Luck Is A Lady
Margot Robbie, lead actor and producer of “Barbie,” is to be awarded the Aacta Trailblazer Award next month by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.
Hailing originally from Queensland, the presentation will be a homecoming of sort for Robbie. The award will be presented to her at the 2024 Aacta Awards Ceremony on Feb. 10 at the Home of the Arts in Queensland’s Gold Coast.
“Margot Robbie’s impact extends beyond her on-screen performances, as she continues to shape narratives and challenge industry norms. Her commitment to empowering women in film, combined with her talent and business acumen, solidifies Robbie as an influential figure in the entertainment world and a deserved recipient of the 2024 Aacta Trailblazer Award,” said the organization.
Her notable roles include “I, Tonya,” where she portrayed figure skater Tonya Harding, and “Bombshell,” where she played a young woman navigating the toxic environment of a news network.
Margot Robbie, lead actor and producer of “Barbie,” is to be awarded the Aacta Trailblazer Award next month by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.
Hailing originally from Queensland, the presentation will be a homecoming of sort for Robbie. The award will be presented to her at the 2024 Aacta Awards Ceremony on Feb. 10 at the Home of the Arts in Queensland’s Gold Coast.
“Margot Robbie’s impact extends beyond her on-screen performances, as she continues to shape narratives and challenge industry norms. Her commitment to empowering women in film, combined with her talent and business acumen, solidifies Robbie as an influential figure in the entertainment world and a deserved recipient of the 2024 Aacta Trailblazer Award,” said the organization.
Her notable roles include “I, Tonya,” where she portrayed figure skater Tonya Harding, and “Bombshell,” where she played a young woman navigating the toxic environment of a news network.
- 1/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Georgian filmmaker Elene Naveriani clinched the Best Feature Award in the main international competition of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival with her latest pic Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry. The award comes with a €16,000 cash prize.
The film also picked up the Best Actress award for Ekaterine Chavleishvili, which comes with a €2,500 cash prize. Overall, eleven films battled it out in the main competition, and Mia Wasikowska’s jury—including MoMA Film Head Josh Siegel, actor Zlatko Burić, actress Danica Ćurčić, and director Juraj Lerotić, spread the love quite widely.
The Ukrainian pic La Palisiada won the Best Director Award for Philip Sotnychenko, while Jovan Ginić won the Best Actor prize for the Serbian film Lost Country. In the festival’s documentary section, the top prize went to Bottlemen by Slovenian director Nemanja Vojinović.
Check out the full list of winners below:
Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
Mark Cousins, director and screenwriter
Lynne Ramsay,...
The film also picked up the Best Actress award for Ekaterine Chavleishvili, which comes with a €2,500 cash prize. Overall, eleven films battled it out in the main competition, and Mia Wasikowska’s jury—including MoMA Film Head Josh Siegel, actor Zlatko Burić, actress Danica Ćurčić, and director Juraj Lerotić, spread the love quite widely.
The Ukrainian pic La Palisiada won the Best Director Award for Philip Sotnychenko, while Jovan Ginić won the Best Actor prize for the Serbian film Lost Country. In the festival’s documentary section, the top prize went to Bottlemen by Slovenian director Nemanja Vojinović.
Check out the full list of winners below:
Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
Mark Cousins, director and screenwriter
Lynne Ramsay,...
- 8/19/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Emirati Movie
British actor Jefferson Hall will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed.
Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand.
Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.
“Three” marks a rare case of a drama in which a Brit becomes enmeshed with the core of an Emirati family. The film unfolds in an unspecified modern-day Middle Eastern city, where a young boy named Ahmed begins exhibiting strange behavior, eventually leading his mother Maryam, to believe he is possessed. As the plot thickens,...
British actor Jefferson Hall will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed.
Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand.
Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.
“Three” marks a rare case of a drama in which a Brit becomes enmeshed with the core of an Emirati family. The film unfolds in an unspecified modern-day Middle Eastern city, where a young boy named Ahmed begins exhibiting strange behavior, eventually leading his mother Maryam, to believe he is possessed. As the plot thickens,...
- 6/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Sydney, June 11 (Ians) These days Jane Campion — Palme d’Or and Oscar-winning film director — is celebrated for a vein of heartfelt cinema that is aching and quirky, rather than gushing, writes ‘Variety’.
She’s also an intelligent and determined female pioneer who has had to struggle for her present standing in a male-dominated industry.
The Sydney Film Festival this week is showcasing and contextualising Campion’s body of work, ‘Variety’ reports. Its screening programme includes all nine of her feature films, from “Two Friends” to “The Power of the Dog”, and a selection of her shorts.
“For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. There was no one more appropriate than Jane Campion,” said Sff Director Nashen Moodley in notes ahead of the event.
India, incidentally, is being represented at the Festival,...
She’s also an intelligent and determined female pioneer who has had to struggle for her present standing in a male-dominated industry.
The Sydney Film Festival this week is showcasing and contextualising Campion’s body of work, ‘Variety’ reports. Its screening programme includes all nine of her feature films, from “Two Friends” to “The Power of the Dog”, and a selection of her shorts.
“For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. There was no one more appropriate than Jane Campion,” said Sff Director Nashen Moodley in notes ahead of the event.
India, incidentally, is being represented at the Festival,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
These days Jane Campion – Palme d’Or and Oscar-winning film director – is celebrated for a vein of heartfelt cinema that is aching and quirky, rather than gushing. She’s also an intelligent and determined female pioneer who has had to struggle for her present standing in a male-dominated industry.
The Sydney Film Festival this week is showcasing and contextualizing her body of work. Its screening program includes all nine of her feature works, from “Two Friends” to “The Power of the Dog,” and a selection of her short films.
“For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. There was no one more appropriate than Jane Campion,” said Sff director Nashen Moodley in notes ahead of the event.
On Saturday, the festival screened Julie Bertucelli’s 2022 documentary “Jane Campion, the Cinema Woman...
The Sydney Film Festival this week is showcasing and contextualizing her body of work. Its screening program includes all nine of her feature works, from “Two Friends” to “The Power of the Dog,” and a selection of her short films.
“For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. There was no one more appropriate than Jane Campion,” said Sff director Nashen Moodley in notes ahead of the event.
On Saturday, the festival screened Julie Bertucelli’s 2022 documentary “Jane Campion, the Cinema Woman...
- 6/11/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“In all my career, I’ve never felt a room like you,” said Warwick Thornton, the First Nations Australian director, after the screening of his film “The New Boy,” a story of spirituality and survival set in 1940s, that was the opening night title of the Sydney Film Festival. “The energy you give back to these children…,” he said before tailing off.
It was a churning, heartfelt moment that contrasted with Thornton’s bouncy earlier appearance on stage, when he joshed about having told the eight untrained school-age kids in his cast never to look directly at the camera while on set. And how he had to reverse that advice for when they, along with producer Kath Shelper, dominated the red carpet at Sydney’s grand State Theatre. Smile and wave for the paparazzi.
The film had premiered last month in competition at Cannes and was overlooked for major awards.
It was a churning, heartfelt moment that contrasted with Thornton’s bouncy earlier appearance on stage, when he joshed about having told the eight untrained school-age kids in his cast never to look directly at the camera while on set. And how he had to reverse that advice for when they, along with producer Kath Shelper, dominated the red carpet at Sydney’s grand State Theatre. Smile and wave for the paparazzi.
The film had premiered last month in competition at Cannes and was overlooked for major awards.
