• Eight Australian films - the most in 20 years - will screen at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this month. Features Ten Canoes, Look Both Ways, Suburban Mayhem, Jindabyne and 2:37 - as well as the short films Sexy Thing, Snow and The Water Diary - will screen in various programs across the 11-day festival.
  
  Screening in Official Selection, Un Certain Regard are the features Ten Canoes, written and directed by Rolf de Heer in collaboration with the people of Ramingining, Suburban Mayhem, directed by Paul Goldman and 2:37, written, directed and co-produced by Murali K. Thalluri. Jindabyne, directed by Ray Lawrence will screen during the sidebar event Directors' Fortnight and Look Both Ways, directed by Sarah Watt and produced by Bridget Ikin, will have a special screening as part of the 45th International Critics' Week.
  
  AFC-funded short Sexy Thing, written and directed by Denie Pentecost and produced by Heather Oxenham, has been selected to screen in the Short Film Competition, where it will compete for the prestigious Short Film Palme d'Or.
  
  Australian short Snow, written and directed by VCA Graduate Dustin Feneley and produced by Kate Beverley, will screen in Official Selection as part of the Cinéfondation's student selection; while The Water Diary, directed by Jane Campion and produced by Christopher Gill, will screen in the Official Selection shorts program, out of competition.
  
  Director Christina Andreef (Soft Fruit) has been selected to attend Cannes with Shiver, her feature in development, as part of the Cinéfondation L'Atelier program. Helen Bowden is attached as producer.
  
  2006 marks 30 years since the AFC began supporting the Australian industry at the Cannes Film Festival. 1976 was also the year Fred Schepisi's The Devil's Playground screened as part of Directors' Fortnight, and Antoinette Starkiewicz's short film High Fidelity screened in the Shorts Competition.



• Documentaries featuring the unique vision of both experienced and emerging Indigenous Australian filmmakers will have their world premiere as part of the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival in Sydney this month. Shifting Shelter 3, directed by award-winning filmmaker Ivan Sen (Beneath Clouds, Yellow Fella), will screen alongside the latest crop of documentaries commissioned as part of the seventh National Indigenous Documentary Fund (NIDF). Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival runs at the Playhouse, Sydney Opera House 12-14 May. Weekend screenings are free, for further details visit the Message Sticks Film Festival website.



• The 2006/07 Federal Budget was announced on Tuesday 9 May. In it, the Government announced a review into the full range of Government support measures for funding films in Australia. The AFC welcomes the opportunity to address issues facing the industry, in particular the decline in private investment. The review will consider the full range of support measures for funding films in Australia, taking into account outcomes from the additional funding provided as part of the Government's 2004 election commitment. This commitment included AFC funding for low-budget films and screen culture. The Government also announced in the Budget an additional $30 million over three years for the ABC to invest in high-quality Australian drama and documentary. This commitment is a positive step in arresting the decline in levels of Australian drama on the ABC and will provide a much-needed injection into Australia's independent production sector. The Portfolio Budget Statements can be found on the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) website.
  Australian Film Commission welcomes review of support measures for funding films media release.

Top

• Applications to the AFC's script development initiative, SP*RK close soon. Based on international models such as the American Sundance Script Lab and the French eQuinoxe script workshop, SP*RK offers an intensive hothouse environment where established writers can workshop their well-developed scripts with leading local and international advisors. For further information, including guidelines and application, forms visit the SP*RK script development page on our website. Applications close 26 May.



• AFC funding deadlines - May/June:
  
  FILM DEVELOPMENT
  19 May
  General Development Investment
  
  26 May
  SP*RK - Script Development
  Strand V - Interactive Digital Media - Early Development
  
  02 Jun 2006
  Strand L - Shooting Time-critical Material
  Strand N - Documentary Production
  
  
  INDUSTRY AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
  14 Aug 2006
  ICD Interactive Media Fund
  New Projects Fund
  
  TRAVEL GRANTS
  1 Aug
  For attending MIPCOM: Television Market
  Type B (Producers with market experience)
  Type C (Producers developing market experience)
  
  
  
• AFC funding approvals.

Top

• The Australian Cinematographers Society is holding the National Awards for Cinematography in Canberra for the very first time on Saturday 27 May 2006. In conjunction with this event, the National Film and Sound Archive is hosting the Celebration of Cinematography Festival 20-29 May.
  Highlight events will include a retrospective of the films of Robert Krasker, the first Australian cinematographer to win an Academy Award (including Olivier's Henry V, The Third Man, Odd Man Out and gothic melodrama Uncle Silas - all presented by the NFSA Cinematheque at Electric Shadows Cinemas on 20, 21, 22, 28 May). International guest and cinematographer Gary Graver will present 'The Unseen Orson Welles' (Saturday 27 May), an extraordinary archive of rare and unseen footage from his years of collaborating with Welles on films like F For Fake, Filming Othello, and many other projects. The NFSA will also host a Q&A with Andrew Lesnie ACS ASC, Oscar-winning cinematographer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong (Friday 26 May), a masterclass with Andrew Lesnie (Saturday 27 May), and Kodak's 'Stop and Shoot' Expo (Saturday 27 May), allowing cameramen the opportunity to shoot a reel of film.
  For further information, visit the NFSA website or phone 02 6248 2000.
  
