PUNCHLINE

PUNCHLINE tells the story of an unfortunately named man, Jeffrey Dhamer, grappling with bringing honour to the family name as he pursues the love of his life, Kylie Minogue.

Inspired by films such as ‘Death In Brunswick’ (1991), ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ (2002), and ‘Bad Boy Bubby’ (1993).

There are currently 22 crew confirmed for PUNCHLINE.

Jackson Sharpe (he/him)

Writer & Director

Jackson draws from a library list of odd, dark and comedy film references when writing and directing. He loves B-grade films, buying books he’ll never read and talking about himself in the 3rd person.

Chelsea Addison (she/her)

Writer & Producer

You’ll find Chelsea with ten tabs open, sending unsolicited meeting invites, and watching films for “research”. She loves a cup of tea, lighting incense, and a good list.

Alessia Chapman (she/her)

DOP

Alessia is the queen of the camera department. She'll be heading her all-female camera department alongside Angie Wong (1st AC) and Charlie Stamatogiannis (2nd AC). 

Charlie Stamatogiannis (she/her)

Pre-Production Art Director

Charlie is a talented independent filmmaker who dabbles in directing, camera, and production design. She’s recently worked on ‘Tall Sad Girl and Short Punk Girl are Friends’ (2024) and an EP music video for artist Tallulah Grace. She’s in charge of all things props in pre-production, and she'll be heading over to the camera department on set.

Conor Elder (he/him)

Colourist/Editor

Conor has spent the last few years of his career focusing on colour grading. Also known by his trading name, ‘Conor Colour’, he’s been working on the Australian Open, Burdekin Rum and countless independent productions. We can’t wait to see how he elevates our footage, and enhances the town’s unique colour palette.

Sean Richardson (he/him)

Head of Sound

Sean’s decade of experience makes him the man for the job. He’s worked on live and recorded music production, RMITV, and we’re super keen to have him onboard on location with us. He’s a foley artist in training, and he’s always got an on-set playlist ready to go.

Ruby Zogopoulos (she/her)
Wellbeing Coordinator 

You’ll find Ruby multitasking several different roles on set. She’s compassionate, thorough, and she’s always looking out for her crew. Her role on set will be to provide additional support to cast & crew through any mature or sensitive scenes. 

Carla Tomaras (she/her)

Hair & Makeup Artist

Carla is such a light on set, and it's a joy to sit in her chair. She's everyone's friend on set, and we know she'll make sure our actors are looking and feeling their best. We're so excited to see her shine bringing some really fun and challenging looks together.

Monty Callen (he/him)

BTS & Film Stills

Monty has a huge portfolio of Directing and working in the camera department across TVC, film & TV. He’s choreographed viking combat, directed several short films, and he’s a talented photographer. We can’t wait to see the shoot BTS through his lens.

Nisal Atapattu (he/him)

Hair & Makeup Artist 

Nisal is an incredibly talented and creative artist. He’s passionate, attentive and he’s always focused on keeping talent & crew around him feel comfortable and supported. His role will focus on HMU for Rudie Chapman, our Kelly Dahmer, and Michael Whitmore, our Jeffrey Dahmer. 

Morgan Carter, Alice Coffey, Kat Tobin-Spall, Archie Beaumont, Chad Aizikowitz, Angie Wong, Riley Lewis, Lachie Maloney, Holly McGowan and Ruby Edwards will also be joining us.

There are currently 10 cast confirmed for PUNCHLINE.

Michael Whitmore (he/him)

Jeffrey Dahmer

Michael has mastered a range of characters in his career to date, and he's recently worked on Follow The Stream (2023). We can’t wait to see him bring the awkwardness, repressed frustration and empathy to this role. 

Rudie Chapman (she/her)

Kelly Dahmer, mother of Jeffrey

Rudie has had a successful career in the Australian film and tv history, and she continues to support independent productions. From starring as Fay James in Round The Twist (2001), to appearing on Blue Heelers (1995-1997), we can’t wait to see how Rudie approaches her role as Kelly Dahmer.

Olivia Belamir (she/her)

Kylie Minogue

Liv has studied at Deakin, TAFTA, AIDA & TA. She’s no stranger to indie productions, and she’s recently been working on Teenage Vertigo & Pretty Blonde Girl. We can’t wait to see her bring this misunderstood Kylie to life.

Serena Ruby (she/her)

Young Kelly Dahmer

A recent graduate from 16th Street Actors Studio, Serena is a bright and passionate young actress. She’ll be channeling the female rage of our young Kelly as her family unit crumbles around her.

Graham Murray (he/him) 

Robert Dahmer 

Graham is a tertiary educator turned actor. He’s got the Aussie charm, and the dad energy down pat. We can’t wait to see him bring to life Robert Dahmer, father of Jeffrey Dahmer.

Chelsea & Jackson are committed to making PUNCHLINE an ethical and paid independent production. 

We are paying our cast & crew. Whilst we cannot offer industry-standard rates to all, we are committed to supporting our team the best we can. This is important to us to make independent film production more viable for junior crew.

Our lead talent will be paid $600, and the remaining $1400 talent budget has been allocated to the other 9 actors. We currently have 22 confirmed crew who are all being paid a stipend rate or more. A total budget of $2500 has been allocated to crew.