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Digital media and film - News and events
Events | Featured projects | Announcements
See the Call for entries news page for digital media events and competitions.
Events
Arab Film Festival - national tour
1–29 November 2009
The Arab Film Festival is travelling across Australia for the first time. Experience the diversity, complexity and beauty of the Arab world through its film. This special touring program features the most entertaining, moving and exciting films as voted by audiences from the annual four-day festival held in Parramatta. Sydney before heading to Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Media Art Exhibition: Experimenta Playground - Townsville
Barnett, Buchanan, Ballingall, MacKellar and Rubino, Immersion 2007. Image courtesy of the Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art.
17 October – 29 November 2009
Experimenta Playground showcases the latest work from Australia's leading media artists alongside media artworks from artists around the globe. The exhibition re-invents the gallery space as an environment of surprise and discovery exploring the notion that play is a means through which we are able to make sense of the world. In Experimenta Playground, media artists invite us to play and consider social behaviour, identity, the real/imagined, material/immaterial, and the role of play in life. Admission is free. Various Locations.
Super Human - Revolution of the Species - Melbourne
5 November – 5 December 2009
Inspired by the 150th publication anniversary of The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin's evolutionary treatise, Super Human: Revolution of the Species turns the spotlight on collaborations between artists and scientists and the impact these investigations have on what it means to be human, now and into the future. Presented by ANAT, the event includes an exhibition (presented in association with RMIT Gallery), a symposium (presented in association with RMIT University, Museum Victoria, Nanoventures Australia and Federation Square) and a masterclass (presented in association with ACMI). Various locations.
Allsorts Online: the collecting sector, academia, the arts and the media - Adelaide
1 December 2009
What happens when archivists, journalists, artists, curators, librarians, academics all start using the same tools of the trade? The Collections Australia Network forum will showcase initiatives, programmes and projects where collaboration, digital technology and operating online is the norm and enables leading edge work in the collecting sector, academic, the arts and the media. State Library of South Australia.
Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009 - Melbourne
6–8 December 2009
Within the 2009 theme Create Innovate Thrive, GCAP 09 will bring together the Asia Pacific region's game development industry to focus on industry improvement, success and growth. It provides the ideal opportunity for Australian and international game developers to network with industry colleagues such as publishers, programmers, developers, creative artists and with players intimately involved in digital content. Crown Promenade Hotel.
19th Flickerfest festival - Sydney, then national tour
Flickerfest Director Bronwyn Kidd & filmmaker Gemma Lee introducing her film, 2009. Image courtesy of Flickerfest.
8–17 January 2010; then national tour till March 2010
Flickerfest is Australia's only Academy® Award accredited short film festival. The program covers three competitive categories: International, Australian and Documentary. There are 1500 entries and 23 national touring venues. The competitive programs will be joined by a special programs and forums, including the Australian premiere of Stories On Human Rights, a series of 22 short films by award-winning filmmakers from across the world, and the Best of the Oscars. Bondi Pavilion Bondi Beach; then on tour.
St. George OpenAir Cinema 2010 Sydney season - Sydney
12 January – 20 February 2010
The cinema offers comfortable grandstand seating, Dolby Digital surround sound and a film program with premieres, previews and the latest releases. Each December this event sells out. The cinema has a restaurant and bar. The 2010 season film schedule will be available from 12 December 2009. Pre-sales commence on 17 December 2009. St. George OpenAir Cinema.
d/Lux/MediaArts: Face to Face - Cairns and Bundaberg, Queensland
19 March – 16 May 2010; 14 July 2010 – 29 August 2010
Featuring works by 14 Australian artists, this exhibition includes a range of media including digital photography, video and interactive installation all of which provide a unique and engaging perspective on how digital technologies are reshaping our understanding and experience of contemporary identity. Cairns Regional Gallery; Bundaberg Art Centre.