- 6/8/2023
- by Patrick Frater and Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
Women Wolves
Netflix is to launch a new Japanese reality show “Is She the Wolf?” which was developed with broadcaster Abema and adapted from the original show “Who Is the Wolf” which previously ran for 13 seasons. The show follows five men and five women on a quest for love through dates and a group project. However, some female participants are “lying wolves” who cannot fall in love. They must navigate the entire season without being discovered or accepting any declarations of love. It includes a diverse group of participants aged 22 to 32, including actors, artists, models, and athletes.
“Is She the Wolf?” streams exclusively on Netflix in Japan beginning June 11, with new episodes streaming each Sunday. Outside Japan, all episodes will be released on Netflix in September 2023.
A trailer can be seen here:
Jury Duty
Indian multihyphenate Anurag Kashyap will head the main competition jury at the Sydney Film Festival, which...
Netflix is to launch a new Japanese reality show “Is She the Wolf?” which was developed with broadcaster Abema and adapted from the original show “Who Is the Wolf” which previously ran for 13 seasons. The show follows five men and five women on a quest for love through dates and a group project. However, some female participants are “lying wolves” who cannot fall in love. They must navigate the entire season without being discovered or accepting any declarations of love. It includes a diverse group of participants aged 22 to 32, including actors, artists, models, and athletes.
“Is She the Wolf?” streams exclusively on Netflix in Japan beginning June 11, with new episodes streaming each Sunday. Outside Japan, all episodes will be released on Netflix in September 2023.
A trailer can be seen here:
Jury Duty
Indian multihyphenate Anurag Kashyap will head the main competition jury at the Sydney Film Festival, which...
- 6/2/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy” has been set as the opening title of next month’s Sydney Film Festival, which will celebrate its 70th edition, June 7-18. The film, a tale of sprituality and survival in 1940s Australia, starring Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair and Aswan Reid, will also play in the festival’s competition section.
Other titles in competition include: the world premiere of Australian documentary feature “The Dark Emu Story,” directed by Allan Clarke; Christian Petzold’s previously announced “Afire”; Charlotte Regan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “Scrapper”; Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Monster”; Aki Kaurismäki’s compassionate comedy “Fallen Leaves”; Kim Jee-woon’s “Cobweb”; Asmae El Moudir’s “The Mother of All Lies”; Alice Englert’s directorial debut “Bad Behaviour”; Celine Song’s Sundance and Berlinale 2023 selected romance “Past Lives”; Liu Jian’s 2023 Berlinale-selected animation “Art College 1994”; Devashish Makhija’s “Joram,” a thriller about an...
Other titles in competition include: the world premiere of Australian documentary feature “The Dark Emu Story,” directed by Allan Clarke; Christian Petzold’s previously announced “Afire”; Charlotte Regan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “Scrapper”; Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Monster”; Aki Kaurismäki’s compassionate comedy “Fallen Leaves”; Kim Jee-woon’s “Cobweb”; Asmae El Moudir’s “The Mother of All Lies”; Alice Englert’s directorial debut “Bad Behaviour”; Celine Song’s Sundance and Berlinale 2023 selected romance “Past Lives”; Liu Jian’s 2023 Berlinale-selected animation “Art College 1994”; Devashish Makhija’s “Joram,” a thriller about an...
- 5/10/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Several titles set to premiere at Cannes among the selection.
Sydney Film Festival (June 7-18) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 70th edition, including five that are set to premiere at Cannes this month.
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster from Japan and Fallen Leaves from Finnish master Ari Kaurismaki are two that will play in Competition at Cannes before heading to Sydney, alongside Cobweb from Korean director Kim Jee-woon, which will play out of competition in Cannes.
Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother of All Lies will be the first film from Morocco to ever compete...
Sydney Film Festival (June 7-18) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 70th edition, including five that are set to premiere at Cannes this month.
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster from Japan and Fallen Leaves from Finnish master Ari Kaurismaki are two that will play in Competition at Cannes before heading to Sydney, alongside Cobweb from Korean director Kim Jee-woon, which will play out of competition in Cannes.
Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother of All Lies will be the first film from Morocco to ever compete...
- 5/9/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Champion Campion
The Sydney Film Festival will present ‘Jane Campion – Her Way,’ a retrospective of films by the pioneering director. Campion herself will appear in conversation with David Stratton on June 10 at the 2023 edition of the festival, its 70th anniversary presentation (June 7-18).
Held in association with Acmi and the National Film and Sound Archive, ‘Jane Campion – Her Way’ will encompass screenings of all nine of Campion’s feature films, as well as a selection of her short films. The selection will go on to tour the Acmi in Melbourne (June 15 – July 2) and at Nfsa in Canberra (July 20-30).
“For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. Campion is a ground-breaking filmmaker who has made a profound impact on cinema with her daring and unforgettable films,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
The Sydney Film Festival will present ‘Jane Campion – Her Way,’ a retrospective of films by the pioneering director. Campion herself will appear in conversation with David Stratton on June 10 at the 2023 edition of the festival, its 70th anniversary presentation (June 7-18).
Held in association with Acmi and the National Film and Sound Archive, ‘Jane Campion – Her Way’ will encompass screenings of all nine of Campion’s feature films, as well as a selection of her short films. The selection will go on to tour the Acmi in Melbourne (June 15 – July 2) and at Nfsa in Canberra (July 20-30).
“For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. Campion is a ground-breaking filmmaker who has made a profound impact on cinema with her daring and unforgettable films,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
- 4/18/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Sydney Film Festival, which this year will celebrate its 70th edition, has unveiled its first dozen selections. Seven are feature films, five are documentaries.
“The 2023 program will expand on this legacy, promising to ignite stimulating dialogues and present powerful ideas that will broaden audience perspectives,” said festival director Nashen Moodley. He noted that over the previous 69 editions the Sydney festival has showcased more than 10,000 films.
Highlights among the documentaries are two Australian titles. “Rachel’s Farm” follows actor-director Rachel Ward as she revitalizes her beef farm using sustainable farming practices. In “The Last Daughter” Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews documents her search to uncover the truth about her government-ordered abduction as a child and to find her white foster family. Both Matthews and Ward will attend the festival in person.
“Red, White and Brass” – presented as a feature, rather than a documentary – is a fact-based tale of a group of...
“The 2023 program will expand on this legacy, promising to ignite stimulating dialogues and present powerful ideas that will broaden audience perspectives,” said festival director Nashen Moodley. He noted that over the previous 69 editions the Sydney festival has showcased more than 10,000 films.
Highlights among the documentaries are two Australian titles. “Rachel’s Farm” follows actor-director Rachel Ward as she revitalizes her beef farm using sustainable farming practices. In “The Last Daughter” Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews documents her search to uncover the truth about her government-ordered abduction as a child and to find her white foster family. Both Matthews and Ward will attend the festival in person.
“Red, White and Brass” – presented as a feature, rather than a documentary – is a fact-based tale of a group of...
- 4/5/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Profits Warning Follows Box Office Slide
Maoyan, the Chinese film ticketing agency and film distribution company, has issued a warning that profits for 2022 are set to take a steep dive. Revenue for last year is expected to come in at RMB2.27 billion and RMB2.37 billion, representing a decrease of up to 31% compared with 2021. Profit attributable to the owners of the company will range between approximately RMB70 million and RMB120 million, representing a decrease of approximately 67% to 81% compared with attributable profit in 2021, which had been RMB369 million. The company’s fortunes are closely allied to the trend of the mainland Chinese box office. Nationwide theatrical grosses took a huge tumble in the second half of the year as the government stepped up its battle against the Covid outbreak, causing the full year box office to fall by 36%.
The company is now trying to diversify away from cinema ticketing with moves into distribution and production.
