The Screening Room is CNN’s half-hour monthly movie show that offers a compelling international perspective on the world of film, travelling around the globe to bring viewers the inside track on all aspects of the movie business.

In the month of June their focus is on the land down under, and it goes without saying that a stop to the set of Australia is at the top of their agenda.

Host Myleene Klass interviews director Baz Luhrmann from the sound stages of Fox Studios, whe’re we’re given some more of his great insights into the film.

At one point in the interview Baz Luhrmann comments, “I can say with absolute confidence, hand on heart type confidence, that the performances are beyond my expectation. And the chemistry between Hugh and Nicole is palpable and real, and that’s way up the richter scale for us. They’re physically a perfect match. You know what … great lovers on screen, they are like great dancers. They got to be a great partnership. They really are a tremendous match. They dance together physically, emotionally as lovers in the film”

“He is probably my creative soul mate. I just adore him. I think he’s got such a love of cinema and of life and he´s romantic and I can´t say enough nice things about him,” Nicole Kidman says of Luhrmann.

The feature was aired on television but you can also watch this interview streaming from the CNN site, or download it to your harddrive from our buldging video archive. Alternatively you can read the associated article on the CNN website.

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Category Tags: Appearances Baz Luhrmann Media Nicole Kidman

Hugh Jackman found a few more fans at the Fox Cinema Expo in Amsterdam this week.

The Aussie actor thrilled industry crowds at the filmfest, previewing the hottest titles to come for the studio, by introducing a new sneak-peak at Baz Luhrmann’s epic Australia.

Fox showed extensive footage ‘Australia,’ which the director, Baz Luhrmann, explained, by video, that he was still posting after a yearlong shoot Down Under. The teaser roll, especially edited for the Hollywood crowd, has only added more buzz to the highly anticipated Aussie release.

Star appearances are often in short supply at Cinema Expo, so it played well when Hugh Jackman, co-star of ‘Australia’ along with Nicole Kidman, popped up to plug the holiday release.

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Jackman said. “There wasn’t a second that went by that Nicole and I didn’t thank our lucky stars for being in this movie.”

sources: Hollywood Reporter, news.com.au

Category Tags: Baz Luhrmann Hugh Jackman Nicole Kidman Press

Check out the latest podcast which has been released as part of Apple and Bazmark’s ‘Set to Screen’ series here.

This time, the podcast focuses on Location Shooting and is narrated by Phillip Roope. “Locations Supervisor Philip Roope’s career in film began as a screenwriter. Over more than two decades in the film business, he has gone on to location manage more than 25 films including Tomorrow Never Dies, The Beach, and Superman Returns.”

View the podcast for more information about the making of the film, and plenty of stunning images from locations in outback Australia and drop by our gallery to see 57 stills capped from the latest video.

Category Tags: Crew Media

The month of June seems to be all about fashion when it comes to news surrounding Australia.

Previously we’ve told you how designer Catherine Martin designed a dress for Nicole Kidman which features on the July 2008 edition of Vogue Magazine. Subsequently the dress is available for limited purchase via the retailer, Bergdorfs. Now the focus has turned to the shoes worn by Nicole Kidman’s on set persona.

Fashion Week Daily have reported that Ferragamo have been enlisted to make a collection of custom period footwear for the character of Lady Sarah Ashley to wear in Australia.

However, don’t fret! Us common folk get a chance to dress like a star as the company will release all the shoe designs which will be featured in the highly-anticipated film.

source: Fashion Week Daily

Category Tags: Nicole Kidman Press

The July 2008 edition of Vogue magazine has hit American stands already and fans of Australia should be flocking to the newstands.

The latest issue features a glamorous Nicole Kidman on the cover (as seen left), a sixteen page feature on the upcoming Luhrmann film Australia, including a wealth of 8 large glossy images by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.

A substantial extract of the feature, Days of Heaven, can be read in our transcript archive, with the corresponding official stills to be found in our site gallery and full scans here.

As if we weren’t spoiled enough, the spread comes complete with a Vogue Diary video, to be found on the style.com site, or download to your computer from our media section, and view the screencaps here.

The article candidly details an on set visit by Vogue reporter John Powers, and combines with an intimate interview many months later with, a heavily pregnant, Nicole Kidman discussing child baring, the Australian heat, her amazing co-star Hugh Jackman and crew visionary crew Baz Luhrmann and CM.

As mentioned previously, the dress featured on the cover is made by designer Catherine Martin and will be exlusively available to purchase from Bergdorfs in NYC.

Category Tags: Appearances Baz Luhrmann Crew Hugh Jackman Media Nicole Kidman Press Site News

The Tourism Australia website has launched a massive section dedicated to promoting Australia, both the movie and the country, and has revealed that the movie will be distributed to 70 countries, with the DVD release to follow around March/April 2009.

“The release of Baz Luhrmann’s epic film Australia, presents the Australian tourism industry with the greatest promotional opportunity in many years. As a global film event, and with the extraordinary power of films in stimulating tourism, Tourism Australia sees Australia the movie as acting as a catalyst to motivate people to travel to Australia now and for Australians to rediscover their own country… To capitalise on this marketing campaign, Tourism Australia is working directly with the film’s creators, Bazmark Inq and Twentieth Century Fox to turn this opportunity into real economic benefits for the tourism industry and the broader community.”

Source: Tourism Australia

Category Tags: Media Press

Thanks to the insane demand for Keira Knightley’s green dress in Atonement (created for the movie but not available for purchase) costume designers learned their lesson.

To coincide with the release of Vogue’s July issue featuring covergirl Nicole Kidman, a recreation of the limited-edition dress the actress wears on the cover and in her new Baz Luhrmann film Australia will be available exclusively beginning June 24th at Bergdorf Goodman.

The long dress is described as a “green firebird organza silk gown.” The frock was custom made by two-time Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who also created the costumes for Moulin Rouge!. On the cover, Kidman wears leather riding boots by Salvatore Ferragamo. The Florentine fashion house designed a collection of shoes for the epic that will hit stores this fall.

To mark the occasion, Bergdorf will display the dress in a window on Fifth Avenue, complete with an Australian-esque background filled with July Vogue covers. Four of the gowns will be available for $9,850 each in a range of select sizes. Special orders will be taken upon request.

If anyone in the New York area can take a photo of the display and send it to australiamovie.net we’d be delighted to see it!

sources: news.com.au and FashonWeekDaily

Category Tags: Appearances Nicole Kidman Press