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Directed by Ben Elton, Three Summers is an Australian ensemble comedy that embraces the diversity of modern Australia. With a story inspired by Ben Elton's connection to Australia and its music industry, the film delivers a folk tale filled with romance, music, and wit. Starring Robert Sheehan, Rebecca Breeds, Michael Caton, Magda Szubanski, and more. Released in cinemas on 2 November 2017.
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From internationally renowned director Ben Elton comes Three Summers, an ensemble comedy that embraces the diversity of modern Australia. At a summer music festival, the feisty lead singer of an Irish folk band (Rebecca Breeds) meets a folk music-hating Theremin player (Robert Sheehan) and sparks literally fly. Characters surrounding this awkward romance include a fiercely Aussie Morris Dancer (Michael Caton), an indigenous dance troupe, a group of wine-loving empty nesters, a power tripping security guard, a wannabe girl band and some musical asylum seekers. In fact , all manner of stories collide under the meddling eye of community radio super star, Queenie (Magda Szubanski) who welcomes the campers back three summers in a row for a folking good time. Fusing romance, music and Ben Elton’s trademark wit and satirical edge, Three Summers delivers an engaging folk tale of contemporary Australia with the soundtrack and belly laughs for the summer to come. Also starring Deb Mailman, John Waters, Kelton Pell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Peter Rowsthorn, and the Bondi hipsters’ Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nick Boshier. THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY As a storyteller and comedian, Australia (and Western Australia in particular) has greatly shaped Ben Elton’s thinking The inspiration for his fictional “Westival” festival is a small country town music event that happens at the end of April. The Fairbridge Music Festival – now in its 25th^ year – is a WA institution, and Ben has visited with his family year after year, sometimes with some well known friends in tow. One year even Emma Thompson was spotted alongside him. The picturesque setting presented itself as an ideal canvas for cinematic and comedic storytelling. Something that captures the “national kaleidoscope “ of contrasting individuals who gather together each year under the same tent in search of music and companionship. Equally, through telling the story over a set time, to observe children growing up, couples breaking up and watch other relationships blossom. Along the way it might reveal something about the heart of the nation. The real festival has a tremendous warmth and happiness that’s empowering and positive. Which raises the question: Do we all get along despite our differences or because of those differences. FROM THE PRODUCERS There are few more recognisable personalities in entertainment than Ben Elton. He likes to tell how he first came to Australia in 1986 on a comedy tour with Rik Mayall when there was a requirement for each overseas performer to be supported by two local performers. So not wanting to be lumbered with four other comics they chose a girl band instead, The Jam Tarts, with bassist Sophie Gare. Sophie subsequently became his wife and he’s been grateful to the regulator’s ever since! So the connection with Australia and the local music industry is a long and very real one. And we were delighted that Ben chose to turn his trademark comedy of good cheer and social commentary towards an Australian cinema audience, particularly something with a touch of romance at its core. From the moment the script was completed Ben’s positive outlook was infectious, attracting a wave of public, private and Government support, along with a dream ensemble cast.