Maoyan, the Chinese film ticketing agency and film distribution company, has issued a warning that profits for 2022 are set to take a steep dive. Revenue for last year is expected to come in at RMB2.27 billion and RMB2.37 billion, representing a decrease of up to 31% compared with 2021. Profit attributable to the owners of the company will range between approximately RMB70 million and RMB120 million, representing a decrease of approximately 67% to 81% compared with attributable profit in 2021, which had been RMB369 million. The company’s fortunes are closely allied to the trend of the mainland Chinese box office. Nationwide theatrical grosses took a huge tumble in the second half of the year as the government stepped up its battle against the Covid outbreak, causing the full year box office to fall by 36%.
The company is now trying to diversify away from cinema ticketing with moves into distribution and production.
- 2/28/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The deadline for applications to take over from Tuttle is today (January 16).
Outgoing director of festivals at the British Film Institute (BFI) Tricia Tuttle has revealed she is taking on the role of acting head of department, directing fiction, at the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), while the deadline for applications to take over her role at the BFI is today (January 16).
Tuttle has already taken up the Nfts role and will be in the position until September. It is an interim post, in which Tuttle reports directly into Nfts director Jon Wardle, with the Nfts advertising...
Outgoing director of festivals at the British Film Institute (BFI) Tricia Tuttle has revealed she is taking on the role of acting head of department, directing fiction, at the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), while the deadline for applications to take over her role at the BFI is today (January 16).
Tuttle has already taken up the Nfts role and will be in the position until September. It is an interim post, in which Tuttle reports directly into Nfts director Jon Wardle, with the Nfts advertising...
- 1/16/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The deadline for applications to take over from Tuttle is today (January 16).
Outgoing director of festivals at the British Film Institute (BFI) Tricia Tuttle has revealed she is taking on the role of acting head of department, directing fiction, at the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), while the deadline for applications to take over her role at the BFI hits today (November 16).
It is understood that Tuttle has already taken up the Nfts role and will be in the position until September. The directing fiction Ma at Nfts is a two-year course, that costs £14,800 per year.
Tuttle,...
Outgoing director of festivals at the British Film Institute (BFI) Tricia Tuttle has revealed she is taking on the role of acting head of department, directing fiction, at the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), while the deadline for applications to take over her role at the BFI hits today (November 16).
It is understood that Tuttle has already taken up the Nfts role and will be in the position until September. The directing fiction Ma at Nfts is a two-year course, that costs £14,800 per year.
Tuttle,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Who does the industry believe would be a good fit to take over from Tricia Tuttle?
The British Film Institute (BFI) has formally begun its search for a new festivals director to take over from Tricia Tuttle.
Tuttle is moving on after officially taking on the role in 2018, having previously held the post of interim festival director for a year and deputy head of festivals for five years.
The role, which comes with an annual salary of £85,000, will include festival director of the flagship BFI London Film Festival (BFI Lff) and also Lgbtqia+ festival BFI Flare, which next takes place...
The British Film Institute (BFI) has formally begun its search for a new festivals director to take over from Tricia Tuttle.
Tuttle is moving on after officially taking on the role in 2018, having previously held the post of interim festival director for a year and deputy head of festivals for five years.
The role, which comes with an annual salary of £85,000, will include festival director of the flagship BFI London Film Festival (BFI Lff) and also Lgbtqia+ festival BFI Flare, which next takes place...
- 12/14/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Who does the industry believe would be a good fit to take over from Tricia Tuttle?
The British Film Institute (BFI) has formally begun its search for a new festivals director to take over from Tricia Tuttle.
Tuttle is moving on after officially taking on the role in 2018, having previously held the post of interim festival director for a year and deputy head of festivals for five years.
The role, which comes with an annual salary of £85,000, will include festival director of the flagship BFI London Film Festival (BFI Lff) and also Lgbtqia+ festival BFI Flare, which next takes place...
The British Film Institute (BFI) has formally begun its search for a new festivals director to take over from Tricia Tuttle.
Tuttle is moving on after officially taking on the role in 2018, having previously held the post of interim festival director for a year and deputy head of festivals for five years.
The role, which comes with an annual salary of £85,000, will include festival director of the flagship BFI London Film Festival (BFI Lff) and also Lgbtqia+ festival BFI Flare, which next takes place...
- 12/14/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Eight projects revealed for Mylab development lab.
Four film agencies across east and southeast Asia have united to support the first Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), with eight projects set to be showcased in Busan.
The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) has partnered with the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) on the inaugural mylab.
Scroll down for full list of projects
The incubator programme is aimed at scriptwriters, directors and producers looking to work on developing scripts and film projects under the guidance of creative and industry experts.
Four film agencies across east and southeast Asia have united to support the first Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), with eight projects set to be showcased in Busan.
The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) has partnered with the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) on the inaugural mylab.
Scroll down for full list of projects
The incubator programme is aimed at scriptwriters, directors and producers looking to work on developing scripts and film projects under the guidance of creative and industry experts.
- 9/15/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) has partnered with the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) for the inaugural Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab).
An incubator program for scriptwriters, directors, producers to work on developing scripts and film projects under lectures and the guidance of regional and international experts in scriptwriting, directing, producing, distribution, and markets and festivals, mylab focuses on projects at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, targeted at regional or international audiences. It aims for each project to deliver a package of script, budget, financing plan, dossier and pitch-ready materials at the end of the program.
The partnership with Sfc and Fdcp enables a film project in development from each country to participate in the third session of mylab, which will take place at Busan,...
An incubator program for scriptwriters, directors, producers to work on developing scripts and film projects under lectures and the guidance of regional and international experts in scriptwriting, directing, producing, distribution, and markets and festivals, mylab focuses on projects at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, targeted at regional or international audiences. It aims for each project to deliver a package of script, budget, financing plan, dossier and pitch-ready materials at the end of the program.
The partnership with Sfc and Fdcp enables a film project in development from each country to participate in the third session of mylab, which will take place at Busan,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
10 films were competing for the Powell and Pressburger award.
Scottish animators Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson’s 60-minutes documentary A Cat Called Dom has won the inaugural Powell and Pressburger Award for best film at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Anderson and Henderson star in and co-direct the inventive documentary, which had its world premiere at Eiff. The film explores how Will deals with his mother’s cancer diagnosis and also the frustrations of trying to make a film.
The jury, comprised of president Gaylene Gould (founder of creative lab The Space to Come), producer Rosie Crerar and author Sarah Winman,...
Scottish animators Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson’s 60-minutes documentary A Cat Called Dom has won the inaugural Powell and Pressburger Award for best film at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Anderson and Henderson star in and co-direct the inventive documentary, which had its world premiere at Eiff. The film explores how Will deals with his mother’s cancer diagnosis and also the frustrations of trying to make a film.
The jury, comprised of president Gaylene Gould (founder of creative lab The Space to Come), producer Rosie Crerar and author Sarah Winman,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Edinburgh’s industry programme runs from August 16-19.
Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has unveiled its industry programme, running from August 16-19, including a repositioning of the Works in Progress strand as well as a raft of new training opportunities for curators and producers.
This year, the previously UK-focused Works in Progress strand will open up to include both documentary and fiction projects from Ukraine. With support from the British Council and in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute, four Ukrainian project teams will be welcomed to Edinburgh to present their work.
As part of this partnership, two Ukrainian feature films...
Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has unveiled its industry programme, running from August 16-19, including a repositioning of the Works in Progress strand as well as a raft of new training opportunities for curators and producers.
This year, the previously UK-focused Works in Progress strand will open up to include both documentary and fiction projects from Ukraine. With support from the British Council and in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute, four Ukrainian project teams will be welcomed to Edinburgh to present their work.
