Production Information

On July 19, 1969, the world was about to witness the greatest feat in scientific history: Man setting foot on the moon. This is the incredible story of what we didn’t see…

One of the highest grossing films in the history of Australian cinema and an audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, "The Dish" is based on a true story and tells of a group of eccentric scientists manning a satellite dish inauspiciously located on a remote Australian sheep farm. On the eve of the historic lunar landing, NASA finds the Aussie apparatus is the only receiving dish on earth capable of broadcasting images of man’s first steps on the moon.

In this inspired human comedy, the unconventional Australian crew – led by Cliff Buxton (SAM NEILL) – must overcome a series of mishaps as they go on to play a crucial role in one of mankind’s greatest achievements.

A Working Dog production, "The Dish" is directed by ROB SITCH ("The Castle") and stars SAM NEILL ("The Horse Whisperer," "The Piano"), KEVIN HARRINGTON ("Sea Change"), TOM LONG ("Two Hands," "Strange Planet") and PATRICK WARBURTON ("Scream 3," "Seinfeld.") Edited by JILL BILCOCK ("Romeo and Juliet," "Elizabeth," "Moulin Rouge"), the film is written, conceived and produced by the creative team of SANTO CILAURO, TOM GLEISNER, JANE KENNEDY and ROB SITCH and produced by MICHAEL HIRSH. Kennedy also acted as casting director and music supervisor and Cilauro served as 2^nd Unit Director. "The Dish" is the second feature from Working Dog. Anant Singh of Distant Horizon is the producer’s representative on the project. This film is distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company.

This film has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "brief, strong language."

www.thedishmovie.net

Produced by the team who crafted the critically acclaimed independent film "The Castle," "The Dish" opened in Australia to a phenomenal response from both critics and audiences alike, breaking box office records to become the fifth highest grossing film in the history of Australian cinema. "The Dish" recently earned awards for Best Screenplay and Best Music from the Film Critics Circle of Australia.

Based on a true story, "The Dish" recounts the emotions, drama and humor behind the four-day Apollo XI mission in July 1969 and the extraordinary role that Australia played in televising the historical lunar landing to the world.

Inauspiciously located on a remote sheep farm in the rural town of Parkes, New South Wales, Australia, "The Dish" is a mammoth, 1000-ton radio telescope equal in size to a football field. In 1969, NASA intended to use the Australian telescope, the most powerful receiving dish in the Southern Hemisphere, as a "back-up" to its prime receiver in Goldstone, California. But a last-minute change in the Apollo XI flight schedule change rendered the Goldstone telescopes ineffective, and the Aussie dish became NASA’s only hope for conveying to the world man’s first steps on the moon.

Upon his arrival at the dish compound in remote Parkes, by-the-book NASA representative Al Burnett (PATRICK WARBURTON) clashes with the eccentric Australian crew responsible for manning the telescope: recently widowed scientist Cliff Buxton (SAM NEILL), the diplomatic team leader; sarcastic technician Ross "Mitch" Mitchell (KEVIN HARRINGTON), who takes Burnett’s presence personally; and shy calculations expert Glenn Latham (TOM LONG), who takes it upon himself to reconfigure NASA’s problematic data. The staff is rounded out by overzealous guard Rudi (TAYLER KANE) and his sister Janine (ELIZA SZONERT), who delivers snacks to the scientists in hopes that Glenn will one day work up the courage to ask her out.

Tension develops between Burnett and the Aussies as cultural differences – Burnett’s fastidious procedures conflict with the Parkes team’s unconventional methods – and mounting pressure to carry off an unprecedented global event – bear down on the men during the week preceding the launch.

Meanwhile, citizens of Parkes excitedly prepare for the biggest event in the town’s history. With his reputation – and a crucial upcoming election – on the line, well-meaning Parkes Mayor Bob McIntyre (ROY BILLING) and his family nervously entertain Australia’s Prime Minister (BILLE BROWN) and the United States Ambassador (JOHN McMARTIN) who have come to Parkes to take advantage of the extraordinary press exposure afforded by the Australian role in the lunar landing.

But technical difficulties threaten to disrupt the scientists’ bid for glory: hours before Apollo XI is scheduled to land on the moon, disaster strikes at the Parkes dish when our earth-bound crew loses contact with the Apollo XI spacecraft during a power outage. Scrambling to restore contact with the Apollo XI, the dish technicians launch an exhaustive effort to relocate the spacecraft in time to broadcast images of Neil Armstrong’s landmark lunar trek to the world.

