ScreenACT Newsletter

Welcome to the April 2006 edition of the ScreenACT Newsletter: a source of information from the ACT Government for the local Film, Television and Digital Media industry and enthusiasts. We welcome your feedback and news.

In this Issue

• From the Editor
• Deadline for May 2006 Newsletter
• Screening unclassified films
• Canberra screen professional selected for Enterprise Tasman 2006
• BigWorld Technology Suite selected for new Stargate Worlds game
• ANU Film Group celebrates 40 years of film screening
• Local filmmaker part of growing scene in “Brickfilms”
• Round Tables – A film by Jonathan Nolan
• April edition of Canberra Shorts
• National Film and Sound Archive Cinémathèque Screenings at Electric Shadows
• ANU Film Group: Semester 1 2006
• German Film Festival
• Script writers group meeting
• Stage Combat Workshop
• Conflux Fantastique Film festival
• SCINEMA Festival of Science Film: Call for entries
• AFC Funding deadlines
• Star cast joins AFC in Canberra to salute achievements and look to the future

As mentioned in the last couple of editions of the ScreenACT e-Newsletter, the ACT film community seems to be thriving with many of our local filmmakers screening their locally produced features and short films to appreciative Canberra audiences. Testing your work in front of local cinema patrons is a great way to build a profile for your films and to generate some third party feedback. However, it is also important to remember that there is legislation governing the screening of films in a public place, with potentially heavy penalties applying for the screening of unclassified films. Exemptions can be provided in certain circumstances, but you must apply to the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) well before the screening takes place to enable your request to be processed. Given the importance of this issue, ScreenACT has included information about OFLC requirements below.

Speaking of screenings, congratulations to Clare Young on the successful screening of her four short films at Electric Shadows on Monday night. Hopefully the funds raised at the screening will go some way towards the costs of her next project, Grace, a fiction film due to be shot later this month.

Congratulations also go to Michael Tear, the only ACT representative selected for Enterprise Tasman 2006, an intensive workshop for screen business entrepreneurs, which started with a residential workshop in Victoria late last month.

Great news also from our local digital media sector, with the BigWorld Technology Suite chosen by game development company, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, as the platform for their new massively multiplayer online game, Stargate Worlds. Congratulations to BigWorld for this success.

Finally, don’t forget to keep sending in your local news items for the e-Newsletter and events for our online calendar at www.screenact.act.gov.au.

Article submissions are due by COB 24 April 2006.

ScreenACT welcomes news stories, upcoming events and other items of interest from subscribers for inclusion in our newsletter.

Please ensure all articles are accurate and have been proofread prior to submission. ScreenACT holds no responsibility for the publication of inaccurate information submitted to it by external parties and reserves the right to edit and/or refuse articles at its discretion.

Articles should be submitted by email to screenact@act.gov.au with “Newsletter Item” in the subject line.

In view of the increasing number of independent screenings of features and short films in the ACT, ScreenACT feels it is important that the ACT film community is aware of the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) requirements for public screenings.

Screening unclassified films in a public place is generally illegal under State and Territory classification enforcement legislation. Each State and Territory has classification enforcement legislation to complement the Commonwealth Classification Act. The enforcement legislation sets out how films, publications and computer games can be sold, hired, exhibited, advertised and demonstrated in each State or Territory. In the ACT, the relevant legislation is the: Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) (Enforcement) Act 1995. The relevant provisions of the Act are section 55, subsections 6(1) and 45(1) and sections 7, 9 and 24.

If you want to screen unclassified features or short films as part of a film festival or special event, the Director of the OFLC may grant an exemption. This means that the relevant parts of the legislation mentioned above will not apply, but only in relation to the dates, venue and film titles specified in the application that has received an exemption. An OFLC exemption does not offer carte blanche to continue screening a film indefinitely.

Information about exemptions and how to apply can be obtained from the OFLC’s website under the heading: Film Festivals: What are the classification requirements.
If any part of the relevant legislation applies to your proposed screenings you need to consider the information provided by the OFLC on this webpage, and contact the OFLC Exemptions Officer with any queries, well before starting to advertise or call for competition entries. The service standard time for processing requests for exemption is 20 working days and organisers should take this timeframe into account when planning an event.

You should also bear in mind that an exemption from classification for the purposes of film festivals or events is generally issued under an 18+ age condition - you must have a significant reason for the Director to consider allowing lowered age conditions (the mere fact that the films may be suitable for an audience that includes children is not sufficient). This is especially important to remember if you are calling for competition entries for films you wish to screen to an audience that includes minors. Festival organisers are strongly urged to contact the OFLC to discuss any request for varying age conditions and should not assume that the Director will approve such requests.