As part of this partnership, two Ukrainian feature films...
- 7/28/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The Sydney Film Festival has completed the selection for its first full in-person edition in three years with a strong Australian lineup and a smattering of Cannes titles. The 2022 edition runs June 8 – 19, 2022.
After Covid disruptions saw the 2021 edition delayed from June until November, it has been a quick six-month turnaround to return the 2022 festival to its regular winter slot. The festival will present over 200 films from over 64 countries, including 27 world premieres.
Australian films play throughout. The international competition, which comes with a A60,000 cash prize, includes two local entries: artist Del Kathryn Barton’s feature directorial debut “Blaze”; and Goran Stolevski’s supernatural tale “You Won’t Be Alone.” They will compete with films direct from Cannes including Lukas Dhont’s “Close,” Davy Chou’s “All the People I’ll Never Be” and Emin Alper’s political thriller “Burning Days.”
The festival also hosts world premieres of Australian documentaries including Penny McDonald...
After Covid disruptions saw the 2021 edition delayed from June until November, it has been a quick six-month turnaround to return the 2022 festival to its regular winter slot. The festival will present over 200 films from over 64 countries, including 27 world premieres.
Australian films play throughout. The international competition, which comes with a A60,000 cash prize, includes two local entries: artist Del Kathryn Barton’s feature directorial debut “Blaze”; and Goran Stolevski’s supernatural tale “You Won’t Be Alone.” They will compete with films direct from Cannes including Lukas Dhont’s “Close,” Davy Chou’s “All the People I’ll Never Be” and Emin Alper’s political thriller “Burning Days.”
The festival also hosts world premieres of Australian documentaries including Penny McDonald...
- 5/11/2022
- by Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin Golden Bear winner ‘Alcarràs’ among titles.
Sydney Film Festival (June 8-19) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 69th edition.
The titles include Carla Simon’s Catalan family drama Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in February; Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language drama The Quiet Girl, which took the grand prize in Berlin’s Generation Kplus strand; and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Bolivian eco-drama Utama, winner of the grand jury prize at Sundance in January.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The sole documentary in the line-up is Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love,...
Sydney Film Festival (June 8-19) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 69th edition.
The titles include Carla Simon’s Catalan family drama Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in February; Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language drama The Quiet Girl, which took the grand prize in Berlin’s Generation Kplus strand; and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Bolivian eco-drama Utama, winner of the grand jury prize at Sundance in January.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The sole documentary in the line-up is Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Sydney Film Festival has today unveiled the first 22 films on its line-up, with the event ready to return in-person during its traditional June dates for the first time since 2019. While 2021’s festival was only held last November, director Nashen Moodley hasn’t been deterred by the quick turnaround required to craft this year’s program. […]
The post ‘6 Festivals’, ‘Sissy’ on early Sydney Film Festival line-up appeared first on If Magazine.
The post ‘6 Festivals’, ‘Sissy’ on early Sydney Film Festival line-up appeared first on If Magazine.
- 4/5/2022
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
A French comedy following an oddball duo on an unconventional road trip and an Australian documentary about four refugees that compete in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships have topped the audience awards at this year’s Sydney Film Festival.
Bernard Campan and Alexandre Jollien’s Beautiful Minds and Robert Coe and Warwick Ross’ Blind Ambition were voted number one feature film and documentary respectively, following the announcement of the official awards on Sunday.
Inspired by the real-life experiences of Jollien, Beautiful Minds details an unlikely friendship between workaholic funeral director Louis (Campan) and Igor (Jollien), a grocery worker with cerebral palsy, as a chance encounter leads them on a journey across France, during which they discuss everything from Nietzsche to being pigeon-holed.
France also features heavily in Blind Ambition as the setting for World Wine Blind Tasting Championships that Zimbabweans Joseph, Tinashe, Marlvin, and Pardon set out to attend.
Bernard Campan and Alexandre Jollien’s Beautiful Minds and Robert Coe and Warwick Ross’ Blind Ambition were voted number one feature film and documentary respectively, following the announcement of the official awards on Sunday.
Inspired by the real-life experiences of Jollien, Beautiful Minds details an unlikely friendship between workaholic funeral director Louis (Campan) and Igor (Jollien), a grocery worker with cerebral palsy, as a chance encounter leads them on a journey across France, during which they discuss everything from Nietzsche to being pigeon-holed.
France also features heavily in Blind Ambition as the setting for World Wine Blind Tasting Championships that Zimbabweans Joseph, Tinashe, Marlvin, and Pardon set out to attend.
- 11/16/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has won this year’s $60,000 Sydney Film Prize for There Is No Evil, beating out 11 other Sydney Film Festival (Sff) competition films.
The winner of last year’s Berlinale Golden Bear triumphed amongst a field that included Leah Purcell’s The Drovers Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Asia Pacific Screen Awards winner, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, and Ben Sharrock’s Limbo, which was given a special mention.
Designed to examine the impact of capital punishment on Iranian society, the 2020 drama follows four thematically linked stories about individuals facing complex dilemmas.
In awarding the prize at yesterday’s ceremony at the State Theatre, Sff Jury president David Michôd said the There Is No Evil was “adventurous with form and genre, beautifully performed and realised with a deft touch for simple, elegant filmmaking craft”.
“Picking a winner from a collection of films as diverse as this one is never easy,...
The winner of last year’s Berlinale Golden Bear triumphed amongst a field that included Leah Purcell’s The Drovers Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Asia Pacific Screen Awards winner, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, and Ben Sharrock’s Limbo, which was given a special mention.
Designed to examine the impact of capital punishment on Iranian society, the 2020 drama follows four thematically linked stories about individuals facing complex dilemmas.
In awarding the prize at yesterday’s ceremony at the State Theatre, Sff Jury president David Michôd said the There Is No Evil was “adventurous with form and genre, beautifully performed and realised with a deft touch for simple, elegant filmmaking craft”.
“Picking a winner from a collection of films as diverse as this one is never easy,...
- 11/15/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Ben Sharrock’s Limbo received a special mention.
Iranian writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof’s There Is No Evil has won the A$60,000 Sydney Film Prize, and UK writer/director Ben Sharrock’s Limbo received a special mention.
The Sydney Film Prize is awarded to the most “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous” feature in Sydney Film Festival’s official competition line-up. Other films vying for the prize at this year’s festival included The Hand Of God, Flee and Drive My Car.
Made up of four stories and containing much moral complexity, There Is No Evil looks at how the existence of capital punishment profoundly affects society.
Iranian writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof’s There Is No Evil has won the A$60,000 Sydney Film Prize, and UK writer/director Ben Sharrock’s Limbo received a special mention.
The Sydney Film Prize is awarded to the most “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous” feature in Sydney Film Festival’s official competition line-up. Other films vying for the prize at this year’s festival included The Hand Of God, Flee and Drive My Car.
Made up of four stories and containing much moral complexity, There Is No Evil looks at how the existence of capital punishment profoundly affects society.
- 11/14/2021
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car triumphed this eve at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The movie scooped best film, which Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi shared with producer Teruhisa Yamamoto, and best screenplay, which the director shared with Oe Takamasa. Scroll down for the full list of winners on the night.
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
- 11/11/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Leah Purcell is the first Australian to be awarded the Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) after being recognised for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
A total of ten films from 11 countries triumphed at the 14th Apsa Ceremony tonight, which was presented from Hota (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast.
A re-imagining of the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in the 1893 Snowy Mountains.
Purcell wrote directed, starred in, and co-produced the project, which was adapted from her stageplay of the same name.
The Apsa international jury said the final product represented “not only an artist’s total dedication to her craft but also a spirited act of courage and tenacity”.
