Press Kit

Synopsis
Producer Rocky Maldini and Director Zack Masters are the kings of Rock Video.
Armed with the biggest budget in Australian film history, they set out to make the
ultimate genre-busting movie: an Action-slash-Adventure-slash-Rock Opera called
Heavy Metal. As Rocky puts it, “This film revolves around eight huge action sequences
with car chases, boat chases, a helicopter chase, fight scenes, massive explosions, a
Rock & Roll concert, lots of shots of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Get the
picture? Ground breaking.”
But as filmmakers would know, things donʼt always go according to plan. The first in
a line of disasters occurs when the million-dollar luxury cruiser that was being used
for filming accidentally explodes, destroying the entire marina. But thatʼs ok because
Rocky Maldini knows business, and business means protecting oneʼs venture with
insurance; lots of it. Well that is of course unless an irate Production Manager, sick of
being humiliated and unappreciated by his Producer, cancels all of it in one final act
of revenge.
This would have destroyed most producers but not Rocky. He has an ace up his sleeve;
he has invested the remaining funds in futures, believing he can generate enough cash
to save both the film and his reputation. Big mistake. Overnight he loses the lot and the
film is at a halt yet again. The fact that a nosy student filmmaker and her crew, hired to
make a behind-the-scenes doco, happen to be recording his entire downfall only rubs
salt into the wound.*
Trip Wolf, the young Australian actor who made it big in Hollywood staring in
ʻCenturionʼ and the star of Heavy Metal, packs his bags and heads straight back to
L.A.
A non-existent budget, an angry crew and a disappearing cast doesnʼt sound like a
winning formula for a blockbuster but with a Producer like Rocky on board, thereʼs
always another brilliant idea waiting just around the corner.
Rocky uncovers a new talent to step into the lead role of Troy Starman. Heʼs not exactly
what Zack had imagined - John St John, an overweight theatre legend who can no
longer find work as surgery has left him with only half of one lung. But he has the one
attribute that Rocky loves – he will work for no pay.
Zack, upon seeing his monumental vision being flushed down the toilet, loses it. While
Rocky is away trying to raise money from “smart” investors on the Gold Coast, Zack
locks himself and the remaining actors in a studio and sets out to make his new vision
– Lourd Metal, a black and white acoustic love story. This film has the makings of “a
huge pile of art”.
Rocky returns empty handed, pulls the plug on Lourd Metal, and somehow sees Heavy
Metal through to its completion.
Now all that is left is Post Production, but as Rocky says; “A piece of piss.... What could
go wrong in post?”
* Oh. I forgot to tell you about the actor dying on the job, the famous singer who canʼt
sing, the perverted Russian investor, the kidnapping, the body in the boot of a “Family”
car…..
Production
Director / Writer: Chris Burnham
Almost is director Chris Burnhamʼs feature film debut. With
a number of short films already under his belt (The Big
Squeeze, Backwash, Mummy) and the award winning The
Second Coming, Burnham is no stranger to the ins and outs of
the film industry. Also known for his theatrical background,
Burnham has written and directed a number of productions
including, The Beggars Opera, for which he composed
the entire musical score and over thirty original songs; the
1990 cabaret, Sex, Lies and Stickytape; the rock musical,
Sad Songs, Love and Other Jokes; and most recently,
directing Eugene Ionescoʼs Macbett at the Newtown Theatre
in 2002. Chrisʼs musical background includes having been the lead guitarist and
songwriter for the 1970ʼs rock group Supernaut and their platinum album I Like It
Both Ways, and later, collaborating with other well-known artists such as The Saints .
Producer: Adriana Nunez
With a background in advertising, Adriana Nunez began
her career producing large scale, big budget advertising
campaigns for clients including Qantas, American Express,
Optus and Sony. Having produced all of Chris Burnhamʼs
short films, The Big Squeeze; Backwash; Mummy and
the award winning The Second Coming, as well as his
theatrical productions, The Beggars Opera; Sex, Lies and
Stickytape and Macbett, it was only natural for Nunez
to make the transition to producing for the big screen.
