Hi
Welcome to Morcan Books & Films, the blog devoted to providing a unique perspective and intelligent commentary on books and films. It includes commentary on our own books and films – i.e. novels and screenplays co-written by the Morcans, and feature films produced by, or in development with, Morcan Motion Pictures.
Lance & James
As per the above poster at Event Cinema’s theatre in Liverpool (Sydney) NSW, posters are now going up in cinemas Australia-wide for the theatrical release of My Cornerstone.
We shot this movie at locations in Mumbai, India and Sydney, Australia with an Indian/Australian cast and crew.
My Cornerstone is the first Indian-Aussie cross-cultural feature film in cinema history.
Our poster stand at the cinema multiplex in Burwood, NSW
On Thursday 9th October 2014, My Cornerstone will be released in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in participating Event Cinema venues. Please check Event Cinema websites nearest to you for session times in the coming weeks.
The following Thursday being 16th October 2014 will see the release in other key Australian cities including Perth and Adelaide.
Then later this year the film will be released in cinemas in various countries worldwide, followed by an eventual international DVD release.
Check out our film’s trailer:
Thank you so much for all your support.
See you at the movies!
James Morcan
Director: Stanley Joseph
Writers: James Morcan (screenplay), Stanley Joseph (story)
Actors: Zenia Starr, Romin Khan, James Morcan, Santosh Verma
Our soon to be released Indian-Australian feature film MY CORNERSTONE – which will screen in cinemas Australia-wide from October 9th and then internationally later this year – recently featured in the Inside Film (IF) Magazine, the Down Under film industry chronicle.
The article, by IF Magazine columnist Don Groves, follows (unabridged):
Producer-director Stanley Joseph is aiming to bridge the cultural gap between India and Australia by making mainstream films shot in both countries.
The Indian-born founder of World Pictures Australia is preparing to launch My Cornerstone, a romantic comedy which explores multiculturalism and spiritual faith, in Australia in late September.
It stars 24 year-old Indian-Australian Zenia Starr (above) as an Indian nurse who moves to Sydney where she’s hired to care for the ailing matriarch of a wealthy Indian-Australian family.
New Zealand-born, Sydney-based writer-actor James Morcan (below), who wrote the screenplay based on Joseph’s story, plays an enigmatic neighbour named Chris who enters her life. The film was shot in Mumbai and Sydney, with 90% of the dialogue in English, the rest in Hindi.
Reel to Deal Pictures, a newly-formed New Zealand-based distributor, will launch the film on 16-18 screens in Australia, Joseph tells IF.
Via sales agents the film will be released theatrically in Fiji and Singapore but Joseph, who migrated to Australia 17 year ago, plans to bypass cinemas in India and go straight to DVD, due to piracy and traffic logjams which make getting to cinemas a challenge in the big cities.
Seeking distribution in the US, he’s had talks with a US cinema chain and an online company.
Morcan says, “My Cornerstone is the first Australian-Indian crossover film. Our storyline reflects many of Stanley’s own experiences as an Indian migrant in Australia.”
Joseph’s follow-up is Love You Krishna, a romantic comedy drama now in post-production. Scripted by Morcan, again based on Joseph’s story, the plot follows the Chopras, a wealthy Indian-Australian family who are subtly influenced by a mysterious stranger’s visits to their Sydney mansion.
Starr, who also appeared in Mark Grentell’s Backyard Ashes, and Morcan are among the cast, and there is a similar split between English and Hindi.
Both films were financed by an Indian investor and were shot back-to-back in an economical 37 days. Joseph envisions a mid-2015 release for Love You Krishna.
His first film, actioner Newton’s 3rd Law, was released in 2011.
We are pleased to announce the theatrical release of My Cornerstone.
We shot this movie at locations in Mumbai, India and Sydney, Australia with an Indian/Australian cast and crew.
My Cornerstone is the first Indian-Aussie cross-cultural feature film in cinema history.
Event Cinemas are screening this film Australia-wide.
On Thursday 9th October 2014, My Cornerstone will be released in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in participating Event Cinema venues. Please check Event Cinema websites nearest to you for session times in the coming weeks.
The following Thursday being 16th October 2014 will see the release in other key Australian cities including Perth and Adelaide.
Then later this year the film will be released in cinemas in various countries worldwide, followed by an eventual international DVD release.
My Cornerstone is a romantic comedy which explores multiculturalism and spiritual faith.
The film stars 24 year-old Indian-Australian actress Zenia Starr (Backyard Ashes) as an Indian nurse who moves to Sydney where she’s hired to care for the ailing matriarch of an uber-wealthy Indian-Aussie family. Starr is also a beauty queen and the current Miss India Australia.
The film’s director and producer, Indian-Australian filmmaker Stanley Joseph of World Pictures Australia is a veteran of Bollywood now living in Sydney. Our storyline reflects many of his own experiences as an Indian migrant in Australia. Stanley is a well-known musician and film composer turned director. MY CORNERSTONE is his second feature to date (with a third feature in post-production).
Stanley Joseph: Director of My Cornerstone
Check out the trailer:
Thank you so much for all your support.