  
  
• Guitarist and singer Kate Fagan was presented with the The National Film and Sound Archive Award for Best Folk Recording in Australia for her debut CD Diamond Wheel, at the National Folk Festival held in Canberra over Easter. Kate Fagan is well known in Australian music circles as part of the long-established family group The Fagans. Diamond Wheel presents a winning mix of roots, folk and country music with all songs written by Fagan. She is joined by three other musicians: Rod McCormack on electric and acoustic guitar and banjo; James Gillard from The Flood on upright and electric bass; and John Watson from Australian Crawl on drums.



• On 1 June legendary Australian writer Peter Yeldham will share insights and experiences from his long life in conversation with the NFSA's Chief Curator, Meg Labrum. The evening is part of the NFSA's Canberra Public Programs calendar of events. Refreshments start from 5.30pm before the interview in the heritage theatre at 6.15pm. The event is free but bookings are recommended. Phone 6248 2000.



• 2006 marks the 50th anniversary of television broadcasting in Australia and Sydney's Powerhouse Museum has just opened a major exhibition to celebrate the occasion. On the Box: Great Moments in Australian Television 1956-2006, has been years in the making, and the NFSA has been helping provide the Powerhouse with objects for inclusion since 2004. Some of the objects include costumes, scripts, publicity material and programs such as All the Rivers Run, Kingswood Country, Young Talent Time, Bandstand, The Don Lane Show, Aunty Jack and Homicide to name a few. On the Box runs at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney 6 April-29 January 2007. Visit the Powerhouse Museum website for further details.



• Prominent Australian historian of cinema architecture Professor Ross Thorne is donating an amazing collection of films, audio recordings, documents, databases and film equipment to the NFSA. His own films go back to 1948 when he made a 'travelogue' of Canberra, and in the 1950s he filmed many of the University of Sydney Architecture Faculty revues, which nurtured the dramatic talents of such people as Peter Weir, Grahame Bond, Rory O'Donoghue and Geoffrey Atherton. There are also plans for Professor Thorne to do an oral history of his fascinating career and to take part in a public question and answer session at the NFSA.

Top

• The Australian films Kokoda, Candy, Ten Canoes and The Caterpillar Wish are screening in May/June so keep an eye out for them at your local cinema.




• The 12th London Australian Film Festival was held 2-12 March at the London Barbican Centre, opening with a gala screening of The Proposition introduced by Director John Hillcoat, and closing with Look Both Ways. The 2006 program included 17 new features, a Flickerfest shorts program, the London version of Sony Tropfest, award-winning documentaries, and a program of Australian children's features, shorts and workshops. This program is now touring to six centres throughout the UK.



• The Big Screen tour continued to far western NSW, delivering a festival in Broken Hill, with satellite screenings in Silverton, Tibooburra, Menindee, Ivanhoe, Wilcannia and White Cliffs. Broken Hill attendances increased in 2006 and the satellite screening of Mad Max II in the Silverton Hotel beer garden attracted 170 people from the local area. All screenings were strongly supported by the Regional Arts Development Officer, James Giddey, and local media. A message from the Minister, Senator the Hon. Rod Kemp, was read at the Broken Hill opening night. Upcoming Big Screen festivals include Coober Pedy (26-28 May) with satellite screenings in William Creek, Maree, Copley, Nepabunna, Arkaroola, Leigh Creek and Blinman; Port Augusta (2-12 Jun) with a satellite screening in Woomera; and Briagolong (6-12 Jun). For further details on the touring programs visit the Big Screen website.



• During May Cinémathèque audiences in Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Melbourne will experience 'The Music of Time', a retrospective of Max Ophuls work, which has been a significant influence on directors such as Kubrick and Scorsese. Melbourne will then close the month, exploring Japanese classics and the Scandinavian influence on cinema including Wild Strawberries, Ingmar Bergman's extraordinary influential fugue of memory dream and imagination.Keep an eye out for Cinémathèque calendars and visit the Cinémathèque website for membership and screening details.



• In May, the National Film and Sound Archive's Cinémathèque in Canberra features a new season, 'Orson Welles: Surviving Kane', concentrating on the director's later work. For details on the full NFSA Cinémathèque program visit the NFSA Cinémathèque website.



• In April, Embassy Roadshow hosted the 4th Australian Film Festival in Bangkok, a very successful event with Premier Bracks of Victoria and many VIP guests at the opening reception. The collection goes to Berlin and Munich in May.
  The Embassy Roadshow is a travelling film festival program presented through Australian embassies overseas, showcasing a selection of contemporary Australian films to people around the world. It is an Initiative of the Australian International Cultural Council, and managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the AFC.



• The following international film festival submission deadlines are coming up for June/July: Venice International Film Festival, Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Locarno International Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Pusan International Film Festival, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, London Film Festival. See Festival Profiles for more information.

Top

• The AFC has recently made the following submissions:
  
  The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts' discussion paper Meeting the Digital Challenge: Reforming Australia's Media in the Digital Age. Read the submission here.
  
