John Sheedy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSamuel Goldwyn in North America and Telepool in Germany are some of the major buyers that have been lured by “H is for Happiness,” the acclaimed feature debut of seasoned Australian theater director John Sheedy. The Australian heart-warming comedy drama is represented in international markets by LevelK.

Studiocanal has boarded the big screen adaptation of Australian author’s Craig Silvey’s award-winning 2002 bestseller Runt, about the friendship between a young girl and a stray dog she takes under her wing.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Best-selling Australian novel, Runt” is to be adapted as a feature movie that will begin shooting from next month. Studiocanal is handling international rights sales and local distribution in Australia and New Zealand. The story is a heartfelt, contemporary Australian tale, set in the country town of Upson Downs, where eleven-year-old Annie Shearer and her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt, try to save their family farm by competing in the Agility Course Grand Championships at the prestigious Krumpets Dog Show in London. The book was released in 2022 and won a clean sweep of the major Australian literary awards including the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s book of the year for young readers, book of the year for younger children at the Australian Book Industry Awards, and overall book of the year at the Australian Indie Book Awards. The movie is adapted for the screen by its West Australian author Craig Silvey (“Jasper Jones”), to be directed by John Sheedy (“H is for Happiness”), and produced by Jamie Hilton (“Breath,” “June Again”). See Pictures is producing with major production investment from Screen Australia, Screenwest and Lotterywest and the WA Regional Screen Fund.

A cutesy family pic mixing relentless cheer with jarring notes of pre-fab gloom, John Sheedy's H is for Happiness watches a precocious preteen do her best to cure her family's emotional woes and help a new friend experiment with theoretical physics. The Australian debut film has more than enough commercial gloss to suit families who stumble across it while surfing video options, but it's unlikely many Stateside viewers will seek it out.