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10 February 2012

AUSTRALIAN LINE-UP AT BERLINALE

The 62nd Berlin International Film Festival opened yesterday and will run until 19 February. Feature Iron Sky (w/d: Timo Vuorensola, w: Michael Kalesniko, p: Tero Kaukomaa, Cathy Overett, Mark Overett, Oliver Damian) will have its premiere in the Panorama section, while short Karrabing! Low Tide Turning (d: Liza Johnson, Elizabeth A Povinelli, w: Karrabing Indigenous Corporation, p: Tess Lea) has been selected for the Berlinale Shorts category. Four Australian shorts will compete in the Generation section: Kiss (w/d: Alex Murawski) and The Wilding (w/d: Grant Scicluna) in Generation 14plus, and BINO (w/d: Billie Pleffer) and Julian (w/d/p: Matthew Moore) in Generation Kplus.

Maxine Williamson, Artistic Director of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, will be a Generation section Jury Member and five Australians will attend the Berlinale Talent Campus.

To find out more about the Australian line-up at the Berlinale and EFM 2012 visit our Australia at Berlinale page.

Read the media release.

2011 AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE

Screen Australia’s analysis of the 2011 Australian box office was released on 23 January. AACTA-award winning Red Dog was the standout success for our local production sector in 2011 earning $21.3 million. The 3D action adventure Sanctum and the emotionally charged Oranges and Sunshine were the second and third highest grossing Australian films of the year, with $3.9 million and $3.8 million respectively. Feature documentary Mrs Carey’s Concert took over $1 million at the box office to become the fourth highest grossing documentary of all time.

Find out more.

CONGRATULATIONS AACTA AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to all the winners of the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards. The AACTA Awards Ceremony was held at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 31 January. Among the award winners were box office success Red Dog earning the Samsung AACTA Award for Best Film and Snowtown taking out Best Direction (Feature Film).

For a list of all the award winners visit our AACTA Awards page.

SCREEN AUSTRALIA AT AIDC

Screen Australia will be represented in six sessions at this year’s AIDC including a key address by CEO Ruth Harley, providing an update on the Convergence Review and the anticipated outcomes for the Australian factual film and TV industry (Tuesday 28 Feb, 9am). Screen Australia Documentary Unit representatives will be available for meetings and we’ll also have an exhibition stand where you can pick up printed material and make enquiries. Our Documentaries 2012 booklet featuring a selection of new Australian documentaries will be available from the stand. For session details, a full list of staff attending and to arrange meetings with Documentary Unit staff please visit our AIDC webpage.

MIPTV CALL OUT & AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN'S CONTENT DIRECTORY

• Are you attending MIPTV 2012?
  We're compiling a directory of Australian companies attending MIPTV this year. All Australian companies going to MIPTV are encouraged to submit their details.
  If you're planning to be there, please fill in our online form by Monday 5 March.
  
  
  

• 

  Our new 2012 Australian Children's Content booklet presents a cross-section of Australian companies who specialise in the creation of children's content for international audiences. You'll also find information about some of our country's most talented practitioners, along with contact details and notes on their projects. Download the directory.

AUSTRALIAN PROJECTS AT SXSW

In a significant international acknowledgment for our digital sector, six Australian projects have been selected as finalists of the SXSW Interactive Awards. The digital projects are Goa Hippy Tribe, The Gradual Demise of Phillipa Finch, Big Stories, Small Towns, Curious Creatures, The Dragon Children and The World’s Biggest PAC-MAN. The SXSW Interactive Awards Ceremony will be held on Tuesday 13 March at the Hilton Austin Downtown. More info on interactive projects.

Congratulations also go to the Australian projects selected in the SXSW Film Festival. Featues screening include the North American premiere of The Hunter (Headliners) and Iron Sky (Midnighters). Shorts screening include Bear (Narrative Shorts), Perished (Midnight Shorts), The Hunter (Animated Shorts) and The Maker (Animated Shorts). The Documentary Spotlight section will screen the North American premiere of feature documentary Scarlet Road. SXSW Film Festival will run 9–17 March in Austin, Texas. Full SXSW Film Festival line-up.

LATEST FUNDING APPROVALS

Development funding has been announced for 10 feature film projects. Among the supported projects are two thrillers based on true events: writer/director Catriona McKenzie’s One White Crow and writer/director/producer Bill Bennett’s script Defiant. Australian screenwriter John Ratchford has also been supported to undertake a six-month professional internship with Island Pictures in London. 

More info.

MICHAEL ROBERTSON SELECTED FOR ACE MUNDUS

Producer Michael Robertson of Prodigy Movies has been selected to participate in the fourth Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE) Mundus Programme. He will participate in an eight-day residential workshop for independent film producers, designed to encourage co-productions between Europe and the rest of the world. ACE Mundus takes place from 25 March to 1 April 2012 in Paris and Bucharest. During the workshop Michael will focus on his feature project The Detective, to be directed by Peter Andrikidis.

More details.

SECOND AUSTRALIA-CHINA FILM INDUSTRY FORUM

The Australian Embassy in Beijing will be working with the China Film Co-production Company in organising the second Australia-China Film Industry Forum which will take place 19–20 April 2012 to coincide with the second Beijing International Film Festival. Building on the success of the inaugural Australia-China Film Industry Forum in December 2010, this year's forum will focus on matching Australian and Chinese partners on film projects. For enquiries, contact Ms Katie Tian, Australian Embassy Beijing, on +86 10 5140 4225 or katie.tian@dfat.gov.au

Find details of the 2010 Australia-China Film Industry Forum here.

For more information on the China market read Senior Manager, State & Industry Partnerships, Chris Oliver's report on the 2011 Sichuan TV Festival, International 'Gold Panda' Awards and 1st Anniversary of CCTV-9 Documentary Channel.

SCREEN AUSTRALIA SUPPORTED EVENTS

Browse through our calendar of supported events to find out what’s on each month.

CURRENT POSITIONS VACANT

Business Analyst (Sydney) - closes 13 February – please see the jobs page of the website.

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL DEADLINES

February
15 February – Annecy International Animated Film Festival
15 February – Hamburg International Short Film Festival
24 February – Silverdocs
27 February – Sydney Film Festival

March
1 March – Melbourne International Film Festival
5 March – Cannes Film Festival

April
1 April – International Animation Festival in Japan, Hiroshima

PROGRAM DEADLINES

Indigenous
16 March – Documentary Development
16 March – Drama Development

Documentary
13 April – Documentary Development
13 April – General Documentary Program
13 April – National Documentary Program

Producer Equity Program
13 April – Producer Equity Program

TV Drama
16 March – General TV Drama
16 March – Children’s TV Drama

All Media
10 February – All Media Production
17 February – Digital Ignition

See all deadlines.

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

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