Director
CHALKY
Feature Documentary
Director - Gracie Otto
Producer- Nicole O'Donohue
Michael ‘Chalky’ White, the producer of Rocky Horror, O Calcutta, Chorus Line and Monty Python, changed the face of international theatre forever. This feature length documentary follows filmmaker Gracie Otto’s journey to discover who Michael White is and honour his fascinating legacy and commitment to producing new & evocative work while also living life to the fullest. Since a chance meeting with Michael in Cannes in 2010 – instantly intrigued by this 70 year old man now with two walking sticks - who everyone stopped to say hello to – Gracie has since filmed over 40 interviews with his family and friends in London, New York, Los Angeles, Sydney and Cannes, who all offer extraordinary insight into the highs and lows of his glittering world of theatre, film and celebrity.
GIRLS IN HOTELS
Filming with Samantha Michelle, Leila George, Grace Huang, Bella Heathcote and Zhu Zhu.
Locations: New York, London, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Hong Kong
PARFUM DE REGRETS
This film was shot at the very cool Hotel du Ministere which is five minutes from the Champs Elysee. The new contemporary design created by Francois Champsaur is super stylish and Inspired by his design, I created a scenario about a young woman revisiting the hotel where she met her lover, but who has since died. A colleague, French director Diasteme, wrote a poem Vue D’Une Blonde which I used as a voice-over narrative for the film and Julien Honore, one of France’s hottest young film actors – and brother to the supremely talented Christophe Honore – agreed to play The Lover opposite me as The Blonde. The result is a beautiful and painful homage to love lost, and a short film of which I am very proud!
LA CABANE A MARSEILLE
Francois’ own beach house in Marseilles was the location of this film. Inspired by Wim Wenders’ amazing documentary Pina I invited the supremely talented Katharina Christl, Principal Dancer at Ballet National de Marseilles to choreograph a dance video through the house. Francois believes in allowing the space to become a living creation in design and this collaboration was beyond inspiring! After a rainy day shooting interiors we were blown away by a glorious pink sunset over the Mediterranean, with dark storm clouds and lightning strikes as a backdrop to Katharina’s dance finale on the open balcony!
YEARLING
My role as the 2010 Royal Randwick Ambassador gave me a little insight into the passion surrounding the world of racing … and the early start to the day! So I set off at 5am for a long train trip from Paris to Deauville to film a horse auction at Arqana, one of the world’s largest auctions for thoroughbred yearlings. This beautifully designed auction showroom by Francois Champsaur is so theatrical I could easily imagine Cate Blanchett or Judy Davis or my Dad making an entrance from one of the wings – instead I was enthralled by the most magnificent thoroughbred horses!
SEAMSTRESS
A beautiful seamstress is observed feeding and luring birds into her home by her elderly bird-loving neighbour. As he is drawn into her strange and exotic world, he discovers that the birds hold the key to a future he could never have imagined.
LA MEME NUIT
Barry Otto stars as the concierge of a grand apartment building where he closely observes and stage manages the lives of its residents as if they are all members of his extended family. However, one night when some of the younger members become involved in a series of complicated liaisons, he believes they should be taught a lesson!
TANGO TROIS
Tango Trois is my award winning thesis film from Sydney Film School. It has screened successfully in many festivals in Australia and internationally including Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Palm Springs and Cannes. Students were limited to 10 minutes of film stock to create thesis films – a rigorous exercise in filmmaking.
BROKEN BEAT
Will and Jacob are lovers but are worlds apart. Will is a golden boy, tall, fair, and accustomed to success. He is loved by his family, has “come out” to his parents, but conceals his homosexuality from his colleagues. Jacob on the other had is as dark as Will is fair, of a large hardworking Italian family who could never accept his homosexuality.
KILL BLONDES
Kill Blondes is a short video metafilm made for the English Extension 2 HSC subject. It is densely referenced intertextually with signature visuals appropriated from the iconic cult films of Kubrick, Madonna and Tarantino. Through postmodern pastiche, fragmentation and film language the film explores the psychologically complex and imaginative journeys of a young Australasian schoolgirl coming to terms with her awakening sexuality and independence. Her journey is shown through a triptych of chapters.
GRACIE OTTO