DAMIAN CALLINAN

Damian Callinan is a multi award-winning comedian, actor & writer. He is best known to TV/film audiences for his roles on Skithouse, Before The Game & Backyard Ashes & regular guest appearances on shows such as Spicks and Specks & Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala.

More recently, his multiples roles as lead actor, screenwriter & co-producer on The Merger have really expanded his profile and reputation. The feature film is based on Damian’s multi award winning one-man show of the same name & also stars Kate Mulvany, John Howard, Fayssal Bazzi, Penny Cook & Nick Cody. Since it's theatrical release in late 2018, the film has been consistently picking up awards & nominations including the Cinema Australia Audience Award, two AACTA nominations & was also shortlisted for the coveted Cinefest Oz Prize. Most recently the film won two major awards at the SR Film Festival in New York & received an astonishing ten nominations at the OzFlix Independent Film Awards taking out three gongs: Best Film, Best Screenplay & Best Emerging Talent. As well as being the Gala Centrepiece at the Melbourne International Film Festival, the film was included in the Global Migration Film Festival, London Migration Film Festival, Moscow Sports Movie Festival. The Merger was also invited to feature at the Glasgow & Dublin Film Festivals in early 2019 with the film's production team being invited to tour Ireland & Scotland with the film. Whilst In Europe, Callinan also conducted an Australian Embassy Hosted Tour organised by DFAT. The film has already been seen in over 20 countries and will be officially distributed in the UK, Ireland & the USA in 2019.