The stars and director of the Australian feature film Jucy are visiting Orange for a gala screening of the movie at the Odeon 5 Cinema on Friday November 4. Director Louise Alston and actors Cindy Nelson and Francesca Gasteen are coming to town as part of a nation-wide tour promoting the film's cinema release. Billed as a "womantic" comedy, Jucy is a feel-good movie about the relationship between two single best female friends, played by Nelson and Gasteen, and their attempts to prove to the world they are normal by scoring a dream job and the perfect guy.

The script, written by Alston's husband, AFI-nominated Stephen Vagg, was inspired by the real-life relationship between the two stars. The cast also includes Andy Ryan (Tomorrow When the War Began) and Ryan Johnson (Home and Away).

Jucy had it's world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named as one of the top fifteen films to watch, and was praised by the critic from Variety as "colorfully stylized, sweet and silly" with "terrific" lead performances. It subsequently sold out sessions at festivals in Seattle, London, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Seoul, Sydney and Brisbanev and is screening at the Odeon 5.

"I'm a farm girl and lots of my relatives live in Orange so it is a massive thrill for me to be showing Jucy there," says Alston, whose previous film All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, also screened in Orange.

The gala screening will take place at 7 pm on Friday November 4 at the Odeon 5. The stars and director will introduce Jucy and afterwards take part in a Q and A. Tickets are available at http://www.odeon5.com.au/. The film's website is at http://www.jucythemovie.com/

Join in a one-day forum for writers who want to take their work from the page to the screen, featuring top names from the Australian film and TV industry: Producer Margaret Fink (Candy, My Brilliant Career), writer/director Nick Parsons (Dead Heart), writer/producer David Roach (Beneath Hill 60, Young Einstein), agent Jane Cameron (Camerons Management); plus Airlie Lawson (Hachette); Martha Coleman (Screen Australia); Amanda Higgs (ABC Head of Drama); Caterina De Nave (SBS Drama and Comedy); Stephen Liddell and Bob Barton (Ink to Screen); writers Phillip Gwynne (Australian Rules) & Denise Young (Last Ride). Experienced industry players, including David Stratton (At The Movies), actor Shane Porteous and writer Charlotte Wood, will chair the sessions, guiding you through the development of film and TV scripts from first pitch to the red carpet. Cost: $150 for NSW Writers' Centre members (includes morning tea/lunch/afternoon tea) Time: 10:00am to 5.00pm - 2nd November at Carrington Hotel, Katoomba, Limited places - please book your place by contacting Varuna, The Writers' House Ph: 0247 825674 and for a full program & booking details go to www.varuna.com.au

Be afraid!!! Tonight - 8 September at 10pm ABC1 Jennifer Byrne Presents: Monsters and Bloodsuckers. Discover the world of vampires, werewolves and reanimated flesh and the books that have lived in our nightmares; their origins in ancient folk-tales through to the recent vampire explosion in the bestsellers lists; with fantastic special guests including Catherine Jinks (a recent visitor to Orange now researching for her latest novel), Will Elliott, Leigh Blackmore and Tara Moss. Don't miss this sinister special! This episode will be repeated on ABC2 Sunday September 13th at 7pm.

Following consultation with the industry, the New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO) has announced an extension to the deadline for applications to Aurora 2009. The deadline is now Monday 9 February 2009. Aurora emphasises the collaborative relationship between the Writer, Producer and Director in the development process, giving promising and original scripts complete support, fast tracking the final draft and then the financing of the film. For application forms or further information see the NSW Film and Television Office website www.fto.nsw.gov.au or telephone Lloyd King, Aurora Coordinator, on (02) 9264 6400, or facsimile (02) 9264 4388, or by email at aurora@fto.nsw.gov.au.

Thank you to everyone who came along to the screening of The Kite Runner at Metro Cinemas on Thursday night. What a tear jerker and what a story. Once again we packed out the Metro Cinema in Orange and we raised $563 for the Australian aid organisation Mahboba's Promise helping women and children in Afghanistan.

If the theme of redemption has really touched you then go to The Kite Runner website http://www.kiterunnermovie.com/, enter the site and click on the Fly your kite to be Good Again feature. Here you can write your own message on a kite to send out into the world and it is also interesting to click on a kite and see what other people have written...