Three Blind Mice wins in London
From Simon de Bruyn at IF Magazine -
“The second directorial effort by Matthew Newton, Three Blind Mice, has picked up the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at the London Film Festival.
The film screened at both the Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals earlier this year, and received a commendation from the Gillian Armstrong-lead jury in the latters inaugural competition.
Last week there were some mutters of surprise when the film received no recognition in the 2008 AFI Award nominations.
Three Blind Mice is a fast-paced comedy-drama about three naval officers on shore leave in Sydney, the night before they are due to ship out for Iraq. Newton wrote, directed and acted in the film, which is his second as writer-director after his little seen 2004 debut Right Here Right Now.
The film also screened in the discovery section at the Toronto International Film Festival, screens this week at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles, and will also screen to buyers at this years American Film Market. Odins Eye Entertainment is handling international sales.
Newton, who is currently playing one of the leads, Terry Clark, in the second series of Underbelly, has two more scripts in development, People People and The Dotted Line.”
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Surprise? It’s my favourite local film of the last year, of a quality we don’t see here too often. Does it have to get overseas recognition before it gets acknowledged here? Matthew Newton is talented both in front of and behind the camera, and he’s also assembled an amazing ensemble cast.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Hi Paul. Thanks for your comment. We couldn’t agree more. Matt and Gracie (Gracie Otto) are two very talented filmmakers and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.
December 4th, 2008 at 12:38 am
There’s a lot of names I could mention whose characters impressed me in the film (but I won’t, because I should be asleep). Matt Newton has the most screen time and his understated performance is perfect. Gracie Otto’s character is the most charismatic and I feel she is a real revelation. Like Patricia Arquette in Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Dead, Otto looked like she would be a cliché, a stereotype, but ended up being a refreshingly real and unexpected character.