• The Minister for the Arts, Senator the Hon Rod Kemp, has announced the reappointment for a second three-year period of AFC Deputy Chair Paul Hamra and Commissioner Tom Kennedy, and the appointment of Ms Sue Masters as a Commissioner, also for a three-year term, effective 7 June 2005. Paul is Managing Director of South Australian-based publishing company, Solstice Media. Tom has over 16 years experience in media and technology markets, covering software publishing, distribution, content creation and management. Sue is the Head of Drama at Network Ten and is an established and highly successful filmmaker who has contributed extensively to television production in Australia. She has produced acclaimed local programs including The Secret Life of Us, Brides of Christ, The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, Janus, The Bite and Simone De Beauvoir's Babies. She has received multiple Logies, Australian Film Institute awards and Australian Teachers of Media awards.



• The AFC-funded animation The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello collected the top prize for Anthony and Julia Lucas at Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the world's most prestigious animation film festival. The short also won the Yoram Gross Animation Award at this year's Dendy Awards.



• The Big Screen website is now up and running, with regular blogs by festival director Peter Castaldi, information on screenings in each town, resources for educators and media, and details of special gala events. Read his feature article below on Ulladulla.



• Seven recipients of the inaugural AFC Writer Fellowship program have been announced including Wolf Creek's Greg McLean and Somersault's Cate Shortland. The program distributes an allocated $200,000 in funds that will lead to the creation of feature-length screenplays.



• The inaugural IndiVision Marketing workshop was held in Coogee over three days 7-9 June. The feature film teams who completed the IndiVision Project Lab in late 2004 were invited to attend to meet and learn from a range of local and international marketing experts. International guests included John Durie from Strategic Film Marketing and renowned international public relations expert Lucius Barre. For pearls of wisdom shared by the speakers click here.

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• The new Film Development Funding Guidelines will be launched around the country in July and are now available on the AFC website. Interim application forms have been published for those strands closing in the first half of July. See the website for the latest information.
  
  New AFC programs for next financial year include IndiVision's two development programs: one includes the IndiVision Project Lab, providing multifaceted development in scripting, directing and producing. The IndiVision production program is a production fund for low-budget features; the AFC can invest up to $1 million in films with budgets up to $2 million.
  
  The Long Shorts Program offers opportunities to filmmakers who have already made strong and distinctive shorts to explore longer form narrative drama. The program supports half-hour dramas and animations, short features and now also short TV drama series (of 4-8 x half-hour or 2-4 x one-hour episodes).
  
  Writer Fellowships provide talented, award-winning writers with the chance to develop their next project from an early stage.
  
  SPARK, the AFC's national residential script workshop, will now be held annually, giving six to eight experienced creative teams the chance to focus on their script with input from leading overseas and local advisors.
  
  For animation filmmakers, the AFC is pleased to be partnering with SBS again to fund a 13 x one-minute series of adult animation for a general audience.
  
  Later in the year the AFC will be announcing new digital interactive production programs in partnership with broadcasters and other companies for documentary, shorts and animation.



• The new Industry and Cultural Development Funding Guidelines will be available on the AFC website after 5 July.



• Headlands is an intensive 12-week documentary research and writing development initiative from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, through its Documentary Department, in partnership with the AFC, NSW Film and Television Office, Film Victoria, Pacific Film and Television Commission, South Australian Film Corporation and Film Australia. The program focuses on supporting selected applicants through the intensive process of research and development of a high-concept documentary feature, series or one-off program that requires extensive research. Individual applicants or teams of two may apply. Deadline 22 July.



• two Twisted is an anthology drama series to be produced for the Nine Network by Bryan Brown, in association with the AFC. From almost 3000 scripts, the following have been chosen: Finding Frank, Love Crimes, Von Stauffenberg's Stamp, Soft Boiled Luck, Heart Attack, Delivery Man, Arkham's Curios and Wonders, Call Back, A Flash Exclusive, There's Something About Kyanna, Jailbreak, Grand Final, Saviour and A Date with Doctor D. See two Twisted website for more info on the series.



• Travel Grant Deadlines: Type B and Type C Travel Grants are available to producers travelling to this year's MIPCOM market. Deadline 1 August. MIPCOM runs 17-21 October at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.
  
  Type B travel grants help experienced producers put in place the final elements of a financing plan for a project or slate of projects in the final stages of development. Grants are generally around $4,500. Type C travel grants give less-experienced producers, with a project to pitch, direct experience of a major international market, within a supportive environment. Grants are generally around $4,500.



• AFC funding approvals

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• In conjunction with the Sydney Film Festival's IndieScreen program, the AFC held two events to highlight the opportunities for low-budget feature filmmakers. The AFC also hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the achievements of Australian filmmakers whose films were screening at the festival.



