Tag: Vendetta 19

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WRITING FOR GEENA DAVIS

(Written by Roy Maloy)

This has been a long journey. So long, in fact, that it feels like a lifetime ago since I began. I began this project as a reaction to a conversation I had. One of my closest friends is a fierce protector of women’s spaces in all areas of life, and she told me something that actually shocked me. I was discussing my work with her, and that I am proud that I have been able to re-include a number of women into the collective memory of Australian crime history and emphasise the power they possessed at that time. And then my friend asked if I had come across The Bechdel Test.

If you are unfamiliar with it, the Bechdel Test is a measure for gauging the representation of women and their roles in cinema. A number of very impressive female movie makers and actors had pushed for some time to be able to fill roles or at least see roles developed in film and television that didn’t simply require the woman to stand by and be saved by a man. I had never come across this before, and it had never occurred to me.

As I googled different aspects of this, I came across the work that Geena Davis (of Thelma & Louise fame) was doing. Geena has set up a foundation to support movies and writers who create pieces that position women in screenplays to have main roles, equal dialogue and not be represented as flimsy, desperate and pathetic humans, as Hollywood has a habit of portraying them as.

On somewhat of a whim, I reached out to the foundation, not even expecting a response, but I sent them an email telling them about a few people that they may like to look into as options for creating film content. These included the people I had researched such as the Madam of Melbourne, Dolly Gray, the sly grog baroness Bridget Mahoney and the most prolific bordello madam in Australian history Minnie Clark. I don’t think I actually even expected a response. But when I did receive a response, it was not only a massive surprise, but it also challenged me in a way I had never been challenged before. The response was not only personable and supportive, but it put to me the question I should’ve been able to ask myself. The person who wrote to me asked why I hadn’t already written a piece like the one I was telling them to write. If I had all the information, what was stopping me from writing a screenplay myself, with these kinds of characters represented the way they should be?

Their response begins a chain of events that invest me completely in the goal of writing this piece. For those of you who are new to my work, I have a very prolific output. I try to write between 2000 to 3000 words every day, which has resulted in me publishing between three and four books every year for many years now. Being able to move from research, non-fiction, and fiction was also an incredibly rewarding challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Skip forward three years, and the screenplay had been sitting in my Google Docs for a long time. It was something I thoroughly enjoyed writing, as nine full seasons, but it remained something I didn’t have any idea what to do with next. It turned out that it was one thing to write the piece, but entirely another to understand how it goes from being written into an actual screenplay production. I’ve begun the process of applying for grants over a two-year period, but again and again was rejected by 17 of them. All of them told me that I didn’t have the ability to produce a screenplay. It was only when I met producer Gracie Kay and cinematographer Stuart Jaymes that this project fully fell into place.

This Saturday we will go into filming for the third time, and we will try and capture more of the scenes that I have written as a part of this screenplay. This Saturday we will be filming scenes that depict the power of one of the key players from Vendetta 19, and showing a very authentic style of underworld activity run by Dolly Gray. The scenes show her in a position of power over men, seeking retribution and making a particular man pay for his wrongs. This scene is also extremely likely to be on point for its authenticity, historically and socially.

I want to finish this piece by again, thanking everybody who has contributed to the crowdfunding side of this project. The costs from project has been funded by myself out of my own pocket from the money I make in my day job. I have included below a link for the GoFundMe that was set up sometime ago in the hopes that some of you might have the ability to contribute towards the costs of this incredible project. I’m committed to seeing this across the line at my pocket, but anything you can also contribute to will help enormously at this time.

Donate to Vendetta 19 – The Screenplay Pilot (gofundme.com)

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AND ACTION! MEET THE CREW!

Making a screenplay is a massive exercise. Preparing a single shot with one person saying only one line can take up to half an hour before the director can call for action. In our team we have been blessed with a powerhouse of highly trained people who each bring incredible skills to the project, and without them we would have nothing. In amongst the numerous people who have made this incredible project come to life are Producer Gracie Kay, and head of Cinematography, Editor and Colourist Stuart Jaymes. With their teams of makeup, hair, props, gaffs, stagehands and wardrobe people to name a few, we have been able to bring the mountain to Mohammed and make something that will truly do justice to this amazing story!

