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The King’s Speech premiere announced

Press release from Paramount

THE KING’S SPEECH will have its Australian premiere in Sydney on Monday, December 13th at the Dendy Opera Quays.

Oscar, BAFTA, AFI and Golden Globe Award winner Geoffrey Rush, alongside Emmy-winning director Tom Hooper, will walk the red carpet at this event ahead of the Australian theatrical release of THE KING’S SPEECH on December 26.

Early critical acclaim has been wide spread for the multi award winning cast including Colin Firth as Prince Albert, and Geoffrey Rush as Australian born speech therapist Lionel Logue, alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon and Timothy Spall.

THE KING’S SPEECH won the People’s Choice Award at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as taking out the audience award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Last week it was announced THE KING’S SPEECH lead the field in nominations for the British Independent Film Awards, receiving 8 nominations.

Nominations include a Best Actor nomination for Colin Firth, Best Supporting Actor for Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce, Best Supporting Actress for Helena Bonham Carter, Best Director for Tom Hooper and a Best Film nomination.

The Hollywood Reporter is calling THE KING’S SPEECH a ‘riveting, intimate account at how a British king triumphed over a speech impediment with the help of an unorthodox speech coach’, whilst The Wall Street Journal reports it to be ‘a rare combination of crowd-pleaser and triumphant artistry’.

Produced by Australian / UK based See-Saw Films, THE KING’S SPEECH is based on the true story of the relationship between England’s reluctant King George VI, plagued by a nervous stammer, and the irreverent Australian speech therapist who cures him.

Tom Hooper, director of the acclaimed John Adams, whose previous feature, The Damned United, starred Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall, was first introduced to THE KING’S SPEECH by his Australian mother, who had been invited to an unrehearsed reading of this yet to be produced play. Impressed by the play, she saw it as a film and had the script passed on to her son who was knocked out by it.

Mike Selwyn, Managing Director of Paramount Pictures Australia & New Zealand said “We are extremely proud to work together with our partners at Transmission and with Iain and Emile at See-Saw to bring this wonderful film to an Australian audience. As well as receiving great early reviews and awards buzz, it is also a film that reaches out to the audience and touches their hearts”

Producer Emile Sherman from See – Saw Films is “thrilled to be able to present this unique story to my home audience. Having seen the reaction to the film first hand in Toronto, London and this past weekend in LA, the way it has been so warmly embraced overseas, I'm excited to be able to bring it back home.”

THE KING’S SPEECH will release in Australia on December 26th.

See the special cover story on The King's Speech in this month's edition of INSIDEFILM.