• Cinematheque news: Fred Schepisi, one of Australia's most celebrated and beloved film directors, will be visiting Western Australia in July when he appears at the FTI Cinema's four-week retrospective of his films. 'The Films of Fred Schepisi', which opens on 6 July and continues every Wednesday throughout the month, presents four of Schepisi's most acclaimed motion pictures alongside rare and early short films. Schepisi will be in attendance at 13 July's screening of The Devil's Playground, introducing the film and participating in a Q&A session on his long-running career. The evening will be hosted by The West Australian's resident film critic Mark Naglazas. Schepisi will also be presenting an exclusive director's masterclass for local filmmakers on the afternoon of 14 July. 'The Films of Fred Schepisi' forms part of the Perth Cinematheque, a membership-based screening program of classic, foreign and arthouse films. For more information, contact FTI's screen events manager Grant Watson on 08 9431 6721 or screenevents@fti.asn.au.



• In April, the Embassy Roadshow screened in Brunei and Bangkok. In Brunei, opening night was attended by the Crown Prince Pg Muda Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pg Anak Isteri Pg Anak Sarah. The Bangkok event was attended by over 1,000 people including the Director of the Bangkok Film Festival, Brian Bennett. The Roadshow is a travelling film festival that showcases contemporary Australian films to international audiences facilitated through Australian embassies and posts abroad. The Roadshow is an initiative of the Australia International Cultural Council through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and is coordinated by DFAT and the AFC.



• Congratulations to all the Australian films screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Melbourne has an Australian Showcase that features Look Both Ways, Jewboy, Yellow Fella and the new film by Rowan Woods and starring Cate Blanchett, Little Fish, which will open the festival. Details of the Brisbane International Film Festival will be available on their website soon.



• AFC Festival Selection Alerts
  
  The Toronto International Film Festival today announced the program highlights for the upcoming festival. Two Australian feature films will screen at Toronto this year: Look Both Ways, written and directed by Sarah Watt, and The Proposition directed by John Hillcoat.
  
  The AFC funded documentary, In the Shadow of the Palms - Iraq, produced and directed by Wayne Coles-Janess, has been selected to screen in the International Competition section of the Yamagata International Documentary Festival.



• July/August submission deadlines are coming up for the following international festivals: July - Telluride, San Sebastian, Pusan, London, Leipzig, Cork; August - Sao Paulo, Mannheim-Heidelberg. See Festival Profiles for more information.

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• An enthusiastic audience of 110 attended the first Women Working in Television Project cocktail party networking event in Melbourne on 15 June, held at The Apartment. Guest speaker Sandra Levy (Director of Television, ABC) joined host Tiffany Cherry (presenter, Fox Footy Channel, FOXTEL) to discuss the theme of leadership, and AFC Chair Maureen Barron spoke about the activities of the project.
  

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• The AFC is finalising its survey of television commercial production companies. Preliminary findings have been reported in the June edition of Encore and were also distributed at the SPAA seminar 'The Brave New World: will there be ads?', held at the Art Gallery of NSW on 28 June. Read the preliminary findings in Get the Picture Online. The full report will be released in August.



• The Film Licensed Investment Company Bill 2005 has been passed by parliament. The extended FLIC Scheme will operate until 30 June 2009, with the option to continue following a review.



• The ABA has released the broadcasting financial results for 2003-04, indicating a 16.7 per cent profit increase by TV licensees.



• The negotiation of a draft Convention on Cultural Diversity was concluded successfully in Paris on 3 June. It is to be recommended to the next UNESCO General Conference (October 2005) for adoption.

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• Read about the success of AFC-supported projects. This month we feature Crossing the Line, Jewboy, Mind the Gap and Saving Xavier.



• Are you looking for details of a particular Australian film title - feature, short, TV drama or documentary? The Searchable Film Database includes Australian and co-produced features, TV drama and documentaries from 1990 and shorts from 1998. It is updated on the AFC website each month.



• Upcoming Production Report.



• Latest updates to Get the Picture Online.

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• Welcome to ICD Administrative Assistant Laura Heron and FD Administrative Officer Julie Archet. Farewell to Kodak/Atlab Project Manager Jane Adam, ICD Administrative Assistant Penny Chai, ICD Project Officer Helen Lovelock and FD Administrative Officer Imogen Semmler.



• Positions vacant.

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• The Australian films Peaches, Chasing God, Oyster Farmer, The Widower, Look Both Ways, Little Fish and The Magician are screening July-September so keep an eye out for them at your local cinema.



• The Colourised Festival, in Brisbane until 9 July, aims to establish a unique Indigenous screen culture experience with international appeal, by profiling aspects of Brisbane's diverse social, cultural and artistic vibrancy.



