspiring person you are,” the 23-year-old wrote ahead of her mother's birthday on July 20.  “Thank you for being born. ❤️ I love you more than I could possibly describe and every day I’m grateful for your kind heart and strong soul.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix is acquiring Australian animation studio Animal Logic, which is producing films for the streamer including “The Magician’s Elephant,” directed by Wendy Rogers, and “The Shrinking of the Treehorns,”  directed by Ron Howard.Animal Logic has about 800 employees, mostly based in Sydney and Vancouver. The acquisition “will help us accelerate the development of our animation production capabilities and reinforces our commitment to build a world-class animation studio,” Netflix said in its Q2 letter to shareholders.Click here to sign up for Variety‘s free Strictly Business newsletter covering earnings, financial and investment news, and more.The company did not disclose the purchase price for Animal Logic but said it will fund the acquisition from cash on hand.

Netflix is moving further into the world of animation with the acquisition of Australian studio Animal Logic.

EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Green (The Outpost) is the latest addition to the cast of Ben Affleck’s Nike drama for Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures, in which Affleck will star opposite his Good Will Hunting collaborator Matt Damon.

Summertime smooches! Rebel Wilson’s romance with Ramona Agruma has continued to heat up nearly one month after they publicly debuted their connection.

In shambles. Prince William and Kate Middleton are keeping their distance from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Royal insider Katie Nicholl revealed to Entertainment Tonight that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge want to keep at arm’s length from William’s brother and his wife.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterThe South by Southwest Conference is expanding beyond its longtime Austin, Texas home to Sydney, Australia.SXSW Sydney will host a seven-day celebration of technology, film and music from Oct. 15 to Oct.

sxswsydney.com. SXSW in Austin, Texas dates back to 1987, and the 2023 edition of the tech, music and film festival will run between March 10-19. In 2021, Penske Media bought a 50% stake in the festival.

EXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Connelly and Ben Whishaw are set to star in Bad Behaviour, which marks the directorial debut for Alice Englert. Ana Scotney and Dasha Nekrasova Karan Gill and Marlon Williams round out the cast.