“The Drover’s Wife is a film that quickly...
A total of ten films from 11 countries triumphed at the 14th Apsa Ceremony tonight, which was presented from Hota (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast.
A re-imagining of the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in the 1893 Snowy Mountains.
Purcell wrote directed, starred in, and co-produced the project, which was adapted from her stageplay of the same name.
The Apsa international jury said the final product represented “not only an artist’s total dedication to her craft but also a spirited act of courage and tenacity”.
“The Drover’s Wife is a film that quickly...
- 11/11/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Documentaries
Toronto Raptors vice-chair and president Masai Ujiri has joined the upcoming documentary series on the Basketball Africa League (Bal), a partnership between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (Fiba), as an executive producer.
Fremantle and Passenger are producing the as yet untitled series, which tells the story of the creation, launch and inaugural season of the Bal, a new professional basketball league in Africa featuring 12 club teams from across the African continent. The series is being directed by emerging South African director Tebogo Malope.
Ujiri was the architect behind the Raptors’ historic 2019 NBA Championship win and he also serves as president of Giants of Africa, the non-profit he co-founded in 2003, which uses basketball as a tool to educate and enrich the lives of African youth.
The first edition of Bal took place in May in Kigali, Rwanda. Working alongside showrunner and executive producer Richard Brown...
Toronto Raptors vice-chair and president Masai Ujiri has joined the upcoming documentary series on the Basketball Africa League (Bal), a partnership between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (Fiba), as an executive producer.
Fremantle and Passenger are producing the as yet untitled series, which tells the story of the creation, launch and inaugural season of the Bal, a new professional basketball league in Africa featuring 12 club teams from across the African continent. The series is being directed by emerging South African director Tebogo Malope.
Ujiri was the architect behind the Raptors’ historic 2019 NBA Championship win and he also serves as president of Giants of Africa, the non-profit he co-founded in 2003, which uses basketball as a tool to educate and enrich the lives of African youth.
The first edition of Bal took place in May in Kigali, Rwanda. Working alongside showrunner and executive producer Richard Brown...
- 10/28/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
After multiple delays due to Covid-19 disruptions, the Sydney Film Festival was Thursday finally able to announce a program for this year’s in-person event. It will now take place Nov. 3- 14.
Originally slated for June, the festival was initially shifted to August. But as Sydney returned to strict lockdown from June due to a delta variant outbreak, dates were stalled again.
“We really wanted to have an in-cinema festival this year,” said festival director Nashen Moodley after going wholly online in 2020. “With Sydney finally coming out of lockdown next Monday it couldn’t be better timing. The enthusiasm for ticket sales has been phenomenal.” The 2021 festival also has a scaled down on demand event, available in Australia only.
Some restrictions will still remain in place, including vaccination proof, indoor masking and 75% capacity limits in cinemas. But with 233 films from 69 countries, Sff is offering an enticing line up.
The two...
Originally slated for June, the festival was initially shifted to August. But as Sydney returned to strict lockdown from June due to a delta variant outbreak, dates were stalled again.
“We really wanted to have an in-cinema festival this year,” said festival director Nashen Moodley after going wholly online in 2020. “With Sydney finally coming out of lockdown next Monday it couldn’t be better timing. The enthusiasm for ticket sales has been phenomenal.” The 2021 festival also has a scaled down on demand event, available in Australia only.
Some restrictions will still remain in place, including vaccination proof, indoor masking and 75% capacity limits in cinemas. But with 233 films from 69 countries, Sff is offering an enticing line up.
The two...
- 10/7/2021
- by Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
With Nsw reopening for the fully vaccinated, Sydney Film Festival is set to finally go ahead, with a line-up that director Nashen Moodley believes is one the most diverse and exciting in the event’s 68-year history.
Traditionally held in June, this year has seen the festival pushed back twice, initially to August, and then November.
Yet when the Delta outbreak nixed the August edition, it was unclear that the festival would realistically be held at all. Indeed, Sff will mark the first major festival event to occur in Sydney’s CBD post-lockdown, a notion that fills Moodley with “excitement but trepidation”.
The move to November meant the festival was tasked with reconfirming every title that had been programmed so far. Overall, it lost about 20 films, but gained almost 30, including some of the year’s most anticipated out of Venice and Toronto.
Among the new additions are Jane Campion’s...
Traditionally held in June, this year has seen the festival pushed back twice, initially to August, and then November.
Yet when the Delta outbreak nixed the August edition, it was unclear that the festival would realistically be held at all. Indeed, Sff will mark the first major festival event to occur in Sydney’s CBD post-lockdown, a notion that fills Moodley with “excitement but trepidation”.
The move to November meant the festival was tasked with reconfirming every title that had been programmed so far. Overall, it lost about 20 films, but gained almost 30, including some of the year’s most anticipated out of Venice and Toronto.
Among the new additions are Jane Campion’s...
- 10/6/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Dunghutti filmmaker Darlene Johnson is the inaugural recipient of Sydney Film Festival and Deutsche Bank’s $20,000 First Nations fellowship.
Aimed at mid-career creatives with a proven track record, the initiative facilitates self-directed professional development or industry placement.
Johnson will work with Aquarius Films to undertake both a producer and director’s attachment, while also developing with the company her own original TV drama concept.
While Johnson forged her early career in documentary with projects like River of No Return and The Redfern Story, in recent years she has shifted back into drama. Her 2015 short film Bluey won Sff’s Event Cinema Australian Short Screenplay Award, and more recently, her directing credits include Aquarius’ Born to Spy, The Heights, Neighbours and Home and Away. She was also in the writer’s room for upcoming Netflix/Peacock drama Irreverent.
For Johnson, the fellowship has come at an opportune time, as she builds her career in long-form narrative.
Aimed at mid-career creatives with a proven track record, the initiative facilitates self-directed professional development or industry placement.
Johnson will work with Aquarius Films to undertake both a producer and director’s attachment, while also developing with the company her own original TV drama concept.
While Johnson forged her early career in documentary with projects like River of No Return and The Redfern Story, in recent years she has shifted back into drama. Her 2015 short film Bluey won Sff’s Event Cinema Australian Short Screenplay Award, and more recently, her directing credits include Aquarius’ Born to Spy, The Heights, Neighbours and Home and Away. She was also in the writer’s room for upcoming Netflix/Peacock drama Irreverent.
For Johnson, the fellowship has come at an opportune time, as she builds her career in long-form narrative.
- 9/6/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Sydney Film Festival today announced the 10 shorts to compete in the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, including Jon Bell’s SXSW-winner The Moogai and Nash Edgerton’s follow-up to Bear and Spider – Shark, starring himself and Rose Byrne.
Also unveiled today are the films selected for the festival’s sixth annual Europe! Voices of Women strand, in partnership with European Film Promotion.
These are the first projects to be announced for Sff since it postponed its dates from August to November due to the Covid outbreak in Nsw, with 22 titles also publicised earlier this year.
The Dendy Awards are Australia’s longest running short film competition, now in its 52nd year.
Finalists compete for three prizes: The Dendy Live Action Short Award, The Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director and the Yoram Gross Animation Award, announced at the festival’s closing night. The jury will be announced closer to the festival.
Also unveiled today are the films selected for the festival’s sixth annual Europe! Voices of Women strand, in partnership with European Film Promotion.
These are the first projects to be announced for Sff since it postponed its dates from August to November due to the Covid outbreak in Nsw, with 22 titles also publicised earlier this year.
The Dendy Awards are Australia’s longest running short film competition, now in its 52nd year.