• The Revelation Perth International Film Festival, in Perth until 10 July, is an independent film showcase dedicated to signature works of style, passion and commitment. Rev is a tightly curated program that screens all genres, all durations and all formats and now includes the Revelation Screen Conference.



• If you're thinking of applying to Film Victoria's 2005 Short Film Fund or New Feature Writers' program, In the Loop, in Melbourne on 11 July, is the perfect event to learn more about these two programs and to meet Film Victoria staff, filmmakers and other key creative personnel.



• AFC Project Manager Julia Overton and producer Daniel Scharf (Romper Stomper, Tom White) will host a session on producing the low-budget feature film in Adelaide on 20 July. Visit Mercury Cinema for further information.



• An annual celebration of the best in world cinema each winter, the Melbourne International Film Festival is the largest and longest running film event in the Asia-Pacific, celebrating 54 years in 2005. It is one of the oldest film festivals in the world with one of Australia's youngest arts audiences.



• Early screenings of upcoming 2005 and 2006 films will be featured at the Gold Coast Film Fantastic at Robina Town Centre on the Gold Coast, 21-24 July.



• 'Up-close and musical - an audience with Col Joye', will take place at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, 28 July, 7.30-9.00pm. On stage, the legendary Col Joye will talk with ABC Radio 666's David Kilby and the Archive's Recorded Sound specialist Nick Weare about his life and career in music. Col will discuss the history of Australian rock and roll. He will also perform some of his best-known songs live. Featured will be rare clips from the Archive's Collection, and audience members will be given the chance to ask Col their own questions and show their pop culture knowledge in a trivia quiz. 'Up-close and musical' will coincide with the installation of Col Joye memorabilia in the Sights and Sounds of a Nation exhibition at the Archive.



• The 20th anniversary SPAA Conference on the Gold Coast, 13-16 August, will have practical emphasis on developing original content for film and TV. The focus will be on the 'creative producer'. This year the AFC presents the feature film finance market SPAAmart.



• This year's IF Awards will again take place at Luna Park in Sydney on 23 November and will be screened live.



• Metro Screen's Members Production Group (MPG) meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 6.30pm at Metro Screen. Meetings are open to all Metro Screen members and give you the opportunity to pitch new ideas, discuss your current projects, share skills and resources and collaborate with others to produce your own films, TV content and media projects.



• ScreenWest and PAC Screen Workshops have announced the initiative PAC Script Lab, monthly rehearsed readings of West Australian feature film scripts on the last Sunday of each month. The ultimate aim is for a honing of West Australian scripts and an increase in the profile, quality and awareness of West Australian film projects.



• Popcorn Taxi has weekly screenings and Q&A sessions in Sydney and Melbourne. See their website or join their mailing list for details of upcoming events.



• IF magazine's What's On in Film July to December 2005 guide to screen events is sponsored by the AFC and has just been published. Contact publishing@afc.gov.au for a hard copy.



• Other AFC-supported activities and events.

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• Just about every Australian city has a little coastal town to run to for the weekend. From Sydney you can head north or south and find dozens of beautiful spots: north, if you want to stretch your legs along a very swimmable and quite urban coast, or south, past Wollongong, if you prefer your terrain a little wilder and cooler.
  
  If you head down through Kiama and Nowra, past Huskisson, you end up in the town of Ulladulla after about three hours on the winding Princess Highway. The drive is a beautiful one through green undulating hills, rolling with dairy pastures and pony clubs. The air at this time of year is brisk, and enlivening. It clears the cobwebs away. You can still visit beautiful beaches like Mollymook or stunning Jervis Bay, enjoy the brace of sea air on your face and, if you're game, take a dive into the surf.
  
  Ulladulla, home to the largest commercial fishing fleet in New South Wales, was first settled in the early 19th century for its hardwood forests. Now the area has a booming tourist trade, a growing wine industry and cultural calendar that is rich in everything from NAIDOC week to festivals of music, theatre and of course film.
  
  Big Screen has played for two years now at the Arcadia Twin Cinemas in the heart of town. Owned and operated by John and Sue Kasoulis, the Arcadia is a brilliant site. John and Sue have a true love of cinema. They stuff their two screens with as much as they possibly can, bringing to town a wide selection of everything from the big blockbusters to the best in quality English and non-English language cinema. The Arcadia is a perfect site for Big Screen. John and Sue have built a loyal local audience and it's also an easy hop for city-dwellers looking for a weekend away from the hustle and bustle. John and Sue also put a lot of time and energy into ensuring the success of the festival. They love exhibition, work hard to make sure that they can bring their audience as much as possible of the film experience, and are one of the first regional sites to move into high-quality digital presentation. They have made a serious investment in the future, not only of the business, but also the screen culture life of the region.
  
  Read festival director Peter Castaldi's complete blog from Big Screen Ulladulla.

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