I wrote the parts of Queenie the radio host and Henry the Morris Dancer very much with Magda Szubanski and Michael Caton in mind so you can imagine how I felt when they came on board! As I was with all the members of this steller ensemble. The whole cast was a joy and I can honestly say that from the moment we started shooting it was impossible to imagine anyone else in any of the roles. John Waters, who plays Keevey’s dad Eamon, is also a brilliant singer and musician, and the moment he agreed to do the film I wanted to put a song in for him. It’s the only purely musical moment in the film and he does it so movingly. Hard to believe a gale was blowing outside and we almost had to close the production down when the safety officer saw parts of the marquee tent lifting from the wind. Somehow John still made it feel like an intimate room. Rebecca also turned out to be a great singer and had a lot of fun recording her numbers with the band. We only play snippets in the movie but that’s her own voice and she even mastered some Irish dance steps for us which isn’t easy when you also have to mime some inspired fiddle playing! Filming in the same location as the festival that inspired the movie was a real privilege and quite unusual. It meant we were able to link true location footage with our fictional narrative. We shot for three days at the actual festival with a small documentary size crew including our Cinematographer Katie Millwright and Production designer Clayton Jauncey. And so when we returned to the location with our actors and full crew a few months later it felt like home. It was a logistical nightmare for Clayton because it meant he had to reverse engineer the design of the festival, but I’m thrilled with the way the documentary footage fits into the film. It really looks like our characters were there. To stage something of that scale would have been impossible with our tight budget and, even if we’d had the resources, it wouldn’t have looked half as good. But none of it would have been possible without the support of the people in and around Mandurah, Pinjarra and Fairbridge itself. All our background artists came from the surrounding region and there were plenty of them! All giving of their time and their passion simply for the love of seeing this story told. The local indigenous community were also on board from the outset. Since one of the central stories in the film is an Aboriginal one – a clash of dance cultures shall we say! - I couldn’t possibly have approached this part of the movie without taking advice and guidance from the Bindjareb community. Local elder Koodah Cornwall gave important cultural feedback from the early draft of the script, along with a wonderfully warm welcome to his traditional land. On the evening before the first day of the shoot all the cast and crew joined the Bindjareb Middar Dance Group in a Chitty Chitty dance in the smoke of our opening fire ceremony. But getting the fire started in the first place was an hour long test of my inferior bush skills (and all the other white males present), much to the amusement of the surrounding ring of women. A wink and a nod between Kelton Pell and Koodah should have been enough to let us know that all the technique in the world won’t compensate for green wood! Creating a film that celebrates Australian community wouldn’t have been complete without including a soundtrack that reflected the rich diversity of local music. My wife made the initial broad selection for me, she has much better taste than I have and a wonderful ear for the contemporary scene. The kids helped too, throwing in suggestions. One of the most satisfying aspects to the whole editing process was trying out different ideas and fitting the tracks to the stories. It was an absolute labour of love and, in keeping with the spirit of the film, the music community came together and every artist we approached agreed to allow us to use their track.
Whoever said music was the food of love didn’t play the theremin Originally known as the etherphone, thereminophone[^ or termenvox, the theremin, is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist (performer). It is named after its Soviet inventor Leon Theremin who patented the device in 1928. The instrument's controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that sense the relative position of the thereminist's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other. The electric signals rom the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. The theremin was used in movie soundtracks such as Spellbound, The Lost Weekend and Bernard Herrmann’s The Day The Earth Stood Still. This has led to its association with eerie situations. Theremins are also used in concert music (especially avant-garde and 20th- and 21st-century new music) and in popular music genres such as rock. Theremins and theremin-like sounds started to be incorporated into popular music from the end of the 1940s and this has continued, with varying popularity, to the present. The Beach Boys 1966 single Good Vibrations - though it does not technically contain a theremin – is the most frequently cited example of the instrument in pop music. The song actually features a similar-sounding instrument invented by Paul Tanner called a Tannerin. Upon release, the single prompted an unexpected revival in theremins and increased the awareness of analog synthesisers In response to requests by the band, Moog Music began producing their own brand of ribbon instruments which would mimic the sound of a theremin. