Old friends meet up for new documentary film
Above: Muriel Watson and Barry Otto. Below right Gracie Otto.
It was like a scene from The Kingfisher play; two elderly friends meet up after many years and the reminiscences flow. In this case the old friends who met in Brisbane were veteran actor Barry Otto and retired actor Muriel Watson, who is still Chief Glug of the Brisbane branch of the Glugs of Gosh lunch club.
The meeting was to film a sequence of Gracie Otto’s new documentary which is set around the life of her famous father. Muriel and Barry were pioneers of the theatre in Brisbane and were part of the original Repertory Company that eventually became La Boite and they performed many roles together on stage and on television.
Gracie is Barry’s younger daughter and half sister to Miranda. At just 30 years old she is a well established actor and movie maker herself. She has been working out of Los Angeles since moving there in 2016.
This new project is a follow-up to her documentary The Last Impresario. As director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, her film celebrated the life of British producer and playboy Michael White who transformed British culture through hundreds of productions including Oh Calcutta, Rocky Horror, Chorus Line, Dame Edna and Monty Python. The film was acclaimed by Variety and the Hollywood Reporter at its London world premiere in October 2013.
She graduated from Sydney Film School in 2006 where her short films Seamstress, La Meme Nuit, Tango Trois, Broken Beat, and Kill Blondes have all won awards and screened internationally
Gracie is in demand internationally as a freelance director of TV commercials and online content including fashion films, music videos and commercials. In Australia Gracie has developed an impressive slate of television commercials for clients including Virgin Australia, Mimco, Westfield, Sportsgirl, Bendigo Bank/Masterchef, Hesta Superannuation, Impulse Perfume, Perth Zoo (Won Best Ads), Bell Direct Broker, Southcape Cheese and the Daily Edited, as well as two French New Wave inspired trailers for Flickerfest.
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