The Dungog Film Festival opens this Thursday with the world premiere of Stone Bros. It is one of eight film that will debut at the events.

Stone Bros (formerly To Hell And Bourke) has been described as an indigenous Cheech & Chong and is directed by Richard Frankland.  Other premieres include Rob Marchand’s The Identity Project, Jennifer Ussi’s Girl Clock and Michael Craft’s Storage. All of the films are currently seeking sales agents.

This is only the third Dungog Film Festival but it has already established a reputation as a showcase for Australian films made under the radar. It only shows Australian films and its principal objective is to increase interest in local titles.

There are 28 features in the program, which also includes shorts, seminars and masterclasses, and script readings. There are 14 new Australian fictions films, eight documentaries, three classic films and three from New Zealand.

Allanah Zitserman, festival director and founder, said: “We are very excited about the future and believe that Australian cinema is about to undergo a revival — locally and internationally.”

She has also produced films with her partner Stavros Kazantzidis, and is the principal of Australian Film Syndicate, a new distributor with a particular interest in Australian films.

Dungog is a small, country town north-west of Sydney and most of the screenings are held at the James Theatre, the oldest continuously running cinema in the country.

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