Hugo Weaving Wins Helpmann Award For STC Endgame; The Dressmaker To Premiere at TIFF, Art of Music
Though Hugo Weaving has been on an extended, well-earned break since STC's Waiting For Godot wrapped up its London run, his projects-- past and future-- continue to make the news. Here's a rundown of all that's happened since my last update.
2015 Helpmann Awards
Hugo Weaving with Tom Budge in STC's production of Endgame earlier ths year. Photo: Lisa Tomasetti
After years of snubs (sometimes of not even being nominated) the Helpmann Awards, given annually for Australian stage productions including theatre, dance, concert and opera, finally did the right thing, awarding Hugo Weaving Best Actor in A Play for his performance as Hamm in STC's production of Endgame earlier this year. Hugo did not attend the July 27 ceremony, so his Endgame director and friend Andrew Upton claimed the award on his behalf. Hugo frequently avoids awards shows and the Helpmanns rarely recognized his work, so I wasn't surprised he had other places to be, though it would have been nice to hear Hugo's thoughts on the honor or have some new pics... as fans we're more than used to him having other priorities than celebrity-driven red carpet galas. ;) In addition to Upton, Cate Blanchett and Hugo's former collaborators Kip Williams (Macbeth) and Pamela Rabe (God of Carnage, Les Liaisons Dangereuses) were on hand. You can view red carpet photos of the event at The Guardian and The Daily Mail; news reports covering the Helpmanns are available at Stage Whispers, The Sydney Morning Herald,The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Australian, The AU Review, Sydneyland, ABC.net and Contact Music. Most of these just list Hugo's name and honor without citing a reason for his absence. A few include Lisa Tomasetti's Endgame performance photos or random press photos from earlier events.
via Helpmann Awards twitter feed
You can read Andrew Upton's comments explaining why arts funding, particularly of small-to-medium sized theatres, is essential at the Herald Sun. As Upton says, "That’s where the next Hugo Weaving and Samuel Beckett come from"
Speaking of Beckett, don't forget that BBC2's Artsnight will air a special Beckett themed episode on July 31 at 11pm (GMT) in which host Richard Wilson will interview Hugo Weaving and Lisa Dwan about their participation in The Barbican's Beckett Festival this summer. The program will then go up on the BBC's website for streaming. More details at The Telegraph. Ideally this should include footage from the Barbican production of STC's Waiting for Godot, but we'll have to wait and see.
The Dressmaker Slated For TIFF World Premiere Gala
Yet another of Hugo's projects will hve its global premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. The Dressmaker, costarring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Sarah Snook, will be showcased in a gala premiere this September. (The festival begins 10 September, specific screening times TBD.) The film follows Hugo's earlier projects Little Fish (2005), Cloud Atlas (2012) and Mystery Road (2013) at TIFF; Hugo attended the first two. He's likely to appear this year too unless a project comes up which prevents him from doing so. (So far he has announced no new film or stage projects and has previously stated he'll be taking an extended break from theatre to explore possible independent film projects.)
Most entertainment news sites simply list the film's synopsis and the fact it will be featured in its own gala presentation. You'll want to keep an eye on TIFF's page for the film as more details become available in weeks to come. More at ComingSoon.net, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post and The Guardian, among many others.
More Photos of Hugo Weaving at Art Of Music Live 2015
Art of Music's Facebook page has shared some additional new photos of Hugo Weaving alongside Simon Baker and Jenny Morris at the July 16 charity fundraiser, which has been Hugo's only public appearance this summer. All were taken by Trini Cromie Photography.
Hugo walks the red carpet at The Art of Music Live, 16 July 2015. Photo (plus three others) Trini Cromie/Art of Music Facebook
L to R: Jenny Morris, Simo Baker, Hugo Weaving onstage at Art of Music 2015
In Other Hugo Weaving News
Finally, some American Hugo fans will finally have a chance to see Healing on the big screen as the film will be featured in a special Australians In Film screenings in New York (Aug 14) and Los Angeles (Aug 7) next month. More details and info on how to RSVP for tickets at Australians in Film's website. I'm desperately trying to arrange attending the NYC event after feeling burned I missed out on Strangerland's pathetically minuscule US cinematic release. (Still hoping for second-run or college screens to help me out on that issue...)
Speaking of Strangerland, I am still trying to fit in a second screening of the film before composing a review. Again, a proper theatrical viewing would be optimal, but US distributors seem intent on disappointing me time after time in that regard. We'll have to see if The Dressmaker finally breaks that pattern, but I'm sick to death of arthouse screens being wasted on mid-budget American films that are being shunted there so superheroes and CG dinosaurs can hog ALL the screens at mall cineplexes. I still highly recommend the film, and highly recommend that fans NOT waste any time reading snotty negative reviews or Twitter comments about the film, as most seem to have been written by juveniles with short attention spans.
Ivan Sen and Aaron Pedersen recently completed filming Goldstone, the sequel/offshoot to Mystery Road, in June. (Hugo's character Johnno won't be featured because... well, see the first film). But the new film co-stars Jacki Weaver, David Gulpilil and David Wenham, and should provide riveting viewing in its own right. You can see production photos and news reports at the film's Facebook page.