Finalists compete for three prizes: The Dendy Live Action Short Award, The Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director and the Yoram Gross Animation Award, announced at the festival’s closing night. The jury will be announced closer to the festival.
- 8/9/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
The 2021 edition of the Sydney Film Festival in Australia has been postponed again and is now expected to take place in November. The move follows a new lockdown in Sydney caused by a Covid-19 resurgence.
“In light of the Sydney lockdown extension announced by the Nsw Government last week, Sydney Film Festival will postpone the 68th edition of the Festival until 3-14 November 2021. Sff remains committed to presenting a Covid-safe in-cinema Festival this year and will launch the full program and single ticket sales once lockdown has ended,” organizers said in a statement.
“Sydney Film Festival looks forward to returning to cinemas for a Covid-safe event in November, when we’ll come together to celebrate the films we love, in person,” said Sff festival director Nashen Moodley.
Greater Sydney’s current lockdown, which requires that people stay at home except for essential business, runs until Aug. 28. It has been extended three times,...
“In light of the Sydney lockdown extension announced by the Nsw Government last week, Sydney Film Festival will postpone the 68th edition of the Festival until 3-14 November 2021. Sff remains committed to presenting a Covid-safe in-cinema Festival this year and will launch the full program and single ticket sales once lockdown has ended,” organizers said in a statement.
“Sydney Film Festival looks forward to returning to cinemas for a Covid-safe event in November, when we’ll come together to celebrate the films we love, in person,” said Sff festival director Nashen Moodley.
Greater Sydney’s current lockdown, which requires that people stay at home except for essential business, runs until Aug. 28. It has been extended three times,...
- 8/3/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The start date has been pushed back from August 18 to November 3, 2021.
The Sydney Film Festival will now take place from November 3-14, after the government of New South Wales announced a lockdown extension.
It’s the second date change this year for the 68th edition of the festival, which was was initially scheduled to take place from June 9-20 before postponing in February to August 18-29. This latest postponement comes in the wake of the extension of Sydney’s lockdown until at least August 28.
The extension of the stay-at-home direction is to help combat rising cases caused by the highly...
The Sydney Film Festival will now take place from November 3-14, after the government of New South Wales announced a lockdown extension.
It’s the second date change this year for the 68th edition of the festival, which was was initially scheduled to take place from June 9-20 before postponing in February to August 18-29. This latest postponement comes in the wake of the extension of Sydney’s lockdown until at least August 28.
The extension of the stay-at-home direction is to help combat rising cases caused by the highly...
- 8/2/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
For Film’s Sake (Ffs), the advocacy organisation behind the female-focused film lab Attagirl, has joined with Sydney Film Festival (Sff) to announce two new prizes and an incubator program aimed at supporting filmmakers of diverse backgrounds.
Ffs and Sff today unveiled the Attagirl Production Prize, a $25,000 grant to be awarded to one film from the graduating cohort of the inaugural Attagirl lab.
Jury selected, the prize will support the film deemed most ‘market-ready’ and incentivise additional investment from the film marketplace and community.
Six Australian projects and one from New Zealand were among the 13 from around the world selected to take part in last year’s lab, which aims to support global feature filmmakers to navigate the challenges of development and financing which follow from digital disruption of theatrical exhibition.
Initially imagined as a travel program to international market-driven film festivals, Attagirl was pivoted to digital delivery in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ffs and Sff today unveiled the Attagirl Production Prize, a $25,000 grant to be awarded to one film from the graduating cohort of the inaugural Attagirl lab.
Jury selected, the prize will support the film deemed most ‘market-ready’ and incentivise additional investment from the film marketplace and community.
Six Australian projects and one from New Zealand were among the 13 from around the world selected to take part in last year’s lab, which aims to support global feature filmmakers to navigate the challenges of development and financing which follow from digital disruption of theatrical exhibition.
Initially imagined as a travel program to international market-driven film festivals, Attagirl was pivoted to digital delivery in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 7/9/2021
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Sydney Film Festival has revealed the first 22 titles on its line-up for this year, which will see the festival return to cinemas around the city after 2020’s virtual iteration.
Leading the pack are a contingent of local docos including Philippa Bateman’s Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow; Amanda Blue’s Step into Paradise and Eddie Martin’s The Kids, recently selected for Tribeca.
Sff will also boast the Nsw premiere of Kiwi film The Justice of Bunny King, Gaysorn Thavat’s debut feature led by Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie; and Nz-Canadian co-production, NIght Raiders, directed by Danis Goulet and executive produced by Taika Waititi.
Festival director Nashen Moodley is excited to return to an in-person event come August, noting the festival already had a “incredible” response to its summer season in January at the State Theatre, when it screened High Ground, Firestarter, Girls Can’t Surf, Minari and Another Round.
Leading the pack are a contingent of local docos including Philippa Bateman’s Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow; Amanda Blue’s Step into Paradise and Eddie Martin’s The Kids, recently selected for Tribeca.
Sff will also boast the Nsw premiere of Kiwi film The Justice of Bunny King, Gaysorn Thavat’s debut feature led by Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie; and Nz-Canadian co-production, NIght Raiders, directed by Danis Goulet and executive produced by Taika Waititi.
Festival director Nashen Moodley is excited to return to an in-person event come August, noting the festival already had a “incredible” response to its summer season in January at the State Theatre, when it screened High Ground, Firestarter, Girls Can’t Surf, Minari and Another Round.
- 6/8/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
While typically held in June, this year’s Sydney Film Festival (Sff) has shifted to August.
The move, to see the festival run August 18 to 29, will be for 2021 only. It follows the adjustment of dates of major international festivals, whose films are often picked up by Sff.
These include Cannes, which has moved from May to July, and Berlin, which while usually held in February has this year split into two stages – an online-only event in the first week of March and an in-person event in June.
In a short press release, Sydney Film Festival organisers said: “The shift will allow the festival to continue to include films from major international festivals (in addition to Australia’s best new feature films and documentaries!) in a year of date fluctuations around the world due to Covid-19.
“Sff believes the date change will also enhance audience confidence alongside evolving health and safety guidelines.
The move, to see the festival run August 18 to 29, will be for 2021 only. It follows the adjustment of dates of major international festivals, whose films are often picked up by Sff.
These include Cannes, which has moved from May to July, and Berlin, which while usually held in February has this year split into two stages – an online-only event in the first week of March and an in-person event in June.
In a short press release, Sydney Film Festival organisers said: “The shift will allow the festival to continue to include films from major international festivals (in addition to Australia’s best new feature films and documentaries!) in a year of date fluctuations around the world due to Covid-19.
“Sff believes the date change will also enhance audience confidence alongside evolving health and safety guidelines.
- 2/16/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
While Aacta’s Byron Kennedy Award is typically given to an individual or organisation who demonstrates “outstanding creative enterprise”, this year the award will go to a film.
The nominees for the honour, which celebrates the legacy of Dr George Miller’s original producing partner and Mad Max co-creator Byron Kennedy, are a short-list of the last decade’s best indie genre features.
The films are diverse, spanning comedies, Westerns, thrillers, horrors and sci-fis, but Aacta has determined each are in line with Kennedy’s “ethos of excellence”, resourcefulness and “the can-do spirit of independent, low-budget local filmmaking.”
They include: The Babadook, Beast, Cargo, Girl Asleep, I Am Mother, The Infinite Man, Mad Bastards, Mystery Road, Red Hill, That’s Not Me, These Final Hours and Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead.
‘Girl Asleep’.
Many nominated are debut features, such as Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook and Zak Hilditch’s These Final Hours,...
