Never Tell Me Never

Last updated

Never Tell Me Never
Directed by David Elfick
Written byJohn Cundill
Janine Shepherd
Produced byDavid Elfick
Anne Bruning
Starring Claudia Karvan
Michael Caton
Diane Craig
CinematographyMartin McGrath
Edited byMarcus D'Arcy
Music byPeter Kaldor
Running time
95 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Never Tell Me Never is a 1998 Australian biopic TV film about cross-country skier Janine Shepherd. [1]

Contents

Plot

Following the road to recovery of cross-country skier Janine Shepherd after she was hit by a car.

Cast

Production

The movie, made hoping for a cinema release, [2] was filmed over an eight-week shoot with Karvan at times wearing Shepherd's own clothes. Screenwriter John Cundill worked closely with Shepherd's on the script. [3]

Reception

Never Tell Me Never won it's time slot in the ratings, beating out French Kiss, Our Mutual Friend and Under Siege 2. [4]

Andrew L. Urban of Urban Cinefile wrote " I can't say how accurate the details are, nor how well the film captures the essence of the characters, but seen as a stand alone drama it is effective in every department." [5] The Sun-Herald's Rachel Browne gave it 5 stars finishing "This telemovie has strong family appeal with laughter, tears, romance and aerobatic stunts." [6]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Griffiths</span> Australian actress (b. 1968)

Rachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian actress. Raised primarily in Melbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian series Secrets before being cast in a supporting role in the comedy Muriel's Wedding (1994), which earned her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 1997, she was the lead in Nadia Tass's drama Amy. She had a role opposite Julia Roberts in the American romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), followed by her portrayal of Hilary du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janine Shepherd</span>

Janine Shepherd, is an Australian author, aerobatics pilot and former cross-country skier. Shepherd's career as an athlete ended when she sustained life-threatening injuries when hit by a truck during a training bike ride, while in contention to win Australia's first ever medal at the Winter Olympics. She survived and her story later became the focus of national attention, as well as a popular telemovie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasma Walton</span> Australian actress

Tasma Walton is an Australian television and film actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Karvan</span> Australian actress (born 1972)

Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress and producer. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film Molly (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in High Tide (1987). She portrayed a teacher in The Heartbreak Kid (1993) – the film was spun off into a TV series, Heartbreak High (1994–1999), with her character taken over by Sarah Lambert. Karvan's roles in television series include The Secret Life of Us (2001–2005), Love My Way (2004–2007), Newton's Law (2017) and Halifax: Retribution (2020). She won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards for her appearance in G.P. (1996). She won two similar AFI Awards for her role in Love My Way and in 2014 for her work in The Time of Our Lives (2013–2014). As a co-producer and co-writer on Love My Way, she won three further AFI Awards for Best Drama Series in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Karvan was inducted into the Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2007 in acknowledgment of her contributions to the Australian film and television industry. From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the drama series Spirited, which she co-created and was executive producer. She appeared as Judy Vickers in Puberty Blues. Karvan has co-produced House of Hancock and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021). In 2021 she co-created, co-produced and starred in the TV drama series, Bump.

Scott Ian Major is an Australian actor and TV and film director, known for his roles as Peter Rivers in the 1994 television teen drama series Heartbreak High and Lucas Fitzgerald in soap opera Neighbours. After leaving Neighbours in 2013, Major returned to direct over 200 episodes of the serial. He has since gone on to direct episodes of Playing for Keeps, and two miniseries Lie With Me and Riptide. Major reprised his role as Rivers in the 2022 reboot of Heartbreak High.

<i>Paperback Hero</i> (1999 film) 1999 Australian film

Paperback Hero is a 1999 Australian romantic comedy film starring Claudia Karvan and Hugh Jackman. It was directed by Antony Bowman who also wrote the screenplay. The film was predominantly shot in Queensland including Nindigully.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Bishop</span> Soap opera character

Donna Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Nicola Quilter. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 8 November 1994 and departed on 23 June 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Perkins</span> Australian filmmaker

Rachel Perkins is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films Radiance (1998), One Night the Moon (2001), Bran Nue Dae (2010), and Jasper Jones (2017). Perkins is an Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman from Central Australia, who was raised in Canberra by Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins and his wife Eileen.

