Kylie Munnich Hired as CEO of Australia’s Goalpost Pictures

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief European-Australian firm Flying Bark Productions has been appointed as the animator of the first of three untitled ‘Avatar’ films from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. The film series, derived from the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Legend of Korra “animated series, originally created for Nickelodeon by Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, was announced earlier this year. The first feature will be directed by Lauren Montgomery, with Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino producing. Flying Bark, which is based in Belgium and has major facilities in Sydney, Australia, describes the film series as “[pushing] the style and boundaries of hybrid animation [..] it will couple traditional 2D animation with substantial CG elements.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese filmmaker, Bi Gan, best-known for his single-take feature “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” has seen his “A Short Story” picked up by Kino Lorber for distribution in North America. A fairy tale that follows the relationship between man and cat, the film had its world premiere in competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and now has its North American premiere in the Currents section of the New York Film Festival. Kino Lorber plans to qualify “A Short Story” for the 96th Academy Awards, showing it theatrically nationwide in early 2023 in tandem with a theatrical re-release of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” “Kino Lorber rarely acquires short films, but Bi Gan has packed more cinematic delight into the fifteen minutes of ‘A Short Story’ than many feature length films deliver in two hours,” said Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Lidell. The deal was brokered by Les Films du Losange.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kamila Andini’s “Before Now and Then” (aka “Nana”) topped the nominations for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, with nods in four categories including best film and best director. The film, about a gentlewoman’s memories of escaping from a Communist purge, narrowly headed three films with three nominations each: “Poet” (aka “Akyn”) by Kazakhstan’s Darezhan Omirbayev; “This Is What I Remember” (aka “Esimde”) by Kyrgyzstan’s Aktan Arym Kubat; and Philippines director Lav Diaz’s “When The Waves Are Gone” (“Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon”). APSA casts its net wide, seeking honors for cinematic excellence from 78 countries and territories defined as Asia Pacific. The awards will be presented at a ceremony at HOTA on Australia’s Gold Coast on Nov. 11, 2022.

Dannii Minogue is glad her sister Kylie has moved home to Australia. The 'I Should Be So Lucky' superstar relocated back to her native Melbourne earlier this year after spending three decades living in the UK and her sister Dannii has revealed Kylie is enjoying being able to spend more time with her family now they are all based Down Under. She told Hello! magazine: "It's great [having Kylie home].

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Rithy Panh, director of “Rice People” and “S21 The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine” is an icon of art-house cinema, at once political, unique, and charming. The iconic image may be another of his confections – a palatable work built on uncomfortable facts. On the incomplete evidence of a 50-minute on-stage dialog at the Busan International Film Festival on Sunday, Panh comes across as simultaneously contrarian and principled. A curmudgeonly veteran and yet a filmmaker still curious to learn. “If there were no Khmer Rouge maybe I would not be a filmmaker,” he said of the Communist insurgents, who won the Cambodian civil war in 1975 and whose brutality and atrocities he has spent a lifetime documenting and exposing.

4 min read It has been 1272 days since the last Mr Gay Pride Australia was crowned, but now, after being cancelled due to the pandemic, finalists for the next competition have finally been announced.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Paramount has ordered a series of ‘Taskmaster Australia’ to be produced by Avalon Television with Kevin & Co for Network 10. Set to air in 2023, the show will be hosted by Tom Gleeson and Tom Cashman. The production in Australia joins a growing list of countries with local adaptations of Alex Horne’s BAFTA and National Comedy Award winning “Taskmaster” format. The show involves an all-powerful Taskmaster who, with the help of his loyal assistant, sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five comedians through a series of strange and surreal challenges.

Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue will be performing at the opening concert of Sydney WorldPride 2023.She will be headlining the Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert on February 24, 2023, hosted by Australian Idol Casey Donovan and drag performer Courtney Act.In a message announcing the performance, Minogue wrote, “For the first time ever, WorldPride is coming to the Southern Hemisphere. YES! I’m so excited to announce that I will be performing at the opening concert in Sydney on 24 February, 2023 at The Domain.

Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue will be performing at the opening concert of Sydney WorldPride 2023.She will be headlining the Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert on February 24, 2023, hosted by Australian Idol Casey Donovan and drag performer Courtney Act.In a message announcing the performance, Minogue wrote, “For the first time ever, WorldPride is coming to the Southern Hemisphere. YES! I’m so excited to announce that I will be performing at the opening concert in Sydney on 24 February, 2023 at The Domain.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fresh from a chaotic Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, TV coverage of Formula One motor racing is set to shift broadcasting partner in Asia-Pacific. Sports Business reports that pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports is finalizing a multi-year deal beginning in 2023 reaching across most of its Asia-Pacific footprint, but excluding Australia, where Foxtel recently renewed its deal, and New Zealand.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Gerhard Zeiler, president of International at Warner Bros. Discovery, has moved to reassure the Asia-Pacific region that it is an integral part of the group’s post-merger strategy. “Don’t believe that we don’t know how important Asia is for our company, he said Thursday. Zeiler was speaking at the APOS Convention in Singapore on Thursday. He cited examples of theatrical success for “Batman” and “Fantastic Beasts” in the region and investment in local production in the region. The reassurance may have been necessary following post-merger announcements that proposed changes in North America, Latin America and Europe ahead of Asia – despite recent external data showing Asia-Pacific as one of the world’s fastest growth regions.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Online video is taking up the role of growth engine for the Asia Pacific video industry as free-TV in the region moves into long-term decline, says a new report. The video sector is forecast to remain robust this year, but recession could deal a blow to sector performance in 2023. Video sector revenues – defined as subscription fees and advertising generated by free TV, pay-TV and online video platforms – in 14 Asia-Pacific markets are forecast to will grow by 6.4% in the current year to reach $143 billion, according to Media Partners Asia.

Former Sky Exec Kylie Munnich Named Goalpost Pictures CEO

John Mayer is enjoying a night out with friends.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sally Aitken a two-time Emmy nominated writer and director (“Playing with Sharks”) and producer and media executive Aline Jacques (“Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story”) have launched SAM Content. The Sydney-based independent production company will develop and produce all genres of unscripted and scripted projects for local platforms and the international marketplace. They open their doors with four film and TV shows in production with Australian broadcasters and screen agencies. They include an untitled Wiggles project in partnership with Augusto Entertainment’s Cass Avery and Daniel Story, and with funding from federal screen agency Screen Australia. The Wiggles is a successful children’s musical group that has been on the scene for 30 years and has been involved with both TV and film.