ABOUT THE FILM MAKERS DAVID CAESAR - Director and Screenwriter There is nothing more compelling than fact - but for David Caesar, the real-life events that inspired DIRTY DEEDS are now somewhat lost among the creative fiction he has crafted. "Back when I first started thinking about this the seed of the idea came from some real events," he says. "My then girlfriend was covering a court case in Sydney and I heard about a colourful Sydney identity and then looked into doing a story about him...I got warned off, but then he died and it became a bit more open. "But the thing is then when I tried to find out exactly what happened no-one who was around would tell me, or they were all dead - so I just made it up." David Caesar grew up on his grandparents' dairy farm at Turlinjah, near Moruya, on Australia's New South Wales south coast. He began making animated Super-8 films while still at school, supporting his surfing habit by working at a petrol station on weekends. After completing high school he spent a year as an exchange student in the USA where he lived in a funeral parlour. Back home, he worked as a truck driver and played football before moving to Sydney where he hung around the film industry, making coffee and painting sets. During this period he financed and produced his first film on 16mm, "No More Heroes". On the fourth attempt (he was 15 on the first try), David was accepted as a student into the Australian Film Television and Radio School. His major work at the film school, "Shoppingtown" (on life in a shopping mall) won the Best Film prize in its category at the 1987 Greater Union Awards for Australian Short Films and was released as a short in Sydney. On graduating from film school, David worked on a number of productions for the ABC, SBS, Channel Nine and BBC television. He has also directed rock video clips for Ed Kuepper, The Clouds and Falling Joys. His first feature film was "Greenkeeping", starring Mark Little and Lisa Hensley, a comic look at the life of a greenkeeper and his struggles with the declining fortunes of a lawnbowls club and his wife's drug debts. In 1996 David wrote and directed the feature film "Idiot Box" starring Ben Mendelsohn and Jeremy Sims, followed in 2000 by "Mullet", also starring Ben Mendelsohn. "All of the films I have done are very different, but I think there's a certain tone to the characters and the kind of humour and dialogue and so on that is similar to all of them," he says. David's documentaries include the award-winning "Living Room" (on life in the suburbs), "Bodywork" (on the funeral industry), "Fences" (on the nature and organisation of personal and social space) and "Car Crash" (on Australia's obsession with the car). All were released theatrically. Other credits include the television dramas "Flying Doctors", "GP" and "The Feds". BRYAN BROWN - PRODUCER "If you own the project, they can't tell you 'You can't be in it'", says Bryan Brown star and producer of DIRTY DEEDS. While Bryan Brown is well known for his acting career, a little known fact is that he's been producing for as long as he's been acting. On his return from England in 1975, Bryan procured the rights for the play "Kennedy's Children" which he produced for the Melbourne Theatre Company and Nimrod Theatre (now Belvoir St in Sydney). Following that he founded his own company in a pub in Sydney's Newtown where he produced and performed revue-style material for the next two years. As he spent more time in film, he associate produced "The Empty Beach" and then produced "Sweet Talker" with Ben Gannon. After the success of "F/X" in America, he set up the sequel "F/X II" as executive producer. Recent years have seen his company, New Town Films, produce the feature "Dead Heart", the television series "Twisted Tales", and two short films: "Blind Man's Bluff" and the AFI-winning "The Big House", both written and directed by Rachel Ward. Bryan recently produced the documentary "The Animated Leunig" along with 50 one- minute animations based on Michael Leunig's cartoons, and now DIRTY DEEDS. DEBORAH BALDERSTONE - Producer Deborah Balderstone worked at Polygram Film International, then Universal Pictures, for five years until January 2000. Her most recent position was Senior Vice President of International Distribution overseeing distribution and marketing strategy for the international market for all PolyGram/UPI titles. She worked on films such as "Notting Hill", "Bean", "Elizabeth", "French Kiss", "Fargo", "The Game", "Priscilla Queen of The Desert" and "Trainspotting". She was instrumental in implementing the expansion of Polygram in territories across the world. Deborah also worked closely with Polygram's various production companies