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ABSOLUTELY MODERN

A NEW Film BY

“Modern are like women, you'll never enjoy them if you try to understand them.” Freddie Mercury

PRESS KIT Inquiries: morafilms@ gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Absolutely- Modern/429822753746917 2

ABSOLUTELY MODERN is "Absolutely funny, fresh and thought- provoking. Philippe Mora at his best."

Piotr Czerkawski, Film Critic Wroclaw

“..there is a genuine heart and soul to the film that is something of a passion project for Mora.” Laurence Boyce Screen Daily

“The creation here (of Lord Steinway) is definitely a masterpiece.”

Anna Tatarska FRED Radio, The Festival Insider

“Mora’s films break all conventions, combine different styles and are nearly always saturated with rebellious, surrealistic humor.” Adam Kruk Film Critic, New Horizons

“Mora tells perhaps one of his most personal stories to date as he examines art and . Mora, who casual fans would most likely know from such films as Communion and cult classic The Return of Captain Invincible, unsurprisingly does not tell the tale with any regard for the norms of convention..” Screen International

“Philippe Mora…French Australian director legend.” Der Spiegel May 2013 3

SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM

This story of Modernism, muses and the role of sexuality in art are told by famed art critic Lord Steinway. When a soccer player, confronts Steinway as his son, the story takes a modernist twist itself.

This comedy hit at the 2013 New Horizons International Film Festival takes the form of a hybrid of fact and fiction about Lord Steinway, the “Method” art critic, making his television show THE EPIC OF CIVILIZATION. Obsessed with the role of the female muse in art for Degas, Lautrec and others, he now focuses on a famous Australian muse, and her ménage a trois with her husband John and her young protégé . Under their patronage Nolan produces the most famous series of Australian paintings based around , an iconic outlaw, also the subject of the first feature film ever made (1907). The story becomes dramatic when Nolan decides to leave the ménage after 10 years. Steinway uses his own directed “re-enactments” to highlight these moments. Sunday adopts a child, Sweeney, who grows up without his real father.

The multi-layered story takes a startling turn when reality intrudes into Steinway’s musings with the discovery and arrival of his lost son, Jack, 29. He reveals he was born in Suriname and has tracked down his father. The two bond by teaching each other about their respective interests art, and for the son, soccer. As Steinway explains, art and life have now become so intertwined he sometimes can’t tell the difference. 4

CAST AND CREW

Hard Drive Pictures Presents A Philippe Mora Film ABSOLUTELY MODERN Dedicated to Sweeney Reed THE PLAYERS Jack Steinway Mario Melchiot Lord Steinway Philippe Mora Regina Uber Muse Rena Riffel Ern Malley Austen Tayshus Faux Brad Wilson Herself William Mora Himself The Real Ern Malley Tiriel Mora Rafaella Fano Anni Blackhurst Helene Absinthe Eleni Symeonides Koko Lautrec Anna Rosh Jacqueline Provence Anna De Nicola Young Nolan Jack’s mother Anna Taquila Mockingbird Winston Churchill John Apicella Noel Coward John Jack Rodgers Flaming June Sonia Alexandria Suriname Dancer Madeleine Mora Flashback Dancer Alexia Du Basso Directed by Philippe Mora Producers Philippe Mora Pamela Mora Script by Philippe Mora 5

Additional dialogue by the cast

Production Design Ken St. Kilda Original music by Adrian Konarski Harald Grosskopf

Churchill and Coward sing from “The Sound of Spying.” Lyrics by Philippe Mora Music by Adrian Konarski Sung by Michael Straker Additional vocalizations Marek Balata Music by Adrian Konarski Co Producer Kristina Ivanova Cinematography by Bruno Pheasantry Editor Kristina Ivanova Associate Producer Carlos Gonzalez Original artwork Philippe Mora Thanks to the following for help, permissions and/or inspiration in the making of this work: Mirka Mora, Jasmine O’Donnell, G.R Lansell, Barry Krost, Michael Blaha, County Museum of Art, Heide Museum of Modern Art of , National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Stella Adler Academy of Acting, , Steve Saragossi, Jewish Film Foundation of Australia, William Mora Galleries, , Clayton Watson, Mora Family Collection, Mora Papers Film and Sound Collection, Griffiths Park 6

Observatory, Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, City of Melbourne, Film , Barbara Tucker, Pablo Picasso, Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Orson Welles, Gary Grossman, for Levitated Mass, Seward Johnson for Forever Marilyn, Toulouse Lautrec, Marcel Duchamp, Edgar Degas, Luis Bunuel, , , Arthur Rimbaud, John Jack Rodgers, Antonio Vivaldi Filmed on Location in Melbourne, Los Angeles and around the world. A Riff On History Production. Copyright © 2013 Philippe Mora All Rights Reserved.

