Biographies
DAINA REID - Director
Australian director Daina Reid is in constant demand working across the genres of television drama and comedy. Trained as an actor at the respected West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Daina later worked as a writer and performer on comedy series such as FULL FRONTAL, THE MICALLEF PROGRAM and JIMEOIN. In 2002 she shifted to directing, and has been consistently employed on series such as THE SECRET LIFE OF US, MDA, ALL SAINTS, THE ALICE, BLUE HEELERS, SATISFACTION and CITY HOMICIDE. She was the series of director of comedy-sketch show SKITHOUSE, where she directed Peter Helliar. Most recently she directed the six-part series VERY SMALL BUSINESS for Gristmill Productions and ABC Television. I LOVE YOU TOO is her first feature film.
LAURA WATERS – PRODUCER
Since moving to Australia from the United States in 1991, Laura Waters has built a reputation for backing innovative projects, new talent and new ideas. Her company, Princess Pictures, has produced two hit narrative comedy series with writer and performer Chris Lilley, WE CAN BE HEROES and SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH, and is currently in production on the third.
Both series have achieved enormous critical and audience acclaim, having won numerous Awards including Logies for Best Comedy for both series. In 2008 SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH broke sales records to become the highest selling television series DVD of all time. SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH aired on primetime HBO in the US in 2008 – an historic coup for an Australian TV series. With her company Princess Pictures, Laura was the Executive Producer of the highly successful one off documentary on the Australian accent called THE SOUNDS OF AUS, and produced a 4 part series written by comedian Wendy Harmer called STUFF that looks at how our possessions change throughout our lives. Most recently she produced John Safran's controversial 8 part ABC series, RACE RELATIONS. Laura was also a co-producer of two KATH & KIM productions. She has produced television for 20 years, and worked on the distribution and marketing for the Australian feature film BAD EGGS. Laura's current production with Chris Lilley called ANGRY BOYS, is a co-production between HBO, BBC and the ABC.
YAEL BERGMAN – PRODUCER
Yael Bergman started her career straight out of university with the ultra-low budget feature film LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES which she co-wrote and co-produced at the age of 23. The film became a huge overnight international success in Cannes when it sold in a bidding war to Fox Searchlight in the U.S. and to every territory in the world.
Subsequently, Yael worked as a writer or script consultant on TV drama, comedy and documentaries such as THE SECRET LIFE OF US (10), SHOCK JOCK (TV1) and CLOSET TALES (SBS). In 2004, Yael produced one of the most successful sell out live shows at the Melbourne Comedy Festival that year, with a one-woman show called WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH MARY JANE? written by Wendy Harmer and starring Sancia Robinson.
Since 2004 Yael has been developing and producing projects for film and television with Melbourne-based production company Princess Pictures. Her credits with Princess Pictures include script editor and attachment producer on WE CAN BE HEROES and associate producer on SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH starring and written by Chris Lilley. In 2007, Yael produced a documentary on the Australian accent called THE SOUNDS OF AUS: THE STORY OF THE AUSSIE ACCENT, presented by John Clarke which remains one of the highest rating TV documentaries of all time in Australia with over 1.3 million viewers and earned her a Logie nomination.
GREG SITCH – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Greg Sitch heads the entertainment and media law department of Macleay William, an entertainment practice that focuses on all aspects of film and television production, finance and distribution. Greg has acted for production companies on international co-productions with such countries as the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and New Zealand and has advised US studios and local production companies on off-shore productions shot in Australia. Locally, Greg has been the principal legal adviser on successful films including THE CASTLE, THE DISH, SHINE, CRACKERJACK, JAPANESE STORY and WOLF CREEK. Greg has advised major film investors on investment in feature film and acts for major distribution and sales agents.
JOEL PEARLMAN – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Joel Pearlman is Managing Director of Roadshow Films - the distribution division of Village Roadshow Limited. Roadshow Films is Australia's leading independent distributor. Roadshow Film's recent theatrical releases have included SHERLOCK HOLMES, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE and, THE HANGOVER. Joel also oversaw the distribution of the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, THE MATRIX trilogy and THE HARRY POTTER films. In addition, Joel is responsible for Roadshow's Australian production division whose local releases have included WOLF CREEK, CRACKERJACK, LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI, THE DISH, BOYTOWN, JINDABYNE, BEAUTIFUL KATE and the recent Australian releases of MAO'S LAST DANCER and BRAN NUE DAE. Upcoming Australian releases include THE CUP and RED DOG. Joel is also currently on the board of the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.