The nominees for the honour, which celebrates the legacy of Dr George Miller’s original producing partner and Mad Max co-creator Byron Kennedy, are a short-list of the last decade’s best indie genre features.
The films are diverse, spanning comedies, Westerns, thrillers, horrors and sci-fis, but Aacta has determined each are in line with Kennedy’s “ethos of excellence”, resourcefulness and “the can-do spirit of independent, low-budget local filmmaking.”
They include: The Babadook, Beast, Cargo, Girl Asleep, I Am Mother, The Infinite Man, Mad Bastards, Mystery Road, Red Hill, That’s Not Me, These Final Hours and Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead.
‘Girl Asleep’.
Many nominated are debut features, such as Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook and Zak Hilditch’s These Final Hours,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
For the first time ever, Sydney Film Festival will run a summer season during January’s Sydney Festival.
To be held at The State Theatre, the weekend event will open with Nel Minchin and Wayne Blair’s Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra, which depicts the story of the Indigenous dance company and brothers Stephen, Russell, and David Page. Recently nominated for the Aacta Award for Best Documentary, the film is produced by Ivan O’Mahoney for In Films.
Other local fare will include Stephen Johnson’s 1930s-set drama High Ground, starring Simon Baker, Jack Thompson and Jacob Junior Nayinggul, and Christopher Nelius’ doco Girls Can’t Surf, which follows a band of women surfers who revolutionised the male-dominated sport in the 1980s.
From overseas, audiences will be treated to Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner Minari, from director Lee Issac Chung, and Thomas VInterberg’s alcohol-soaked dramedy Another Round.
To be held at The State Theatre, the weekend event will open with Nel Minchin and Wayne Blair’s Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra, which depicts the story of the Indigenous dance company and brothers Stephen, Russell, and David Page. Recently nominated for the Aacta Award for Best Documentary, the film is produced by Ivan O’Mahoney for In Films.
Other local fare will include Stephen Johnson’s 1930s-set drama High Ground, starring Simon Baker, Jack Thompson and Jacob Junior Nayinggul, and Christopher Nelius’ doco Girls Can’t Surf, which follows a band of women surfers who revolutionised the male-dominated sport in the 1980s.
From overseas, audiences will be treated to Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner Minari, from director Lee Issac Chung, and Thomas VInterberg’s alcohol-soaked dramedy Another Round.
- 11/11/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
‘Descent.’
Aftrs graduate Nays Baghai’s documentary Descent and three short films – Eliza Scanlen’s Mukbang, Alex Wu’s Idol and Sara Hirner and Rosemary Vasquez-Brown’s Gnt – won prizes at the virtual Sydney Film Festival.
The $10,000 Documentary Australia Film Foundation Award for Best Australian Documentary went to Descent, which follows Kiki Bosch, who dives into the world’s coldest waters on one breath, initially seeking healing after a sexual assault.
The underwater footage was shot by Stefan Andrews, Spencer Frost, Peter Lightowler and debut documentary director Baghai.
Judges Kriv Stenders, Lauren Greenfield and Sally Neighbour hailed a visually stunning and beautifully crafted film and an extraordinary story about “overcoming trauma and finding healing and strength at the edges of human endurance.”
They said: “We felt that Kiki Bosch’s story and her free-diving journey through the world’s coldest lakes and oceans is a thrilling and inspiring adventure that...
Aftrs graduate Nays Baghai’s documentary Descent and three short films – Eliza Scanlen’s Mukbang, Alex Wu’s Idol and Sara Hirner and Rosemary Vasquez-Brown’s Gnt – won prizes at the virtual Sydney Film Festival.
The $10,000 Documentary Australia Film Foundation Award for Best Australian Documentary went to Descent, which follows Kiki Bosch, who dives into the world’s coldest waters on one breath, initially seeking healing after a sexual assault.
The underwater footage was shot by Stefan Andrews, Spencer Frost, Peter Lightowler and debut documentary director Baghai.
Judges Kriv Stenders, Lauren Greenfield and Sally Neighbour hailed a visually stunning and beautifully crafted film and an extraordinary story about “overcoming trauma and finding healing and strength at the edges of human endurance.”
They said: “We felt that Kiki Bosch’s story and her free-diving journey through the world’s coldest lakes and oceans is a thrilling and inspiring adventure that...
- 6/18/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘The Skin of Others’.
In moving elements of the Sydney Film Festival online, director Nashen Moodley was particularly keen to focus on Australian cinema and support the local industry.
The festival unveiled its virtual line-up today, consisting of four strands: The Documentary Australia Foundation (Daf) Award for Best Australian Documentary, including eight world premieres; The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films; Europe! Voices of Women in Film, and Screenability, featuring three shorts from practitioners with disability.
Running from June 10 – 21, the full program consists of 33 films from 12 countries including 16 world premieres, with seven feature films, 13 documentaries, and 13 shorts. Every feature-length film will be presented with a Q&a from the filmmaker, and series of industry talks and panels will be announced in the coming weeks.
When the Sydney Film Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns in March – a move Moodley which describes as “extremely difficult” but necessary – around 50 per cent...
In moving elements of the Sydney Film Festival online, director Nashen Moodley was particularly keen to focus on Australian cinema and support the local industry.
The festival unveiled its virtual line-up today, consisting of four strands: The Documentary Australia Foundation (Daf) Award for Best Australian Documentary, including eight world premieres; The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films; Europe! Voices of Women in Film, and Screenability, featuring three shorts from practitioners with disability.
Running from June 10 – 21, the full program consists of 33 films from 12 countries including 16 world premieres, with seven feature films, 13 documentaries, and 13 shorts. Every feature-length film will be presented with a Q&a from the filmmaker, and series of industry talks and panels will be announced in the coming weeks.
When the Sydney Film Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns in March – a move Moodley which describes as “extremely difficult” but necessary – around 50 per cent...
- 5/27/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Ivan Sen’s ‘Mystery Road’.
Sydney Film Festival has selected Rachel Perkins’ Mabo and Ivan Sen’s Mystery Road for Tribeca Enterprises/YouTube’s free global online film festival, We Are One.
Sydney is just one of the 21 participating festivals in the event, with others including Tribeca, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance.
More than 100 films will screen from this Friday May 29 to June 7 on YouTube, together with talks, Vr content and musical performances, all with the aim of raising money for the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund and local relief partners in each region.
The programming represents over 35 countries and includes 23 narrative and eight documentary features, 57 narrative and 15 documentary short films, 15 archived talks, along with four festival exclusives and five Vr programming pieces.
In selecting films to put forward, Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley was challenged by Tribeca to look to films that had an...
Sydney Film Festival has selected Rachel Perkins’ Mabo and Ivan Sen’s Mystery Road for Tribeca Enterprises/YouTube’s free global online film festival, We Are One.
Sydney is just one of the 21 participating festivals in the event, with others including Tribeca, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance.
More than 100 films will screen from this Friday May 29 to June 7 on YouTube, together with talks, Vr content and musical performances, all with the aim of raising money for the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund and local relief partners in each region.
The programming represents over 35 countries and includes 23 narrative and eight documentary features, 57 narrative and 15 documentary short films, 15 archived talks, along with four festival exclusives and five Vr programming pieces.
In selecting films to put forward, Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley was challenged by Tribeca to look to films that had an...
- 5/26/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Ten films have been chosen, produced by 14 different European nations.
Neasa Hardiman’s sci-fi thriller Sea Fever is one of the 10 female-directed features chosen for Sydney Film Festival (Sff) and European Film Promotion (Efp)’s Europe! Voices of Women in Film initiative, which will run online from June 10-21.
Chosen by Sff director Nashen Moodley, the 10 films are produced by 14 European countries.
