Digital media and film - News and events

Events | Featured projects | Announcements

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Events

Canberra Film Festival

28 October – 8 November 2009

This festival showcases feature films and documentaries from around the world, plus the best Australian new releases and retrospectives. Various locations.

Light Sensitive material: works from the Verghis Collection - Bathurst, New South Wales

2 October – 15 November 2009

Light Sensitive Material: Works from the Verghis Collection is a vibrant selection of photographic, light and digital media works from the collection of Rachel Verghis, one of Australia's youngest art collectors. The exhibition brings together 12 contemporary Australian artists whose use of 'light' is integral to their work. Artists include: Shoufay Derz, Hayden Fowler, Shaun Gladwell, Newell Harry, Petrina Hicks, Jonathan Jones, David Knight, Rosemary Laing, Vanila Netto, Michael Riley, Julie Rrap and Hossein Valamanesh. A Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Exhibition in conjunction with Rachel Verghis and ARTCELL. Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.

Inside Film (IF) Awards - Sydney

18 November 2009

The Inside Film Awards are the people's choice awards for Australian films. IF facilitates a nation-wide audience poll that enables Australian film audiences to rate films. Throughout the year audiences across Australia register their scores on score sheets distributed at film festivals and screenings or via this website. In 2008 almost 50,000 valid Inside Film Award scores were recorded. Winners are determined by the overall average score, not by the number of scores received. Luna Park.

The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) Conference - Sydney

17–19 November 2009

SPAA represents the interests of Australian producers on all issues that affect the business and creative aspects of independent screen production. SPAA members include television, feature film, animation, documentary, TV commercial and interactive media production companies, as well as services and facilities providers, such as post-production, finance, distribution and legal companies. Held over three days, the SPAA Annual Conference offers a mix of interviews, panel discussions, pitching events, master classes, demonstrations and social 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

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.

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

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 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

• australianscreen
• Australian film reviews by Urban Cinefile
• Inside Film

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

• Popcorn Taxi
• Friends of the ABC
• Flickerfest
• Holy Smoke Articles - Oz fx: in effect, the best

Featured websites/projects

• Women in Film and Television NSW
• Flickerfest Filmmakers Resource

Other resources

• Reskin - wearable technology
• Australian Computer Society
• Mobile Enterprise Growth Alliance (mega)
• National ICT Australia
• Multimedia Victoria
• Tech News Review