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin used a variation of the theremin (minus the loop) during performances of Whole Lotta Love. The Rolling Stones also used the instrument on the albums Between the Buttons and Their Satanic Majesties Request. THE SONGS Every summer has its soundtrack, songs that captures the spirit, joy and energy the holidays and good weather bring. Three Summers packs a fair few of these into its 100 minutes… Spring to Come by John Butler Trio Follow The Sun by Xavier Rudd Somebody I Used To Know by Gotye We Wont Run by Sarah Blasko Message Patrick James Its Nice To Be Alive by Ball Park Music Brother by Matt Corby Let’s Cruise by Set Mo New Friends by The Tommyhawks Fred Astaire by San Cisco Too Much Time Together by San Cisco SloMo by San Cisco
This was followed by the mini series Molly - a bio pic on music legend Molly Meldrum, also for Network 7. More recently she made the move to live in New York and is now regularly seen on US screens. She has appeared on the multi award winning teen drama Pretty Little Liars and hit shows We Are Men, The Originals, and Miranda’s Rights. Rebecca’s film credits include Bhaag Mikha Bhaag , Newcastle and now Three Summers. HENRY PLAYED BY MICHAEL CATON During his illustrious 40-plus year career, Michael Caton has performed in television, theatre and film both here in Australia and abroad. Michael became a household name in the ‘70s as the popular character of Harry Sullivan in The Sullivans , a role for which he won two Logie Awards. In 2014, Michael was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Cinema Operators Australasia, for his distinguished career and contribution to the industry. Michael was also awarded the prestigious AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in 2015 for Last Cab to Darwin. One of the highlights of his film career thus far has been playing the legendary role of Dale Kerrigan in the much loved (and much quoted) feature film The Castle. Further film credits include The Interview, The 13th Floor, Monkey Grip, Hoodwinked and Strange Bedfellows. His other television credits include Stingers, The Flying Doctors, The Les Darcy Story, Great Expectations, Blue Heelers, All Saints, Wildside, A Country Practice, Homicide, Cop Shop, Packed to the Rafters and Hot Property. Michael has starred in a string of successful stage plays and musicals including Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar and Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical. QUEENIE PLAYED BY MAGDA SZUBANSKI Magda is one of Australia’s most loved and respected actors. She is best known for her role as Mrs Hoggett in the Academy Award and Golden Globe winning film Babe and its sequel Babe: Pig In The City , and also for her performance as Sharon Strzelecki in the hit television series Kath and Kim and feature film Kath and Kimderella. Magda has co-written and performed in some of Australia’s most successful television comedy shows including Fast Forward, D Generation and Full Frontal. She also co-wrote and produced the series Something Stupid and Big Girl’s Blouse for which she originally created the character Sharon Strezlecki. She also wrote, produced and starred in the series Dogwoman. Magda teamed up with the Babe creators again to voice the box office hit Happy Feet and sequel Happy Feet 2. Her other film credits include Santa’s Apprentice, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course alongside the late Steve Irwin, The Golden Compass opposite Nicole Kidman and Australian films Dr Plonk by Rolf De Heer and Bran Nu Dae by Rachel Perkins. In addition to her acting work, in October 2015 Magda released her hugely successful first book, Reckoning , which has won several major awards including the 2016 ABIA Book of the Year.
John Waters is one of Australia’s pre-eminant actors. With theatre credits spanning many productions in Australia and the United Kingdon, John has performed lead roles in Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar for Harry M Miller Productions, They’re Playing Our Song for JC Williamsons. A little Night Music , and Talk for Sydney Theatre Company, The Sound of Music for Gordon Frost , Oliver! For Cameron Makintosh, Rocky Horror Show for New Theatricals, the self written Looking Through a Glass Onion for Theatre Royal (which played for six months on London’s West End) and Gomez in the New Theatricals production of The Addams Family. John’s television work is equally extensive with series roles on All Saints for which he was nominated for the 2006 Australian Film Institute (AACTA) Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama