Australian filmmakers continue to try innovative release strategies. In the latest example, the black comedy The Mule will bypass a planned cinema release to go straight to digital platforms in Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand in November. Directed by Angus Sampson and Tony Mahony, it centres on a reluctant drug mule (Sampson) who, on being arrested on returning from Bangkok with a belly full of narcotics, is confined to a hotel room to produce the evidence. Leigh Whannell (Saw) co-wrote the script and stars alongside Hugo Weaving, Ewen Leslie, Noni Hazlehurst and John Noble. Keep an eye out for Sampson, Whannell and Weaving speaking at Q&A sessions at cinema screenings ahead of the release on November 21. The film then goes out on DVD, Blu-ray and digital rental 12 days later.

Redford and Blanchett film 'very likely' to shoot in Sydney

Is Robert Redford heading to Australia to shoot a new film with Cate Blanchett and Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss? Film industry sources say it is now "very likely" that the American drama Truth will shoot in Sydney. The directing debut for screenwriter James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man, Zodiac), it centres on the 2004 scandal when American newsman Dan Rather (Redford) reported that then-President George W. Bush once received preferential treatment to avoid the Vietnam War draft. Blanchett will play producer Mary Mapes, who wrote a memoir that is being adapted for the movie. According to Deadline Hollywood, Moss has joined the cast to play associate producer Lucy Scott. The film, reportedly a behind-the-scenes look at the controversy, is in pre-production.

Release strategy still leaves gap between US and Australian dates

Village Roadshow boss Graham Burke clearly did not enjoy losing up to $5 million from the box office of The Lego Movie because of online piracy in the lag between the US and Australian releases this year. His confirmation that it will now be standard policy to release Hollywood movies around the same time as their US release continues the PR battle against movie pirates. But it appears to have little impact on release dates in coming months. The Christopher Nolan sci-fi pic Interstellar and the next instalment of The Hunger Games were already slated to release a day ahead of their US openings in November. And the company still has a significant lag between a batch of movies due out in coming months including The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies, which opens nine days after its US release on Boxing Day. There are also delays for Clint Eastwood's American Sniper (December 25 to January 22) and two hot Oscar contenders – the Steve Carell-Channing Tatum drama Foxcatcher (November 14 to January 29) and the Enigma Code thriller The Imitation Game (November 21 to January 1).

Cash to encourage sci-fi scripts

Good sci-fi movies are always popular at the movies. To encourage Australian screenwriters working in the genre, the Australian Writers Guild is offering $10,000 in cash and other career-advancing prizes for sci-film scripts. The winner of the John Hinde Award for best produced script will get the cash, while the writer of the best unproduced script gets a meeting with a leading sci-fi producer and a trip to the Fantastic Planet Film Festival in Sydney to meet VIP guests. But unless writers have cracked time travel, they'll need to be fast: entries close on Monday. 

The Babadook spooks ups some love in Houston

Jennifer Kent's low-budget psychological horror film The Babadook continues to wow the festival circuit, this week picking up four awards at Fantastic Fest, a week-long event in Houston, Texas, that claims to be "the largest genre film festival in the US, specialising in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world". The film swept the horror section, winning best film, best director, best actress for Essie Davis and best actor (for eight-year-old Noah Wiseman). Despite racking up great reviews since debuting at Sundance in January, Kent's debut feature, made for a little over $1 million in Adelaide, struggled at the local box office, taking just over a quarter of a million dollars since its release in May. Karl Quinn

Finalists announced in Tropfest's Vine competition

A gimmick or a bold new form of storytelling? You can be the judge by watching the 20 finalists in Tropfest's Vine competition, focussing on six-second films. The winner, announced on Monday, gets a VIP trip to the next Tropfest, including flights to Sydney, luxury accommodation and camera gear. The finalists are online at tropfest.com/au/tropvine.

Maze Runner tops Australian box office

The Maze Runner bumped Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the top spot at the Australian box office last weekend. It took $3.577 million (with a solid average of $11,700 per cinema) compared to the former number one's $2.3 million. The Australian film The Infinite Man took a modest $10,700 on four screens while Predestination reached $688,000 and Felony $629,000. 

Tracks flat on US opening 

John Curran's meditative drama Tracks, with Mia Wasikowska as desert adventurer Robyn Davidson, had a flat opening in the US on the weekend – taking only $US22,000 in four cinemas – after reaching $2.4 million in Australia. But on the bright side, it is a finalist in this year's Screen Producers Australia awards alongside Felony, The Railway Man, The Rover and Wolf Creek 2. After members vote, the winners will be announced at the annual SPA conference on November 18.

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