WRITER/DIRECTOR PHILIPPE MORA BIO

Based in West Hollywood, Philippe Mora is an acclaimed French Australian writer, director, actor and artist. He has made over thirty films internationally in all genres, which makes him hard to categorize. He has made documentaries used in universities internationally. Simultaneously his cult films still delight fans around the world. He has filmed dramas, science fiction and historical films, including BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME, SWASTIKA, COMMUNION, SNIDE AND PREJUDICE, THE GERTRUDE STEIN MYSTERY OR SOME LIKE IT ART, THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN SINVINCIBLE, HOWLING 2 & 3, GERMAN SONS, CONTINUITY and .

Born in in 1949, he grew up in Melbourne, where he was one of the pioneers of the modern Australian film industry with , and he started the magazine Cinema Papers. His parents, Georges and Mirka Mora, were key figures in the Modernist art world of Australia. His godfather was mime Marcel Marceau. He had a retrospective of his artwork showing in London at & Co. Gallery in 2008, opened by Eric Clapton. New Horizons Film Festival, Wroclaw, held a 7 film retrospective in 2010 7 and he has been returning ever since with deep family links to the city. His stories for the Sydney Morning Herald on FBI files received worldwide attention. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His art and films are represented in museums and archives internationally, and the National Archives of the United States has established the Philippe Mora Collection. The National Film Archives of Australia has an extensive collection of his work. He has completed his film on Modernism, ABSOLUTELY MODERN. He is working on a Dali inspired film; THE SURREALIST. His graphic non- fiction book, SIXTIES APOCALYPSE, was recently published on Amazon.com. Archivists were recently surprised to find he made the first film for the Internet in 1996, a version of Shakespeare’s Richard III. Apple interviewed him at the time regarding the future of the Internet. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Pamela and three children. He is currently filming his musical about the Cold War with Polish composer Adrian Konarski, THE SOUND OF SPYING.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND LINKS

There are many related links to the historical story of Australian modernists, and to the cast and the filmmakers. These are some useful highlights: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Absolutely- Modern/429822753746917 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2164404/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#ca st http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Mora 8 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/03/18/101590992327 4.html http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1596281/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rena_Riffel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirka_Mora http://www.squidoo.com/sundayreed?utm_source=google&utm_m edium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2013/05/07/3750015.ht m http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Reed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Melchiot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austen_Tayshus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiriel_Mora http://www.abc.net.au/dynasties/txt/s1518726.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Kelly_Gang http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Reed_(art_patron) http://www.adriankonarski.com/ http://www.moragalleries.com.au/ 9

7 FAQ

1. Is the story of the Australian artists and patrons that Lord Steinway explores true? Yes, this was a famous ménage a trois that changed modern art history in Australia.

2. Is it true that writer director Philippe Mora knew these people as a child? Yes, his family was close friends with the Reeds and his parents Georges and Mirka Mora were instrumental in creating the Museum of Modern Art of Australia with the Reeds. Sweeney Reed, their adopted son from artists Joy Hester and Albert Tucker, was best friends with Philippe and William Mora.

3. Was Ned Kelly a real person? Ned Kelly, a bushranger, (June 1854 or 1855 – 11 November 1880) is a real historical figure in Australian history, and has mythical and legendary significance as an anti-Colonial and anti- establishment outlaw. The first feature film ever made in 1906 was about him, The Story of the Kelly Gang. His life has captured the imagination of Australians for over a century. The Reeds encouraged Nolan to paint about him in the 1940’s. One of Nolan’s portraits of him sold for nearly $5 million dollars in 2010. SEE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8588377.stm

4. How did Mora end up casting former soccer star Mario Melchiot as a lead?

He was introduced to Melchiot by a dialogue coach in Hollywood and Mora took an immediate liking to him. He wanted to be an actor and Mora recognized his natural charm and charisma, and decided to cast him. Mora, who has directed actors including Alan 10

Arkin, , and enjoys introducing new talent, and experimenting with acting techniques. Collaborator John Jack Rodgers, who plays Noel Coward in the film, is director of the Stella Adler Academy of Acting, Hollywood.

5. What is the improvisation technique that the director uses?

This particular story in its details and background has been in Mora’s mind all his life, so it was not difficult to brief the actors on some improvised dialogue scenes. Mora often just tells the actors what the scene is about, then shoots variations until he is satisfied he has the essence of the scene. Some of the cast, like Rena Riffel have worked this way with Mora previously and enjoy the process.

6. Mora seems to ridicule Modern Art? Is that what he really thinks? No. Mora is a great devotee of 20th century Modernism and is very knowledgeable about the subject. His creation, Lord Steinway, on the other hand is a skeptic, and even describes author Arthur Rimbaud who coined the phrase “above all we must be absolutely modern” as a “mental cripple.” Mora’s satirical character is not to be confused with his own opinion, but is a dramatic device to engage in the subject. Mora’s own paintings are in private and public collections including the Museum of Modern Art of Australia and the National Gallery, Canberra.

7. The filmmaker now mixes documentary fact and some fiction in his recent films. Why? Mora says: “ I started out making documentaries and always was interested in history. This hybrid form enables me to tackle great stories in a fresh way. For example, I am now filming a movie about the Cold War, a fascinating subject, called The Sound of Spying. The twist is that this is a musical. Ever seen a spy sing?” ### 11