as well as a lead role on Underbelly: The Golden Mile. As well as his 20 year involvement with the iconic Australian children’s show Play School , his other television credits include City Homicide, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, The Man From Snowy River, Singapore Sling, All The Rivers Run, Rush and Division 4 for which he was awarded the TV Week Silver Logie for Best New Talent in 1975. More recently John starred as Darcy in five seasons of the hit series Offspring and as Edgar in season four of Rake. He also featured in the critically acclaimed mini series Anzac Girls and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. His impressive list of feature film credits includes Stealth, The Sugar Factory, High Country, Breaker Morant, Eliza Frazer and Pino Amenta’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams for which he received the AFI (AACTA) Best Actor Award. In 2014, John appeared in a lead role in Return To Nim’s Island and the Burleigh Smith feature You Cant Play The Game If You Don’t Know The Rules. John will soon be seen in Paul Currie’s film 2.22 opposite Teresa Palmer. An accomplished musician, John has released a number of recorded albums and EP’s adding to hi illustrious career. Her recently returned from a US tour of his self written one-man show: Lennon Through a Glass Onion – part monologue part concert show which focus’ on the man and phenomenon which was John Lennon. PAM PLAYED BY DEBORAH MAILMAN The multi award winning Deborah Mailman is one of Australia’s most highly respected actors. Receiving national acclaim in 1998 for her portrayal of Nona in the film Radiance, with Deborah receiving both the AFI and Film Critics’ Circle Award for Most Outstanding Actress, her other film credits include Mental, Bran Nue Dae, Dear Claudia, The Monkey’s Mask, Rabbit Proof Fence, The Book of Revelation, Lucky Miles and the internationally celebrated and award winning feature The Sapphires. She recently starred in the box office sensation Paper Planes and the delightful Oddball. She recently appeared in the feature film A Few Less Men. In television Deborah, has created some of Australia’s most enduring characters including her TV Week Silver Logie Award winning portrayals of Bonita Mabo in Mabo, Kelly in Secret Life of Us and Lorraine in Redfern Now. Deborah has held outstanding roles in Offspring, Rush, The Alice, Two
performances including films such as Angel Baby, Romper Stomper, Talk, Roses Are Red, Mr Reliable, A Cut In The Gates, Peaches, Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) and Beneath Hill 60. In 2014, Jacqueline was reunited with Russell Crowe in his self directed feature The Water Diviner. She also starred in Paul Cox’s feature film Force of Destiny , opposite David Wenham. In the US she has starred in films such as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Preservation. Her US TV credits include The 4400, Mental, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Without A Trace, NCIS Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-O and Desperate Housewives. Jacquleine has been awarded two AACTA (AFI) Awards for her roles in the film Angel Baby and the television movie Halifax fp: Lies of the Mind , and was nominated once again in 2015 for The Water Diviner. LINDA PLAYED BY KATE BOX A NIDA graduate, Kate has worked across film and television for many years, with a particular interest in comedy. In 2015 she received an AACTA Best Lead Actress nomination for her role in Josh Lawson’s film Little Death. Other films include The Daughter and Oranges and Sunshine. Main television credits include Rake, Offspring, Paper Giants and Old School. OLIVIA PLAYED BY CAROLINE BRAZIER Best known in recent years for her role as Chrissy Merchant in the Channel Seven’s Packed To The Rafters and Cleaver Green’s long suffering ex wife Wendy in ABC’s Rake , Caroline is a familiar face on our television screens. She trained at NIDA and also has an extensive theatre career. TONY PLAYED BY PETER ROWSTHORN Peter has been an actor, stand up comedian and presenter for several decades but still best known as the long suffering husband Brett Craig from the popular television sitcom Kath and Kim and the feature film Kath and Kimderella. He also appeared regularly on Thank God You’re Here and Talkin About Your Generation. BAKTASH PLAYED BY MAHESH JADU These days Mahesh works primarily overseas and played a main role in the high profile Netflix series Marco Polo. He also made an appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Men Tell No Tales. His Australian television career includes roles in Neighbours and Winners and Losers. DEXTER & JULES PLAYED BY CHRISTIAAN VAN VUUREN AND NICK BOSHIER Better known as The Bondi Hipsters, comedy duo Christiaan and Nick were natural choices to play Keevey’s vacuous one night stands in Three Summers. The pair became You tube sensations in 2014 attracting millions of viewers with their satirical portrayal of fashionistas Dom and Adrian. They went on to create two series Soul Mates for the ABC.