With help from the colorful cast of local characters, the dish team and their American counterpart struggle to overcome a series of mishaps – including a freak windstorm that threatens the lives of the crew – and play their part in one of mankind’s greatest achievements in an exciting, emotional and truly funny way.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

"The Dish" is the second feature film from Working Dog, the acclaimed collective of unique and passionate filmmakers who crafted "The Castle," which earned $10 million at the box office within its first twenty weeks of release in 1997 and went on to become one of the most successful films in Australian history.

Conceived, developed, written and produced by Working Dog’s creative team of Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy and Rob Sitch, "The Dish" tells the story of one of the greatest feats in scientific history as seen from the point of view of Australian scientists who made a crucial contribution to the groundbreaking NASA mission.

"‘The Dish’ is the story of people basically thrown into the deep end," explains director Rob Sitch. "These three scientists who spend their lives doing fairly routine, humdrum work out of an astronomical installation in the middle of New South Wales suddenly have the opportunity of greatness thrust upon them, a chance to be responsible for broadcasting pictures of the greatest television event of the 20^th century."

As Tom Gleisner notes, the Working Dog team found its inspiration for "The Dish" rooted in the facts. "600 million people watched the televised images of Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk, perhaps the most-watched event of the 20^th century," says Gleisner. "For the first time, the whole world had united around their television sets in a way that certainly had never happened before and possibly never has happened since. It really was a pure extraordinary television experience, and provided us with the genesis for ‘The Dish.’"

While researching and writing the screenplay, the filmmakers discovered the sheer magnitude of the Parkes radio telescope and the challenges filming on it would present. "You climb up 200 or 300 feet onto the dish and suddenly what you thought you could do on paper disappears," explains director Rob Sitch. "I remember being pretty intimidated. How were we going to maneuver this massive telescope to suit our production needs?"

"Seeing the dish for the first time was a rush," recalls Santo Cilauro, who also served as the film’s second-unit director. "Firstly, it’s so bloody big. And secondly, I couldn’t help but wonder how we were going to convey that ‘bigness’ on the screen."

Simply put, Gleisner says, "You just don’t expect to see something that large sitting in the middle of a sheep paddock."

Even more daunting than the size of the dish itself was the idea of approaching the staffers of the imposing radio telescope. "We realized early on that we had to get the permission of the operators of the dish, or we could never have made the film," Gleisner says. "For awhile we considered posing as a group of Canadian astronomers. We would have gotten away with it, but we couldn’t handle the accents. We had to come clean and reveal that we’re making a film about this crucial piece of equipment in a pivotal moment in Australian history...and we’re doing it as a comedy-drama."

Fortunately, the staff at the Parkes telescope was more than accommodating. "They literally shifted major experiments for us to shoot there," Gleisner says. "They bent over backwards to maneuver the dish to our needs. We were getting it to do things that I don’t think the manuals allow."

Once the Working Dog team obtained permission to use the telescope and completed their screenplay, they approached internationally acclaimed actor Sam Neill to play the role of Cliff Buxton, the mild-mannered director of the dish operation. "We needed a thoroughbred actor for this role," notes Sitch of the actor best known for his roles in "The Piano," "Jurassic Park," "The Horse Whisperer" and the upcoming "Jurassic Park 3." "Sam Neill is not only a fine actor, he’s quite a gentleman."

"It’s not just the script that pulls you into a film," explains Neill of his decision to anchor the cast of "The Dish." "There are various factors that come into play. I like working in Australia and I like films of this scale. I very much admire the Working Dog ethos and the stuff they do. ‘The Dish’ script was wonderful, the project was compelling and it’s been rewarding to work in the Working Dog milieu."

When it came time to cast the role of Al Burnett, the methodical NASA representative, the producers turned to actor Patrick Warburton, best known for his recurring role as Puddy on the hit TV series "Seinfeld." "We were looking for a very straight, intelligent, handsome big guy," says producer Jane Kennedy, who also served as the film’s casting director. "We were so impressed with Patrick’s performance on ‘Seinfeld,’ we knew anyone who could play that role must be a really good actor. He rose to the challenge of playing Al Burnett and carried it off very well."

With its cast, crew and radio telescope in place, "The Dish" began principal photography on May 25, 1999, on location at the CSIRO’s Radio Telescope in Parkes, New South Wales. "The Dish" shot virtually entirely on locations at or near where the real events took place back in 1969, including the country towns of Parkes and nearby Forbes; Old Parliament House in Canberra; Melbourne and Crawford Studios.

