Lauren Hamilton Neill
Long time Sydney TAFTA student Lauren Hamilton Neill was in Los Angeles this time last year winning an award as Best Actress International for her work in a short film co-starring Zoe Carides. She has recently heard that her new short film will be making its Australian premiere at MonsterFest!
Keep an eye out for ‘A Remarkable Career’ and ‘Dead People Problems’!
After winning a scholarship and gaining a degree in Music Theatre at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Lauren moved to the big smoke of Sydney.
Since then she’s appeared as several murderers on "Deadly Women", a bikie girl on "Brothers in Arms: Bikie Wars", a Loki-inspired checkout chick in "Gods of Wheat St", and a terrible actor from Belfast in "Busy As Usual: The Web Series". And with the recent additions of A Remarkable Career and Dead People Problems to her list of credits, she can now add "leading lady" and "sarcastic ghost" to her repertoire.
She also was the live action character reference for the sequel to Peter Pan, titled "Peter and Jane: Return to Neverland". Lauren's won several awards in her career but the ones she treasures most (apart from Worlds Best Cat Mother, a unanimous vote among her beloved felines), are the awards she has gained from "A Remarkable Career", which debuted on the festival circuit in July 2019; and has so many Laurels to its name that the poster has doubled in size. This incredible short film also allowed her to fulfil a long held wish; that of sharing the screen with one of her favourite actors, Zoe Carides. A Remarkable Career resulted in Lauren finding amazing representation in Australia and also in Los Angeles.
In her spare time, Lauren spends her time volunteering at animal shelters, and singing to the animals like a displaced Disney Princess. She is passionate about animal welfare, and is constantly searching for vegan treats - of which Sydney is thankfully abundant. Dead People Problems gave Lauren the opportunity to share the screen with the brilliant Sam Glissan, a long time friend and actor of unsurpassed talent; and a wonderful actor by the name of Lauren Grimson. And what a delicious twist of fate it was that a friend of Lauren’s happens to live in a mansion which provided the perfect location. When all elements combine as they did, the end result was only ever going to be magic. And sarcastic. But mostly magic. Especially given that the short was filmed literally a week before COVID took a stronghold and everything was shut down.
For this film to have come together as it has, and to have been released just as everything was starting to open up again is such a welcome surprise.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR LAUREN?
A lead role in an utterly brilliant short film featuring an all-woman cast and crew, created and filmed during lockdown called Exquisite Corpse, directed and produced by Amelia Foxton. Plus, a role in the major film by Eddy Arya called Risen, which has just landed a massive distribution deal (both projects also led to working with phenomenal fellow TAFTA student Kya Stewart!) . Not to mention dipping her hands into writing a feminist horror flick, set in the already horrific world of internet dating...
MORE FROM LAUREN:
Dead People Problems Awards:
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Short Film – MONSTER FEST 2020
WINNER – Best Short Film (Comedy) – Lime Light Film Awards OFFICIAL SELECTION – Short Film – Film In Focus
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Comedy Film – Short Cine Fest
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Short Comedy – SHORT to the Point RUNNER UP – Best Short (Overall) – Indie Short Fest
WINNER - OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT - Dark Comedy – Indie Short Fest
A Remarkable Career Awards:
WINNER Best Short - Short+Sweet Film Festival, Australia - Grand Jury Prize. Will compete as Australia's entry in LA.
WINNER - Best Actress, Lauren Hamilton Neill, Feel The Reel International Film Festival, Scotland
WINNER - Best Drama Short - Changing Face International Film Festival, Australia
WINNER SILVER MEDALIST - Best Mystery Film, Independent Shorts Awards, USA
WINNER HONOURBLE MENTION - Best Actress, Best Original Story, Best Acting Duo - Independent Shorts Awards, USA
FINALIST - Best Short Film, Best Actress, Best Original Score - Florence Film Awards, Italy
SEMI-FINALIST - International Short Fiction - CIFF: The Canadian Independent Film Festival, Canada
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Short Drama - SHORT To The Point, Romania
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Best Short Film - Rome Independent Prisma Awards, Italy
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Long Short - Berlin Flash Film Festival, Germany
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Best Short Fiction - Feel The Reel International Film Festival, Scotland
