PRESS KIT CONTENTS S YNOPSIS ......................................3 P ROJECT S UMMARY ..........................4 C AST & C REW ...............................4 A WARDS & S ELECTIONS ....................5 D IRECTOR B IOGRAPHY .......................6 D IRECTOR S TATEMENT .......................6 C AST & C REATIVE T EAM B IOGRAPHIES ...7 P RESS R ELEASES & A RTICLES ..............10 S YNOPSIS LOG LINE To meet an impossible deadline, a clueless illustrator must come face to face with his own creation: the mysterious Mistress Of The Forest. SHORT SYNOPSIS For fledgling illustrator Neil, it's a dream come true to come up with a fantasy comic for a major publisher. Problem is, he's only got one night to do it and he's much more at home drawing dinosaurs. When a lack of sleep and an intense caffeine binge brings him face to face with the mysterious hero of his story, the Mistress of the Forest, Neil thinks she may have the answer to his creative woes. Too bad she's too busy living her own life to bother with Neil's lack of inspiration. LONG SYNOPSIS Desperate to see his dinosaur comics in print, Neil Grayman ambushes publishing agent Karen Richardson. Initially Karen is having none of it. But when one of his other drawings catches her eye - the sketch of a mysterious female fantasy hero that Neil refers to only as The Mistress Of The Forest - she decides to give him a chance to develop the concept. There’s just one catch: he’ll get only one night. Back at his studio Neil grapples with the impossible task before him and as the night wears on his grip on reality begins to wane. Suddenly he is transported to a fantastical forest and is face to face with the mysterious Mistress herself. Suspecting the whole experience may be some sort of creative epiphany, Neil endeavours to win the Mistress over and gain her help. But she’s far too busy protecting the forest to bother with Neil’s lack of inspiration. 3 P RODUCTION S UMMARY C AST & C REW The Mistress Of The Forest Forest The Of Mistress TitleThe Myra The Mistress Of The ForestStankiewicz Eleanor Runningseconds 7 Time minutes 9 Neil GraymanHiatt Nicholas Comedy // Fantasy // Adventure // Fantasy Genre Comedy // Karen RichardsonWilkinson Linden Aspect Ratio2.40:1 Hogart The BearmanHoneysett Troy Exhibition FormatsHQ422 ProRes Apple DVD Director, Writer & ProducerHiatt Nicholas Blu-Ray Blu-Ray Co ProducersStankiewicz Eleanor SoundStereo Emma Playfair Completion2017 Date 29, September Director of PhotographyTyler Jonathan Website nicholashiatt.com/the-mistress-of-the-forest & First Assistant Director Production & WardrobeAndronos DesignIsabella OriginalBlazé Jerome Music Sound Kristensen DesignLana Pierre Laba Sarkis Laba Pierre Editor ColouristKaleel Rimaz Fight ChoreographyHoneysett Troy Original IllustrationsHiatt Nicholas 4 5 D IRECTOR B IOGRAPHY N ICHOLAS H IATT AS NEIL GRAYMAN (C ASTD , IRECTOR W , RITER & P RODUCER ) Nicholas is an Australian actor, filmmaker and illustrator. He holds a BA in Multimedia Multimedia BAin a holds He illustrator. and filmmaker actor, Australian an is Nicholas Design from Curtin University and is a 2013 NIDA graduate (BA Dramatic Art: Acting). Acting). Art: Dramatic (BA NIDAgraduate 2013 a is and University Curtin from Design NIDA credits include: Iago in in Iago include: NIDAcredits Chuchill’s Caryl Othello in Betty and Cloud 9 . Since graduating he has appeared in children’s theatre, operas and short films, films, short and operas theatre, children’s in appeared has he graduating Since and has toured Australia with a new adaptation of the beloved Australian classic classic Australian beloved the of adaptation new a with Australia toured has and Snugglepot relocated and andFellowship Walsh Mike Cuddlepie a awarded was he 2016 In . to New York, where he continues to build his credits, including short films: films: short including credits, his build to continues he where NewYork, to Booth Reading with Columbia Film School. A desire to combine his several disciplines led led disciplines several his combine to desire A and School. Film Columbia‘H’ with Nicholas to writing and directing his first short film: film: short first his directing and writing to Nicholas The Mistress Of The Forest drawing , on his love of illustration, the fantasy genre and dinosaurs. dinosaurs. and genre fantasy the illustration, of love his on www.nicholashiatt.com DIRECTOR STATEMENT It started with the image of shadowy hooded figure surrounded by trees; a female fantasy hero. fantasy female a trees; by surrounded figure hooded shadowy of image the with started It And then there was Neil, the comic artist grappling with the task of creating the story for this this for story the creating of task the with grappling artist comic the Neil, was there then And mysterious character. What if, to finish the project, he had to be transported to her world? At last last At world? her to transported be to had he project, the finish to if, What character. mysterious