Joseph started his acting career young, with one of the lead roles in the feature film Satellite Boy. He then went back to school to study, but returned briefly to the screen to perform in Abbreviation one the short films in the The Turning. BOB PLAYED BY SAM LONGLEY Sam has been working as an actor, comedian, writer and director since the mid nineties. Highlights include Horse Head, DIY: Disaster Movie, Thisbe, Not Like Beckett, Bindjareb Pinjarra , and the feature film Where The Wild Things Are with Spike Jonze. DIAMOND PLAYED BY ADRIANE DAFF Adrianne is an actor and theatre writer and performer. She studied theatre arts at WAAPA with additional training in New York, Paris and Sydney. Aside from Three Summers her screen credits include Cant Win Do Try, Other Life, DAFUQ? and Ashbeclee. FEMINASTY PLAYED BY EMBLA BISHOP, CHRISTINA OLDHAM & STEPHANIE CACCAMO As a patron of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Ben was keen to audition the next generation of actors. All three members of the band were final year students. RUBY AND JAFAAR PLAYED BY NICHOLA BALESTRI AND AMAY JAI Newcomers Nichola and Amay won their respective roles through the tried and tested process of audition. But afterwards discovered a surprising connection to Ben. It turns out that Nichola was attending the same school as Ben’s children and Amay shared an 18th birthday celebration with them, which also coincided with the gala screening of Three Summers at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
British Comedy Award ( The Thin Blue Line ). Public and Professional Jury Awards at Reims ( Thin Blue Line). Crime Writers Association Golden Dagger Award for Crime Writer of the Year ( Popcorn ). WH Smiths People’s Choice Fiction Award ( High Society ). Prix Polar International Crime Writer Award (Amitiès Mortelles (Past Mortem, French edition). Critics Circle Best Musical Award ( The Beautiful Game ). In 2007 Ben Elton was awarded the Special Golden Rose D’Or at The International Television festival in Lucerne Switzerland for his life time contribution to the Television Arts. MICHAEL WRENN - PRODUCER Michael has been in the film industry for over 20 years working in exhibition, distribution, production, sales and acquisitions in the UK, France and Australasia. Since 2000 he has settles in Australia and New Zealand having run development for the New Zealand Film Commission, managed Australasian acquisitions for Celluloid Dreams and Maximum Films, created the distribution Curious Distribution and worked with Arclight Films on all aspects of development and production. Previously he was Head of Distribution for Momentum Films in the UK (now EOne) as well as senior roles with Alliance Atlantis, Kinowelt and Electric Pictures. In 2013/14 Michael was an Executive Producer on Kim Mordaunt’s The Rocket (Berlin Best First Feature, Crystal Bear and Amnesty Prize), Ivan Sen’s Cannes selected Mystery Road , Chris Fitchett’s The Fear of Darkness and Gillian Armstrong’s Women He’s Undressed on Orry Kelly. He is also producer on the adaptation of Ron Rash’s The World Made Straight, filmed in North Carolina with an international cast including Noah Wyle, Jeremy Irvine and Minka Kelly. The film was directed David Burris and released in the US in 2015. SUE TAYLOR- PRODUCER Sue Taylor has been a filmmaker for over 30 years, working across all types of productions ranging from documentaries, children’s entertainment, drama, and feature films. She established her own production company in 2001 and received the SPA Drama Producer of the Year Award in 2004. Her productions been nominated and won several AFI/ ACCTA,, Logie and Critics Circle Awards for projects that include the children’s series Minty and Time Trackers , the primetime mini series The Shark Net , the telemovies 3 Acts of Murder ( directed by Rowan Woods ) and An Accidental Soldier ( directed by Rachel Ward ), and the feature films Last Train To Freo ( directed by Jeremy Sims ), The Tree (directed by Julie Bertucelli) and Looking For Grace (directed by Sue Brooks). The Tree, an Australia / France co-production starring Charlotte Gainsbourg was selected to close the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 and has now screened around the world with sales to 40 countries.
