SCREEN NSW ANNOUNCES TWO AURORA SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS Aurora, Screen NSW’s intensive script development program, has selected two projects for 2013‐14. This year’s Aurora format differs from previous years. In place of the week‐long workshop, the two projects have been selected for intensive one‐on‐one development support from a world‐class mentor, in a process specifically tailored to the projects’ needs. The two feature projects and their teams are: BABYTEETH, a bittersweet comedy about how good it is not to be dead yet and how far we will go for love, written by Rita Kalnejais and produced by Academy Award®‐nominated producer Jan Chapman, Katherine Slattery and Alex White. The mentor for Babyteeth is Andrew Bovell. Andrew’s most recent film is the feature adaptation of the John Le Carre novel A Most Wanted Man for director Anton Corbijn, due for release in 2014. The film stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams and Robin Wright. Other film credits include Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson, Blessed (Winner of Best Screenplay at San Sebastian Film Festival), the multi‐award winning Lantana, directed by Ray Lawrence, Head On, directed by Ana Kokkinos and Strictly Ballroom directed by Baz Lurhmann. Andrew’s most recent play is The Secret River adapted from Kate Grenville’s novel which premiered at the Sydney Theatre in 2013. BIRDBRAIN, about a man’s whose obsessive addiction to birdwatching almost destroys his family, by writer Stephen Abbott, director Warren Coleman and producer Amanda Higgs (The Secret Life of Us). The mentor for Birdbrain is John Collee, creative director in charge of script development at Hopscotch Features. John’s screenwriting credits include the Oscar‐nominated Master and Commander written with director Peter Weir (2003) and the Oscar‐winning Happy Feet written with George Miller, Warren Coleman and Judy Morris (2006). His film Creation about the domestic life of Charles Darwin opened the Toronto Film Festival in 2009 and his $85M children’s animation based on the BBC’s Walking With Dinosaurs will be released over Christmas this year. Wolf Totem, set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, is currently filming in Mongolia with Jean Jacques Annaud co‐writing and directing. Some of the successes of the Aurora program over the past decade have included the films Animal Kingdom, Somersault, Wish You Were Here and Little Fish. In 2014‐15, Aurora will once again be offered as a workshop for up to four teams. Aurora is presented with the support of Screen Australia and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Media enquiries: Tracey Mair TM Publicity for Screen NSW Ph 02 8333 9066 or 0419 221 493 .