this was a chance to explore all the things I loved: the genre of fantasy, superheroes and my life mylife and superheroes fantasy, of genre the loved: I things the all explore to chance a was this long (possibly unhealthy) compulsion to draw dinosaurs. In writing I was inspired by my past life life mypast by inspired was I writing In dinosaurs. draw to compulsion unhealthy) (possibly long as an illustrator. I know the terror of the blank page, the frustration of putting pencil to paper and and paper to pencil putting of frustration the page, blank the of terror the know I illustrator. an as then failing to produce the brilliant image in my head. I have vivid memories of staying up all night, night, all up staying of memories vivid have I myhead. in image brilliant the produce to failing then shaking from the lack of sleep and copious amounts of sugar, just to reach a deadline. I took stylistic stylistic took I deadline. a reach to just sugar, of amounts copious and sleep of lack the from shaking influences from the films of Edgar Wright and the campiness of Xena: Warrior Princess –crafting a a –crafting Princess Warrior Xena: of campiness the and Wright Edgar of films the from influences story that was as much an examination of the process of creativity as the tragic absurdity of failure. of absurdity tragic the as creativity of process the of examination an much as was that story 6 C AST & C REATIVE T EAM B IOGRAPHIES E LEANOR S TANKIEWICZ AS MYRA THE MISTRESS OF THE FOREST (C ASTC , OP RODUCER ) Eleanor graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2013 and was awarded the Australian Voice Voice Australian the awarded was and 2013 in Art Dramatic of Institute National the from graduated Eleanor Association’s Student Encouragement Award. Her work in theatre has seen her travel across Australia performing in in performing Australia across travel her seen has theatre in work Her Award. Encouragement Student Association’s classical and contemporary productions, this includes playing Catherine in State Theatre Company of South South Companyof Theatre State in Catherine playing includes this productions, contemporary and classical Australia’s critically acclaimed production of of production acclaimed critically Australia Australia’s Watch Neighbourhood with touring and Meyrick Julian by directed The Bell Shakespeare Company as part of of part Companyas Shakespeare Bell The Bell in Starveling and Helena Players The as appeared also Eleanor . Shakespeare’s 2016 production of of production 2016 Shakespeare’s Dream MidsummerNight’s A include credits screen Eleanor’s . as Rake well as various commercials, short films, and online content. content. online and films, short commercials, various L INDEN W ILKINSON AS KAREN RICHARDSON (C AST ) Linden trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and has performed extensively within Australia and and Australia within extensively performed has and Art Dramatic of Institute National the at trained Linden New Zealand. Her numerous screen credits include popular Australian programmes Australian popular include credits screen numerous Her NewZealand. Rafters The To Packed and . She began script writing for stage and television late last century. In 2003 she returned to Sydney to returned she 2003 In century. last late television and stage HomeAway And for writing script began She . University and undertook a Master’s(2008) then a Doctoral degree (2014). (2014). degree Doctoral a then Master’s(2008) a undertook and University Her doctoral thesis focuses on the Myall Creek Aboriginal massacre of 1838 and the memorial erected to commemorate to erected memorial the and 1838 of massacre Aboriginal Creek Myall the on focuses thesis doctoral Her this atrocity 162 years later. She was last seen in 2017 at the Ensemble Theatre in in Theatre Ensemble the at 2017 in seen last was She later. years 162 atrocity this Service Lip joining is and Misto John by the cast of the web series series web the of cast the season. third ROMPtheir for T ROY H ONEYSETT AS HOGART THE BEARMAN (C ASTF , IGHT C HOREOGRAPHER ) Troy Honeysett is an Australian stage and screen Actor. He has worked with Universal Pictures, through to local local to through Pictures, Universal with worked has He Actor. screen and stage Australian an is Honeysett Troy film, theatre and opera companies. He holds a Bachelor of Dramatic Art in Acting from the National Institute of of Institute National the from Acting in Art Dramatic of Bachelor a holds He companies. opera and theatre film, Dramatic Art (NIDA), and a National Diploma of Dance Performance in Classical Ballet from the New Zealand NewZealand the from Ballet Classical in Performance Dance of Diploma National a and (NIDA), Art Dramatic School of Dance. A former competitive Martial Artist, Gymnast and Principal Dancer of Australian Dance Theatre – Theatre Dance Australian of Dancer Principal and Gymnast Artist, Martial competitive former A Dance.