ScreenACT Newsletter

ScreenACT is pleased to announce a 2nd project funding round for 2008. $55,000 as individual grants of up to $10,000 each, to help boost the ACT film, television and digital media production industry.

“Our first ever funding round was earlier this year, it generated a lot of goodwill amongst the local industry and led to the funding of some terrific projects”, said Brendan Walsh, ScreenACT Manager. “We were able to contribute to the funding of a feature film, a science fiction TV pilot, two documentaries and a video game. They are all progressing very well and we’re looking forward to some exciting deliverables from them later this year.

Walsh went on to say that “the ACT has an extremely capable production sector, and we are hoping this second 2008 funding round will help to showcase the standard of professionalism and creativity that resides here in Canberra and the Capital Region.”

ScreenACT, The ACT Office of Film, Television and Digital media, is an ACT Government initiative run by Canberra Business Council. It is operated under the guidance of a taskforce of ACT industry representatives and focuses on the development and promotion of the local industry as well as offering location advice and assistance to visiting productions.

The ScreenACT Project Fund is geared towards film, television and digital media projects that have a business focus and are intended to return a profit.

ScreenACT will hold an information session for interested applicants at Canberra Museum & Gallery “Public Meeting Room” on Friday September 19th, at 12 midday.

Applications are now open, and the deadline for applications is October 17th, 2008.

More information and guidelines are available on the ScreenACT website www.screenact.com.au

The future of the Canberra screening of Sony Tropfest has been secured following sponsorship support from TransACT, Independent Property Group and the Australian National University, together with ongoing support from media partners FM104.7 and WIN Television.

“The Generosity of the local sponsors who have rallied to support Tropfest’s ongoing screening in Canberra has been tremendous” said John Polson, Founder and Creative Director of Tropfest.

The Canberra screening of Tropfest has been run by the NCA since 2002; and for the last four years Canberra has hosted the largest Australian audience outside Sydney with crowds of up to 20,000 people; beating even Melbourne and Brisbane.

Polson went on to say that as a spring board for local talent Tropfest plays “a vital role in nurturing, developing and supporting emerging film-makers – in the past year alone there has been an overwhelming increase of over 100 percent in the number of entries from Canberra”.

The 2009 screening on Sunday 15 February be will be held at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park. It will be managed by an external consultant.

For more information see: http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/

After being a finalist in 2007’s ACT Training Excellence Award, Deakin based multimedia production company The Production Hub, has taken out the Business of the Year – Vocational School Placement award for 2008; in recognition of their efforts over the years to assist people looking to break into the Film Production industry.

The Hub’s business manager Chris Hindes accepted the award. “We’re
very proud to receive this award in recognition of the dedication of our organisation to developing the skills of those looking to make their careers in the film industry. We pride ourselves on providing a learning environment for the many school based apprentices and work experience students that we have taken over the years”.

The Production Hub is one of the few production companies in Canberra that regularly takes on vocational educational training students. Mr Hindes went on to say that as “Canberra is facing a skills shortage at the moment, providing excellence in training just makes business sense.”

The Production Hub is also a finalist in three categories of the Telstra Business Awards 2008. The categories are Innovation, Social Responsibility and Small Business of the Year.

The Hub specialises in documentaries, corporate, drama programs and Indigenous-focused material. Included in their current projects in production are three documentaries selected for broadcast by ABC TV.

The Production Hub on 02 6282 7377 or visit www.the-hub.com.au

Canberra Business Council has launched its inaugural Business Perceptions Survey to give business owners and operators in Canberra and the Capital Region an opportunity to have their say on the key issues affecting their businesses in the lead-up to the ACT Election on 18 October 2008. The Survey 2008 is being conducted by an independent research company Sweeney Research and will be repeated annually to track trends in the issues affecting business in the ACT.

The Business Perceptions Survey 2008 can be completed online at:
www.canberrabusinesscouncil.com.au

Ruth Harley, the current CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission, has been appointed by federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett for a five-year term beginning in November.

Lyn Maddock will continue as acting CEO until that time.

Although the appointment appears to have generally taken industry by surprise, the reception has been positive. SPAA president Trish Lake said “We welcome Dr Harley and recognise the skills and expertise she has developed working with the New Zealand Film industry for over twenty years, I look forward to building a shared understanding of the Australian environment at a critical time in the development of a more sustainable Australian Industry.”

SPAA is to establish an in-house producer offset advisory service for members. The service will be developed over the next three months and will be run by Bethwyn Serow. For more see http://www.spaa.org.au/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=133#Story_1 (membership required for view)

The Australian International Documentary Conference invites you to submit your session ideas for the 2009 conference. As an event for the industry run by the industry, the AIDC welcomes direct input into the creation of the program.

'Submit a Session' is now open and will close on 1 October 2008.


