Father Geek here with Tamsin and this mid-workweek report from Australia, etc... Its a little lite this week, of course the big OZ stories are the return of LOTR: FOTR to the USA top 10 boxoffice charts where it belongs, and naturally the great reception AOTC got at SHOWEST out in Las Vegas from all the distribution types meeting there. See that story elsewhere on our front page.

Yeah, maybe Harry and I will get to see that footage out in Hollywood when we arrive there on the 18th to begin his LA leg of the Book Tour. I really hope so, that would give us plenty to talk about with all the press Harry will be meeting with out there. Well, enough of ol' Father Geek for now, here's the lovely Tamsin and her...

DOWNUNDER REPORT #23

AWARDS

. MOULIN ROUGE was announced as Picture of the Year by the Producers' Guild of America. Accepting the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award were Martin Brown, Fred Baron and Baz Luhrmann.

. And Jill Bilcock, MOULIN ROUGE EDITOR, was presented with the top honours at the American Cinema Editors' Eddie Awards, winning for best edited feature film (comedy or musical).

FESTIVALS

. Two Australian feature documentaries, FACING THE MUSIC and CUNNAMULLA have been selected to screen in competition at the DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival, to be held in North Carolina from April 4 to 7. FACING THE MUSIC has also been voted Best Australian Documentary at the 2002 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, and has bee awarded the Silver conch at the Mumbai International film Festival for Documentary Short and Animation Films. CUNNAMULLA has been also invited to screen at the Tampere Film Festival in Finland.

NEWS

. Aussie actress, Frances O'Connor, who was recently seen in A.I., will next star with Paul walker in the time-travel adventure movie TIMELINE, to be directed by Richard Donner. O'Connor will portray an archaeology grad student who travels back in time with her colleagues to a 14th century France to rescue their professor. Prior to TIMELINE'S release, O'Connor can be seen in the new John Woo film, WINDTALKERS, starring Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater.

. Madonna is set to perform at the West End, in a comedy by Australia's leading playwright, David Williamson. Madonna will play an ambitious art dealer in UP FOR GRABS, a satire on the art world, which will open at Wyndham's Theatre on May 23. It is the first time in 13 years that she has appeared in a play.

. International rights to the Australian film HILDEGARD, have been acquired by the US production and distribution company Myriad Pictures. Starring Tom Long (THE CASTLE) and Tara Morice (STRICTLY BALLROOM), follows the story of a "beloved pet duck, Hildegarde, who is abducted by bird smugglers." HILDEGARD, directed by Di Drew will be released locally in April.

Email Downunder news, gossip and reviews to Me deep in the outback

Tamsin