<i>High Tide</i> (1987 film) 1987 Australian film

High Tide is a 1987 Australian drama film starring Judy Davis, from a script by Laura Jones, about the mother-daughter bond, directed by Gillian Armstrong. Armstrong reported that when she began work on High Tide she pinned a note above her desk: "Blood ties. Water. Running Away." Jan Adele plays Lilli's mother-in-law Bet, in her film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Edwards (producer)</span> Australian television drama producer

Robert John Edwards is an Australian television drama producer.

The 47th Annual Australian Film Institute Awards, were a series of awards which included the AFI Craft Awards and the AFI Awards Ceremony. Presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, television, documentary and short film productions of 2005. The two events were held in Melbourne, Victoria, with the former presentation at the Waterfront City Pavilion, and the latter at the Melbourne Central City Studios, on 25 November and 26 November 2005, respectively. The AFI Awards Ceremony was televised on the Nine Network, with actor Russell Crowe hosting both this and the AFI Craft Awards.

Jeanie Drynan is an Australian film and television actress well known for her roles in the television series Class of '74, as Muriel's mother in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and as solicitor Angela Jeffries in the cult classic television series Prisoner Cell Block H.

Passion, known in some releases as Passion: The Story of Percy Grainger, is a 1999 Australian drama film about some episodes in the life of the pianist and composer Percy Grainger. It stars Richard Roxburgh as Grainger.

Strange Planet is a 1999 Australian comedy film directed by Emma-Kate Croghan and starring Claudia Karvan. It was Croghan's follow up to Love and Other Catastrophes and used many of the same cast and crew.

<i>Risk</i> (2001 film) 2001 Australian film

Risk is a 2001 Australian film about insurance fraud directed by Alan White and starring Tom Long, Bryan Brown, and Claudia Karvan. The film is based on the story The Adjuster by Tracy Kidder.

<i>Healing</i> (2014 film) 2014 Australian film

Healing is a 2014 English-language Australian drama film produced by PointBlank Pictures and directed by Craig Monahan and co-written with Alison Nisselle. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Robert Taylor, Xavier Samuel, Justine Clarke, Laura Brent and Anthony Hayes. The story follows the slow social and inner healing of a prisoner as he rehabilitates an injured bird at a rural Victorian correctional centre with the aid of a caring correctional officer. The film's description line is "Inspired by true events, HEALING is a story of redemption, the discovery of hope and the healing of the spirit - in the most unlikely place for the most unlikely men."

<i>Thats Not Me</i> (film) Australian film

That's Not Me is a 2017 Australian independent comedy film directed by Gregory Erdstein. It was filmed between 2015 and 2016 in Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles, US. The screenplay was written by Gregory Erdstein and lead actress Alice Foulcher. That's Not Me had its World Premiere in February 2017 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and its Australian Premiere in June 2017 at the Sydney Film Festival. It was released theatrically at selected cinemas across Australia in September 2017. In 2020 That's Not Me was nominated for the AACTA Byron Kennedy Award, as one of the top 12 indie feature films of the past decade.

References

  1. Browne, Rachel (3 May 1998), "Never? Never!", The Sun Herald
  2. Dowsley, Paul (6 May 1998), "Story had to be told", The Advertiser
  3. Gripper, Ali (4 May 1998), "A new way to win", The Sydney Morning Herald
  4. Yallamas, L (19 May 1998), "Heartbeat quickens a pace", The Courier Mail
  5. Urban, Andrew L. (2008), "Never Tell Me Never: DVD", Urban Cinefile, archived from the original on 3 October 2012
  6. Browne, Rachel (10 May 1998), "A ropey old - hanging - Television: The Last of the Ryans", The Sun-Herald
  7. 1 2 Roach, Vicky (8 October 1998), "Crime primed to scoop film prizes", The Advertisor