All articles by Sandy George – Page 22
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Australian governmentinitiative to boost online film distribution
Australian companies wanting to download film and television direct to homes stand to gain enormously from the Australian government’s decision to take over the project to build a major national broadband fibre network. ‘This is the single largest infrastructure decision in Australia’s history,’ said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today at ...
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Australian film andacting schools unite for One More Day
The two best-known institutions in Australia for preparing people for a career in film and television are gearing up to shoot a feature film together, One More Day, in June/July. The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) approached the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) about doing a project ...
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Rising Sun insists it had nothing to do with Wolverine leak
One of Australia’s leading visual effects companies, Rising Sun Pictures (RSP), has published a statement saying it had nothing to do with a copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine appearing on several file-sharing websites.
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Australia's Aurora programme selects seven projects
Aurora, the Australian script programme that has been integral to the development of critical successes such as The Black Balloon and Somersault, has announced the sevenprojects it has accepted for this year.
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James quits Pacific Film and Television Commission
As expected for several weeks, Robin James has parted company with Queensland’s state film agency, the Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC), where he has been chief executive for many years. ‘Robin James has decided to resign from his position to pursue other career opportunities, effective 31 March 2009,’ Phil ...
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Kent Smith: Australia's newest mini-mogul
Although he began producing features only three years ago, Kent Smith can bring more to a co-production deal than most Australian producers. He and his colleagues own the Adelaide-based Kojo Group, which includes post-production and other film services as well as a theatrical distribution division. Smith signed on as a ...
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Can other festivals learn from Adelaide'sinnovative funding strategy'
The world premieres of a selection of new Australian films put this year's Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) firmly on the international map. Six of these features were part-funded by the festival itself, and four of these in particular were responsible for much of the buzz.These were Sarah Watt's My Year ...
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Mason appointed chief executive of NZ Film Commission
Former PolyGram, Universal Pictures and Channel 4 executive Graeme Mason has been appointed chief executive of the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC), replacing Ruth Harley who moved to head new Australian super agency Screen Australia last year. The appointment was announced early this morning (March 11)by NZFC chair David Cullwick. ...
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The Combination returns to screens after violent incidents
One of Australia's three biggest exhibitors, Greater Union Cinemas, last night reversed an earlier decision to withdraw Australian film The Combination from four of its Sydney screens after blaming the film for inciting violence. The Combination is the self-financed debut film of veteran actor David Field and is imbued with ...
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Samson and Delilah and Treeless Mountain toast ofAdelaide
The Adelaide Film Festival may only be in its fourth year but the event has developed a reputation far beyond its age by being the first Australian film festival to seriously launch an international feature film competition and the first to invest in films. Following its lead, Sydney now also ...
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Minority report: training in Australia
Minority training in AustraliaIndigenous Australians now comprise just 3% of the country's population and until the Australian Film Commission (AFC) stepped in to create a dedicated indigenous branch in 1993, they had virtually never had the chance to tell their own stories on screen.This year, the focus on indigenous film-makers ...
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Australia's ABC TV considers investing in film
Australian broadcaster, the ABC, is hoping to invest in 15 feature films over the next three years. 'We must be one of the few public broadcasters in the developed western world that does not have a connection with its national feature film industry,' said the director of ABC TV, Kim ...
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South Australian Film Corp launches producer equity scheme
South Australian Premier Mike Rann has announced the introduction of a producer equity scheme that will give producers of films with investment from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) cash up front and a bigger share of the rewards from successful films. Under the scheme the SAFC will channel the ...
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Film Critics honour The Black Balloon as best Australian film
The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) tonight in Sydney presented its annual best Australian film award to The Black Balloon and voted the film's director, Elissa Down, the best in her category.Slumdog Millionaire topped the category for English-language foreign films and The Diving Bell And The Butterfly for foreign ...
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Working Title closes its Australian doors - again
Working Title will be closing the doors of its Australian office as of today, sources have confirmed. Deborah Balderstone has been the head of the Sydney office since relocating from the UK in late 2004. It is understood that things between her and head honchos Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan ...
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Jan Chapman honoured by Adelaide Festival
Ten days before the Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) opens, the board has announced that celebrated producer Jan Chapman is to receive the 2009 Don Dunstan Award, which recognizes outstanding contribution to the Australian film industry. Chapman's filmmaking spans 16 years and includes the period love story The Piano, which was ...
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Australia's Transmission picks up New Zealand duo
A year after launching itself in Australia as a distributor, Transmission Films is proving to be a good friend to New Zealand as well as Australian filmmakers. Principals Andrew Mackie and Richard Payten have acquired New Zealand rights to both The Volcano, local writer/director Taika Waititi's follow-up to Eagle vs ...
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Oliveira out and Woolridge in at Fox's Australian office
20th Century Fox Australia managing director Marcos Oliveira is to be replaced by his marketing director Marc Wooldridge. For Woolridge the promotion takes effect from February 9. He has been with the Sydney-based theatrical office for two years and fourth months, although he has had more than 17 years of ...
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Icon scores foreign film nods for Australia's FCCA Awards
Icon distributed three of the eight films nominated in the two best foreign film categories of the 25th annual Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards, it was announced today. The films are In Bruges and Slumdog Millionaire in the English language category and The Diving Bell And The Butterfly ...
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France well represented in Adelaide's 13 competition titles
The Adelaide Film Festival has chosen 13 films for its competition section including two that will have their world premieres at the festival, Granaz Moussavi's My Tehran For Sale, and Australian director Sarah Watt's My Year Without Sex. France has the most contenders in the line-up with Sylvie Verheyde's a ...