  The Australian Communications and Media Authority's discussion paper the Future Use of Unassigned Television Channels. Read the submission here.



• The AFC's Acting Policy Manager, Drew MacRae, recently discussed the AFC's support measures for Australia's digital content industry and the policy issues facing the industry at a forum session of the d/Art/Festival 2006 in Sydney. Read the speech here.

Top

• The following AFC publications have been updated and are available online, or contact publishing@afc.gov.au for a hard copy:
  International Sales Contacts for Australian and Co-produced Television Drama Completed 2005+
  International Sales Contacts for Australian and Co-produced Features Completed 2005+
  AFC Notes on Notes



• 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.

Top

• Welcome to Gabrielle Bonney - Editor & Web Content Coordinator, Policy, Research and Communications; Rachel Cullen - Researcher, Policy, Research and Communications; and Wayne Blacklock - Administrative Assistant, Indigenous Branch.



• Farewell to Juliana Payne - Corporate Liaison Executive; and Tilly Heald - Events Assistant, Marketing Unit.
  
  
• Positions vacant: Chief Executive Officer.

Top

• The 2006 Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival showcases the latest Indigenous films from Australia and the world, and this year includes features films from The Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the US. The festival runs in the Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House 12-14 May. All Saturday and Sunday screenings are free. For further information and screening times visit the Message Sticks film festival website.



• St Kilda Film Festival will run 30 May-4 June. The festival features top Australian short films; an array of international shorts from Brazil, Europe and America; a VCA retrospective covering 30 years; and an Industry Open Day. Visit the St Kilda Film Festival website for further details.




• The ATOM Film, Television and Multimedia Awards is calling for entries. Deadline 7 Jun. The awards presentation will be held in August at ACMI in Melbourne. Visit the ATOM Awards website for further details.



• 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 www.popcorntaxi.com.au.



• 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



• Metro Screen's Members Production Group 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 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 January to June 2006 calendar is now available on the AFC website.



• Other AFC-supported activities and events.

Top

In a career spanning a decade, Ivan Sen has carved a reputation as a chronicler of Indigenous youth, beginning with his short dramas Tears (1998) and Dust (1999), and his debut feature Beneath Clouds (2001). Since then, Sen has made a raft of documentaries that continue to explore the themes of his earlier work. From the buried skeletons of massacre victims in Dust, to Tom E. Lewis' incomplete family history in Yellow Fella (2005), the past is always close to the surface in Sen's oeuvre. In his latest work, Shifting Shelter 3, Sen once again examines how the past resonates in the present and the way time alters and erodes people's dreams.

Shot in three parts over 10 years, the Shifting Shelter series follows four Indigenous youths from country NSW as they grow from teenagers into young adults. The latest instalment sees Sen reconnecting with the four, his contemporary interviews intercut with earlier conversations from 1995 and 2000. The result is a portrait of evolving lives and changing expectations that is by turns heartbreaking, hopeful and inspiring. Shifting Shelter 3 is screening at this year's Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival at the Sydney Opera House.

Dan Edwards spoke to Sen about his new film and the recurring themes in his work.

Shifting Shelter 3 is obviously a project you've been working on for a long time. Can you tell me how the project first came about?
In my first year of film school [AFTRS] in '94, there was an Aboriginal arts festival for school kids up at Bogabilla, near Moree. I went up to cover it in a short documentary, and interviewed about 30 teenagers from around the state. I was just going around asking kids to do interviews, and there were three in particular who were pretty keen. I'd ask them a question and they'd talk for 10 minutes. So I just wanted to pursue that a bit further because they stood out as strong characters who wanted to tell their story.
I also had a cousin who was a similar age - about 15 - and she seemed very articulate and wanted to tell me about her life as well. I hadn't really thought about doing it as a Seven Up-type thing at that stage - I just wanted to do a profile on four Aboriginal teenagers from the country. It just grew from there - 10 years later I'm still talking to them and following them around.

Which of the four is your cousin?
Danielle, the girl who's been in and out of jail and addicted to heroin.

And at what point did you begin to think these people were subjects you might want to return to over a 10-year period?
I don't really remember. I did actually make the Bogabilla arts festival video, but for my film school assignment I handed in Shifting Shelter 1. That was then sold to the ABC and it always stayed in the back of my mind to revisit the project. Shifting Shelter 2 was done with the ABC in 2000... so there wasn't really a clear point. It just kind of snuck up on me.

How has your relationship with the subjects shifted over 10 years? Have any of them resisted ongoing participation in the project?
I think Cindy might have been a bit cautious this time - I expected there to be a bit more caution. As they get older they get families of their own, they get more mature and realise what they're saying - and that people are going to hear what they're saying. But at the same time I think they still work as subjects, because of their outgoing personalities. Even if they think more about what they say now, and are clamping down 10 or 20 per cent, they're still giving a lot compared to a normal person. What's interesting to me as a drama director is you ask them a question and in many instances you see the answer on their face before they give their verbal answer. So depending on the sensitivity of the viewer, you can get quite a lot from their non-verbal communication. You see them going through a thought process before they actually answer, and the answer they give may differ from their body language.

Read the full interview.

Top