"Shadow Men" Screenplay update completed.

A new, updated draft of the feature screenplay has been completed, after several months of work with co-writer, Kent Hill. The new draft is a reworking of the original story, based on coverage and feedback. The new draft is being submitted to various contests and readers for assessment. “Shadow Men” is a Sci-Fi Mystery/Thriller, set in a small Pacific Northwest town. Logline: “When his friend disappears in a secluded mountain town, a former Special Forces Soldier discovers the townspeople are being subjected to mind control experiments by a secret organisation”.

"A Local School", Part 4 of Island School Documentary, completed.

Part 4 of “Island School: Celebrating 50 Years”, which covers the years from 1997 to 2007, has been completed. "A Local School" examines the changes that occurred at the school after the Handover in 1997, such as more local Chinese students attending and changes to the curriculum. The Alumni Association was formed and several reunions were held, both in Hong Kong and around the world. Students and Teachers remember their time at the school in interviews, with photos, music and video from the decade up to 2007. The final segment, covering the years from 2007 to 2017, is expected to be completed in October. The documentary is available as a digital download and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray when all segments are completed. http://www.cinebrand.com.au/island-school-50th-anniversary

"The Boom Years", Part 3 of Island School Documentary, completed

Part 3 of “Island School: Celebrating 50 Years”, covering the years from 1987 to 1997, has been completed. Two more segments remain, covering the years from 1997 to 2017. These are expected to be completed over the next three months. Since filming interviews at the school in 2017, the buildings at 20 Borrett Road have been demolished, making way for new school buildings to replace them. During construction, students have been relocated to two campuses in Sha Tin. The documentary is available as a digital download and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray when all segments are completed.

Island School Documentary Post-Production continues

Between 1986 and 1990, I attended Island School in Hong Kong - a secondary school first opened by the English Schools Foundation in 1967. This unique institution has provided a world-class education to thousands of foreign and local students, throughout fifty years of rapid growth and cultural change in Hong Kong.

For Island School, 2017 was the end of an era, and the start of an exciting new one. To mark the 50th Anniversary of the school, I decided to make a documentary film, celebrating the first 50 years of the school, and telling the story of the people who call themselves "Islanders".

Post-production on the documentary continues, with the first two segments of the five-part film now complete. Part 1, “The First Ten Years” (55 minutes), covers the school’s inception in 1967 up to 1977, its first home in a former British Military Hospital, before moving to newly constructed buildings in 1974, and features interviews with former teachers and students who taught or studied during those years. Part 2, “The Adolescent Years” (85 minutes), covers 1977 to 1987, and Part 3, “The Boom Years” (100 minutes), covers the decade leading up to the Chinese Handover in 1997. Part 3 will be released in late 2019, with Parts 4 & 5 to follow in early 2020. Go to http://www.cinebrand.com.au/island-school-50th-anniversary to read more and order a copy of the film.

"Shadow Men" Screenplay at Cannes Market 2019

Producer Laura Sivis is attending the 2019 Cannes Film Market, to pitch the Science-Fiction/Thriller screenplay, “Shadow Men”, to distributors and investors. 

Co-Written with Kent Hill, “Shadow Men” is inspired by seminal 1980s Sci-Fi/Thrillers, including John Carpenter’s “Escape From New York” (1981) and “They Live” (1988), and hard-edged Action/Adventures “First Blood” (1982) and “Red Dawn” (1984).  These high concept films (and many more from the ‘90s) deliver excitement, suspense and spectacle, while exploring universal themes, such as the misuse of authority and technology, to control us (government conspiracies).  “Shadow Men” updates these themes, adding surprising new twists, while appealing to the global fanbase of these genres, and of John Carpenter (this year’s honouree at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight). Go to PROJECTS for a synopsis.

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Island School Documentary and VR Archive filming completed

In June, 2017, Island School in Hong Kong celebrated its 50th Anniversary with three days of celebrations.  Alumni from all over the world reunited at the school, which is to be redeveloped in the coming months.  As well as celebrations at the school and throughout Hong Kong, a Gala Dinner was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, on June 10.

Filming took place over the Gala Weekend (June 9 to 11), and interviews with alumni took place over a ten day period, between June 7 and June 16.  The footage captured includes 4K U-HD video (interviews and events), as well as a Virtual Reality Archive of the school, captured in Spherical Video with the Orah 4i 360 camera system.  A clip from the Archive can be seen below, or on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/225714209

The Indiegogo campaign can be seen here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/island-school-celebrating-50-years/#/

Teaser for the Island School VR Archive. Recorded with the Orah 4i in 360 Spherical Video. Hong Kong, June 9 & 14, 2017.  (Rehearsing for the Block Party at the school, June 9).

Indiegogo Campaign Launched for Documentary Feature Film

A Crowdfunding Campaign to raise production funding for the Documentary Feature, "Island School: Celebrating 50 Years" was launched on April 20th.  The campaign was a huge success, exceeding the initial goal of $5,000, to raise $8,525 in only 25 days! 

Visit the campaign HERE.

Later this year, the International School I attended in Hong Kong as a teenager will be demolished to make way for a new design. To mark the 50th Anniversary of the school, and preserve the old buildings for future generations, I'm producing a documentary film that tells the story of this unique institution and the people who spent their formative years there - the Islanders.