AIDC Conference Director, Joost den Hartog and the AIDC Baord, will discuss the session ideas and program contributions, along with any suggested moderators and speakers.

If you would like to discuss your session idea before you send in your submission, please contact Joost den Hartog. 

Send your 'Submit a Session' to Conference Director, Joost den Hartog: joost@aidc.com.au or the AIDC Office info@aidc.com.au (fax: (08 8271 9905)

AIDC 2009 takes place in Adelaide, South Australia 18-20 February, during Adelaide Film Festival. For more information about AIDC see: http://www.aidc.com.au

The Canberra Short Film Festival, now in it’s thirteenth year, is a national competition and Canberra’s premier short film festival presenting quality regional and national short films. Funded by the ACT Government, the festival is a celebration of Australian filmmaking and is firmly positioned on the Canberra cultural calendar with it’s unique bohemian atmosphere; attracting the crowds from all across Australia to the Dendy Cinemas in Canberra.

The CSFF also holds workshops and forums with eminent industry professionals which prove extremely popular for our filmmaking community. This years workshops include Filmmaker Networking (Schmooze; how to network effectively with producers and actors), The 48 hour Film Festival Forum, Online film distribution strategies (conducted by the ACT Filmmakers Network) and Final Cut Pro editing with Silver Sun Pictures Senior Editors.

Entires are now open, and the festival takes place Oct 16-18. For more check out the new site at: http://silversunpictures.com.au/csff/

Beyond Our Ken is a compelling documentary exploring the anatomy and ambiguity of the ‘cult’ enigma which premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival in 2007 (taking the No. 3 spot in the Audience Awards) two weeks after controversial founder Ken Dyers took his own life amid allegations of sexual abuse at the organisation. It was also selected for Hot Docs in Toronto in 2008.

Filmmaker Melissa Maclean will introduce the film, which was cited at the 2008 Hot Docs Festival as ”a stunning portrait of life in a modern cult”. There will be a Q&A with Melissa after the screenings.

Dendy Cinemas Canberra
2pm, Saturday 30th August
(02) 6221 8900

Ticket prices $15/$12

For more see: http://www.dendy.com.au/event_detail.asp?Event_ID=281

Due to a lot of enquiries coming from visiting productions, we have added the new category of Runners & Drivers to the Production Directory. If you wish o list it would be worthwhile stating your age as many enquires are for people 25 or over (for hire car use). The Production Directory can be found at: http://www.screenact.com.au/category.php?id=58

SPAA Fringe is held 24th and 25th October, at Chauvel Cinema and Paddington Town Hall.


2008 SPAA FRINGE will feature an incredible line-up of keynote speakers from all facets of the film industry, as well as workshops, interactive activities, unique access to the industry's top Producers and obligatory networking festivities such as Opening and Closing night drinks. To take advantage of the early bird rate book now at www.spaa.org.au/fringe 



For those on Facebook, SPAA Fringe have also created a Facebook page to get updates and keep up to date with the SPAA Fringe Program. It can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1421256665&k=Y4LXP6RXRYWM5F1GPEY2TR&r&v=2

SPAA Conference 2008 welcomes the return of Nickelodeon's Land a Pilot initiative. Nickelodeon Australia has increased the funding offer to $25,000 towards the production of a children's television pilot. The finalists will pitch at the Conference on Thursday 13 November with the winner announced on the day at the Sheraton Mirage Resort on the Gold Coast.
Nickelodeon is looking for a series concept that appeals to the highly competitive pre-teen 10-12 year demographic. It can be animated or live action, comedy or drama, reality or game show. A program that both challenges and connects emotionally with their audience; reflecting Nickelodeon's irreverent sense of humour with a look and feel that is original and surprising.
For more see: www.spaa.org.au/conference

Deadline: 5pm, Friday 19 September
The Comedy Channel is once again offering up to $25,000 towards the development of a TV comedy concept, with the winner of the funding announced at the conference. Australian writers, performers and producers are invited to submit program ideas for a 13 part half-hour comedy series. The proposal must be accompanied by video footage which helps to illustrate the proposal. 12 Short-listed producers will be notified on 29 September, and put to an on-line public vote at the Comedy Channel website, www.thecomedychannel.com.au. Finalists will be notified on 28 October. The top 5 finalists as selected by the public will be invited to pitch their projects at SPAA on the 13 November at the Sheraton Hotel, Gold Coast.

For more see: www.spaa.org.au/conference

The Australian Directors Guild Conference will be held at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Moore Park, Sydney from 25 – 29 September 2008 in conjunction with the Australian Directors Guild Awards to be held on 27 September 2008.

The ADG Conference is a premier four day event aimed at directors working across drama and documentary sectors. Conference delegates will also include producers, screenwriters, representatives from government funding agencies, film and television students and other industry professionals. The program will be a mix of plenary sessions, informative workshops and master classes, providing delegates with a substantial opportunity to advance their professional development and education.

