She is one of the most successful women in Hollywood, and yet she’s not a household name.
Australian film producer Bruna Papandrea, whose credits include bringing the blockbuster Gone Girl to the screen, will today be awarded the top prize at the prestigious Australians In Film awards in Los Angeles.
The gifted Bruna, who is in partnership with Reece Witherspoon, will receive the Virgin Australia Orry Kelly International Award for her tenacity at carving out a magnificent career in a tough industry, and for helping those who are coming up behind her.
The fruits of Bruna’s labours in Hollywood include this year’s Wild, which starred Witherspoon as a woman hiking through the wilderness, in search of herself.
Bruna at the awards ceremony.
Previous winner of the Australians In Film International Award include director Baz Luhrmann. The prize will be presented to Bruna at a gala celebration hosted by Channel Ten’s Carrie Bickmore.
Also on stage will be the winner of the Foxtel Breakthrough Award, Elizabeth Debicki, whose career is on a meteoric rise, with breakthrough roles in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Baltasar Kormákur’s Everest and Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth.
Previous winners of the Breakthrough prize have included Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad), Joel Edgerton (The Gift, Black Mass), Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Rush), Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak, The Kids Are Alright).
Elizabeth Debicki
“Elizabeth Debicki has catapulted onto the world screen with stand-out performances over the past couple of years. This year she has scored coveted roles in some great films, working with such talented directors as Guy Ritchie and Justin Kurzel. She is a great ambassador for the Australian film industry and we are thrilled to be honoring her,” said Simonne Overend, President of Australians in Film.
Brian Walsh, Executive Director of Television at Foxtel, was also delighted, saying: “The fact that so many Australians, both behind and in front of the camera are now working all over the world is real testimony to our skills and our creativity. Foxtel wants to continue this support and celebrate the Australian screen industry, whether the ideas and content come from Hollywood or at home.”
Also being honored tonight: Academy award winning cinematographer, Dion Beebe (Chicago, Collateral, Edge of Tomorrow) and producer Bill Mechanic (Coraline, The New World, upcoming Hacksaw Ridge).
Carrie Bickmore hosted the ceremony.
Bill Mechanic, Chairman and CEO of Pandemonium Films, will be the recipient of this year’s Ausfilm International Award, which honours an individual’s contribution to the Australian film industry.
Through Pandemonium, Mechanic has produced the Oscar-nominated Coraline, Terence Malick’s The New World, and Walter Salles’s Dark Water. Mechanic was Chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment for seven years and during his time there, the studio produced such hits as Castaway, Titanic, Independence Day, There’s Something About Mary, Braveheart and Boys Don’t Cry.
“Bill Mechanic has consistently recognised the outstanding talent to come out of Australia,” says Debra Richards, CEO of Ausfilm. “From his time at Fox where he greenlit films such as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, to his current slate of movies, three of which have either been filmed or are about to commence filming in Australia (The Moon and the Sun, starring Pierce Brosnan and William Hurt, Paul Currie’s 2:22, and Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge) Bill Mechanic has always been a great supporter of Australian talent in front of and behind the camera.”
The Australians in Film awards celebrate the achievements of Australians working in Hollywood. The benefit dinner aims to raise money to help usher Australian filmmakers into the international market.
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