By Michelle Pearson
Playing ‘M’ in prostitution drama Birthday was an actress’ dream role, according to Natalie Eleftheriadis.
“It is exciting to do something edgy and different with a slight ‘euro’ flavour,” the Melbourne-raised actress told INSIDEFILM.
Formally a university student studying a Bachelor of Performing Arts at Arts Academy in Ballarat, Eleftheriadis researched her role in the James Harkness film extensively.
As she visited numerous brothels and talked to many sex workers, by the time it came to shoot the film the “actual subject matter disappeared, I wasn’t just ‘playing’ a character, it became peripheral”.
Birthday is a character-driven film which follows ‘M’ on her 25th birthday as she works as one of the highest paid professionals within the sex trade industry at ‘Scarlets.’
Her clients are not in fact searching for a personal fulfilment of lust or urging sexual desire, but paying for ‘love,’ which only M can provide.
Birthday encompasses lost love, first times, humanity and the discovery of intimacy in surprising and unexpected places.
This film has received much industry attention, being officially selected for the 2010 Festival Des Antipodes and St Tropez, with festival director Bernard Bories offering to further screen Birthday throughout France at both festivals and for a wider French release.
Eleftheriadis received the award for ‘Best Actor’ in the 2010 Cannes Independent Film Festival.
“I am not surprised that the film won an award and is being recognised. Birthday is such a beautiful film and very character-driven, so the audience always responds very personally to the individuals and their stories.”
As a result of the award, the film is already claiming international success, with the fan-base rapidly expanding as viewers all over the world are showing interest in this vivid and unexpected cinematic representation of the sex trade.
Harkness has been approached by many interested producers, buyers and international film festival selectors, with much hype being received from the European and US Market which has snowballed further international interest due to raving reviews.
“We have had countries from all over the world express serious interest in acquiring the rights for distribution both theatrically and on DVD in many territories including some large territories like the US, France and UK,” Eleftheriadis said.
“Birthday is an incredibly unique film in its subject matter and its look visually which is attracting the kind of attention we could only ever dream of in terms of international audiences.”
Eleftheriadis unexpectedly became one of the producers for Birthday, learning on the go as she gained practical skills in this production role.
She describes this dual experience of acting and producing as one of the most rewarding within her career.
“Being a producer has been the most challenging and rewarding in terms of on-the-job education,” she said.
“You have to pick things up and figure it out, which provides you with the opportunity to liaise with the director, cinematographer and the like.
“It has been incredible and given me a real kind of excitement and a hunger for being involved creatively.”
Eleftheriadis has been involved since the script level and has been working on Birthday for approximately three years.
During days on set the 26-year-old would work from sunrise to sunset, working anywhere between 3-14 hours and then going home to do the producing.
Due to the nature of the film industry, the multi-tasker has been living out of a suitcase due to her extensive travels around Europe and America to promote the film.
Unlike hundreds of other independent films, Birthday is fortunate to have a large marketing team supporting the film, with their television and radio campaign predicting to commence shortly.
Apart from this film, Eleftheriadis currently has a few potential scripts in the development stage which she is quite interested in, however her major focus remains on Birthday – a production which she describes as her ‘baby’.
“Being both a producer and actor means Birthday is my baby, and like any mother I’m keeping close watch until the day it walks, talks and then eventually runs.
“Then I think I’ll be heading LA to talk about one particular script I’m very passionate about and hope, of course, to continue creating fine Australian cinema.”
Birthday is expected to be released in Australia early next year.
Natalie Eleftheriadis in Birthday (and below)
Natalie Eleftheriadis and Richard Wilson in Birthday