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BOSS WOMAN – DOLLY GRAY

One of the most untold stories in Australian History is that of the women who ran Melbourne’s Underworld in the lead up to the 1919 Fitzroy Vendetta.

In a time when women were enslaved and victimised openly, Dolly Gray organised a landscape that would support her ability to support and empower working girls to have slightly more control over their industry and fates. Her role through the story of the 1919 Vendetta is such that if she were not a part of it, the Vendetta would never have escalated to the bloodbath it became. The role of people like Dolly in our community is as important as the suffragette movement and it has been imperative therefor that we were able to find and cast an actor who could do justice to the role. And we can proudly say that we have found the perfect candidate in 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”, and we look forward to seeing high praising reviews of her work in Vendetta 19.

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.

Outside of acting, Shylie is studying psychology, enjoys working with children as a nanny, a high school musical director as well as making art in her spare time. Her creative heart and passion for learning enrich both her personal and professional life.

Vendetta 19 drops in October 2024.

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DOLLY’S GIRLS – Amber Louka

Staying true to the narrative of Dolly Gray’s life is equally as important to us in the production of Vendetta 19 as the casting of the characters in the screenplay. The story of Dolly Gray travels alongside a number of women from all walks of life. As is the case in the modern era, working girls come from all walks of life, and it was important to us to depict the truth as seen in the bordello scenes to show a variety of women who were filling these roles.

Joining the cast is an impressive actor named Amber Louka, who will be representing the women who take on such work, while finding it extremely difficult to do so. No easy fete, and her acting skills have been put to the test throughout the rehearsal period to bring magic to the screen.

Amber Louka is an Egyptian-Australian actress and creative based in Naarm/Melbourne.

Graduate from the National Theatre Drama School (Australia) with an Advanced Diploma of Acting, she was also the recipient of the Cybec Scholarship Award in her final year of study. She has studied at other highly acclaimed acting institutions, including; The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), The Australian Film & Television Academy and 16th Street Actors Studios.

Since her graduation, Amber has performed in a number of stage and screen productions; Colony, a passion film project with Lilydale Films (directed by Ric Forster), A Tomb With A View, a theatrical production which received rave reviews at the Essendon Theatre Company (directed by Les Morley-Hart), Jinx, a short film that made its debut on the Melbourne International Film Festival streaming service MIFF Play (directed by Harry Brakha), and Cabin 217, which received several film festival nominations (directed by Julia Sammut & Stacey-Lea Clark).

Amber’s always had an immense dedication to the arts and a passion for bringing truthful stories and relationships to audiences. Her next endeavour on the highly anticipated Vendetta 19 series will be no different.

Award winning author Roy Maloy will make his directional debut, with Gotcha Productions, in the infamous world of Squizzy Taylor. The pilot episode drops in October 2024, and is not one to be missed!

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SQUIZZY TAYLOR – Tom Levi

The casting of Vendetta 19 was never going to be easy. Critical to the production was the casting of the role of none other than Squizzy Taylor. It was also a difficult casting project for the sake that the role was casting a young Squizzy Taylor. However, as fate would have it, we were lucky enough to land an actor who we think is the absolutely ideal candidate for the role.

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.

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.

Production began a week ago, and we can now say that Tom’s acting skills are far above and beyond those we were expecting, and we are blown away by how well suited to this role he is.

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THE LONG ROAD BESIDE DOLLY

HETTIE WILLIAMS – Sophie Graham

In the biography of Dolly Gray we see a character glance off by the main story that unfolds in Bendigo in 1905 when Dolly and Hettie Williams are arrested for selling sly grog. Later we see Hettie re-emerge alongside equally infamous gangster Minnie Clark, who would go on to become Squizzy Taylor’s enemy.

Hettie is one of a number of working girls whose story has never truly been told, until now.