"The logistics of getting everyone to a tiny little town in western New South Wales was quite daunting," recalls Gleisner. "Most people had to take a small plane from Sydney to Parkes Airfield, where they’d be chauffeured by sheep tray out to the location."

Another major challenge for the filmmakers was recreating the telescope control room where much of the film takes place. "The authenticity of the set for the dish control room was paramount," Gleisner emphasizes. "It couldn’t look like something from the Starship Enterprise on ‘Star Trek,’ or a present-day control room, which is all computers and air conditioning ducts. It had to resemble scientific equipment from 1969."

With the cooperation of locals who had staffed the Dish in Parkes, production designer Carrie Kennedy and art director Ben Morieson were able to obtain archival photos of the site, source pieces of equipment from the period and construct a set that was nearly identical to the original.

"We invited some of the employees who had worked at Parkes during the moon landing," says Tom Gleisner. "You could just see on their faces as they walked in – it was like walking into a time tunnel. They couldn’t believe that we recreated every door and every knob and every ashtray exactly as the photos depicted them in 1969."

The control room set turned out to be more authentic than even Sitch envisioned. "When the set was installed, Ben asked me to look at the back of a piece of equipment," Sitch recalls. "There was an original NASA registration tag for that Hewlitt Packard machine. It turns out the art department had tracked down some of the original equipment that NASA sent to Australia for the Apollo mission. After the lunar landing, the machine had been left in Australia because it was too heavy to send back to the States. That was a lovely piece of karma for the production, knowing that a piece of our set had actually carried the signals from Apollo XI."

"The most pleasurable experience for me during the production was playing cricket on the dish," Neill remembers fondly. "How often does one get the chance to play cricket in the middle of an enormous, legendary radio telescope?"

Another crucial element of the film is the music. "It wasn’t until we actually started shooting the first reel of film and saw the first image of the dish that we realized the score had to be very grand and lush," notes Jane Kennedy, who in addition to her casting and producing responsibilities, also acted as the film’s music supervisor. "It had to match up with the actual size of the dish."

Having collaborated successfully with American composer Edmund Choi on ‘The Castle," Kennedy recruited Choi to provide the score for "The Dish." Choi traveled to Melbourne and conducted his score, performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Australian Boys Choir, for which he composed several choral pieces for the film.

"We thought a great deal about the mood we wanted to create when the characters are watching the moon landing and the moon walk," notes Kennedy. "We felt there had to be a spiritual, almost ethereal, feel to the music. We decided we needed a female vocal; no words, just the voice used as an instrument. Tina Arena’s beautiful voice captured the feeling we wanted."

The members of the Working Dog collective believe they have captured the spirit, drama, humor and pathos behind the Australian contribution to NASA’s revolutionary lunar landing. "The Apollo XI mission ultimately became something that was not about rockets at all," Sitch concludes. "Instead, it transcended those television pictures live from the moon. It became about the human spirit soaring. ‘The Dish’ celebrates achievement and striving for greatness. Those themes are universal and timeless and worth celebrating."

ABOUT THE CAST

SAM NEILL (Cliff Buxton) was raised in New Zealand and currently makes his home in Sydney, Australia. Recognized internationally for his ongoing contributions to film and television, Neill appeared in Chris Columbus’ "Bicentennial Man" opposite Robin Williams, and costarred in Robert Redford’s "The Horse Whisperer."

His performance in Jane Campion’s "The Piano" earned Neill an Australian Film Institute Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1993. He subsequently starred in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster dinosaur adventure "Jurassic Park." In 1991, Neill was nominated for an Australian Film Institute for Best Performance by an Actor for his work in John Ruane’s "Death in Brunswick." He also received the highly celebrated Order of British Empire (O.B.E.) award for Services to Acting.

Neill’s other memorable film appearances include a turn in John McTiernan’s "The Hunt For Red October," as well as starring roles in Philip Noyce’s "Dead Calm" and in a pair of films directed by Fred Schepisi, "A Cry in the Dark" and "Plenty," in which Neill starred opposite Meryl Streep. His additional feature film credits include performances in Peter Duncan’s "Children of the Revolution" with Judy Davis; Michael Hoffman’s "Restoration," opposite Meg Ryan, Hugh Grant and Robert Downey, Jr.; and John Duigan’s "Sirens."

Neill’s television credits have earned the actor three Golden Globe nominations, most recently in 1998 for his performance in the mini-series "Merlin." His other television appearances include "Reilly Ace of Spies," "One Against the Wind," "Kane and Abel," and his portrayal of Thomas Jefferson in the telefilm "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal."

