MARTIN SIMPSON - Writer/Director
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Enthusiastic about film from an early age and bitten seriously by the movie bug while crew doctor on the classic movie THE BLUE LAGOON , starring Brooke Shields, Dr Martin Simpson Head of Production at Ompyx Communications, has since written and directed
many short films, and co-produced a series of documentaries on modern Australian aboriginal personalities for French
television, THE NEW FACES OF ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA . He has script edited features including VISITORS, starring Radha Mitchell, and in 2006 wrote, produced, and directed the feature
film GENE-X, a sci-fi hospital thriller screened at the Cannes Marche du Film in 2006 and at the London - Australian Film Festival in 2007. His novel, the thriller BRAINS has just been made available on AMAZON.com. He is presently in post production on his latest feature film, the classic horror chiller, P.H.O.B.O.S. - Fear Kills. His latest creative outburst is the iPhone App. BABE ON A BEAM, now available through the Apple App store. He is presently studying writing for the stage under the mentorship of the playwright Timothy Daly, whose play KAFKA DANCES, launched the career of Cate Blanchett.
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SHORT FILMS
When lonely Elliot takes in a stray cat, he wishes she were the girl of his dreams. But when you wish upon a star, who knows what might happen... When Rick accuses Estelle of making out with the pool guy, he's about to pull the trigger on a big mistake. (Winner of Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Score, at NAFA ActionFest) Leanne's husband has taken out a life insurance policy. He's also hired a hit man. So who's going to collect?
Starring Graham Kelleher and Kay Armstrong A fire eating double act gets burned up by jealousy.
On the Home Psychiatry Channel, we feel your pain. Krystal thinks she's an alien; our host thinks she's deluded. Who's right?
Chris is so scared of going to the dentist, that he decides to take out his own teeth in a bizarre DIY act involving home carpentry tools. (Winner of the award for 'Most Disturbing Film' at the Honolulu underground film festival.)
A cornered terrorist is betrayed by his girlfriend and must choose a way out.
Pushed far enough, even a cockroach will turn. Plagued by humans in his kitchen, a domestic cockroach calls in the exterminator. A classic tale of revenge. (Runner up in Metfest)
(In Development) Splinters is a poem written with a movie camera. This fifteen minute film without words explores the darkness and light that mesh within the feminine psyche. Set to a soundscape of heightened atmospheres and minimalist music, this tale of a scarred beauty prowling through her haunted past in search of revenge leads us to a poignant realization that the wrongs of the past cannot be erased, only absorbed and forgiven. | FEATURE FILMS JOBE'S RUN (in development) When Daniel, a troubled adolescent who lives with his alcoholic dad, is demoted from school footy to running, he discovers he's good at it and decides to try and win, his efforts giving his father's (an ex-athelete) life meaning. Daniel succeeds, getting into the nationals, and winning the most popular girl in school, Grace. But when his rival Damon frames him for sports drug cheating, Daniel loses the girl, and his father goes back to the bottle. Jobe must now prove his innocence as well as save Grace from Damon's drug life, in spite of the fact that everyone thinks he's a cheat and a liar. ______________________________________________________________________ (In post-production) Written and Directed by Martin Simpson Ares, the God of War, whom the Romans called Mars, sired two sons: Deimos - Dread --- and Phobos - Panic.
P.H.O.B.O.S.
Part Gothic romance, part classic horror, P.H.O.B.O.S. is a present day nightmare. Jill St Clair is making a comeback. Her boyfriend, Alex Grey, is directing her in his low budget horror film, ‘Bride of Satan’, shooting guerrilla style at night in an abandoned mental institution. Soon, the young filmmakers realise they are trapped in a horror not of their own making. Someone, or something, wants them dead. Is the place haunted, can there still be murderous lunatics stalking the corridors, or are the young filmmakers’ frightening hallucinations caused by a phenomenon way more modern? Fighting back, the trespassers uncover a conspiracy they cannot be allowed to reveal. ______________________________________________________________________ (In release) Written and Directed by Martin Simpson
Photo - Helmer Martin Simpson with Gene-X leading lady Ayse Tezel on the croisette at the Cannes Film Festival. Gene-X had three screenings at the Cannes Marché du Film and was invited to the 2006 London-Australian Film Festival at the Barbican. Critical attention has been polarised, with critics engrossed by the romance and action, some are unhappy that the film is not straight horror, still others applaud the genre bending sensitivities and referential homage to masters of the thriller form. All agree the film is a roller coaster of romance and thrills. Check out the full story and another trailer at www.gene-x-movie.com International sales agent: Carlos Alperin www.gallopingfilms.com ___________________________________________________________________________ starring: Radha Mitchell directed by: Richard Franklin written by: Everett DeRoche script editor/additional dialogue: Martin Simpson
___________________________________________________________________________ THE BLUE LAGOON
directed by: Randall Kleiser crew doctor/parrot wrangler: Martin Simpson
Two children shipwrecked on a deserted Pacific Island grow up alone in an idyllic paradise, untainted by civilization. They come of age, fall in love, and have a child, in the most romantic setting on earth. The Blue Lagoon was one of the top ten films of 1980.