KEN SALLOWS – EDITOR
Ken's successful career spans some thirty five years and in the year 2000 as a tribute to his work and contribution to the film industry, he was presented with an Honorary Life Membership from the Australian Screen Editors Guild together with the initials A.S.E. to be included after his Screen Credit.
During his career, Ken has edited in addition to many documentaries and television, some thirty feature films including CHOPPER, CRACKERJACK, GETTING SQUARE, LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES, and MALCOLM. Most recently, he has edited Jesse Martin's documentary LOST AT SEA about his mis-adventures during his second international sailing adventure, LIONEL, a feature length documentary about the boxer Lionel Rose and THE COMBINATION, actor David Field's directorial feature film debut.
Ken has been nominated for nine feature film AFI Awards, as a producer, sound editor and primarily as a feature film editor.
The book he initiated about Walter Murch's editing, IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, was published in 1992 and has subsequently achieved many reprints.
ELLERY RYAN – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography Ellery Ryan has recently completed the feature VAN DIEMEN'S LAND which premiered to great acclaim in 2009. He was the DOP on the Murray Whelan telemovie THE BRUSH OFF (directed by Sam Neill) and the feature films THE RAGE IN PLACID LAKE and VISITORS for Richard Franklin. Ellery's other work includes COSI, SPOTSWOOD and THE MATCHMAKER for director Mark Joffe. He won AFI Awards for his work on the feature films ANGEL BABY and SPOTSWOOD and received a nomination for DEATH IN BRUNSWICK.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER – JENNIFER A. DAVIS
Jennifer A. Davis has designed both film and commercials after a brief and meteoric rise as an art director. Australian born, Jennifer worked professionally as an architect in Australia before traveling to the USA on scholarship where she completed a Masters in Architectural Design at UCLA and worked in collaboration with noted local architects. Jennifer had been involved in architecture, film and theatre set design while based in Australia but while working and studying in Los Angeles became more and more immersed in the film design arena excited by the prospects of bringing different worlds to life. Jennifer soon forged a relationship with the Scott Brothers. She worked with Ridley on WHITE SQUALL before collaborating with brother Tony on THE FAN, ENEMY OF THE STATE and a series of commercial projects. She has gone on to work on a vast array of projects scanning the globe. Jennifer is highly sought after in the commercial world and works regularly with many visual directors and renowned production companies from the United States, Europe and Australia.
Jennifer currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Robert and their sons Lukas and Silas.
KITTY STUCKEY – COSTUME DESIGNER
Kitty Stuckey has enjoyed a long career in film and television production where she has shown a particular talent for comedy. Her design credits include television shows SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH, WE CAN BE HEROES, KATH AND KIM, FRONTLINE and THE GAMES and feature films MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX, NOISE, THE DISH and THE CASTLE. She received an AFI award in 2004 for Outstanding Achievement in Craft in Television for Kath & Kim.
DAVID HIRSCHFELDER - COMPOSER
David Hirschfelder grew up in Ballarat. With a background in classical and jazz, David joined The Little River Band with pop sensation John Farnham, and was musical director on the platinum selling album Whispering Jack. David's work on Luhrmann's film STRICTLY BALLROOM in 1992 earned him a BAFTA for best original score. In the years that followed, David enjoyed a myriad of success including Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his moving score for the multi-award winning film SHINE, and an AFI nomination for his work on the psychological thriller THE INTERVIEW, starring Hugo Weaving. David's numerous film credits include: romantic comedy SLIDING DOORS (1997) starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the grand epic ELIZABETH (1998) which was nominated for an Oscar and won a BAFTA and an APRA award for Best Original Score, HANGING UP directed by Diane Keaton, BETTER THAN SEX by Jonathan Teplitzky and AUSTRALIA (2009) by Baz Luhrmann.