The Lost Swimmer, the debut novel by Sisters in Crime member, Ann Turner, has been optioned by Film Art Media Pty Ltd to be made into a film.
Sue Maslin, the producer of the adaptation of Rosalie Ham’s, The Dressmaker , starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth, will produce, and Ann Turner will write the screenplay and co-produce.
Ann (pictured above, speaking at Sisters in Crime in June) and Sue have previously worked together on Irresistible starring Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill and Emily Blunt – where Sue was executive producer and Ann was writer/director.
Sue’s other credits include the AACTA award-winning Japanese Story with Toni Colette. Ann feels it’s a real coup to have Sue come on board, as she is such a talented and highly experienced producer. The Dressmaker, which has sold internationally, starts screening in Australia on 29 October, and the UK in 20 November.
Footnote from Carmel Shute: I had the privilege of attending a friends’ and family launch of The Dressmaker on 24 October and can’t recommend it highly enough. I laughed (a lot) and cried (a bit). I attended with two other women who grew up in the counrty and we all thought The Dressmaker nailed it on all fronts. There is also a mystery – at the age of 10, did Tilly (the Kate Winslet character) murder a local boy or not?
The Sunday Age review on 25 October – by a male reviewer, i should add – just didn’t get it, in my view and it’s worth a lot more than three stars.
Amongst its many outstanding features are the costumes by Marion Boyce, also the costume designer of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. In 2012, Marion Boyce co-presented Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards together with author Kerry Greenwood. Their discussion, prior to the awards’ presentation, was on the power of costumes to inform character (and the action) as well as delight the viewers.