For further information, visit the OFLC website: www.oflc.gov.au or contact the Exemptions Officer at: oflcswitch@oflc.gov.au (marked “Attention: Exemptions Officer”).

Michael Tear of local firm, Bearcage Productions, has been selected to participate in Enterprise Tasman 2006, an intensive workshop for screen business entrepreneurs in the film, television and interactive media industry. Enterprise Tasman is an innovative program designed to equip Australian and New Zealand screen business entrepreneurs with essential business skills. The successful sixteen applicants for the program include four from New Zealand and twelve from Australia.

Devised and helmed by Olsberg|SPI, Europe’s leading specialist management consultancy for the media industries, Enterprise Tasman 2006 is the successor to Enterprise Australia and Enterprise Tasman. This year’s program will feature extended business mentoring after a residential workshop to enable participants to work on a new company business plan. This year’s program also includes entrepreneurs who operate post-production and facilities houses.

The principal partners in this initiative are the New Zealand Screen Council in association with the Australian Film Commission, Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Film Australia, Film Finance Corporation, Film Victoria, New South Wales Film and Television Office, and South Australian Film Corporation.

Enterprise Tasman 2006 began with a residential workshop in Milawa, Victoria from 24-28 March 2006. The second stage of the program will be held in June 2006.

Michael has informed ScreenACT that the program last month consisted of formal presentations, intensive workshops, and lots of networking. He and the other participants were given the time to refine their business strategies and to tap the brains of some highly impressive advisers from Australia, the US and UK. Michael said: “The fact that the program was conducted with peers from my industry meant that we could use the experience of those around to input into the business plan. It was a very enriching experience and will lead to good outcomes for our company.”

A rising US game development company, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, has chosen the BigWorld Technology Suite as the platform for a groundbreaking new Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), Stargate Worlds. This officially licensed MGM property is the first massively multiplayer game based on the Stargate series, and promises to deliver all of the SG-1 & Atlantis exploration, conflict and excitement to players around the world.

The BigWorld Technology Suite is an integrated set of tools, software and systems that provides all of the underlying technology and content development tools required to produce an MMOG. “The Stargate universe has evolved to be one of the most recognized Sci-fi brands in recent times,” said Gavin Longhurst, Director of Business Development for BigWorld, ”We are thrilled to see such an experienced and talented team as Cheyenne Mountain using BigWorld Technology to bring this visually stunning universe into the highly interactive, compelling online experience that fans and gamers want”.

For more information, visit the BigWorld website: www.bigworldtech.com.

40 years ago the ANU Film Group began with the aim of showing films that you couldn’t see anywhere else. This year, the Film Group celebrates its 40th birthday, and aims to please everyone with a range of films from new releases to classics, cult, foreign, and those screened no where else in Canberra.

Membership is open to everyone and with the choice of up to 180 films to see throughout the year – all screened on the group’s 8.5m wide screen and with Dolby Digital surround sound – there is something for everyone.

For more information visit the ANU Film Group website: www.anufg.org.au/ or call (02) 6247 2425.

Canberran Nick Maniatis is one of a growing number of Australians utilising lego bricks and stop stop-motion animation to create animated films or “brickfilms” according to an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald late last month. Maniatis’ work includes an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness and a trailer for a non-existent Star Wars film, for which he won an award at the Brickfest 2002 Conference.

The article explains that brickfilm has become an increasingly popular form of animation, with thousands of mini-movies of the brickfilm genre now appearing on internet sites. Its simplicity is a large part of the attraction for these enthusiasts who can film at home with minimal equipment.

Consistent with this, the article reports that Maniatis’ studio and set are simple: a room in his house with an abundance of lego bricks and two desk lamps for lighting. Maniatis comments, “I love the stop-motion aspect, bringing inanimate objects to life. I loved Lego as a child. When they come alive (in a film) it’s like they appeared in my mind when I was a kid.”

Through his films, Maniatis likes to use Lego in ways not originally intended. “Lego allows me to explore darker themes. The Lego smiley face, it’s so ubiquitous, it’s perfectly happy. The juxtaposition of that face and a story like Heart of Darkness is something I love.”

While the stop-motion animation technique used in brickfilm is also used in the more widely recognised forms of claymotion and cut-out animation, Maniatis concedes that brickfilmmakers are not regarded highly by mainstream animators. “Some professional animators don’t think a lot of it. They don’t think it’s up to standard with other stop-motion animation. I beg to differ.” Maniatis comments about filming with Lego, “In some ways it’s similar to the way that computer games are still seen as things for kids, when a great proportion of players are adults. People see Lego and assume it’s for kids, but there are a lot of people who used to play with Lego, who are now adults, who are using the medium to do things that are powerful and amazing.”