2015 Helpmann Awards
Hugo Weaving with Tom Budge in STC's production of Endgame earlier ths year. Photo: Lisa Tomasetti
After years of snubs (sometimes of not even being nominated) the Helpmann Awards, given annually for Australian stage productions including theatre, dance, concert and opera, finally did the right thing, awarding Hugo Weaving Best Actor in A Play for his performance as Hamm in STC's production of Endgame earlier this year. Hugo did not attend the July 27 ceremony, so his Endgame director and friend Andrew Upton claimed the award on his behalf. Hugo frequently avoids awards shows and the Helpmanns rarely recognized his work, so I wasn't surprised he had other places to be, though it would have been nice to hear Hugo's thoughts on the honor or have some new pics... as fans we're more than used to him having other priorities than celebrity-driven red carpet galas. ;) In addition to Upton, Cate Blanchett and Hugo's former collaborators Kip Williams (Macbeth) and Pamela Rabe (God of Carnage, Les Liaisons Dangereuses) were on hand. You can view red carpet photos of the event at The Guardian and The Daily Mail; news reports covering the Helpmanns are available at Stage Whispers, The Sydney Morning Herald,The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Australian, The AU Review, Sydneyland, ABC.net and Contact Music. Most of these just list Hugo's name and honor without citing a reason for his absence. A few include Lisa Tomasetti's Endgame performance photos or random press photos from earlier events.
via Helpmann Awards twitter feed
You can read Andrew Upton's comments explaining why arts funding, particularly of small-to-medium sized theatres, is essential at the Herald Sun. As Upton says, "That’s where the next Hugo Weaving and Samuel Beckett come from"
Speaking of Beckett, don't forget that BBC2's Artsnight will air a special Beckett themed episode on July 31 at 11pm (GMT) in which host Richard Wilson will interview Hugo Weaving and Lisa Dwan about their participation in The Barbican's Beckett Festival this summer. The program will then go up on the BBC's website for streaming. More details at The Telegraph. Ideally this should include footage from the Barbican production of STC's Waiting for Godot, but we'll have to wait and see.
The Dressmaker Slated For TIFF World Premiere Gala
Yet another of Hugo's projects will hve its global premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. The Dressmaker, costarring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Sarah Snook, will be showcased in a gala premiere this September. (The festival begins 10 September, specific screening times TBD.) The film follows Hugo's earlier projects Little Fish (2005), Cloud Atlas (2012) and Mystery Road (2013) at TIFF; Hugo attended the first two. He's likely to appear this year too unless a project comes up which prevents him from doing so. (So far he has announced no new film or stage projects and has previously stated he'll be taking an extended break from theatre to explore possible independent film projects.)
Most entertainment news sites simply list the film's synopsis and the fact it will be featured in its own gala presentation. You'll want to keep an eye on TIFF's page for the film as more details become available in weeks to come. More at ComingSoon.net, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post and The Guardian, among many others.
More Photos of Hugo Weaving at Art Of Music Live 2015
Art of Music's Facebook page has shared some additional new photos of Hugo Weaving alongside Simon Baker and Jenny Morris at the July 16 charity fundraiser, which has been Hugo's only public appearance this summer. All were taken by Trini Cromie Photography.
Hugo walks the red carpet at The Art of Music Live, 16 July 2015. Photo (plus three others) Trini Cromie/Art of Music Facebook
L to R: Jenny Morris, Simo Baker, Hugo Weaving onstage at Art of Music 2015
In Other Hugo Weaving News
Finally, some American Hugo fans will finally have a chance to see Healing on the big screen as the film will be featured in a special Australians In Film screenings in New York (Aug 14) and Los Angeles (Aug 7) next month. More details and info on how to RSVP for tickets at Australians in Film's website. I'm desperately trying to arrange attending the NYC event after feeling burned I missed out on Strangerland's pathetically minuscule US cinematic release. (Still hoping for second-run or college screens to help me out on that issue...)
Speaking of Strangerland, I am still trying to fit in a second screening of the film before composing a review. Again, a proper theatrical viewing would be optimal, but US distributors seem intent on disappointing me time after time in that regard. We'll have to see if The Dressmaker finally breaks that pattern, but I'm sick to death of arthouse screens being wasted on mid-budget American films that are being shunted there so superheroes and CG dinosaurs can hog ALL the screens at mall cineplexes. I still highly recommend the film, and highly recommend that fans NOT waste any time reading snotty negative reviews or Twitter comments about the film, as most seem to have been written by juveniles with short attention spans.
Ivan Sen and Aaron Pedersen recently completed filming Goldstone, the sequel/offshoot to Mystery Road, in June. (Hugo's character Johnno won't be featured because... well, see the first film). But the new film co-stars Jacki Weaver, David Gulpilil and David Wenham, and should provide riveting viewing in its own right. You can see production photos and news reports at the film's Facebook page.