See you at the movies!
James Morcan
CREDITS:
Director: Stanley Joseph
Writers: James Morcan (screenplay), Stanley Joseph (story)
Actors: Zenia Starr, Romin Khan, James Morcan, Santosh Verma
Our soon to be released Indian-Australian feature film MY CORNERSTONE – which will screen in cinemas in Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Singapore in the coming months – recently featured in the Inside Film (IF) Magazine, the Down Under film industry chronicle.
The article, by IF Magazine columnist Don Groves, follows (unabridged):
Producer-director Stanley Joseph is aiming to bridge the cultural gap between India and Australia by making mainstream films shot in both countries.
The Indian-born founder of World Pictures Australia is preparing to launch My Cornerstone, a romantic comedy which explores multiculturalism and spiritual faith, in Australia in late September.
It stars 24 year-old Indian-Australian Zenia Starr as an Indian nurse who moves to Sydney where she’s hired to care for the ailing matriarch of a wealthy Indian-Australian family.
New Zealand-born, Sydney-based writer-actor James Morcan, who wrote the screenplay based on Joseph’s story, plays an enigmatic neighbour named Chris who enters her life. The film was shot in Mumbai and Sydney, with 90% of the dialogue in English, the rest in Hindi.
Reel to Deal Pictures, a newly-formed New Zealand-based distributor, will launch the film on 16-18 screens in Australia, Joseph tells IF.
Via sales agents the film will be released theatrically in Fiji and Singapore but Joseph, who migrated to Australia 17 year ago, plans to bypass cinemas in India and go straight to DVD, due to piracy and traffic logjams which make getting to cinemas a challenge in the big cities.
Seeking distribution in the US, he’s had talks with a US cinema chain and an online company.
Morcan says, “My Cornerstone is the first Australian-Indian crossover film. Our storyline reflects many of Stanley’s own experiences as an Indian migrant in Australia.”
Joseph’s follow-up is Love You Krishna, a romantic comedy drama now in post-production. Scripted by Morcan, again based on Joseph’s story, the plot follows the Chopras, a wealthy Indian-Australian family who are subtly influenced by a mysterious stranger’s visits to their Sydney mansion.
Starr, who also appeared in Mark Grentell’s Backyard Ashes, and Morcan are among the cast, and there is a similar split between English and Hindi.
Both films were financed by an Indian investor and were shot back-to-back in an economical 37 days. Joseph envisions a mid-2015 release for Love You Krishna.
His first film, actioner Newton’s 3rd Law, was released in 2011.
Two quirky romantic comedies explore Hinduism, Christianity and multiculturalism.
Voxy.co.nz Wednesday, 6 March, 2013 – 15:59
James Morcan
Hot off two soon-to-be released Indian-Australian feature films, New Zealand actor James Morcan is looking forward to a well-deserved break.
Not only did Morcan play starring roles in Love You Krishna and My Cornerstone, he also wrote the screenplays which incorporated English and Hindi.
Both films were produced and directed by Indian-Aussie filmmaker Stanley Joseph, of World Pictures Australia, and were inspired by many of Joseph’s own experiences as an Indian migrant in Australia.
They are quirky romantic comedies exploring Hinduism, Christianity and multiculturalism.
In Peter Jackson style, the films were shot simultaneously – a decision which Morcan says nearly broke the production team. “Shooting two movies at once is an extremely rare undertaking and everybody in our incredibly talented crew was stretched to the limit. To be honest, we almost bit off more than we could chew,” says Morcan.
“I probably only averaged three or four hours sleep a night over the last few months,” Morcan (34) says from his residence in Sydney, Australia. “There was literally no time to think. But in a strange way that’s kind of freeing for an actor as you don’t get too cerebral about the process.”
Morcan was actively involved in every single scene of the shoot, working in front of and behind the camera, and wearing multiple hats. “That sort of on-set involvement was tough but necessary to complete the mammoth task. And I learnt so much about the nuts and bolts of filmmaking. In fact, it was like going to film school.”
As for his roles in the films, Morcan is remaining tight-lipped. “Let’s just say I play an enigmatic role in both stories. Other than that I cannot say too much about my characters as they involve big twists in each film. If I mentioned who I actually play in either movie, it would ruin the surprise for the audience.”
Morcan’s previous films have screened at cinemas in Italy, Australia and France. His career highlights include roles in the Australian independent feature film The Pawn and acting alongside Russell Crowe in Ben Hur: The Stadium Spectacular, at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium. He was also executive producer of the recently released New Zealand feature film Desired, which premiered at Cannes Marche du Film in France.
Aside from his film work, Morcan is also a novelist and co-writes with his Bay of Plenty-based father Lance Morcan. The pair have written four published books including the controversial thriller series The Orphan Trilogy and the historical adventure Fiji: A Novel. Their production company, Morcan Motion Pictures, is also developing feature film adaptations of the novels.
Love You Krishna and My Cornerstone were shot in Mumbai, India and NSW, Australia and are currently in post-production. They are expected to be released internationally later this year.
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