Playing the role of Hettie Williams will be an unusually talented actor named Sophie Graham. She hails from Aotearoa (New Zealand), where she completed a BPA and a BA in Theatres at the University of Otago. During her time at university and the years following, Sophie was involved in the performing arts scenes in both Dunedin, and Wellington NZ, and a highlight from this time was playing the role of Bernadette in Arcade Theatre Company’s production of “Lemon Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons” in 2019. In 2022, Sophie relocated to Melbourne to attend the Full Time Professional Actors Programme at 16th Street Actors Studio, as well as the Postgraduate Programme “The American Way.” Since graduating, Sophie has continued to develop her craft by completing a variety of short courses for the stage and the screen, including a MasterClass with Miranda Harcourt. In 2023, she worked on several short films, as well as the web series “My Personal Lycan King.” In 2024 so far, Sophie has played the role of Cariola in Arrant Knaves Theatre Company’s production of “The Duchess of Malfi” by John Webster, as well as the role of Tiffany in CG Production Company’s production of “Blackrock” by Nick Enright. Her commercial credits include campaigns with Schweppes, Savers and Pure Blonde. Sophie is currently shooting the web series “Let Me Taste Your Husband,” has a role in the upcoming feature film “It’s Showtime, Dan,” and is rehearsing for the role of Kayleen in an upcoming production of “Gruesome Playground Injuries” by Rajiv Joseph. Alongside her acting pursuits, Sophie teaches drama with Stage School Australia and studies Youth Work.

We are extremely keen to see Sophie in this role, which she has even committed to a Hair colour change for!!

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DOLLY’S GIRLS – Bernadette Hart

Taking to the set of Vendetta 19, actor Bernadette Hart will be playing a key role as one of Dolly’s Girls in Vendetta 19.

Although she has always dabbled in acting classes here and there, it wasn’t until I she was 33 that she decided to go back to acting, wnd we are glad she did.

Since making that decision she has appeared in several commercials both online and on television. In 2016 Bernadette won the “Best Actress“ Award for Crash Test Drama Geelong for her role as a Waitress in the play “What’s New Pussy Cat”

In 2018 she traveled to Los Angeles and studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting for the Summer Conservatory Program. Later that same year she got landed the role of Cornwell in the all female production of King Lear; simply titled “Lear”. This was a large production with a 4-month rehearsal period.

The production took place at the Geelong Gaol Museum. In February 2020, just before the first lockdown, she had the privilege of playing the character of Renee in her first ever feature film called “These Two Hands” the story of Tom Bowen. Tom Bowen was one of the greatest healers that ever lived, and Renee played a pivotal role in his life as his receptionist and best friend essentially.

She is excited to be part of Vendetta 19 and has met some awesome people so far and getting a free history lessons from Roy every time she see him… which she absolutely loves.

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Can You Spot What’s Missing?

Coming at you live from the set of Vendetta 19, we have worked on a shoestring budget to get to where we are. And without the advantage of digital effects we have had to go old school when it comes to amputation survivors and representing missing limbs.

Taking you behind the scenes will give you a small insight into how we’ve managed this.

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FIRST DAY OF FILMING

With the first day of filming complete, what an amazing epic journey. All the actors were on at 5am and they put in an enormous effort. Thank you to the Geelong Gaol Museum for your amazing support yet again, and all of our amazing cast, crew, and all of your beautiful supporters. As we grow head towards the date when Vendetta 19 drops: please remember to share these posts and help us meet new people who can get excited about this incredible project.

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DOLLY’S GIRLS – Ally Burnie

It’s an unavoidable truth that along with the stories of the people who became embroiled in the 1919 Fitzroy Vendetta, a number of them were highly vulnerable women and children. Among them was a cast of working girls who were often subjected to slavery and situations that even animals wouldn’t have to tolerate. Yet in that mix, Dolly Gray manages to create small pockets of safety and empowerment in that industry for her working girls.

Playing the role of one of Dolly’sgirla is none other than actor Ally Burnie. As a performer she is lighting up the acting world, having found her professional groove later in life. With a lifelong passion for storytelling and a knack for writing, she discovered a second love for bringing stories to life on the big screen.

Ally has starred in several major national TV commercials, as well as short films like “Unhinged” (2024) and “Thoughts Alone” (2023). You might also recognise her as the “Juice Bar Girl” on Home & Away (2022) or from her cheeky appearance in a major national Step One TVC (2022).

Since moving from Sydney to Melbourne in late 2023, Ally has been sharpening her acting skills at the elite Howard Fine Studio. She’s stoked to be part of the Vendetta 19 production, bringing Melbourne’s underground scene to life with her captivating performance.

Keep an eye on this redheaded star – Ally Burnie is just getting started!

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