More recently, she completed the feature film Looking For Grace, a co-production with Gecko Films and Unicorn Films, written and directed by Sue Brooks. The film was selected for official competition at the 2015 Venice Film Festival and in competition at the inaugural “platform” screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival. KATIE MILWRIGHT – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Katie is an award winning director of photography across film, television and documentary. Her features include Looking For Grace which screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival and for which she won a Gold ACS Vic Award; Sucker ; and The Wedding Party , which was nominated for best cinematography at the New York International Film Festival; won Best Film at the LA Comedy Festival; Best Film at the Los Angeles Movie Awards; Best Feature Film at the New York International Film Festival; and Best International Feature at the Manhatten Film Festival. For her photography on Ben Hackworth’s feature Corroboree which screened at festivals in Berling, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne, Katie won the 2007 Gold ACS Vic Award. In television Katie shot the first series of Please Like Me , directed by Matt Saville and the second series of Laid , directed by Abe Forsyth and Ben Chessell’s telemovie The Heartbreak Tour, which won a Silver Vic Award. Katie was also the director of photography on Matchbox Picture’s Anatomy Series: Skin and the documentary Utopia Girls by Jasmin Tarasin. CLAYTON JAUNCEY – PRODUCTION DESIGNER Clayton has been working as a Production Designer for over 20 years and has credits on feature films, tele-features, series television, dramatized documentaries and television commercials. His credits include the feature films Hounds Of Love, Last Cab To Darwin, Looking for Grace, Paper Planes, Kill Me 3 Times, The Turning, Drift , Beneath Hill 60, Blame and Last Train to Freo , the telemovies An Accidental Soldier (Nominated Best Production Design 2013 AACTA awards) , Panic at Rock Island, Three Acts of Murder and Rapture of The Deep (Granada Germany) The critically acclaimed mini-series The Shark Net and the AFI and Logie awarded television series Lockie Leonard. In 2015 Hunters - US TV Sci Fi series. In 2011 Clayton Jauncey was awarded the Australian Production Designers Guild award for design on a feature film for Beneath Hill 60. PETER PRITCHARD - EDITOR Peter Pritchard has over thirty years of media industry experience, as a documentary and drama editor, director and writer. Peter’s credits include AIF and Logie award winning Children’s drama series Lockie Leonard and ACCTA award winning documentary series SAS Warriors. He also edited episodes of Logie and AFI nominated drama series The Circuit and Walkley nominated documentary Saving Andrew Mallard. MARK ANDERSON - REGIONAL EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Cast (in order of appearance) Queenie MAGDA SZUBANSKI Keevey REBECCA BREEDS Eamon JOHN WATERS Roland ROBERT SHEEHAN Linda KATE BOX Henry MICHAEL CATON Olivia CAROLINE BRAZIER Ruby NICHOLA BALESTRI Nigel DAMON LOCKWOOD Barbara MICHELLE NIGHTINGALE Jafaar AMAY JAIN Courtney STEFANIE CACCAMO Indiana CHRISTINA ODAM Maddison EMBLA BISHOP Tony PETER ROWSTHORN Glenys HELEN SEARLE Neil JAMES SOLLIS Cherie ALEX JONES Diamond ADRIANE DAFF Pam DEBORAH MAILMAN Delivery man BEN SUTTON Smoko PAUL MONTAGUE Dexter CHRISTIAAN VAN VUUREN Theremin Fan MELISSA RUSSO Jesse JOSEPH PEDLEY Kelti TJIIRDM McGUIRE
Jack KELTON PELL Gwyn NIKKI JONES Bob SAM LONGLEY Froddo ANDREA GIBBS Professor Wellborn JACQUELINE MCKENZIE Snooty Woman MONICA MAIN Koolaz Fan ALBERT FAN Baktash MARESH JADU Jools NICK BASHIER The WArrikins PETER BELL, IAN SIMPSON, ALISTAIR JOHNSTONE