such as Working Title, Propaganda and Interscope. She was responsible for assessing the commercial viability of potential projects for the purposes of greenlighting. Prior to joining Polygram, she worked as a management consultant for Ernst and Young in Australia and USA, and then with Bankers Trust in the UK. She was involved in company restructures, strategic planning and process re-engineering. HUGH MARKS - Co-Executive Producer Hugh Marks is Director of Nine Films & Television. He joined Nine in July 1995 as Corporate Counsel, initially responsible for the preparation and negotiation of commercial agreements relating to production, programming and general administration. He was appointed Business Affairs Manager in 1997 and Director of Nine Films & Television in 2000. Amongst other things Hugh is responsible for the network's position in content production, management and ownership, including financing, local and overseas co-production arrangements, international distribution, feature film investment and merchandising and licensing. Hugh also handles negotiations and Nine's arrangements with key domestic and overseas suppliers, including Warner Bros, Paramount and Dreamworks, overseas sports rights and domestic sports rights as well as relationships with domestic suppliers. Hugh initiated Nine's push into feature film investment and distribution in 2001. JENNIE HUGHES - Co-Executive Producer Jennie Hughes has worked in the Australian music distribution and film distribution industry since 1980. She worked with CBS Records (now Sony Music), Warner Music and EMI Music Publishing. Key roles include Artist and Repertoire Administrator for Warner Music and Copyright Controller for CBS Records. She also established strong relationships with many local performing artists and composers including Midnight Oil, Men At Work, INXS, Eurogliders and Mental As Anything. In 1989, Jennie moved across to film and video with Virgin Vision, as Acquisition and Business Affairs Manager. In addition to negotiation and administration of contracts, she sourced, acquired and marketed for Virgin Vision Australia a wide range of feature film and television programming covering all genres (comedy, sport, drama, children's) from local and international producers. More recently Jennie worked for the Southern Star Group for four years, as Head of Video, New Media and Airline Sales. She built and established the international distribution business, which had previously been locally focused. She negotiated and sold rights to Southern Star programming around the world including markets such as USA, Japan, Korea, China, Germany, France, UK, Canada and former Eastern bloc countries. She increased their client base worldwide from under 100 to 2,500 and conceived and produced the "Blue Heelers" video, which was licensed to Disney's distribution arm, Buena Vista Entertainment. Jennie was approached in March 1999 to take up a position with Macquarie Bank Group and is currently Senior Vice President - Investment and Distribution for their wholly owned film division Macquarie Filmed Investments (MFI) and Manager of their film fund Macquarie Film Corporation (MFC). MFC was one of only two companies to be awarded a government licence under the Film Licensed Investment Company Act to raise and invest $20 million of tax concessional money in Australian qualifying film and television projects. In her role, Jennie sources and assesses projects for investment, both on a creative and financial basis. To date she has recommended and had approved by the MFC board investment in five feature films. XAVIER MARCHAND - Executive Producer Xavier Marchand is a partner in Haystack Productions Ltd which was founded in February 2000. Haystack is a London-based feature film production company. Xavier has worked in the film industry for more than 10 years. He started at Sovereign Pictures in 1989. In 1992 he moved to head up International Distribution at PolyGram Film International, where he stayed for four years. In 1996 he joined Warner Bros where he was head of European theatrical distribution for two years. In 1998/99 Xavier was managing director of Portman Entertainment, a British film production and sales outfit. He was the executive producer of "Saving Grace" which won the prestigious audience prize at the Sundance Film Festival and had a successful US release through Fine Line. He also executive-produced William Boyd's directing debut, "The Trench". In July 1999, Xavier joined Universal Pictures International as President of International Sales and Distribution. He left Universal at the end of January 2000 to form Haystack Productions. Prior to working in the film industry, Xavier was a future options