Vendetta 19

In 1919 a war raged across Melbourne’s inner suburbs between a number of rivalling gangs, underworld figures and crime factions. This event came to be known as the Fitzroy Vendetta and it raged until the end of 1919 when only one person was left standing, cementing Squizzy Taylor as one of the most notorious Organized Crime and True Crime figures of all time.

Vendetta 19 explores a small part of the earlier history of some of these notorious gangsters in their early years. Squizzy was only 20 years old when he did his first stint in gaol coming into contact with Valentine Keating, the leader of the bloodthirsty and brutal push known as the Crutchy Push.

And what is amazing, this is the story of the actual events that occurred in Melbourne in the formative years of the 20th century. So, step back into the early 1900s in Melbourne when life was tough, and the crooks were even tougher!

Vendetta 19 will drop in selected cinemas across Melbourne in October 2024.

About

Vendetta 19 is a screenplay written by bestselling true crime author, Roy Maloy. It is produced by the wonderful Gracie Kay with stunning cinematography by Stuart Jaymes. Vendetta 19 is proudly sponsored by the Geelong Gaol Museum.

Vendetta 19 is a television, streaming platform style production that captures the events that led up to and caused the 1919 gangland war that became known as the Fitzroy Vendetta. It follows the narrative of the principal cast of the 1919 Fitzroy Vendetta from their earlier days as teenage push gang members through to their careers as high stakes professional criminals. This includes the early days of one of the more infamous crooks of the early 20th century, Squizzy Taylor, his brother Claude and their intersection with a ruthless gang of disabled men known as the Crutchy Push led by Valentine Keating.

Cast

The phenomenal cast of Vendetta 19 is headed by director, author and screenwriter Roy Maloy in the role of Valentine Keating, the bloodthirsty brutal leader of the Crutchy Push. Tom Levi takes on the role of notorious gangster, Squizzy Taylor with Shylie Arzouan in the pivotal role as his wife Dolly Gray. The rest of the cast is made up of a group of dedicated actors who have given their all to bringing this project to life!

Roy Maloy

Roy Maloy is a proud Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta man whose gift for story telling is unparalleled in Australia today. His writing career began at age 19 when he taught himself to read. After working tirelessly at becoming fluently able to both read and write he was able to secure casual then full-time work at the Herald Sun. Over seven years he worked his way up to an executive level while working on his first book, “Tent Boxer”.

Roy’s professional life saw him move into performance arts in the early 2000’s, as he invented and toured a large scale circus performance internationally. In 2013 he moved his interests into theatres, and by 2016 he owned six theatres across Melbourne including the Apollo Theatre, Vault Theatre and Speakeasy HQ Theatre.

Now, focussing his energy on publishing, Roy Maloy was described as “the most prolific true crime biographer alive today” by ABC Radio National in 2023 and has authored 15 books to date. Two of his titles have gone on to become bestsellers and he has had three nominations for literary awards. His dedication to creating truly deep reaching narratives and his exhaustive research methods have allowed him to unearth huge volumes of previously unpublished social history that has not been published previously. Among his many achievements includes his “third person shooter theory” which challenged the common belief that Squizzy Taylor shot Snowy Cutmore in 1927.

Today, Roy is a popular figure on social media channels where he has amassed a large following resulting in 2023 with the introduction of Criminal Outsider events and walking tours.

Roy is playing one of the main characters in bringing his vision of Vendetta 19 from the page to screen.

Tom Levi

Tom Levi was born and raised in the countryside of Ballarat, Victoria and has resided there ever since. Tom first came into the acting scene at the age of 15 when he began studying with an international acting coach Paul Parker at AIDA (Australian Institute of Dramatic Arts).

Two years later came Tom’s first acting role in a bit part for the feature film ‘The Dealer’. Ever since then Tom has acted in many short films, small parts in multiple indie feature films, commercials and many other projects. In the last year and a half however, things have started to go on the rise for Tom as he’s been cast in two feature films in major roles. One being the role of Harry Osborn in ‘Spider-Man: Seasons of Fate’ which is currently in production, the other being a horror slasher film currently in pre production. And to add to that list, Tom is now playing one of the most infamous gangsters of all time, as Squizzy Taylor.

Besides acting, Tom has co-created a small indie production company with two friends called Melbourne Underground Cinema Kollective (MUCK) where they are currently working on multiple short films and will eventually branch into feature films.

Shylie Arzouan

Enchanted by the magic of storytelling, Shylie Arzouan first fell in love with theatre as a little girl. This early passion grew into a dedicated pursuit, leading her to become a dynamic actor.

Reviews describe Shylie as an “actor that brings all her characters to vivid life regardless of stage time”, “one of the evening’s highlights” and “the most startling, unexpected impact”.

Shylie has embodied a variety of roles in the independent theatre scene, playing the lead as Cleo in “Cleo’s Stratos” (2023) and Lola in “Hunger” (2023), presented by She Writes at Theatre Works. Shylie showcased her versatility with a one-woman performance as Ros, playing multiple characters in Cracked Actors Theatre Script in Development Award-winning production of “Happy Ever After” (2022).

Her supporting roles include Emmylou in “Rain Falling on the Abattoir” (2022), as well as Rosa in “The Family Tree” (2022) and the comedic caricature of mother in “The Fly” (2022). Shylie also played Throat in “Kill All Climate Deniers” (2022), written by Greenroom award winner, David Finnigan.

Screening Events

The Premier of Vendetta 19 is up and ready for booking! Along with the screenings at a variety of locations over the remainder of the year.

These tickets are selling like hotcakes, so don’t delay in getting yours today! Once they are gone – they are gone! Don’t miss on being one of the first to witness this amazing production!

Vendetta 19VIP & Media Screening Premier

6pm Wednesday 9 October

The Sun Theatre Yarraville

https://www.trybooking.com/CTPHW

Vendetta 19 – Public Screening Premier

Geelong Gaol Museum

4pm Saturday 12 October

https://www.trybooking.com/CTPHS

Vendetta 19

The Chapel

2 Vision Drive Burwood East

7pm Wednesday 16 October

https://www.trybooking.com/CUBKI

Vendetta 19 – Public Screening with Cast Q&A

Teller Hotel Brunswick

81 Lygon Street, Brunswick

Wednesday 23 October

7-9pm

https://www.trybooking.com/CSBQA

THE FATAL SHOOTOUT

Squizzy Taylor & Snowy Cutmore – The Fatal Shoot Out Reenactment

4pm Saturday 26 October

Geelong Gaol Museum

202 Myers Street Geelong

https://www.trybooking.com/CSCTP

Vendetta 19 – Public Screening with Casting Q&A

Ballarat Union Hall

24 Camp Street Ballarat

Saturday 9 November

5-7pm

https://www.trybooking.com/CTXCS

Vendetta 19 – Public Screening with Cast Q&A

Teller Hotel Brunswick

81 Lygon Street, Brunswick

Thursday 14 November

7-9pm

https://www.trybooking.com/CSBQA

And for something a little different, join Roy Maloy and Madam Murder

LITTLE LON RED LIGHT Walking Tour

Saturday 28 & 29 December

Little Lon Walking Tour

11am – 1pm

https://www.trybooking.com/CSBGL

Latest News

Vendetta 19

In 1919 a war raged across Melbourne’s inner suburbs between a number of rivalling gangs, underworld figures and crime factions. The event came to be known as the Fitzroy Vendetta and it raged until the end of 1919 when only one person was left standing, cementing Squizzy Taylor as one of the most notorious Organized …