Source: Alexa Moses, “Boys and their toys”, (Sydney Morning Herald) March 23, 2006

Click here for full article

Local firm, Pisces All Media is currently working on a third feature film, Round Tables.

Round Tables entered production in January 2006, filmed in March 2006 and should be released mid-year.

Round Tables is a light comedy film with small science fiction elements and features a talented local cast. The film tells the story of Arthur the Chef and his faithless wife Gwen, together with the strange guests who are dining in their restaurant one dark night. Round Tables is a fun relationship comedy drama that will make you cry, then make you laugh.

For more information, contact Pisces All Media on (02) 6231 7317 or by e-mail: roundtables@piscesallmedia.com.

8pm, Thursday 6 April, Holy Grail Civic, Free admission

The year rolls merrily along with another great evening of short films and movie trivia at the Holy Grail. This month features a number of shorts from the US along with some local works. ENTRY IS FREE and there are great giveaways of INSIDE FILM magazines, double passes to Electric Shadows and beer!

Canberra Shorts is run by volunteers and operates with the support of the ACT Filmmakers Network, SNOWYfest International Film Festival, Ronin Films, Electric Shadows, INSIDE FILM magazine, Academy of Interactive Entertainment, and the Holy Grail.

Further information can be found at www.canberrashorts.com.

Electric Shadows Cinemas, City Walk, Canberra

National Film and Sound Archive Cinémathèque screenings continue in April with a Max Ophuls retrospective, Edvard Munch at the National Gallery of Australia, and works from Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

The Music of Time: The World of Max Ophuls celebrates the work of one of cinema’s greatest directors of exile and time. This season focuses on career highlights including Letter from an Unknown Woman and Lola Montes.

A bonus free screening of a newly restored print of Peter Watkins’ (Culloden, The War Game), Edvard Munch, will be held at the James O Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia.

And late April sees Tropical Malady, directed by award-winning Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

• The Tender Enemy and Liebelei (unclassified 18+) screens 8 April, 2.00pm
• Letter from an Unknown Woman (unclassified 18+) screens 15 April, 2.30pm
• Lola Montes (unclassified 18+) screens 22 April, 2.00pm
• Edvard Munch (unclassified 18+) screens 23 April, 1.00pm at the James O Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia
• Tropical Malady (unclassified 18+) screens 29 April, 2.00pm
  

Further details are available from the NFSA at: www.nfsa.afc.gov.au, and Electric
Shadows at: www.electricshadows.com.au or by telephone on (02) 6247 5060. Unless noted, due to censorship regulations admission to all NFSA Cinémathèque films is to 18 years old + only.

Presented by the Australian Film Commission and the Electric Shadows Cinemas.

Coombs Lecture Theatre cnr Fellows & Garran Roads, ANU campus

Members Only: $30/semester or $50/year

ANU Film Group’s Semester 1 Program is available at: www.anufg.org.au/flyerS1Y2006.pdf.

Movies start at 8:00pm except for Sunday matinees, which start at 3:00pm. Doors open one hour before the scheduled screening time. Membership is open to everyone. For more information visit: www.anufg.org.au or call 02 6247 2425.

27-30 April, Electric Shadows Cinemas, City Walk, Canberra

The German Film Festival is screening over four days at Electric Shadows from 27 April, featuring the best in recent German cinema.

Highlights include THE WHITE MASAI about a German woman’s life in Kenya as the wife of a Masai warrior; FREE WILL, a confronting and controversial drama about sexual abuse; ALMOST HEAVEN, a breezy comedy about a German country and western singer lost in Jamaica(!); and many more, including some outstanding short films.

Tickets are on sale at Electric Shadows from 3 April. For more information, visit: www.electricshadows.com.au.

7:30pm – 10:00pm, every 2nd, 3rd, 4th Thursday of the month, Tillies, Lyneham

The script writers group meets at Tillies, Lyneham every second, third and fourth Thursday of the month. The group is aimed at those wishing to discuss, exchange and develop opportunities to develop scripts.

There will be NO script writers meeting if Tillies has a Concert scheduled or a public holiday falls on the same day of a meeting.

For further information contact the ACT Filmmakers Network on (02) 6162 5160 or
e-mail: admin.actfilmmakers@netspeed.com.au.

