30 October 2009

AFI AND IF AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

The nominees for the 2009 AFI Awards were announced earlier this week at the Chauvel Cinema in Sydney. The winners will be decided through AFI member voting and industry professional jury meetings and the AFI Awards will be held at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, on 12 December. To view the list of awards nominees visit the AFI website.

The 2009 Inside Film (IF) Awards nominations were announced earlier this month. The IF Awards celebrate and champion Australian film and creative talent as decided by the general public. This year’s IF Awards will be held on 18 November at Sydney’s Luna Park. To view the list of awards nominees visit the IF website.

2009 NSW PREMIER’S HISTORY AWARDS

Screen Australia congratulates the three finalists in the 2009 NSW Premier's History Awards Multimedia History Prize:

• Paul Clarke, Greg Appel and Nick Carroll for Bombora: The Story of Australian Surfing
• Rachel Landers and Dylan Blowen for A Northern Town
• Rachel Perkins, Beck Cole, Louis Nowra, Darren Dale for First Australians

A particular congratulations to the award winners Rachel Landers and Dylan Blowen for the feature documentary A Northern Town. The prestigious NSW Premier’s History Awards were announced on 27 October, the Multimedia History Prize is worth $15,000. A Northern Town explores the history of race relations in the NSW town of Kempsey as seen through the Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents of an Indigenous-owned aged care facility.

MORE SUCCESS STORIES

The success of Mao’s Last Dancer (d: Bruce Beresford, w: Jan Sardi, p: Jane Scott) continues as its box office takings pass the $11 million dollar mark. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and opened in cinemas nationally on 1 October.

Thirteen Australian documentaries have been selected for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in November. The slate includes a record seven Australian films screening in Competition. Four Australian films will screen in the Non-Competitive programs and two projects will feature as part of DOCLAB – a new program section investigating the relationship between new media, web culture and documentary. Read the media release for full details.

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR 2010 ROTTERDAM LAB TRAVEL GRANTS

Each year Screen Australia, in partnership with the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), offers a special travel grant scheme for three producers to attend the Rotterdam Lab, organised as part of CineMart at the IFFR (31 January–3 February 2010). The Rotterdam Lab is a four-day training workshop for young and emerging producers designed to build up their international network and their experience at an international festival and market.

Screen Australia is offering $3000 each to three producers to attend the 2010 Rotterdam Lab. Five nights accommodation in Rotterdam will also be provided by the festival. The deadline for applications is 5pm Friday 20 November 2009.

Screen Australia's Indigenous Department has also been partnering with the Rotterdam Lab for a number of years and have two places available this year. Screen Australia is now accepting applications from Indigenous producers to attend the 2010 Lab. The deadline for Indigenous applications is 5pm Monday 30 November 2009.

Read the industry alert for full details.

LATEST INVESTMENT APPROVALS

Screen Australia's latest investments of $1.3 million will trigger more than $4.7 million of production. Support was announced for nine documentaries and two feature films following the Board meeting held on 23 October. Among the documentaries to receive funding are Gallipoli’s Deep Secrets (d/p: Julia Redwood, p: Ed Punchard) which will take viewers on an unparalleled underwater exploration to reveal the secret history of Gallipoli, led by the world famous shipwreck hunter Robert Ballard, and As Australian As (d: Serge Ou, w: Michael Cove, p: Michael Tear) which will feature 10 prominent Australians telling the story of the event, incident or experience that made them appreciate what it means to be as Australian as …

Read the media release for full details.

See all approvals.

NEW SHORT FILM PROGRAMS FROM METRO SCREEN SUPPORTED BY SCREEN AUSTRALIA

Metro Screen in Sydney has partnered with Screen Australia and Screen NSW (formerly NSW Film and Television Office) to provide short film opportunities to develop and nurture new and established talent in NSW. These three new initiatives will provide 14 filmmakers with the opportunity to develop their stories and skills.

First Break: 11 first time filmmakers; duration up to 8 mins; open to all filmmakers (three places reserved for Indigenous Australians and four places for those with a non-English speaking background); with support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW. (This program incorporates Metro Screen’s Lester Bostock Indigenous Mentorship, Multicultural Mentorship and Raw Nerve programs.)

Indigenous Breakthrough: One experienced Indigenous filmmaker; duration up to 20 mins; with support from Screen Australia.

Breakout: Two experienced filmmakers; duration up to 15 mins; open to all filmmakers including Indigenous Australians and those with a non-English speaking background; with support from Screen NSW.

Information session: 11 November, 6.30 – 8.30pm at Metro Screen, no charge.
Application deadline: 1 Feb, 2010.

More information on the Metro Screen website.

PROGRAM DEADLINES SUMMARY

Short Animation Production – 30 October

Broadening Audiences (tranche for screening and touring programs, and festivals) –
30 October

Market Escalator (finance to stage workshops, masterclasses, seminars, conferences or special events) – 30 October

Please note: many Screen Australia funding programs do not have deadlines and are not assessed in rounds. Please check the website for application details for specific programs. 

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