Nunez and Burnham recently set up their own production
company Divine Madness Films after a long creative
partnership together spanning over ten years. Almost is their first feature film.
DOP: John Swaffield
John Swaffield has been a leading name in
Australian cinematography for the past thirtythree years, working in all facets of the film and
television industry. His feature film credits as
Director of Photography include Erskinville
Kings with Hugh Jackman and Joel Edgerton,
The Good Fruit and A Wreck A Tangle. He
has also been behind the camera for a number
of short films including The Sweat, Man Overboard, Train Train, and began his
professional relationship with Chris Burnham on the award winning The Second
Coming, His television credits include Chopper Squad, and The Lost Islands.
Swaffield has also gained notoriety for his work in the music industry, shooting
video clips for such big-name artists as David Bowie, Dire Straits, Talking
Heads, Eurythmics, INXS, Hunters and Collectors, Deep Purple, and ABBA.
Composer: Joe Burnham
Joe Burnham recently completed recording his first solo
album, Dust. He has worked closely with his director
brother for over twenty years, writing all of the original
music scores for Chrisʼ short films, The Big Squeeze,
Backwash, Mummy, and The Second Coming. His other
short film credits include The Hairdresser and She Said.
The Burnham brothers first combined their creative talents
in their rock band Supernaut and success soon followed
with a platinum-selling album that included chart-topping
hits I Like It Both Ways and Too Hot To Touch. Joe has
recorded albums with various bands in both the United
Kingdom and Australia, such as Illustrated Man (a super-group combining members
of Japan and Gary Newman & the Tubeway Army), and Australian band, This is This.
Production
Editor: Alison Croft
Alison Croft has been editing both drama and documentary
since graduating from the Australian Film, Television and
Radio School (AFTRS) with a BA in Film and Television
in 1998. Almost is her second feature film, after editing
Khoa Doʼs award winning The Finished People in 2003.
Her documentary credits include Chrissy (Winner Berlin
International Film Festival Jury Prize, 2000); Making Venus
(Winner Film Criticʼs Circle of Australia Documentary Jury
Prize 2002); and Yellow Fella, which recently screened at the
Cannes Film Festival. She is currently editing Khoa Doʼs latest feature film, Footy
Legends.
Sound Designer: Liam Egan
Sound designer Liam Egan has worked his magic on some of
Australiaʼs most successful feature films, including Hating
Alison Ashley, Dirty Deeds, Australian Rules, Walking on
Water and The Wog Boy. He has also worked on a number
of American blockbusters and childrens favourites such as
George of the Jungle 2, Inspector Gadget 2, and Babe – Pig
in the City. Having won an Australian Film Industry Award
for 1989ʼs Bodywork, Liam has received a whopping 11 AFI
nominations throughout his career, and has won awards for
his sound work at Sydneyʼs Flicker Fest and the San Francisco Film Festival.
Cast
Michael
Picirrilli
Salvatore
Coco
The widely recognisable Salvatore Coco
Michael Piccirilli trained as an actor
began his illustrious career in television
through the Actorʼs Centre in both the
as Con Bordino, one of the leading
UK and Australia. He was commonly
characters in the popular ABC series
known for his role as Dr James Fraser
Heartbreak High.
Parts in Police
in Home & Away, while more recently
Rescue, Water Rats, and Wildside
has taken roles in McLeodʼs Daughters
followed and Salvatore soon made the
and Love Bytes.
transition to the big screen, starring in
include The Remarkable Piety of the
some of Australiaʼs most successful
Infamous at the Baronʼs Court Theatre
feature films with the countryʼs elite.
in
These included Looking For Alibrandi,
Night at the Gatehouse Theatre; and
Bootmen, and Two Hands. Salvatore
the Australian adaption of Dario Foʼs
also scored the lead role in the critically
Canʼt Pay, Wonʼt Pay. Michael has
acclaimed 1999 Dreamworks production,
also starred in a number of short films,
Walk The Talk.
as well as many extremely successful
London;
His theatre credits
Shakespeareʼs
commercials.
