AUSSIE COMEDY SHORTLISTED FOR 2004 ACADEMY AWARDS

AN AUSTRALIAN FEMALE WRITER DIRECTOR HAS HAD HER FIRST FILM SHORTLISTED IN THE ACADEMY AWARDS BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT CATEGORY

17 October 2002 Sydney, Australia

An Australian comedy film that pokes gentle fun at Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his treatment of refugees has been short listed in one of the worlds most prestigious award ceremonies -the Academy Awards.

The film is the brainchild of Anny Slater, a lawyer who wrote and directed what is her first film, and who with fellow producers Lily Hamdan and Serafina Froio, has steered the film to success at more that 30 film festivals since its release in April 2003 including the Hamptons, which has Stephen Spielberg as a board advisor and the Montreal Comedy Just for Laughs" Festival known in comedy circles as the premiere international comedy film venue. The Montreal website boasts that the films shown are the funniest films from around the world for 2003. The Ball was also recently selected to screen, out of 3200 worldwide submissions at Interfilm Berlin.

The Ball is in the ballot for Academy nomination and its wonderful that it has done so well. We have entertainment execs calling and emailing from all over the World wanting to show the film to colleagues and at film festivals. The Ball is a kind of 'natural response for me to the distressing national and international events of the last 12 months" said Slater on the eve of the films screening in the Academy nomination process.

Comedy is most often the most effective method of highlighting serious issues. Im just glad it translates to audiences in other countries so they can laugh today and think about the underlying issues tomorrow".

The short stars veteran Australian actor Max Gillies (Gillies Report") as a cricket loving Prime Minister Howard and comedienne Gabby Millgate (Babe Pig in the City", Muriels Wedding") as a soccer loving boat person who washes ashore in Australia. The film spoofs the well-known art house film THE PIANO

The short which recently won best short at Amnesty Internationals Red Carpet film festival will also screen at the Hamptons Film Festival New York 23 & 25 October, Marco Island Film Festival Miami Florida 7 & 8 November and Interfilm Berlin Germany 4-9 November 2003.

The 5 minute comedy is currently the subject of talks with Europacorp, French Director Luc Bessons distribution company, for distribution in France.

Nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced in January 2004