Bruna Papandrea

Bruna Papandrea is an Australian film and television producer and the founder of production company Made Up Stories. Prior to Made Up Stories, Papandrea co-founded the production company Pacific Standard with Reese Witherspoon.

Early life and education Papandrea was raised in Adelaide, South Australia, The Marc Pease Experience (2009), and All Good Things (2010).

In 2011, Papandrea produced Warm Bodies, a zombie comedy film directed by Jonathan Levine and released in 2013.

In 2012, she and actress Reese Witherspoon co-founded Pacific Standard, a Beverly Hills-based production company focusing on creating films made by and about women.

Papandrea launched her production company, Made Up Stories, in January 2017 to carry on her mission in championing female filmmakers, adapting female-written novels and creating stories featuring multi-faceted female characters. The company is also committed to inclusivity in behind-the-scenes departments such as transportation teams and gaffers. Other activities In April 2020, Papandrea and Gregg Fienberg founded the "It Takes Our Village" initiative, along with numerous A-list Hollywood producers to help raise money for below-the-line crews affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Papandrea credited "below-the-line crews" as "the backbone of our industry".

On 12 October 2023 an open letter was published by Creative Community for Peace, whose mission statement "to galvanize support against the cultural boycott of Israel". Papandrea joined the petition, along with around "2000 leaders from the entertainment industry" in support of Israel. On 23 October 2023 Papadrea signed a second petition, "NoHostageLeftBehind", which consisted of several hundred Hollywood figures petitioning US President Joe Biden to secure the release of more Israeli hostages.

Recognition 2015: Papandrea received the Australians in Film International Award.

2018: Papandrea was honored by G'Day USA, receiving Outstanding Achievement in Film & TV Award.

2020: Papandrea won the Don Dunstan Award, and appeared "In Conversation" with one of the patrons of the Adelaide Film Festival, Margaret Pomeranz in mid-October during the 2020 event.

2020: Papandrea was named to Variety's L.A. Women's Impact Report 2020.

2020: Papandrea was named as one of 40 Australians who mattered in Film & TV for 2020 by The Age's Good Weekend.

2021: Papandrea received the Australian Women's Film Festival (AWFF) Groundbreaker Award.

2021: Papandrea was included in The Hollywood Reporter's 2021 Women In Entertainment Power 100

2021: Papandrea was included in Deadline's DISRUPTORS 2021 class

2023: Papandrea was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 Australia Day Honours.

2024: Received the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), Byron Kennedy Award.

Awards and nominations 2000: Nominated for the Australia Film Institute (AFI) Award Best Film for Better Than Sex

2017: Winner of the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series for Big Little Lies

2018: Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Television Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Big Little Lies (season 1)

2018: Nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best International for Big Little Lies

2018: Nominated for the PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Episode Television, Drama for Big Little Lies (season 1)

2019: Winner of the AACTA Award for Best Film for The Nightingale

2020: Winner of the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for Best Film for The Nightingale

2020: Nominated for the PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Episode Television, Drama for Big Little Lies (season 2)

2020: Nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Drama for Big Little Lies (season 2)

2021: Nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Limited Series for The Undoing

2021: Nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Limited Series or Television Film for The Undoing

2021: Nominated for the PGA Award's David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television for The Undoing

Personal life Papandrea is married to producer Steve Hutensky and gave birth to twins in 2012. She has systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), diagnosed in August 2010, which causes her chronic joint pain.

Filmography Before she started her own production companies, Papandrea produced various films with other companies, including: (AUS & NZ only) Premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival Released in Australia by Roadshow on January 21, 2021,

Releasing in North America, U.K., France and select countries in Asia by Netflix on Jan. 27, 2021 2021 The Dry Robert Connolly $17 million (AUS & NZ only) Released in Australia by Roadshow on January 1, 2021, Releasing in N. America by IFC Films on May 21, 2021 2022 Luckiest Girl Alive Mike Barker n/a Will be released by Netflix 2024 Force of Nature: The Dry 2 Robert Connolly To be released in Australia by Roadshow on February 8, 2024 TBA Ashley's War Distributed by Universal Pictures; co-production with Hello Sunshine

Television series Created by David E. Kelley, based on the Liane Moriarty book

Nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Limited Series

Projects in development

Film adaptation of the thriller novel As Long As We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney Television adaptation of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart based on the debut novel from Australian writer Holly Ringland Adaptation of the historical epic The Lost Queen by Signe Pike for television TV series based on the Jessica Knoll novel The Favorite Sister A limited TV series on Tina Brown based on her book The Vanity Fair Diaries Film adaptations of the YA fantasy books Stepsister and Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly with Lynette Howell Taylor's 51 Entertainment The multi-generational novel The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty TV adaptation of Christina Baker Kline's new book The Exiles TV show based on Greer Macallister's historical thriller Woman 99 with Nina Dobrev TV adaptation of Marie Lu's Warcross with John Cameron Feature film adaptation of Christopher Paolini's first adult novel, the sci-fi space opera To Sleep in a Sea of Stars with Snoot Entertainment Universal's film adaptation of Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's novel, Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield TV adaptation of Elizabeth Acevedo's dual-narrative YA Novel, Clap When You Land Film adaptation of Gordon Reece's debut novel, Mice, in partnership with Nicole Kidman's Blossom Films Film adaptation of Erin French's memoir, Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking Life From Scratch TV adaptation of Kirsten Miller's upcoming novel, The Change, in partnership with Raelle Tucker