Hardiman’s film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is an Ireland-Sweden-Belgium-uk co-production. It stars Connie Nielsen, Hermione Corfield and Dougray Scott in the story of a West of Ireland trawler crew who struggle for...
Neasa Hardiman’s sci-fi thriller Sea Fever is one of the 10 female-directed features chosen for Sydney Film Festival (Sff) and European Film Promotion (Efp)’s Europe! Voices of Women in Film initiative, which will run online from June 10-21.
Chosen by Sff director Nashen Moodley, the 10 films are produced by 14 European countries.
Hardiman’s film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is an Ireland-Sweden-Belgium-uk co-production. It stars Connie Nielsen, Hermione Corfield and Dougray Scott in the story of a West of Ireland trawler crew who struggle for...
- 5/26/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
While initially cancelled outright, Sydney Film Festival has announced today that elements of its 67th program will go ahead virtually from June 10 to 21.
These include the world premieres of local documentaries due to compete for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary, and a program of local shorts, competing for the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films.
Further, the festival will run online strand Europe! Voices of Women in film, which showcases films from female European directors.
More is expected to be announced on May 27, when the full program will drop. Tickets will be open to purchase from anywhere in Australia.
“This year’s special 67th Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition and Awards is all about bringing audiences across the nation together at a particularly challenging time in celebration of filmmakers and particularly the Australian film industry,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
“For almost 70 years, Sydney Film...
These include the world premieres of local documentaries due to compete for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary, and a program of local shorts, competing for the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films.
Further, the festival will run online strand Europe! Voices of Women in film, which showcases films from female European directors.
More is expected to be announced on May 27, when the full program will drop. Tickets will be open to purchase from anywhere in Australia.
“This year’s special 67th Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition and Awards is all about bringing audiences across the nation together at a particularly challenging time in celebration of filmmakers and particularly the Australian film industry,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
“For almost 70 years, Sydney Film...
- 5/4/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
The Sydney Film Festival will go ahead in a smaller and all-digital format next month, organizers announced on Monday. They had previously announced that this year’s event would be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, and that the next edition would be held in 2021.
“It’s not so much a change of heart. When we announced the cancellation of the physical festival we mentioned that in the coming months we would look for opportunities to celebrate films and filmmakers. We’re very determined to support the film industry, and the Australian film industry in particular, and this virtual edition is a way of doing that while remaining connected to our very enthusiastic audience,” a festival spokesman told Variety.
The virtual festival will run June 10-21. The program will include: world premieres of compelling true stories from some of Australian documentary filmmakers; a program of shorts from rising stars of...
“It’s not so much a change of heart. When we announced the cancellation of the physical festival we mentioned that in the coming months we would look for opportunities to celebrate films and filmmakers. We’re very determined to support the film industry, and the Australian film industry in particular, and this virtual edition is a way of doing that while remaining connected to our very enthusiastic audience,” a festival spokesman told Variety.
The virtual festival will run June 10-21. The program will include: world premieres of compelling true stories from some of Australian documentary filmmakers; a program of shorts from rising stars of...
- 5/4/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Sydney Film Festival joins Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance in featuring programming in We Are One: A Global Festival, a 10 day free digital film festival produced by Tribeca Film Festival organiser, Tribeca Enterprises.
We Are One will run May 29 to June 7 on YouTube to raise money for the World Health Organisation Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, as well as local relief partners in each region. Programming will include features, shorts, documentary, music and conversations.
Other participating festivals include Annecy International Animation Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam), Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (Mami), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.
A full schedule will be available closer to the festival start date, though Deadline reports 2020 films...
We Are One will run May 29 to June 7 on YouTube to raise money for the World Health Organisation Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, as well as local relief partners in each region. Programming will include features, shorts, documentary, music and conversations.
Other participating festivals include Annecy International Animation Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam), Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (Mami), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.
A full schedule will be available closer to the festival start date, though Deadline reports 2020 films...
- 4/27/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
A virtual version of Producers on the Move will take place in May, regardless of when Cannes takes place.
European Film Promotion (Efp), the network of film promotion institutes from 37 countries throughout the continent, is planning a series of digital solutions that will enable it to continue promoting European cinema to the international film industry at both physical and virtual festivals and markets as a response to the travel challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first event where Efp’s digital strategy is due to kick in will be at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival (April...
European Film Promotion (Efp), the network of film promotion institutes from 37 countries throughout the continent, is planning a series of digital solutions that will enable it to continue promoting European cinema to the international film industry at both physical and virtual festivals and markets as a response to the travel challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first event where Efp’s digital strategy is due to kick in will be at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival (April...
- 3/26/2020
- by 158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
The 2020 Sydney Film Festival has been called off due to fears over the continued spread of coronavirus.
The event, one of Australia’s key film fests, was due to run June 3-14.
More from DeadlineChina Moviegoing Survey Reveals 62% Of People Will Wait For Complete Covid-19 Containment Before Returning To CinemasBox Office Fades To Black As Coronavirus Shuts Down 4K North American Theaters Into May: Where The Studios Stand & What's Next?Mel Brooks And Max Brooks Team Up For Coronavirus Safety Reminders
“It is with deep regret that, for the first time in its history, the Sydney Film Festival board and management must announce the cancellation of this year’s festival,” wrote Chair Deanne Weir, CEO Leigh Small, and Festival Director Nashen Moodley on the event’s website.
“The decision to cancel this year’s Sydney Film Festival follows a review of the most up to date advice regarding ways to...
The event, one of Australia’s key film fests, was due to run June 3-14.
More from DeadlineChina Moviegoing Survey Reveals 62% Of People Will Wait For Complete Covid-19 Containment Before Returning To CinemasBox Office Fades To Black As Coronavirus Shuts Down 4K North American Theaters Into May: Where The Studios Stand & What's Next?Mel Brooks And Max Brooks Team Up For Coronavirus Safety Reminders
“It is with deep regret that, for the first time in its history, the Sydney Film Festival board and management must announce the cancellation of this year’s festival,” wrote Chair Deanne Weir, CEO Leigh Small, and Festival Director Nashen Moodley on the event’s website.
“The decision to cancel this year’s Sydney Film Festival follows a review of the most up to date advice regarding ways to...
- 3/18/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
In news that seemed all but inevitable, the Sydney Film Festival, scheduled for June 3 – 14, has been cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.
In a joint statement, festival chair Deanne Weir, CEO Leigh Small and festival director Nashen Moodley expressed their regret, and solidarity with the filmmaking, festival and arts community. It is the first time the festival has not gone ahead in its 67 year history.
“The decision to cancel this year’s Sydney Film Festival follows a review of the most up to date advice regarding ways to minimise the spread of the Coronavirus, and the New South Wales Public Health (Covid-19 Public Events) order banning events of 500 people, which is in place until 14 June. In this rapidly evolving and unknown environment, the Sff board and management know this is the only responsible decision – albeit a devastating one. However, the health and safety of our community is our first concern,” they said.
In a joint statement, festival chair Deanne Weir, CEO Leigh Small and festival director Nashen Moodley expressed their regret, and solidarity with the filmmaking, festival and arts community. It is the first time the festival has not gone ahead in its 67 year history.
“The decision to cancel this year’s Sydney Film Festival follows a review of the most up to date advice regarding ways to minimise the spread of the Coronavirus, and the New South Wales Public Health (Covid-19 Public Events) order banning events of 500 people, which is in place until 14 June. In this rapidly evolving and unknown environment, the Sff board and management know this is the only responsible decision – albeit a devastating one. However, the health and safety of our community is our first concern,” they said.
- 3/18/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
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