Pip Karmel
Encyclopedia
Philippa Karmel (born 1963) is an Australian filmmaker. As a film editor, she has worked exclusively with director Scott Hicks
in a notable collaboration from 1988 through 2007; their work together includes the widely recognized film Shine
(1996). She has directed and written several films, including Me Myself I
(2000), which was released internationally.
, who was an Australian economist, professor, and university administrator. She studied visual arts in Adelaide. She was an assistant editor in the mid-1980s. She worked for editor Andrew Prowse on several films including Call Me Mr. Brown (1985), which was Scott Hicks' first feature film. She subsequently studied film directing and editing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School
. She interrupted her studies to edit Hicks' feature, Sebastian and the Sparrow (1988), which was her first feature credit as an editor. Her graduate film was Sex Stories (1989), a short documentary.
. Hicks persuaded Karmel to return to editing for the film, Shine
, which Hicks was directing and had co-written. Shine (1996) has become Hicks' most recognized film; it is based on the early life of David Helfgott
, who became a concert pianist following several years of institutionalization for mental illness. In his Variety review, David Stratton
wrote, "Securing the musician's cooperation was obviously crucial to Jane Scott's accomplished production, which is also distinguished by Geoffrey Simpson's fine camerawork and Pip Karmel's editing, the latter skillfully shaping a wealth of material into a fast-paced, compelling narrative." Karmel has now edited several additional films with Hicks.
(2000), which she wrote and directed. Karmel's script explores the choices made by an unmarried woman who has become a successful journalist; in the film, the woman enters an "alternate reality" in which she is married to a former beau and has three children. The film was mainly seen in Australia, but was internationally distributed and widely reviewed. Roger Ebert
and other critics have emphasized Rachel Griffiths
' performance in the lead, but Andrew Sarris
noted in The New York Observer, "In any event, Ms. Karmel, whether as erstwhile writer, editor, or maker of short films, has earned the right to a long and fruitful directorial career on the strength of Me Myself I, one of the most striking feature-film debuts ever."
, which is a story of a 17th Century plague year in an English village. As of 2011, this film, which Karmel is slated to direct, is "in development".
, and an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award, and it won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Editing
. For Me Myself I (2000), Karmel was nominated for the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction
and for Best Screenplay
.
Scott Hicks
Robert Scott Hicks is a film director from Australia. He is best known as the screenwriter and director of Shine, the Oscar-winning biopic of pianist David Helfgott. Hicks's work has been nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning an Emmy Award.-Personal life:Hicks was born in Uganda, the...
in a notable collaboration from 1988 through 2007; their work together includes the widely recognized film Shine
Shine (film)
Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris...
(1996). She has directed and written several films, including Me Myself I
Me Myself I (film)
Me Myself I is a 2000 Australian comedy film.-Plot:Pamela Drury is single and works as a serious journalist. She spends her birthday alone and becomes lonely and reflects upon her life and the choices she made. In a box of photos of old boyfriends, she reflects upon why she broke up with one in...
(2000), which was released internationally.
Early career
Karmel is the daughter of Peter KarmelPeter Karmel
Peter Henry Karmel, AC, CBE was an Australian economist and professor.-Biography:Educated at Caulfield Grammar School, the University of Melbourne and the University of Cambridge where he received a Ph.D., Karmel had served as the Vice-Chancellor of both Flinders University and the Australian...
, who was an Australian economist, professor, and university administrator. She studied visual arts in Adelaide. She was an assistant editor in the mid-1980s. She worked for editor Andrew Prowse on several films including Call Me Mr. Brown (1985), which was Scott Hicks' first feature film. She subsequently studied film directing and editing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School
Australian Film Television and Radio School
The Australian Film, Television and Radio School is the Australian national centre for professional education and advanced training in film, television, radio and digital media. The School is an Australian Commonwealth government statutory authority...
. She interrupted her studies to edit Hicks' feature, Sebastian and the Sparrow (1988), which was her first feature credit as an editor. Her graduate film was Sex Stories (1989), a short documentary.
Television and Shine
In the early 1990s Karmel worked primarily as a director and writer. She directed an episode, The Long Ride, for the Australian television program Under the Skin; the episode won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Tele-featureAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series is an award that has been handed out to producers annually since 1986 by the Australian Film Institute...
. Hicks persuaded Karmel to return to editing for the film, Shine
Shine (film)
Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris...
, which Hicks was directing and had co-written. Shine (1996) has become Hicks' most recognized film; it is based on the early life of David Helfgott
David Helfgott
David Helfgott is an Australian concert pianist. He is as well known for having schizoaffective disorder as he is for his piano playing. Helfgott's life inspired the Oscar-winning film Shine, in which he was played by Geoffrey Rush....