Twelfth
Ada
Nicodemou
Coby
Connell
Ada Nicodemou began her acting career
Coby Connell starred in her first theatre
at the age of sixteen with parts in Police
production when she was only five
Rescue and Breakers, but it wasnʼt until
years old and has continued performing
she starred in the popular ABC series
Heartbreak High, that she really began
turning heads. Her talent caught the eye of
casting directors on one of the countryʼs
most successful and long-running soaps,
Home & Away, and as a result, Adaʼs
character, Leah Patterson, has become
a much-loved leading character in the
show over the past four years. Ada had
ever since.
She has starred in such
productions as A Midsummer Nightʼs
Dream, Macbeth, and The Life and
Death of Almost Everyone, and
received an award for her acting at the
Sydney Shakespeare Festival in 2000.
This bright new talent was also the lead
in the short film, The Big Squeeze,
her feature film debut starring in the box-
but is making her feature film debut as
office hit The Matrix alongside Keanu
the sharp, student filmmaker Kate in
Reeves in 1999.
Almost.
Cast
Danny Raco is Trip Wolf
Italian born Danny Raco started his career as an announcer on an
Italian radio station, having his own show by the age of fourteen.
After moving to Sydney in 1990, Danny studied drama at the
Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) before embarking
on his television career with a starring role in Heartbreak High,
alongside Ada Nicodemou and Salvatore Coco. Two years later,
Danny was cast as Alex Poulos in the popular Australian show
Home & Away, and can now be seen on the multi award winning
series Blue Heelers as Constable Joss Peroni.
Gary Waddell is Charlie
Best known as the tough gangster of Australian cinema, Gary
Waddell has starred in some of this countryʼs most successful
feature films. From acting alongside Eric Bana in 1999ʼs
Chopper, to Bryan Brown and David Wenham in Dirty Deeds
and Getting Square, Gary has starred with some of Australiaʼs
most famous exports. Throughout his long career he has
performed in numerous theatre productions, over 20 films, and
20 television seriesʼ including A Country Practice, Water Rats,
Stingers, All Saints, Seachange and the critically acclaimed
Bad Cop Bad Cop.
Tony Barry is Donnie Green
Tony Barryʼs acting career has spanned the past 37 years, having
acted in over 50 feature films, 45 television seriesʼ both here and
overseas, and has performed in stage plays in Australia, New
Zealand and Japan. He has continued to shine from early days,
he received the Penguin Award in 1981 for the Best Performance
by a Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series, for his role as Nipper
Jackson in Scales of Justice, which was described by his director
as “one of the finest performances in television history.” This
veteran actor was recently the lead in the Australian feature film,
Lennie Cahill Shoots Through.
Steven O’Donnell is William
Steven OʼDonnell introduction to acting was working alongside
Geoffrey Rush in the Australian feature Swimming Upstream.
After growing up in Brisbane and completing his first lead role in
the independent feature Scratched at the age of 20, Steven moved
to Sydney in 2003 to further his acting career. He was then cast
in lead roles for the independent films Wango and Malloy and
Suburban Boys. Steven has since appeared in over 30 short
films including many of which he wrote and directed himself.
Fiona Morris is Veronica L’Estrange
Fiona Morrisʼ acting career began after she joined the professional
theatre group Alchemy where she was part of an ensemble cast
regularly performing at the Jones Bay Wharf. Prior to that she
appeared in various performances at the University of Sydney.
Fiona has since appeared in numerous corporate videos and was
the lead in Chris Burnhamʼs short film, The Second Coming.
Returning to her theatrical roots, Fiona recently finished playing
the role of Madeleine Louillart in The Burning at the Zenith
Theatre.
Ross Sharp is John St John
Ross Sharp has been a regular in all mediums of the Australian
entertainment industry since he began his acting career twenty
years ago. From performing in a number of theatre productions
as The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear and Macbeth, to acting
in numerous short films including Chris Burnhamʼs Backwash,
Ross landed the lead role in the feature film Terra Nova in 1998.
No stranger to the television industry, Ross has also appeared in a
number of popular TV shows, including Farscape, Water Rats,
Crash Palace and Heartbreak High.