Neill’s future film roles will include the third installment of "Jurassic Park" and Ralph Ziman’s "The Zookeeper."

PATRICK WARBURTON (Al Burnett) has appeared in a wide variety of feature films, ranging from a cameo in the box office hit "Scream 3" to his critically-acclaimed starring role in "The Woman Chaser," which played at the New York and Sundance Film Festivals before going on to win the Audience Choice Award at the Austin Film Festival. He also provides the voice for Kronk in Disney’s animated feature "The Emperor’s New Groove."

Warburton is perhaps best known for his recurring role on the hit television series "Seinfeld," where he played Elaine’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Puddy. His other television credits include two seasons on "Dave’s World," appearances on "News Radio," "Family Guy" and Showtime’s "The Apartment Complex," in addition to an eclectic collection of memorable commercial spots.

Warburton can currently be heard on television in the title role of "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command," and plays the lead role in Fox’s "The Tick," a live-action series based on the popular comic, which is being produced by Barry Levinson. His will also appear in the upcoming feature films "Camouflage" and "Big Trouble."

KEVIN HARRINGTON (Ross "Mitch" Mitchell) is perhaps best known for his role as Kevin Findlay in the popular Australian television series "Sea Change," although in truth his career in theater and television began more than 15 years ago.

Harrington’s stage credits with the Melbourne Theatre Company include "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," "Cyrano De Bergerac," "Aftershocks" and "Shark Fin Soup." Last winter, Harrington wrote, directed, produced and starred in his own one-man show, "Guess Whose Mum’s Got a Willie?"

His other Australian television credits include "The Glynn Nicholas Show," "Mercury," "Raw FM," "Blue Heelers," "State Coroner" and "The Micallef Programme."

Kevin Harrington makes his feature film debut in "The Dish."

TOM LONG (Glenn Latham) is a widely respected, Australian-based actor whose feature film roles include turns in "Risk" and the upcoming "Hildegarde," which was directed by Di Drew and stars Richard E. Grant.

Long made his television debut in 1992 in the Australian telefilm "The Leaving of Liverpool." His additional television appearances include "Echo Point" in 1995, "SeaChange" in 1998 and the miniseries "Kings in Grass Castles" in 1997. That same year, Long also appeared in the telefilm "The Last of the Ryans."

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Long’s stage credits include The Bell Shakespeare Company’s "The Tempest" and Belvoir Street Theatre’s Asian Theatre Festival "Variasians."

Long has also appeared in the feature films "Country Life," "Doing Time for Patsy Cline," "Two Hands" and "Strange Planet."

GENEVIEVE MOOY (May McIntyre) has enjoyed a long association with Working Dog. Best known for her role as Jan Whelan in the critically acclaimed television series "Breaking News," Mooy’s career spans more than fifteen years in theatre, television and film.

On television, Mooy has appeared in "GP," "Brides of Christ," "Murder Call" and "Bodyline." Her stage roles include turns in "The Beatification of Area Boy," produced by the Sydney Festival, "The Secret Beyond the Door" and "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Mooy’s feature film credits include "Thank God He Met Lizzie," starring Cate Blanchett, Peter Duncan’s "Passion" and Denny Lawrence’s "Emoh Ruo," for which she was nominated an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

TAYLER KANE (Rudi) is a former model who made his acting debut in the popular English-Australian coproduction, "Families," on which Kane had a recurring role during the television series’ two-year run.

After taking some time out to travel, Kane returned to Australian television in 1994 to play a firefighter on the series "Fire." His other television credits include the series "Paradise Beach" and the miniseries "Queen Cat, Carmel and St. Jude" and "Tribe."

Kane’s additional film appearances include roles in "Turning April" and the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures release "The Queen of the Damned."

BILLE BROWN’s (the Prime Minister) distinguished career as an actor, writer and director began at the Queensland Theatre Company. He later became a performing member of the esteemed Royal Shakespeare Company as well as one of its commissioned writers.

Brown’s feature film credits include "Fierce Creatures," Peter Duncan’s "Passion" and Gillian Armstrong’s "Oscar and Lucinda." Most recently roles in "Serenades" and Shirley Barrett’s "Walk the Talk."

Brown’s stage credits with the Belvoir Street Theatre and Queensland Theatre Company include "Judas Kiss," "Popular Mechanicals," "The Marriage of Figaro," "After the Ball," "Summer Rain," "The Shaughraun" and "The 12^th Night." More recently, Brown appeared in a production of "Troilus & Cressida" that was staged as part of the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival.

