Gregory Erdstein

Last updated

Gregory Erdstein
NationalityAustralian
Education Victorian College of the Arts
Occupation(s)Director, writer
Known for That’s Not Me (2017)
Spouse Alice Foulcher

Gregory Erdstein is an Australian film director and writer, best known for the indie comedy That's Not Me.

Contents

Early life

Erdstein is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, School of Film & TV, Melbourne, Australia.

Career

Erdstein has collaborated with his wife, actress/writer Alice Foulcher, on several films including the controversial short film Picking up at Auschwitz, [1] the Tropfest finalist short A Bit Rich [2] and Paris Syndrome. [3] They spent most of 2014 as artists in residence at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, France, where they made Paris Syndrome, and co-wrote the screenplay for their first feature film, That's Not Me . [4]

In 2014 also co-wrote and co-directed the short film Two Devils, with Van Diemen's Land director Jonathan auf der Heide. It premiered at the 2014 Melbourne International Film Festival. [5]

In 2015 Erdstein commenced production on his debut feature, That's Not Me , which filmed in Melbourne, Australia and Los Angeles, USA. [6] The film had its world premiere in February 2017 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, [7] and Australian premiere in June 2017 at the Sydney Film Festival [8] - where it came fourth at the Foxtel Movies Audience Awards. [9] That's Not Me was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews and a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 87%. [10] The Guardian ranked it #5 of the Top 10 Australian Films of 2017, [11] with critic Luke Buckmaster giving it a 4 star review. [12] Andy Howell of Ain't It Cool praised Foulcher's lead performance, writing: "[Alice Foulcher] shoulders all the drama and gives one of the best twin performances I’ve ever seen... Having nuanced drama embedded in a comedy is a tightrope walk, but she’s got the skills to land it." [13] The film was also flagged by the Santa Barbara Independent as a must-see movie of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, [14] and sold out a number of sessions at the festival. [15] Junkee Media called the film "An emotionally resonant and comedic quarter life crisis… It’s a simple set-up delivered endlessly in comedy, but managed so well in That's Not Me that you remember how rare it is that balance is achieved in Australian films." [16] The Sydney Arts Guide praised the film and performances, writing: "There’s not a dud note in That's Not Me thanks to a solid foundation in a script by Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein, and anchored by a winning lead performance by Foulcher and helmed with an assured hand by Erdstein. The support casting is impeccable…Isabel Lucas is ferociously good". [17] Jake Watt of Switch called the film "a marvel of indie ingenuity, with dollops of charm and confident direction." [18] Karl Quinn writing for The Age said the film was "bursting with comedy, humanity and interesting ideas", [19] the Huffington Post called it "a stunning exploration of identity, the industry and the thirst for fame…the perfect blend of comedy and tragedy", [20] whilst Concrete Playground praised it as "earnest, astute, insightful and thoroughly amusing. This is a movie that is both universal and unmistakably Australian – and that’s just one of many delicate balancing acts that That’s Not Me achieves". [21] That's Not Me won the award for Best Film Under $200k at the inaugural 2018 Ozflix Independent Film Awards. [22]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 That's Not Me Director / Co-writerFeature film
2015Paris SyndromeDirector / Co-writerShort film
2014Two DevilsCo-director / Co-writerShort film
2014A Bit RichDirector / Co-writerShort film
2013Why Ryan is on DetentionCo-writerShort film
2012Picking up at AuschwitzDirector / Co-writerShort film
2009Facing RupertDirector / WriterShort film
2008The DeviceDirector / WriterShort film
2008Work to RuleDirector / WriterShort film
2007Radius of ActionDirector / WriterShort film
2001The MasterplanDirector / WriterShort film

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References

  1. ↑ Villella, Fiona. "St Kilda Film Festival: final weekend highlights". The Age. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tropfest finalists announced" . Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "Interview: Gregory Erdstein and Alice Foulcher on their new Australian comedy That's Not Me". Cinema Australia. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Alice Foulcher: In The City Of Lights With Paris Syndrome" . Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  5. ↑ (MIFF), Melbourne International Film Festival. "MIFF 2014". 2014.miff.com.au. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Inside Film: Indie Comedy That's Not Me Wraps Filming". Archived from the original on 20 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Murthi, Vikram. "That's Not Me Clip: A Twin Uses Sister's Celebrity For Personal Gain | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Maddox, Garry (5 April 2017). "Sydney Film Festival announces Casey Affleck, Whitney Houston and werewolf films". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  9. ↑ Gray, Richard (21 June 2017). "SFF 2017: 'Ali's Wedding' and 'Roller Dreams' take Audience Awards". The Reel Bits. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  10. ↑ That's Not Me , retrieved 10 September 2018
  11. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (20 December 2017). "From Mountain's majesty to Lion's roar: the best Australian films of 2017". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  12. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (6 September 2017). "That's Not Me review – smart, low-budget dramedy putting creators on path to stardom". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  13. ↑ Copernicus. "Copernicus is a fan of THAT'S NOT ME at SBIFF". Aint It Cool News. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "SBIFF 2017: Films to Find". www.independent.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "Melbourne made film a hit" . Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Sydney Film Festival Review: 'That's Not Me'". Junkee. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "THAT'S NOT ME Review - Sydney Arts Guide". Sydney Arts Guide. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  18. ↑ Watt, Jake. "SWITCH. | Film review: That's Not Me - a marvel of indie ingenuity". SWITCH. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  19. ↑ Quinn, Karl (31 August 2017). "That's Not Me: The winning comedy film made by Aussie couple for just $60,000". The Age. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  20. ↑ Whitehead, Mat (5 September 2017). "What Is It Like To Try And Be More Famous Than Someone With Your Exact Face". Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  21. ↑ "That's Not Me". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  22. ↑ Quinn, Karl (15 April 2018). "Is it time to make low-budget Australian movies cheaper at the cinema?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
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