Tassie Tropfest Winner selected for Dungog Film Festival

Sky Machine’s Tropfest film Dish Communication has been accepted into the Dungog Film Festival. Congratulations to writer Tim Logan, director Shaun Wilson and producer Nathan Spencer. Screen Tasmania wishes them the best of luck at Dungog.

AFI announces new initiatives for 2009 AFI Awards

The Australian Film Institute invites entries for the 2009 AFI Awards in all categories: documentary, short fiction, short animation, feature film and television, and is pleased to announce exciting revisions to the awards rules and processes for 2009.

These changes have been made after extensive consultation with the Australian screen industry and with the intention of ensuring the awards deliver the best possible peer assessment and fullest recognition of our evolving screen industry.

The modifications to AFI Awards processes, which will align them more closely with other prestigious international awards systems, include:

The AFI Awards for Best Film and Best Documentary will become peer assessed.  The requirement that professional members appraise all films within a category ahead of voting in that category has been re-established.  Multiple opportunities will be provided to access films.  In Sydney and Melbourne, professional members will have exclusive access to intimate screenings events that will be supported by functions hosted in partnership with guild and industry associations.

The inauguration of a Members’ Choice Award in 2009 will recognise the AFI general members’ favourite film. In partnership with Australian distributors, and to assist box office support for Australian feature releases, AFI general members will be provided with long-lead awareness and year-round opportunities to view films during their theatrical release.

All AFI members are eligible to vote for the AFI Awards for Best Short Fiction Film and Best Short Animation. In step with the broader digital transformation occurring within our industry, the AFI website will host an online screening room to present nominated short fiction and short animation films exclusively for AFI members to appraise at their convenience.

The voting process for all other awards will remain unchanged with professional members voting in their accredited fields.

Four new AFI Awards are to be introduced: Best Children’s Television Animation, Best Documentary Under One Hour, Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Documentary Series.

Eligibility dates for Feature Film and Television have been expanded by two weeks in 2009, allowing entries to be released or broadcast between 2 October 2008 and 14 October 2009.

Tasmanian actress to host Play School

ABC TV recently announced that four new presenters are set to join Big Ted, Humpty and all the toys at Play School.  The four presenters include Tasmanian Essie Davis, along with Hugh Sheridan, Jolene Anderson and Abi Tucker are the latest to join a select group of respected performers to have the honour to host Play School, Australia's most successful television program for pre-school children.

Tasmanian actor Essie Davis has a long list of film, television and theatre credits to her name.  Some of her films credits include the recent Baz Lurhmann blockbuster Australia, as well as children’s classic Charlotte’s Web, and the Australian indie film Hey Hey it’s Esther Blueburger.

ABC TV Executive Head of Childrens’, Tim Brooke-Hunt said: “We are thrilled that these talented actors have joined our fantastic team of Play School presenters.  We believe that each of them has a rare ability to connect deeply with our pre-school audience and to inspire them to sing, laugh, and play.”

The new presenters have already begun recording Play School and their episodes will start screening on ABC For Kids later this year.  Play School aims to encourage a child to wonder, to think, to feel and to imagine.  It goes to air every weekday throughout the year on ABC1 at 9.30am and at 3.00pm and on ABC2 at 2.00pm.

Tasmanian Doco wins awards at the International Wildlife Film Festival

Announced on Wednesday 8 April 2009, the Screen Australia National Interest Program/Magic|Real Picture Company production Feral Peril has picked up three awards at the International Wildlife Film Festival in the USA.  Feral Peril was named Winner of the Best Narration Award and received two Merit Awards – one for Editing and one for Script.

Feral Peril, due to screen on ABC1 in 2009, investigates whether Tasmania’s struggling native species are under threat from a feral fox invasion.  The one-hour documentary, narrated by William McInnes, follows the “Fox Squad” - a team employed under the Tasmanian Government's fox eradication program - as they chase down sightings, gather evidence and battle public scepticism in a bid to avert ecological disaster.

Feral Peril is a Screen Australia National Interest Program and Magic|Real Picture Company production in association with Screen Tasmania.  Made in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Find out more about Feral Peril at: http://www.filmaust.com.au/programs/default.asp?content=program_display&sn=9206

AFTRS Tasmania has moved

You can now find Edwina in her new office at Studio 125, Salamanca Arts Centre, 77 Salamanca Place.

Office Hours and phone number have stayed the same. You can drop by on Tuesdays or Thursdays, between 9 and 5, or call 6223 5983.

Screen Australia Producer Offset Update

As of 31 March 2009, 216 projects have been issued with provisional certificates: 85 features, 88 non-feature documentaries and 43 other projects (e.g. TV series, telemovies, direct-DVD/online, short-form animation).  

Nineteen final certificates have been issued (two features, 10 non-feature documentaries and seven other projects) with a total determined QAPE of A$40,914,416m. Eight further applications for final certificates are under consideration.

Screen Australian announces latest round of funding approvals

Screen Australian announced it will provide production finance for two features, a children’s television series and two documentaries.  Budgets for these projects total $17 million.

The two documentaries are both financed by Screen Australia under the National Interest Program, in conjunction with the ABC.

The next deadline for production investment applications is 12 June 2009 for TV drama, children’s television, domestic and international documentaries, and low-budget features.  Applications for Offset-eligible features and National Documentary Program projects can be submitted at any time.

For details on funded projects: http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/news_and_events/2009/mr_090506_boardmtg.asp

Raw Nerve 2009 Announces Winners

Wide Angle Tasmania would like to congratulate the winners of Raw Nerve 2009.

For 2009, 16 applicants applied, and the selection panel had a very difficult time choosing only four, but in the end they came up with: (announced in no particular order)

Bernard Lloyd...with his film The Tin Man; a documentary/bio-pic about Tasmania’s legendary prospector James ‘Philosopher’ Smith.  In the film a boy exploring a mining museum discovers Smith's secret after he sits in the old prospector’s chair.

Marisa Mastrocola with her film Village in my Suitcase; a poetic documentary about a young woman who grieves the passing of her father's Italian peasant village.

Dominique Hurley and Justice Newman with their film Water; a visual poem about the immense strength required to regain our childlike innocence.

Jasmine Cameron with her film The Night Garden; a film that explores the theme of silent bonds and relationships that we form with people when we are at a difficult or profound point in our lives.

Raw Nerve provides new filmmakers with the training, mentors, resources and financial assistance to make their first low budget short film in a real industry environment.  The program spans the complete filmmaking process from concept and script development though to post-production and marketing.

Supervising Producer for this project will be the award winning film maker, Roger Scholes.