Featured projects
Eleanor Whitworth: What I have learnt from creating Culture Victoria
12 October 2009
Arts Victoria Senior Arts Officer Eleanor Whitworth talks about how Culture Victoria came into being, its successes and failures and what she would do differently next time. The Culture Victoria website is a space where cultural content from venues across Victoria are brought together to provide an immersive and focused entry point to Victorian collections using rich media.
Screen Worlds : The Story of Film, Television & Digital Culture - Melbourne
October 2009
With an ambitious scope unlike any other exhibition in the world, Screen Worlds is a free permanent exhibition which brings together rarely-seen footage, fascinating objects and interactive displays. From gems of early film to unforgettable TV moments and the latest in digital lifestyle, the exhibition spans the diversity of entertainment and creativity that makes the moving image such a dominant cultural force. ACMI.
Mellifera
Image courtesy of Mellifera.
September 2009
Mellifera consists of an on-line interactive environment in Second Life which is linked to a complementary series of real-time exhibitions in gallery and museum spaces. Central to this ecologically sensitive artwork is the artists' direct engagement with various aspects of bee behaviour at Queensland Brain Institute, where researchers are investigating cognition, navigation and communications in the honey bee.
Film in Geelong
August 2009
Launched in August, Film in Geelong is a partnership between Diversitat and GPAC. The project brings films from around the world to Geelong, holding forums for budding film makers and facilitating film-making workshops with schools. Over the next 12 months, Film in Geelong will encourage and inspire people to develop new skills and explore their creativity via film. In August 2010, Film in Geelong will host a short film festival with over $25,000 in prizes.
Announcements
Inside Film (IF) Award winners
19 November 2009
The eleventh annual IF awards, which are decided by public vote, saw Warwick Thornton's indigenous drama Samson & Delilah take home six awards including best feature film. Director Baz Luhrmann was honoured with the Living Legend award after his epic Australia took the 2009 box office prize.
Alex Gerbaz lecture on Experimental Film and Television Fund (EFTF) available
16 November 2009
A paper on the Experimental Film and Television Fund (EFTF), which operated from 1970–78, drawn from the files at the National Archives of Australia and cleared for public access under the 30-year rule, shows a fascinating history of the Australian film industry in the 1970s. In the 1970s, the EFTF had a significant influence on the burgeoning feature-film industry. It funded projects 'original in approach, technique, or subject matter ... by inexperienced, but promising, filmmakers'. EFTF helped launch the careers of some of the country's best talents, including Peter Weir, Jan Chapman, Chris Noonan, Richard Franklin, Scott Hicks and Tim Burstall.
Screen Australia survey reveals strong production activity by Australian features and TV drama in 2008/09
5 November 2009
Screen Australia today released the report of its 2008/09 Drama Production Survey, revealing the highest-ever expenditure in Australia for local features and a continuing upward trend in local TV drama. The Drama Production Survey reports 38 features, 653 hours of television and nine foreign projects that had post, digital or visual effects work in Australia had a combined value of $688 million in 2008–09.
AFI Award nominees
28 October 2009
The nominees for the 2009 Samsung Mobile AFI Awards were announced at a special event held at the Chauvel Cinema, Sydney. Nominees for for Best Film are Balibo, Beautiful Kate, Blessed, Mao's Last Dancer, Mary and Max and Samson & Delilah. Four of the films nominated in the Best Film category also received a nomination for the AFI Award for Best Direction. Those nominees are Robert Connolly (Balibo), Rachel Ward (Beautiful Kate), Bruce Beresford (Mao’s Last Dancer) and Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah).
The Global Animation Industry: industry-wide report - national and international
November 2009
Screen Digest's new industry-wide report features a survey of annual animation production for TV and cinema in European markets, North America and Australia. It looks at developments in financing and exploitation of animation on DVD and sales of licenses to toy companies, publishers, etc., and at how France and Canada benefit from a system of financial support programmes, tax breaks and broadcast quotas. Companies earn a living from fees or retain rights in the intellectual property they create. Many companies subcontract animation to third parties, and operate as 'financing producers'.
