Karen Radzyner joins Photoplay as head of development

Independent film and television production company Photoplay has named Karen Radzyner as head of development. In her role, Radzyner will work alongside head of scripted, Linda Micsko, to spearhead the company’s recently established longform arm Photoplay Film+TV.

Radzyner joins Photoplay from Dragonet Films. She produced two multi-award-winning TV mini-series – ABC’s Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo(with Southern Star in 2011) and Nine’s genre anthology Two Twisted (with Bryan Brown in 2006). She previously held roles at Scott Free Films, London (part of a highly sought-after Screen Australia fellowship), SBS, Screen Australia and Create NSW.

Says Radzyner: “Joining the team at Photoplay is incredibly exciting, with our shared passion to convey surprising new perspectives and unique stories to both local and global audiences, told by stand-out visionary talents and under-represented voices. With our combined experience, relationships and access to finance, this partnership is already bearing fruit. I can’t wait to nurture Photoplay’s multi-faceted slate, as well as the projects I bring, in this richly-resourced new role.”

Radzyner brings a powerhouse slate with her to Photoplay including Appetite a co-production with emerging showrunner Mohini Herse’s Fell Swoop Pictures, which starts production in mid-2022 through Digital Originals, a joint initiative of Screen Australia, SBS and NITV, aimed at developing exciting and innovative short-form drama projects to premiere as a single episode program on SBS On Demand. Appetite follows an unlikely trio of food delivery riders who find themselves entangled in a mystery to uncover the truth about the death of a fellow rider in the streets of Sydney and expose a multinational food delivery behemoth.

Created, written, directed and produced by Herse with writers Neilesh Verma and Grace Tan, the series is also directed by Neil Sharma and produced by Karen Radzyner, alongside executive producers Sleena Wilson, Jomon Thomas and Elise McCredie.

Radzyner’s other projects in development include a co-production with Synchronicity Films (The Cry) and development partner Cineflix Rights (Tehran, Marcella) with support from Screen Australia; an ABCMe YA action-adventure with development co-funded by Screen Australia; and a feature film with Transmission and Screen NSW support.

Says Oliver Lawrance, managing director, Photoplay: “We are hugely fortunate to have Karen Radzyner onboard, she is such a talented Producer with a genuine passion and energy for telling cinematic stories that demand an audience and deserve to be told. Her positive influence at Photoplay is already being felt. It’s truly an exciting time and I can’t wait for us to bring our first stories to the screen together.”

Radzyner’s projects join a stellar lineup of feature films and TV series with screen agency development funding for Photoplay Film+TV, all of which fit into the company’s ethos to produce smart, bold, relevant screen stories from visionary talent that move, challenge and entertain their audience.

Photoplay’s shortform series It’s Fine, I’m Fine was announced last week as part of the select lineup for CanneSeries Competition at MIPTV 2022 – the only Australian title to be selected. From creator Stef Smith, the diverse and talented group of writers includes Ana Maria Belo, Arky Michael, Anna Lindner, Cecilia Morrow, Chris Bunton, Jeanette Cronin, Michael Gupta, Nick Coyle, Stef Smith and Wendy Mocke. Funded by Screen Australia and Create NSW, It’s Fine, I’m Fine organically espouses the ‘no story about us, without us’ philosophy as a suburban psychologist helps her patients explore the mess, humour, melancholy and unexpected magic of life.

Photoplay has previously collaborated with production companies Bunya Productions and Aquarius Films as executive producers on their critically acclaimed feature films Goldstone (Toronto International Film Festival), Berlin Syndrome (Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival) and Sweet Country (Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival).