Peter Duncan | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-09-08)8 September 1964 (age 61) Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupations | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Peter Duncan (born 8 September 1964) is an Australianfilm director andscreenwriter. He is best known for his television seriesRake, created with frequent collaboratorRichard Roxburgh.
Duncan directed the feature filmsChildren of the Revolution (1996),A Little Bit of Soul (1998),Passion (1999) &Unfinished Sky (2007). In 2024, he wrote the script forThe Correspondent, based on the life of Australian journalistPeter Greste.
Duncan attendedScots College in Sydney.[1] He studied a Bachelor of Arts/Law atSydney University. While studying he participated in comedicUniversity Revues.[2] Duncan worked as a paralegal before deciding to pursue a career in film.[3][1]
After graduating, Duncan attended theAustralian Film, Television and Radio School.[1][3]
In 1994, Duncan first collaborated withRichard Roxburgh on his graduate short film,A Bit of a Tiff with the Lord.[1][4] The short follows a priest who returns fromRome to his frail father in Australia.[3]
Duncan's debut feature theChildren of the Revolution opened the 1996Melbourne International Film Festival.[5] The film was inspired by Duncan's grandfather, Sidney Welch, who was both a banker and member of theCommunist Party of Australia.[1][4]Geoffrey Rush portrays a version of Welch in the film. Duncan had the opportunity to first pitch the film toStrictly Ballroom producerTristram Miall after he was impressed withA Bit of a Tiff with the Lord.[1] The initial draft of the screenplay Duncan took to Miall was 203 pages.
In 1998, Duncan released his sophomore film, dark comedy,A Little Bit of Soul.[6] A year later, Duncan released his third film,Passion, exploring the life of Australian composerPercy Grainger. Duncan and film criticDavid Stratton called for theAustralian Classification Board to review it's rating system after the film was ratedR for depictingSadomasochism.[7][8]
Producer Ian Collie, who also had prior experiences in the Australian legal industry, approached Duncan to direct an adaptation of Australian BarristerRichard Beasley's novelHell Has Harbour Views.[9] Duncanadapted and directed the book as aTelevision film for theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation.
Duncan's Australianrecontextualisation of 1998 filmThe Polish Bride, titledUnfinished Sky, was released across 2007 & 8.[10] After the film struggled at the box office, Duncan reflected "they (audiences) need comedies at the moment, so we'll try and make some".[11]
Returning to television film, Duncan directed 2008 sports comedy-dramaValentine's Day.[12] The film follows a struggling countryAustralian Football League team.
In 2010, Roxburgh and Duncan released their seriesRake.[13] The series was said to be loosely based on the stories of Australian barristerCharles Waterstreet, although Roxburgh would later dispute the extent to which these remarks were accurate.[13][14] Duncan referenced shows likeThe Sopranos having changed the rules of TV drama and that "people out there who want to see something that's smarter and challenging".[13] After originally being intended as an eight episode miniseries,Rake ran for 5 seasons.[15][16] Duncan co-wrote the series withAndrew Knight.
In 2014, Duncan was showrunner on anAmerican adaptation ofRake produced bySony Pictures Television. The series was cancelled after one season in May 2014.[17] Duncan later reflected that he struggled under the more corporate American production environment and the limitations imposed by an episode structure driven by advertisement breaks.[18]
In 2020, Duncan wrote and directedOperation Buffalo.[19] The series was a darkly comic exploration of the events of theBritish nuclear bomb tests conducted in the 1950s atMaralinga, inoutbackSouth Australia.
In 2024, Duncan wrote the screenplay forThe Correspondent.[20] The film chronicles the legal battles of Australian journalistPeter Greste inEgypt.