Inside Film Award nominations - national
12 October 2009
Warwick Thornton's Indigenous love story Samson & Delilah got eight nominations. Political thriller Balibo has seven nominations. Animated feature Mary & Max has four nominations. Samson & Delilah and Balibo were nominated for Best Feature Film with crime thriller Cedar Boys. The Awards will be held in Sydney on November 18 at Sydney's Luna Park.
Downloadable Games Initiative funding
October 2009
Film Victoria's Downloadable Games Initiative will support local developers to create a prototype of a digital media project for online distribution. Five projects will be selected each year to receive up to $75,000 in funding.
Ian Hogg appointed as Chief Executive Officer for FremantleMedia Australia
7 September 2009
FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world, announced the appointment of Ian Hogg as Chief Executive Officer for FremantleMedia Australia. In his new Sydney-based role, Ian will be responsible for the overall management and business performance of all of FremantleMedia's production operations in Australia. Ian began his career in production and programming at Channel Ten in Australia. Most recently, Ian has been working on behalf of MGM Worldwide as Managing Director for Asia Pacific. FremantleMedia Australia is owned by the RTL Group, Europe's largest entertainment network. RTL Group is 90% owned by Bertelsmann AG, which owns a number of media companies including, in the UK: Five TV, Sony BMG, Random House and Arvato Mobile.
Liz Hughes appointed as Director Open Program, AFTRS
September 2009
Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) Chief Executive Sandra Levy announced the appointment of Liz Hughes to the newly created position of Director Open Program. Ms Hughes' position will oversee the commercial and vocational arm of the school, and will be responsible for the provision of a wide array of courses and learning opportunities available for all skill levels in the community. Ms Hughes has worked in the film and digital media sectors for 18 years as a director, curator, educator and senior arts manager. For the last seven years, Ms Hughes was associated with Experimenta, a leading exhibiting and commissioning digital media organisation based in Victoria.
NSW film and TV office to be rebranded Screen NSW
September 2009
Chief Executive Tania Chambers said, 'The new name recognises that the digital age is here. The world no longer sees screen as purely film or television. People now make, share and see moving images on digital formats and platforms at home, work and school, in the cinema and on the move. FTO needs to be flexible to adapt to the implications of the digital age.'
John Hillcoat's The Road premieres at Venice Film Festival
1 September 2009
John Hillcoat's The Road—an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's apocalyptic novel, starring Melbourne child actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, Viggo Mortensen and Guy Pearce—heads a list of high profile premieres at the Venice Film Festival. The film tells of a man and his son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. (The Age, 1 September 2009)
Balibo posts solid opening weekend
August 2009
Political thriller Balibo has posted the third biggest opening weekend at the box office this year among local films while controversial drama Beautiful Kate continues to build momentum in its second week of release. Balibo posted a solid $206,290 over its first weekend for a total of $246,940 at the box office. The $4.5 million film's tale of the murder of five journalists in East Timor in 1975 has received solid press coverage in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Indigenous art house feature Samson and Delilah has become only the third Australian film to crack the $3 million mark at the local box office in the past three years.
Key online resources
- Australian Centre for the Moving Image
- Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT)
- Metro Screen
- UNESCO Young Digital Creators (YDC) Educator's Kit
- ScreenWest
Collection resources and online publications
Institutions and government organisations
- National Film and Sound Archive
- Australian Film Institute Award Winners
- Australian Film, Television and Radio School
- Open Channel
- VCA School of Film and TV
- Screen Australia
Peak bodies and associations
- Australian Cinematographers Society
- Australian Screen Editors Guild
- Australian Writers' Guild
- The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
- Screenrights: copyright collection agency for rights holders in film and television
- Game Developers' Association of Australia
People
Featured websites/projects
Other resources
To contact us with your news and events, please email the News Editor, NewsEditor at culture dot gov dot au, including the URL of your website.
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