For more information see www.adgconference.com

Production Investment:
Deadline:12 September 2008

Project development:
IndiVision Project Lab:
 11 August
Documentary - Shooting Time Critical Material: 15 August
IndiVision Low-budget Feature Production: 22 August

Screen Business Venture Program:
Business support strand: 5 September

Industry and Cultural Development:
New Projects Fund 25 August
ICD Interactive Media Fund: 25 August

Guidelines, application forms and key dates for the rest of 2008 are now available on the Screen Australia website.

Screen Australia will apply up to$750,000 of its 2008/09 documentary funds for the production of up to five documentary programs with no requirement for market attachments.

The allocation for each project is expected to be in the vicinity of $150,000 but, at the discretion of Screen Australia, may be up to $250,000. Priority will be given to those projects that can be successfully completed within the available budget.
The aim of the scheme is to provide the opportunity for filmmakers to make programs that step outside the potential limitations of broadcaster commissioning and Screen Australia market requirements.

Projects will be selected by Screen Australia, as well as a specialist consultant, by the end of October 2008.

Applications must be received by Thursday 2 October 2008 and will be considered by Screen Australia at its December funding meeting.

The application form can be downloaded from www.screenaustralia.gov.au or contact Mim Davis: mim.davis@screenaustralia.gov.au

In 2009 AFTRS is set to offer an exciting range of NEW 
Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Courses as well as a brand new Foundation Diploma - applications open on September 1.

Also, keep an eye out for the AFTRS magazine insert 
available in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Illawarra Mercury and The Newcastle Herald on Friday August 22 featuring 24 pages of information about our brand new 
courses for 2009. Full details available on August 22 at http://www.makeit.aftrs.edu.au/

In 2009 AFTRS is set to offer an exciting range of NEW 
Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Courses as well as a brand new Foundation Diploma - applications open on September 1.

Also, keep an eye out for the AFTRS magazine insert 
available in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Illawarra Mercury and The Newcastle Herald on Friday August 22 featuring 24 pages of information about our brand new 
courses for 2009. Full details available on August 22 at http://www.makeit.aftrs.edu.au/

Deadline: Australian Films – Friday, 29 August 2008
International Films – Friday, 12 September 2008

Flickerfest are now accepting entries from Australia and around the world.
Flickerfest will screen for 10 days at Bondi Beach in January 2009 before heading off on a national tour. The Festival consists of three competitive programs - International, Australian and Documentary as well as a number of special programs and forums out of competition.

The FLICKERFEST International competition is open to any production available for screening on 35mm. Betacam is also acceptable for the documentary and Australian competition. All films must be under 30 minutes and must have been completed within 2 years of the closing date. Films must be in English or have English subtitles. Due to the competitive nature of the Festival, we favour Sydney premieres and films that have not been broadcast or made available for download in Australia.
Flickerfest is Australia’s only ®Academy Award accredited Short Film festival, and its largest short film competition.

For more see www.flickerfest.com.au

The Adelaide Film Festival 2009 is calling for submissions of feature films, documentaries and shorts made in Australia and internationally, completed after February 2007. All genres of contemporary screen culture are welcomed including drama, documentary, experimental, new media, and animation.
The festival runs from 19 February – 1 March 2009. For more see www.adelaidefilmfestival.org

The fifth Pacific International Documentary Film Festival of Tahiti (FIFO Tahiti) will take place at the ‘Maison de la Culture' (Te Fare Tauhiti Nui) in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia from 27 January to 1 February 2009.

This event is open to all filmmakers who have produced a documentary on the Pacific within the last three years (please also refer to the regulations). The closing date for entries is 1st October 2008 (see entry form and agreement letter).

An international Jury will award the Jury Grand Prize and three special prizes. There will also be an Audience Prize. All the awards include a cash prize.

During the Festival, there will be opportunities for professionals to meet, talk and develop projects together.

For further information on FIFO see http://www.filmfestivaloceanie.org

Applications are now open for the AFI Fellowship. Now in its second year, the AFI Fellowship aims to enrich the Australian filmmaking community by providing $25,000 to an Australian film practitioner.

The Fellowship seeks to support highly skilled practitioners to expand their national and international networks, and encourages the development of local talent in new projects.

AFI Fellowship Patron, Phillip Noyce, urges Australian filmmakers to take up the opportunity offered by the AFI.

"One year later and the first recipient of the AFI Fellowship has already completed the first stage of establishing his own film production company. In its first year the fellowship chose to support an innovative approach to film entrepreneurship. Now we are calling for all Australians - young or mature, experienced or beginners - to engage their imaginations and apply for the second AFI Fellowship."

Applications for the 2008 AFI Fellowship close 5pm, Friday 19 September.

For more see: www.afi.org.au