10:00am – 6:00pm, Saturday 22 April, Rivett Primary School, Bangalay Cres

Kyle Rowling from the Sydney Stage Combat School is coming to Canberra to run a workshop on stunt fighting. Kyle regularly trains and choreographs fights for NIDA, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Opera Company and Bell Shakespeare, trained Eric Bana to fight for 'Troy', was a fight double and assistant sword master for Star Wars Episode 2 and 3 and more.

The cost of the workshop will be $100 (depending on numbers). To book a place (limited numbers), contact Ell on 0407 267 239 or elena_kirschbaum@hotmail.com. If you are keen but can't make that date, please let Ell know and she may try to organise additional dates. For more information on Kyle or SSCS see http://www.sydneystagecombat.com/.

NB: At the time of publication, there are only two places left in the class for participants.

Final entries close: 28 April 2006

Entries are open for the new Conflux Fantastique Film Festival and Contest, which will take place in conjunction with Conflux 3 - one of the largest science fiction and pop culture conventions in Australia to be held from Friday 9 June to Monday 12 June 2006 at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. The film festival and contest of science fiction, fantasy, horror and animation short films is open to both Australian and international filmmakers. Films must feature the producer's original material, and not be based on an existing franchise such as Star Wars or Doctor Who.

Films will be screened in the theatres at the National Museum of Australia. The unique four-day convention will appeal to lovers of science fiction, fantasy and horror books, films, comics and games, and also includes attractions such as communication links with science fiction's best know writers, 2001: A Space Odyssey co-writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury.

For an entry form, visit www.conflux.org.au. For more information email the Film Festival director at filmfestival@conflux.org.au, or phone 0421 005 511. Entry is Free.

Entry deadline: 20 May 2006

SCINEMA is calling for science films or multimedia to be part of the 2006 Festival of Science Film, screening across Australia in August 2006 in celebration of National Science Week. The festival has three categories:

National Student Short Film Competition - open to all Australian Primary, Secondary and Tertiary students - make a short film on the subject of 'sustainability'.

International Film Festival - open to Australian and international science films, documentaries, television programs, fiction films and animations - anything with a science theme. This is a competitive film festival judged by a Jury chaired by COSMOS MAGAZINE.

Multimedia - websites, CDRoms, Student Projects, Installations - multi-media is included in the 2006 program for the first time - multimedia entries will have a science education theme, preferably addressing the theme of 'sustainability'.

Visit the SCINEMA website (www.csiro.au/scinema/enter/index.html) for terms and conditions. Entry deadline is May 20, 2006. For more information, email: scinema@csiro.au.

Upcoming AFC funding deadlines for April 2006:

• 7 Apr 2006 Strand B - Seed Feature Funding for features
• 7 Apr 2006 Strand T1 - Short Animation Production for Animation
• 7 Apr 2006 Strand T2 - Pilot/Trailer Production for Animation Pilots, Animation Trailers
• 7 Apr 2006 Strand T3 - Animation Series Production for Animation Series
• 21 Apr 2006 Internships
• 21 Apr 2006 Strand F2 - IndiVision Single-draft Script Development for Features

For more information: http://www.afc.gov.au/funding/deadlines/.

The Australian Film Commission (AFC) hosted a reception at Parliament House in Canberra on 27 March 2006 to salute the film industry's achievements over the past year and to look ahead to new opportunities.

AFC Chair Maureen Barron said the reception at Parliament House was an important annual update. "The government's increased support for the industry has been hugely appreciated after a successful year in film, and ongoing support is critical."

The AFC will continue to assist the Government in tackling some of the bigger issues facing the industry, such as attracting private investment, fostering Australian content on television and developing Australian excellence in digital content creation.

More information can be obtained from the AFC website.

6pm, Monday 3 April, Electric Shadows, Admission: $10, 18+

Electric Shadows will present the first theatrical screening of Clare Young’s latest short film When People Feel Terror. Shot on location around Australia, the film portraits Australia’s conflicting views on the War on Terror.

Electric Shadows will also present a selection of Young’s previous short films including: Three Degrees of Separation, comparing the different geographical stereotypes Canberra residents have of each other; Firing on All Pins, documenting her family’s experience of fighting and surviving the Canberra firestorm; and Flush Gordon: Space Age Toilets examining the pluses and minuses of Canberra’s infamous electronic toilets.

Clare will be present to introduce her short films for a question and answer session afterwards. The programme will last approximately one hour.

Funds raised at this event will support Young on her next project Grace, a fiction film to be shot on 35mm film in late April. Grace paints the portrait of a broken family through the eyes of a seven year old and will be shot on location in Canberra and completed later this year.

Further details are available from Electric Shadows at: www.electricshadows.com.au. Clare Young can be contacted on 0409 778 278 or clareyoung@netspeed.com.au.