• The AFC has made its submission to the Review of Australian Government Film Funding Support being conducted by the Minister for the Arts and Sport. The submission is available on the AFC website here.


• In one of the strongest showings of Australian film for some years, a showcase of 21 new feature films opened the 61st Australian International Movie Convention at the Gold Coast on 14 August. For the fifth year, the AFC co-hosted 'Australia on Show' - the opening night of the convention - with major sponsors The Sydney Morning Herald/The Sun Herald and The Age. Representatives of each film attended with AFC support. Full details.


• Matthew Saville has been awarded The Village Roadshow Prize for Screen Writing in the 2006 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards for Noise, his debut feature film script. Noise went through the AFC's SP*RK script development program in 2004. The judges' report notes: "From its blistering and disturbing opening sequence to its unexpected conclusion, Noise displays a mastery of structure, character and genre. The confident authorial voice shapes a compelling narrative which takes the reader into uncharted territory whilst exploring themes of commitment, responsibility and existence." Congratulations Matthew!


• Raymond Longford's classic Australian silent film, The Sentimental Bloke commences its tour to the USA, Canada and Japan on 1 September. Premiering in 1919, the film survived nearly eight decades before being fully reconstructed in 1997 by a team from the NFSA and George Eastman House in the US. The film will be screened with musical accompaniment by Jen Anderson and The Larrikins at festivals in Telluride, Washington DC, Rochester, Montreal, Berkley and Tokyo (see next headline). More info: Laura Heron 02 9321 6461 or laura.heron@afc.gov.au


• As part of the Australia-Japan Year of Exchange, a retrospective of Australian films will be screening 3-29 October at the National Film Centre in Tokyo. Jane Cruickshank, ICD Programs Manager, was in Tokyo to speak on behalf of the AFC at the media launch in July where Little Fish and Harvie Krumpet were screened with Japanese subtitles. The festival will open with The Sentimental Bloke (with live musical accompaniment). Director Rolf de Heer will attend to introduce three of his films. The screenings will also include shorts such as Night Cries, Jewboy, Birthday Boy and The Djarn Djarns.


• The AFC has released a draft of A Guide to Protocols for Filmmakers Working with Indigenous Content and Indigenous Communities for industry feedback. The guide provides advice about the ethical and legal issues involved in transferring Indigenous cultural material to the screen. The AFC invites feedback on the draft guide. Contact the AFC's Indigenous Branch for a copy on 02 9321 6499/1800 226 615. Comments and ideas should be forwarded by 20 September to The Manager, Indigenous Branch, AFC, GPO Box 3984, Sydney NSW 2001. Email indigenous@afc.gov.au. More details.


• Look at Me! Behind the Scenes of Australian TV with the Women Who Made It is a new book that celebrates women in TV over the last 50 years. Commissioned by the Women Working in Television Project (a partnership between the AFC, ABC, Network Ten, ASTRA, Seven Network, SBS, Nine Network, Free TV Australia and SPAA), written by Christine Hogan and published by ABC Books, the book features more than 40 interviews with key women in TV. It will be launched this month by Senator the Hon Helen Coonan at Sydney's Wharf restaurant, hosted by AFC Chair Maureen Barron with guest speakers Maggie Tabberer, Lynley Marshall and Christine Hogan. An extract spotlighting producer Kim Vecera is the feature article of this issue of AFC News.

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• IndiVision Project Lab 2007 applications close 5pm 6 Oct. Talented mid- or high-level experience teams with distinctive feature drama projects of any genre that can be made for less than A$2m are encouraged to apply. The Lab is a dynamic hothouse for low-budget features that includes an integrated package of development support. Feature projects and teams selected for the Lab have access to: the one-week IndiVision Project Lab, with international advisors; two drafts of project development funding after the Lab; the follow-up IndiVision Marketing Workshop with international marketing advisors and ongoing development support. Full details.


• Several Film Development strands have undergone major changes since 1 July 2006. Please consult the new Film Development Funding Guidelines 2006 now available on the AFC website. Applicants can contact Film Development administration staff with specific queries. Phone: 02 9321 6444.