trader for the Banque de Gestion Privee in Paris. He is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique, Paris. KRIS NOBLE - Executive Producer As the Director of Drama, Kris Noble is the driving force behind consolidating the Nine Network's position as the leader of drama production in Australia. With his extensive experience in the film and television industry Kris has built a formidable reputation in both Drama and Entertainment. From his beginnings as a cameraman to his present day roles in executive production, his practical and creative ability together with his extensive management experience has made him one of the industry leaders. Kris joined the Nine Network in 1990 as Executive Producer of Comedy and in 1992 Noble was appointed Director of Drama. Since then has been responsible for the dramatic growth of quality and critically acclaimed Australian drama produced and screened on the Nine Network. He has introduced such high-rating programs as "Halifax f.p.", "Water Rats", "Stingers", "Twisted Tales", "Good Guys Bad Guys", "Murder Call", "Moby Dick" and "The Violent Earth". Noble is also behind the very successful children's program "Hi-5" and more recently the new drama series for the Nine Network, "McLeod's Daughters". After 28 years experience in the industry, Kris is respected for his wide knowledge of film and television production, and for his collaborative approach when working with producers on the creative process. GEOFFREY HALL, ACS - Director of Photography Award-winning cinematographer Geoffrey Hall is a graduate of Australia's Swinburn Film and Television School. His film credits include Mushroom Pictures' acclaimed feature "Chopper", starring Eric Bana, for which Hall received a 2000 Best Cinematography IF Award and an Australian Film Institute Award nomination for Best Cinematography. Other film credits include Lynda House's "Missing", for which he won the ACS National Golden Tripod Award and the ACS Victoria Gold Award, Infinity Films "The Life Of Harry Dare" and "Facing The Music", for which he won an ACS Victoria Silver Award. Geoffrey also has numerous award-winning commercials and music clips to his name. Music clips include those for Kate Ceberano, Screaming Jets, Hunters & Collectors and Peter Andre. Commercials include Honda Accord, Glass Mountain Spritzer, Mitsubishi Lancer and Powerade "Sandswimmer". MARK PERRY - Editor Mark Perry edited David Caesar's three previous films "Greenkeeping"; "Mullet" and "Idiot Box", for which he received an Australian Film Institute Nomination as Best Editor. Other credits include the mini-series "On The Beach" starring Bryan Brown, which won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Mini-Series and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Mini-Series, the Nine Network's "McCleod's Daughters", episodes of Alliance Atlantis' "Beastmaster" and the Jim Henson Company's "Farscape", the mini-series "A Difficult Woman" which won a Silver Medal as Best Foreign Drama at the New York Film Festival, the television series "Big Sky", Bryan Brown's drama series "Twisted Tales", the television series "Heartbreak High", and the television dramas "International Custard" and "Custard Goes Green", which won a Silver Mobile Award and a Grand Prix Mobile Award. CHRIS KENNEDY - Production Designer Chris Kennedy is one of Australia's most successful production designers. Credits include "Spotswood" starring Anthony Hopkins and Russell Crowe for which he won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Production Design, Alex Proyas' "Ghosts of the Civil Dead" for which he also won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement In Production Design, John Ruane's "Dead Letter Office" for which he was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Best Production Design Award, "To Have To Hold", "That Eye The Sky", "Gino" and "Say A Little Prayer", all of which brought him Australian Film Institute Award Nominations for Best Production Design, Michael Rymer's "Angel Baby", "Subterano" and Tim White's "Death In Brunswick". TESS SCHOFIELD - Costume Designer Tess Schofield's feature film credits as designer include Fox Searchlight's "Bootmen", "Cosi", "Radiance", "Diana And Me", "Mr Reliable", "Greenkeeping", "Spotswood" and the telefeature "Mumbo Jumbo". Numerous theatre credits include "Suddenly Last Summer," "As You Like It", "The Judas Kiss", "Cloudstreet", "The Governor's Family", "The Seagull", "Hamlet"; "The Government Inspector" and "Diary of a Madman" all directed by Neil Armfield for Company B, "Love for Love" for Sydney Theatre Company; "Les Enfants Du Paradis" for Belvoir Street Theatre and the Australian Opera's "Jenufa" and "Whitsunday".