, who became a concert pianist following several years of institutionalization for mental illness. In his Variety review, David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
wrote, "Securing the musician's cooperation was obviously crucial to Jane Scott's accomplished production, which is also distinguished by Geoffrey Simpson's fine camerawork and Pip Karmel's editing, the latter skillfully shaping a wealth of material into a fast-paced, compelling narrative." Karmel has now edited several additional films with Hicks.
Me Myself I
Karmel worked throughout the 1990s on the film Me Myself IMe Myself I (film)
Me Myself I is a 2000 Australian comedy film.-Plot:Pamela Drury is single and works as a serious journalist. She spends her birthday alone and becomes lonely and reflects upon her life and the choices she made. In a box of photos of old boyfriends, she reflects upon why she broke up with one in...
(2000), which she wrote and directed. Karmel's script explores the choices made by an unmarried woman who has become a successful journalist; in the film, the woman enters an "alternate reality" in which she is married to a former beau and has three children. The film was mainly seen in Australia, but was internationally distributed and widely reviewed. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
and other critics have emphasized Rachel Griffiths
Rachel Griffiths
Rachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian film and television actress who came to prominence in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and her Academy Award nominated performance in the 1997 film Hilary and Jackie....
' performance in the lead, but Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
noted in The New York Observer, "In any event, Ms. Karmel, whether as erstwhile writer, editor, or maker of short films, has earned the right to a long and fruitful directorial career on the strength of Me Myself I, one of the most striking feature-film debuts ever."
Year of Wonders
Karmel has written a screenply for a film adaptation of Geraldine Brooks' 2001 novel, Year of WondersYear of Wonders
Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague is a 2001 international bestselling historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks. It was chosen as both a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book.-Plot introduction:...
, which is a story of a 17th Century plague year in an English village. As of 2011, this film, which Karmel is slated to direct, is "in development".
Awards
Karmel's editing of Shine (1996) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, the BAFTA Award for Best EditingBAFTA Award for Best Editing
The BAFTA Award for Best Editing is one of several annual awards presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . The film-voting members of the Academy select the five nominated films in each category; only the principal editor for each film are named, which excludes additional...
, and an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award, and it won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Editing
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Editing
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Editing is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1967.-Previous winners:*1967: Cardin in Australia...
. For Me Myself I (2000), Karmel was nominated for the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards.-Previous winners:*1971 – Homesdale *1972 – Stork...
and for Best Screenplay
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1976 as a joint category until 1993 when the award was separated into Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay...
.
Filmography
This filmography is based on the Internet Movie Database, and incorporates referenced additions to that listing.Editor
- Ana Who (documentary) (Karmel-1984).
- Sebastian and the Sparrow (TV) (Hicks-1988).
- ShineShine (film)Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris...
(Hicks-1996). - The Ultimate Athlete (documentary, Hicks-1996).
- Hearts in AtlantisHearts in Atlantis (film)Hearts in Atlantis is a 2001 American/Australian drama thriller directed by Scott Hicks. It is loosely adapted from Stephen King's novella "Low Men in Yellow Coats", from his story collection Hearts in Atlantis.-Plot:...
(Hicks-2001). - No ReservationsNo Reservations (film)No Reservations is a 2007 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks. The screenplay by Carol Fuchs is an adaptation of an original script by Sandra Nettelbeck, which served as the basis for the 2001 German film Mostly Martha.-Plot:...
(Hicks-2007).
Director
- Ana Who (documentary) (1984)
- Sex Rules (short) (1989). Won the Jury Prize at the ATOM (Australian Teachers of Media) AwardsATOM AwardThe ATOM Awards are a group of awards offered to Australian and New Zealand "professionals, educators and students", honouring achievements in the making of film, television, multimedia, and from 2007 multi-modal productions....
. - Fantastic Futures (short) (1991). Won Gold Award of the New York Film FestivalNew York Film FestivalThe New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
. - The Long Ride (1993) (episode of the television series Under the Skin). Won Australian Film Institute Award for Best Tele-featureAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run SeriesThe Australian Film Institute Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series is an award that has been handed out to producers annually since 1986 by the Australian Film Institute...
. - Me Myself IMe Myself I (film)Me Myself I is a 2000 Australian comedy film.-Plot:Pamela Drury is single and works as a serious journalist. She spends her birthday alone and becomes lonely and reflects upon her life and the choices she made. In a box of photos of old boyfriends, she reflects upon why she broke up with one in...
(2000). Karmel also wrote the screenplay.