In addition to his acting credits, Brown has also directed major productions with Opera Queensland, the Lyric Opera of Queensland and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

ROY BILLING (Bob McIntyre) has enjoyed more than 20 years of work in theater, film and television in Australia and his native New Zealand.

His television credits include guest appearances on such series as "Wildside," "Murder Call," "All Saints," "Water Rats," "Home & Away," "A Country Practice" and "GP."

Billing recently appeared in the controversial Belvoir Street Theatre production of "Scam." His additional stage credits with the Marian Street Theatre and Ensemble Theatre include "After Play," "Death Defying Acts," "Man of the Moment," "Other People’s Money" and "Boys Next Door."

Billing counts among his feature film appearances a number of collaborations with director Peter Duncan, who cast him in such films as "Passion," "A Little Bit of Soul" and "Children of the Revolution." Billing also appeared in Alan White’s directorial debut, "Erskineville Kings."

Most recently, Billing was honored with a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role by the Australian Film Institute for his work in John Polson’s "Siam Sunset." He will next be seen in Phillip Noyce’s "Rabbit Proof Fence."

Best known for her role as Danni Stark in the Australian television series "Neighbours," ELIZA SZONERT (Janine Kellerman) counts numerous theatre appearances and commercials among her credits.

In 1996, Szonert played Snow White in a U.K. musical production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." Recent credits include voice over work in John Woo’s "Mission: Impossible 2" and guest appearances on the hit WB series "Angel."

"The Dish" marks her feature film debut.

A veteran of theatre, television and film, JOHN McMARTIN (U.S. Ambassador) has worked with such noted directors as Alan J. Pakula on "All the President’s Men," Ivan Reitman on "Legal Eagles," Bob Fosse on "Sweet Charity," Brian DePalma on "Blow Out" and Stuart Rosenberg on "Brubaker."

McMartin received Tony Award nominations for his performances in the Broadway musicals "High Society," "Showboat" and "Sweet Charity." He garnered Drama Desk Awards for her work in the plays "The Great God Brown" and "Don Juan."

His numerous television credits include appearances on the hit series "Oz," "Spin City," "Law & Order," "Frasier," "Cheers," "The Partridge Family" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

SANTO CILAURO, TOM GLEISNER, JANE KENNEDY and ROB SITCH, the creative team known collectively as Working Dog, conceived, developed and wrote "The Dish," and produced it along with partner MICHAEL HIRSH.

During their 10-year partnership, the team has successfully navigated from morning radio to television to feature film projects. Before making their foray into film and television, the team then known as "The D-Generation" hosted a morning drive-time radio program for radio station 3 Triple M. The collaboration subsequently became the most popular radio show in Melbourne. Since then Working Dog has enjoyed three back-to-back successes in developing television projects.

At the 1995 Australian Film Institute Awards, "Breaking News," a television series developed by Working Dog, garnered three awards in the Drama category, an interesting career turn for a company best known for its comic creations. "Breaking News" subsequently aired in the United States on PBS.

The 1996 Australian Federal Election caught the attention of Santo Cilauro, who covered the campaign trail with a digital television camera and his characteristic eye for quirky detail. His two-part documentary, "The Campaign," aired on Australian television within weeks after the election, to critical and popular acclaim.

At the same time, Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner were translating their passion for fly-fishing into a 13-episode offbeat travel/adventure series that was shot in some of the most spectacular locations in the world. "A River Somewhere" was filmed along the unique waterways of Australia, Belize, Bhutan, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, the United States and Venezuela. "A River Somewhere" received the Silver Medal for Sports and Recreation Series at the New York Film Festival, and its soundtrack was nominated for an ARIA Award. The series also had the distinction of being the first television project from the Working Dog team to be sold to BBC-TV.

Currently, Working Dog produces a national live television talk show, which they call "The Panel." For an hour each week, regular panelists – including Gleisner, Cilauro and Sitch – offer their observations of the past week’s events. "Music Live From The Panel," a CD produced by Working Dog and Liberation Records which includes exclusive live acoustic performances from the show, was an instant popular success when it was released in December of 1999 and 2000.

The first feature film crafted by Working Dog, "The Castle," was an exercise in low-budget filmmaking, in which the creative team conceived and wrote a comedy screenplay and shot it inexpensively over a 10-day shooting schedule.