• AFC funding deadlines - September/October:
  
  FILM DEVELOPMENT
  1 September
  Internships/Fellowships
  Strand T1 - Short Animation Production
  
  15 September
  Strand L - Shooting Time-critical Material
  
  22 September
  Strand H - Shorts Production
  Strand X - Experimental Digital Production
  
  29 September
  Strand N - Documentary Production
  
  6 October
  Strand F1 - IndiVision Project Lab & Script Development
  
  13 October
  General Development Investment (GDI)
  Strand J - Documentary Early Development
  Strand K - Documentary Development
  
  20 October
  Strand L - Shooting Time-critical Material
  
  27 October
  Strand B - Seed Feature Funding
  Strand D - Draft Funding
  
  INDUSTRY AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
  3 October
  National Touring Exhibiton Fund
  Events and Activities Fund
  
  TRAVEL GRANTS
  1 September
  Type B (market experienced producers) and Type C (producers developing market experience) are available for the following international markets:
  World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, 11-14 November, Manchester, UK
  World Congress of History Producers, 16-19 November, London, UK
  American Film Market, 1-8 November, Santa Monica, USA
  
  
• AFC funding approvals.

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• A state-of-the-art 250-seat cinema, named Arc, will be built in the NFSA headquarters in Canberra. Set to open early next year, Arc will feature sophisticated projection equipment which will allow the public to experience the best archival prints from the NFSA's own collection as well as films restored by other film archives around the world. Media release.


• The NFSA will feature in a special segment on the popular ABC TV program Collectors in October. The film crew recently visited the Archive to film what they called "collectors' paradise". They were impressed with the NFSA's facilities in the Video Laboratory and stunned by the sheer size of the National Collection. Senior Curator, Documents and Artefacts Graham Shirley was interviewed about the colourful history of filmmaking in Australia.


• 12 August was International Home Movie Day, a worldwide celebration of amateur films and filmmaking. NFSA Director Paolo Cherchi Usai said: "Home Movie Day is becoming an important means through which film archivists, community groups, individuals and families can come together to learn about home movie heritage as a medium for capturing both family and social history." Media release.


• This month, the NFSA Cinémathèque presents two rarely-seen late British silent films with live music accompaniment. Screening are The Informer (1929) and High Treason (1929), which is often described as Britain's own Metropolis. Also screening in September is Volatile Bodies: the films of Marco Bellocchio (a contemporary of Bertolucci and Pasolini). Details.


• The NFSA-sponsored Best Lyrics award at the Australian Songwriters Association National Awards was won by Steve Montgomery and Carmel McCallum this year for Kerry's Lament. Senior Curator of Recorded Sound Matthew Davies says that sponsoring the award "… gives us an opportunity to establish relationships with upcoming musicians and to push the message that the Archive is here to preserve recorded music." More.


• The International Standards Organisation sets standards in a myriad of fields, from paint quality to car safety. The NFSA has two reps, Ian Gilmour and Mick Newnham, on the ISO's Joint Technical Committee which has just released two new publications: Magnetic Tape - Care and Handling Practices for Extended Usage and Imaging Materials - Information Stored on Magneto-optical discs: Method for Estimating the Life Expectancy Based on the Effects of Temperature and Relative Humidity. More.

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• Congratulations to all the writers who won AWGIE Awards on 25 August, including Alice Bell for Suburban Mayhem (Feature Film - Original), Katherine Thomson for Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst (Documentary - Public Broadcast), and Luke Davies and Neil Armfield for the AFC-supported Candy (Feature Film - Adaptation).


• The AFC-funded short film Photograph has been selected to screen at the 10th annual Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, and in the Second Annual Haydenfilms Online Film Festival (on now until 30 Oct). The film screened earlier this year at the Sydney Film Festival. Congratulations to writer/director Sarah Lambert and producer Veronica Sive.


• News to hand is AFC-funded doco Make It Real (to Me) (which follows the journey of 17-year-old Kevin, orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Kenya) will be featured in the 2006 DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival and at the Global Village Film Festival, 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto. Congratulations to writer/director Miles Roston, producer Veronica Sive and their team.


• The Message Sticks 2006 National Tour is an AFC Black Screen program. The tour includes titles from the Message Sticks Indigenous Festival which screened to packed houses at the Opera House in May. The tour kicks off at the Dendy Kino Cinema, Melbourne on 28, 29 and 30 Sept. Opening night will commence with refreshments and finger food prior to the screenings. Tickets $5 singles/$10 families. The tour will extend to Qld, NSW, Tas, WA and SA. Full details in the October issue of AFC News.
  
  The films are: My Brother Vinnie (d. Steven McGregor); Footy the La Perouse Way (d. Michael Longbottom); Auntie Connie (d. Ivan Sen); Island Fettlers (d. Kelrick Martin); Shifting Shelter 3 (d. Ivan Sen); and international shorts: Divided By Zero (Canada), The Speaker (New Zealand), Gesture Down (USA), Group of Seven Inches (Canada), Boo (Shaman) (Russian Federation), Red Buffalo Skydive (Canada).
  