Degrees of difficulty filming. Tracks and crane on the beach. Co-producer Richard Franklin fronts a panorama of the crew village built to house the Blue Lagoon team. Martin Simpson on Soma Soma beach, Nanua Levu (Big Turtle Island), Yasawa group, north of Fiji, during filming of The Blue Lagoon. It was a lot less crowded than Bondi. Now an exclusive resort, it's also a lot more expensive. ___________________________________________________________________________ DOCUMENTARIES THE NEW FACES OF ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA (French) Produced in Australia by Martin Simpson for French television, and shown in prime time on France 3, this documentary explores the lives of modern aboriginal Australians. A writer, a lawyer, a filmmaker, a chef and an actor show their experience of the country their people once owned. Television Chef Mark Olive and renowned actor David Gulpilil go back to their roots in this fascinating look at Australia from a unique French perspective.
THE GREAT TEMPLE OF CAO DAI AT TAY NINH Written and Directed by Martin Simpson On the Cambodian border of Vietnam stands the huge wedding cake temple of a strange sect Cao Dai whose patron saints include the writers Graham Greene and Victor Hugo. Backing the wrong side in the American War led to many believers fleeing Vietnam, some to Australia, where a smaller replica of their cathedral now stands in the multicultural suburb of Lakemba. ______________________________________________________________________ | My first iPhone App :^)
Babe
on a Beam is a balancing act that lets non-gamers join in the fun. I developed this for kids. You
don't need to be an expert to play with this babe. Balance the little
cutey on the beam and unlock new powers. But go easy with those
controls... it's a long way down! Your purchases allow us to keep
updating this title so spread the word. New levels are always FREE.
For more information on our games and to have your say on new features, visit our blog. http://napkingames.wordpress.comFEATURE FILM SCREENPLAYS HARRY AND ME A doctor on holiday in China, the narrator Mickey Compton, catches a passing glimpse of a very old European man whom he is sure is the ex - Prime Minister of Australia, Harold Holt, whose whereabouts remain a mystery decades after his disappearance. CAUGHT BY THE LIGHT When Jack, a struggling artist, agrees to paint the portrait of a rich and powerful man's beautiful trophy wife, he unleashes a storm of passion that will consume them both. Mild mannered Cleveland accountant, Ryan Freed, on a flight to Australia, is alarmed when the man sitting next to him chokes to death on a sandwich. Trying to save the man's life, Ryan inadvertently comes into possession of a computer flash drive that will propel him into the world of international espionage and terror. To save the love of his life, he will have to save an entire city from a nuclear bomb. PAVING PARADISE A deaf and dumb child, Curly, discovers a rare medicinal orchid growing in the overgrown gully next to his orphanage. But the bureaucrats have plans to build a parking lot. Curly's struggle to prevent the miracle flower's destruction and to save the children from a killer virus take him to the brink of death, but find him love. (Shortlisted in the Becker Screenplay competition) AFTER IMAGE A prostitute awakes not remembering the night before, and sees herself portrayed on television as the prime suspect in a businessman's murder. She must find out who the real murderer is, even if the truth may kill her. THE OPAL TREE Deep in the earth miner discovers the find of his dreams, a massive tree trunk completely turned to opal. His aboriginal wife reveals to him that it is a sacred image of the rainbow serpent and must not be harmed. But greed is a hard master and the choice between riches and poverty seem so much easier than the choice between life and death. |
In Dr Martin Simpson's other career, he has spent many years in general practice medicine, a decade in hip and knee rehabilitation, and presently works with an order of nuns, 'The Little Sisters of the Poor', providing care for the elderly.
As a medical writer, Martin has edited a widely circulated self help booklet series entitled 'What should I do', and is presently co-authoring and editing a book for working parents about coping with the sleep difficulties of infants, entitled: 'The Baby Sleep Secret'.
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