"The Castle" went on to become one of the most successful Australian motion pictures of all time, grossing $10 million at the box office in less than 20 weeks when it was first released in 1997. The film earned Working Dog an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was subsequently greeted with a standing ovation at its screening at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. "The Castle" was acquired by Miramax Films for worldwide distribution (with the exception of the UK and South Africa) and went on to enormous critical acclaim.

CARRIE KENNEDY (Production Designer) began her career in the film and television industry in 1998, as she studied Fine Art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Kennedy worked in the Props Department of a local television network affiliate. She accepted a position in London, where Kennedy was hired as a scenic painter and model maker, contributing to projects ranging from designing windows for the Harvey Nichols retail stores to sculpting a replica of Stonehenge for the BBC.

Returning to Melbourne, Kennedy was certain that her future was in film and television. She worked as a model maker on Geoffrey Wright’s "Metal Skin." Her subsequent television credits include the miniseries "Stark," before Kennedy began her longtime collaboration with Working Dog. She went on to design each of the critically acclaimed "Breaking News" television series, designed the TV comedy "Funky Squad" and continues to work on "The Panel" series.

Kennedy made her feature film debut as the production designer for "The Castle" in 1997, followed by her work on "The Dish." Most recently, she served as the art director on Peter Long’s short film "A Telephone Call For Genevieve Snow."

A sculptor, Kennedy’s work is exhibited regularly.

BEN MORIESON (Art Director) has worked regularly in film and television since graduating in Fine Arts from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He began his career as a Prop Master, working on television programs, including the miniseries "Stark," and feature films, such as Geoffrey Wright’s "Metal Skin."

Morieson’s art direction for the television series "Funky Squad" in 1995 led to his ongoing collaborations with the Working Dog creative team.

JILL BILCOCK (Editor) served as both Editor and Associate Producer on the international hit "Strictly Ballroom."

She has edited such feature films as "Moulin Rouge," "Elizabeth," "Head On," "How to Make An American Quilt," "Muriel’s Wedding," "IQ," "A Cry in the Dark," "Erotique," "Temptation of a Monk," "Say a Little Prayer," "Dogs in Space," "Strikebound," "Till There Was You" and "The More Things Change."

Bilcock’s television credits include Richard Frankland’s telefilm "Harry’s War."

EDMUND CHOI (Composer) graduated from New York University, subsequently studying composition with Justin Dello Joio and conducting with Maestro Vincent La Selva at the Julliard School of Music.

Choi began his career as assistant to composer Carter Burwell, with whom he worked on a series of feature films from Joel and Ethan Coen, including "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," "The Hudsucker Proxy" and "Barton Fink." Choi’s association with Burwell continued with Michael Caton Jones’s "Rob Roy," "This Boy’s Life" and "Doc Hollywood," Richard Donner’s "Conspiracy Theory" and Dominic Sena’s "Kalifornia."

Choi subsequently scored the first two films directed by M. Night Shymalan, "Praying With Anger" and "Wide Awake," which led to his signing a multi-picture deal with Miramax Films. Choi’s association with Working Dog began when he was asked to re-score "The Castle" for its domestic release in May 1999.

In September 1999, Choi was named Assistant Conductor of the New York FILMharmonic Orchestra under Maestro John Mauceri. Most recently, he composed the music for Kris Isacsson’s feature film "Down To You," a box-office hit that starred Freddie Prinze, Jr.

ROGER SAVAGE (Sound Mixer) began his career as a sound engineer in London who, after engineering the first single recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1964 ("Come On"), decided to migrate to Australia. He worked independently as an engineer and producer in the music industry before pursuing an interest in mixing sound for feature films.

Savage revolutionized sound mixing by using synchronized video picture and locked-up multitrack for the first time – when mixing George Miller’s "Mad Max II" in 1981. His efforts earned him the Australian Film Institute’s Award for Best Achievement in Sound and the Golden Reel Award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors Association.

Other films for which Savage was recognized by the Australian Film Institute for Best Achievement in Sound include "Mad Max," "Street Hero," "Malcolm," "Ground Zero," "Dead Calm," "Blood Oath," "Muriel’s Wedding" and "Shine."

In 1997, Savage won a BAFTA Award for his work on "Shine," and was subsequently nominated for his contributions to "William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet." Other feature film mixing credits include "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," "The Return of the Jedi," "Strictly Ballroom," "Babe," "Babe 2: Pig in the City," "Crocodile Dundee," "Rumble in the Bronx," "Mr. Nice Guy" and, more recently, "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "Holy Smoke."

Last year, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers awarded Roger Savage a Fellowship.