  Black Screen is an Australian Film Commission screening program that provides Indigenous communities and the broader Australian public with access to Indigenous films. For more info contact Emelda Davis 02 9321 6517 or emelda.davis@afc.gov.au


• The Australian films Kanyini, Opal Dream, The Book of Revelation, Last Train to Freo, Macbeth, Jindabyne, Footy Legends, 2:37, 48 Shades, Candy, Ten Canoes, The Caterpillar Wish, Solo, Unfolding Florence, Shot of Love and Kenny are screening in September so keep an eye out for them at your local cinema.


• Ten Canoes was the talk of the town when Big Screen arrived in Tennant Creek in August. Over 150 people came to the Civic Hall to see this latest Rolf de Heer film. Shot in the beautiful Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land and narrated by David Gulpilil, the film swept the audience away with its extraordinary landscapes and simple timeless story. The Tracker, also featuring David Gulpilil, was a huge hit for the mostly Indigenous audience at our outdoor screening next to the Tennant Creek Hotel. Thanks to everyone in Tennant Creek including the wonderful people at Barkly Arts & Nyinkka Nyunyu.
  
  Port Augustans - dress up in your best ballroom dancing outfit and meet special guest actor Tara Morice at the Big Screen opening night film Strictly Ballroom on Friday 15 September! Then mad, madder and maddest Max will be driving into Port Augusta on Saturday 16th for the Mad Max triple bill. Come dressed in your best Max outfit to win great prizes. For details of all towns on the tour visit the Big Screen website.


• We have had a positive response to the first email broadcast (through the ATOM website) offering regional schools free cinema screenings of Australian films. Thirty-three new schools requested screenings of a diverse range of Australian films including Storm Boy, Joey, Beneath Clouds, Lantana, Footy Legends, Ten Canoes, Australian Rules, Blackrock, No Worries, 48 Shades and new release Macbeth. School teachers can now book online on the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Metro Magazine website. If your school is not able to access any screenings on offer contact Bob Percival (robert.percival@afc.gov.au OR 02 9321 6497) for alternative arrangements.

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• The following AFC publications have been updated and are available online, or contact publishing@afc.gov.au for a hard copy:
  Film Development Funding Guidelines July 2006


• 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 industry statistics in Get the Picture Online.

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• Welcome to Mark Lazarus, Project Manager, Film Development.



• Farewell to Richard Cranston, Policy Officer.



• Positions vacant: Assistant, PR, Events & Administration; Communications Assistant.

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• Scoring for the 2006 Inside Film Awards closes midnight 16 September. The IF Awards are the people's choice awards for Australian film. All current Australian features, short films and documentaries are eligible. Scoring is via SMS or online. For full competition requirements, conditions, prize details and registration to rate films go to the IF Awards website or call 02 9318 4400 or email polly@if.com.au.


• Crossover Australia is a 5-day interactive residential workshop in the week before the 2007 Adelaide Film Festival and the Australian International Documentary Conference. It is a creative think tank bringing together national and international practitioners from film and new media sectors, with the aim of developing innovative digital and interactive projects. Applications close 16 October. Places are limited. For details, guidelines and application forms, check the Crossover Australia website.


• The 16th Flickerfest Short Film Festival is now open for entries in several categories. Due to its competitive nature, FF favours Sydney premieres and films that have not been broadcast in Australia. Application deadline for Australian films is 15 September. The Festival will screen at Bondi Pavilion in Jan 2007 and will tour nationally Jan-March 2007. Check the Flickerfest website for more details and entry forms.


• The AFC's Industry and Cultural Development Division proudly supports the following upcoming festivals, tours and awards:
  
  AFI Festival of Film
  Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane: 25 August-10 September
  Hobart: 24 August-10 September
  
  Australian International Animation Festival
  Sydney (Chauvel Cinema): 29 August-3 September
  
  Experimenta
  Vanishing Point: 9 September-15 October (Newcastle)
  
  MIFF's Travelling Film Festival 2006
  Echuca, 15-17 September
  
  ASDA Conference (Melbourne)
  15-17 September
  
  In the Bin Touring Film Festival
  17 September (Currumbin)
  
  Auburn International Film and Video Festival for Children and Young Adults
  18-22 September
  
  Electrofringe (Newcastle)
  28 September-2 October
  
  The Shoot Out 2006
  Toowoomba, 13-15 October


• Metro Screen turns 25 in September and is holding a full week (15-22 Sept) of events including screenings, a panel, a masterclass and a birthday party. They are also inviting the public to sit in on their courses for free. Check their website for full details. The monthly Filmmakers Studio provides Sydney's filmmaking industry and community with opportunities to hear high-profile screen professionals interviewed in an intimate environment. Metro Screen's Members Production Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 6.30pm. 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.


