An emerging Australian filmmaker will get the chance to work with Mel Gibson on his WW2 drama Hacksaw Ridge, which will start shooting in Australia in October.
The Australian Directors Guild and Screen Australia today announced a director’s attachment to the project, the first for an international film.
Hacksaw Ridge will chronicle the battle for Okinawa's Maeda Escarpment and the heroic actions of aid-man Private First Class Desmond Doss. A Seventh Day Adventist, Doss was the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honour.
The Amazing Spider-Man’s Andrew Garfield will play Doss. His story was featured in Terry Benedict’s 2004 TV documentary The Conscientious Objector.
The producers are Pandemonium Films’ Bill Mechanic, Lightstream Pictures’ Paul Currie and Icon’s Bruce Davey, Gibson’s business partner. ScreenCorp’s James M Vernon is the executive producer.
Robert Schenkkan penned the original drafts and Randall Wallace ( Braveheart, We Were Soldiers) wrote the screenplay with input from Andrew Knight.
It's Gibson's first film as a director since Apocalypto in 2006. Gibson and Mechanic are scouting locations in NSW and Victoria and finalising casting.
ADG executive director Kingston Anderson said, “We are pleased to announce this attachment on our first international film directed by Academy Award®–winning director Mel Gibson. This is the first time we have been able to offer an attachment on a film of this size.”
Screen Australia head of production Sally Caplan said, “This is a wonderful scheme and the attachment to Hacksaw Ridge is a particularly extraordinary opportunity."
Applications may be submitted to the ADG from interested directors who are Australian residents with the following qualifications:
• two short fiction drama films publicly screened OR
• one short fiction drama film which has screened at an accredited film festival (Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, Busan, Rotterdam, SXSW or Telluride) OR
• experience directing television series drama or serial drama but must be able to convince they have a commitment to directing feature film drama in the future.
The applicant will be asked to submit the following to the ADG:
• a resume
• a written reference from an established screen industry practitioner
• up to 100 words on why they want to do the attachment outlining the career benefits
• DVD copies OR links to past work.
The deadline for applications is Friday July 31. Please forward applications to:
‘Hacksaw Ridge’
Director’s Attachment Scheme
Australian Directors Guild
PO Box 211, Rozelle NSW 2039
Email: exec@adg.org.au
.