• The ACT Filmmakers' Network is holding a free Productions Briefing at the National Museum of Australia on 27 September. Topic: Interactivity - the relationship of the television/film content and the interactive component of content for websites, iPod, RSS and content for mobile phones, plus the use of content across channels and audience interactivity. More info: 02 6162 5160 or admin.actfilmmakers@netspeed.com.au.


• Popcorn Taxi, a regular film event where filmmakers and film lovers can meet, watch films of all types, and discuss the filmmaking process all year round runs in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin. For further information and screening details visit the Popcorn Taxi website.


• mo:life monthly is an informal gathering on the second Monday of every month, that offers the opportunity to discuss the latest advances and opportunities in mobile media technology and culture. Find out about the various players and networks and what they offer, explore the capabilities of the latest handsets, and see what others around the globe are doing with this new format. Contact d.opitz@metroscreen.org.au


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


• IF Magazine's What's On in Film guide to screen events is sponsored by the AFC. The July to December 2006 calendar is now available as a PDF on the AFC website.


• Other AFC-supported activities and events.

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As television in Australia turns 50, a new book commissioned by the AFC's Women Working in Television Project and published by ABC Books - Look at Me! Behind the Scenes of Australian TV with the Women Who Made It by Christine Hogan - celebrates the important role of women in this industry. KIM VECERA has been one of the industry's most successful and influential producers and executives. Her career began here at the AFC. In this extract from the book Kim shares her journey over the years in TV, including highlights like when Love My Way walked in the door.

It all started in 1983. I got a job at the AFC as a temp, working for the director of projects, a gorgeous man called John Daniel. I was partway through the BA Comm. at the Institute of Technology, Sydney, which I was doing three nights a week, and I obviously needed to work to pay the rent. I thought it could be an interesting job, working at the AFC. Little did I know … it kicked off what I call this career. Just before that, I spent two-and-a-half years working in London in fashion and music, and had the usual jam-packed, eighties experiences there and in Europe. When I was twenty-four I decided to return to Australia to see if I could focus on what I wanted out of a career. I literally fell into the job at the AFC, but quickly discovered it was something I loved.

Getting a gig on The Coolangatta Gold was an extraordinary opportunity. In those days, the AFC cultivated a program of on-the-job training which enhanced knowledge of the filmmaking process, and theoretically developed an understanding that you could profitably take back to the government-funding environment. I worked on the film as a production secretary/casting assistant, working for casting director Rae Davidson. The film was, at the time, one of the most ambitious and expensive Australian productions ever. It was produced by John Weiley and directed by Igor Auzins from a Peter Schreck script.

I returned to the AFC, and moved into a discrete division called the Special Production Fund, headed by Errol Sullivan. Its express purpose was to fund non-deductible tax items in the production budgets and was essentially the greenlight fund in the lively 10BA tax break years. Errol assessed final drafts and budgets, met with the filmmakers and negotiated finance deals. It was an extraordinary exposure to the sophisticated, business-end of film financing. My work in the AFC's development branch and the SPF put me into direct contact with many different independent producers and I got a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to drive a project into production. Let's not forget that I worked there more than 20 years ago, when the AFC was the body for developing writers, greenlighting productions and funding huge marketing campaigns for a large number of features a year. The AFC was the trigger point for all film: development, production and marketing. The industry structure is very different now.

In 1985, I was approached by a start-up production company called Roadshow, Coote and Carroll. Its principals were Greg Coote and Matt Carroll, two of Network Ten's leading execs, who were backed by Village Roadshow. I had worked with Matt and Greg when I was at the Special Production Fund, assisting them with a couple of telemovies they were financing, and they asked me to join them as business affairs manager. They had a number of projects, were building their slate, and they needed help if they were to get two to three of those projects up every year. I ended up staying with RCC for 10 years. As you'd expect, it was a massively challenging time where I learned much of the groundwork for project financing and contracting, as well as what was good or bad or indifferent about drama.

Read the whole extract.

Extract from Look at Me! Behind the scenes of Australian TV with the women who made it by Christine Hogan. Commissioned by the Women Working in Television Project (a partnership between the AFC, ABC, Network Ten, ASTRA, Seven Network, SBS, Nine Network, Free TV Australia and SPAA). Published by ABC Books, September 2006.

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