‘Backtrack Boys’ director Catherine Scott is among those who spearheaded the campaign.
More than 250 filmmakers have co-signed an open letter calling for a “radical overhaul” of government policy in order to sustainably support the independent documentary sector now and into the future.
The letter, from the newly formed Australian Independent Documentary (Aid) group, argues that recent policy changes have undermined the viability of the independent documentary sector and its ability to produce distinct and original Australian content for both local and international audiences.
It calls variously for Screen Australia to work with the public broadcasters to create a dedicated strand on Australian public broadcast television for original Australian documentary, and for the federal agency to stop allocating funds to foreign majority owned companies at development and production stage; to increase funding support for original Australian formats; recognise cinema-on-demand as a legitimate form of cinema distribution, and to establish a dedicated fund for international co-production.
More than 250 filmmakers have co-signed an open letter calling for a “radical overhaul” of government policy in order to sustainably support the independent documentary sector now and into the future.
The letter, from the newly formed Australian Independent Documentary (Aid) group, argues that recent policy changes have undermined the viability of the independent documentary sector and its ability to produce distinct and original Australian content for both local and international audiences.
It calls variously for Screen Australia to work with the public broadcasters to create a dedicated strand on Australian public broadcast television for original Australian documentary, and for the federal agency to stop allocating funds to foreign majority owned companies at development and production stage; to increase funding support for original Australian formats; recognise cinema-on-demand as a legitimate form of cinema distribution, and to establish a dedicated fund for international co-production.
- 3/5/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
After I walked out of Mad Max: Fury Road over the weekend, I was impressed by a lot of things. The performances, namely Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The absolutely insane practical effects that were filmed in-camera. The fact the film was made by a man whose last three directorial credits include Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two. Don't get me wrong, I like dancing penguins and city-dwelling pigs as much as everybody else, maybe more, but let's agree the War Rig in Mad Max: Fury Road takes viewers on a ride that those animals, cute as they are, simply cannot. Perhaps two of the biggest highlights of the film, however, are its stunning attention to detail and the way it embraces the world around it, to the point its world doesn't feel created so much as it just exists. There is a sense of...
- 5/19/2015
- by Jordan Benesh
- Rope of Silicon
Shaun Micallef as a fictional former prime minister who is desperate to stay relevant, a comedy series starring The Project.s Charlie Pickering and a modern re-telling of Anna Karenina.
These are among the highlights of the ABC.s 2015 line-up unveiled today by director of television Richard Finlayson. .The breadth and depth of our slate reflects the quality of Australian independent production,. Finlayson told If.
The executive acknowledges producers are fearful of the impact of looming budget cuts to be imposed by the federal government but says, .We know the cuts cast a pall of uncertainty but we are getting on with the process of commissioning as best we can. By and large it is business as usual.. Micallef will star in The Ex-pm as Australia.s third longest-serving Prime Minister who has far too much time on his hands and no one to waste it on in a Cjz...
These are among the highlights of the ABC.s 2015 line-up unveiled today by director of television Richard Finlayson. .The breadth and depth of our slate reflects the quality of Australian independent production,. Finlayson told If.
The executive acknowledges producers are fearful of the impact of looming budget cuts to be imposed by the federal government but says, .We know the cuts cast a pall of uncertainty but we are getting on with the process of commissioning as best we can. By and large it is business as usual.. Micallef will star in The Ex-pm as Australia.s third longest-serving Prime Minister who has far too much time on his hands and no one to waste it on in a Cjz...
- 11/12/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, Finding Vivian Maier documents Maloof’s journey to discover more about Vivian Maier after purchasing a box of her negatives in 2007. He began the search a few years later, after he realized the negatives consisted of some of the best undeveloped street photography of the 20th century. After some searching, it was revealed that Maier was a career-nanny who had died in 2009.
Since the documentary is in serious contention for a best documentary feature Oscar, we thought we’d check to see how many other photography-related films have managed to resonate with the Academy’s documentary branch and land a nomination in the same category. We found six.
The Naked Eye (1956)
Directed by two-time Oscar winner Louis Clyde Stoumen, this documentary celebrates photography through history by looking at pioneers in the field, such as Margaret Bourke-White. Though he covers works by multiple photographers,...
Managing Editor
Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, Finding Vivian Maier documents Maloof’s journey to discover more about Vivian Maier after purchasing a box of her negatives in 2007. He began the search a few years later, after he realized the negatives consisted of some of the best undeveloped street photography of the 20th century. After some searching, it was revealed that Maier was a career-nanny who had died in 2009.
Since the documentary is in serious contention for a best documentary feature Oscar, we thought we’d check to see how many other photography-related films have managed to resonate with the Academy’s documentary branch and land a nomination in the same category. We found six.
The Naked Eye (1956)
Directed by two-time Oscar winner Louis Clyde Stoumen, this documentary celebrates photography through history by looking at pioneers in the field, such as Margaret Bourke-White. Though he covers works by multiple photographers,...
- 11/7/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Australian film-maker Jan Sharp was honoured at the Telluride Film Festival. The festival was dedicated to both Sharp and Us producer Bingham Ray. Sharp’s film credits include Wide Sargasso Sea and Echoes of Paradise.
Accompanying The Sapphires and documentary On Borrowed Time by David Bradbury about film-maker Paul Cox and his life on a liver transplant waiting list were short films Rain by Tom and Sam McKeith, Barn Owl by Anna Spencer and Boo! by Rupert Reid.
The announcement:
Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival ending today was dedicated to the late Australian writer/producer/director Jan Sharp, as well as to the late Us producer Bingham Ray.
Jan’s long career began at Film Australia and included credits Wild Sargasso Sea and The Good Wife.
Bingham was a co-founder of October Films, a leading independent distribution company of the 1990s, and a former president of United Artists.
Australian films...
Accompanying The Sapphires and documentary On Borrowed Time by David Bradbury about film-maker Paul Cox and his life on a liver transplant waiting list were short films Rain by Tom and Sam McKeith, Barn Owl by Anna Spencer and Boo! by Rupert Reid.
The announcement:
Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival ending today was dedicated to the late Australian writer/producer/director Jan Sharp, as well as to the late Us producer Bingham Ray.
Jan’s long career began at Film Australia and included credits Wild Sargasso Sea and The Good Wife.
Bingham was a co-founder of October Films, a leading independent distribution company of the 1990s, and a former president of United Artists.
Australian films...
- 9/4/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The Federal Government plans to introduce legislation which will define the type of documentaries eligible for the Producer Offset rebate.
Arts Minister Simon Crean said the absence of a legislative definition and recent court decisions have created financial uncertainty for producers.
.Inserting a definition of the term .documentary. will give producers greater confidence about the eligibility of their production and will support the success of the Producer Offset as a funding mechanism,. he said in a statement. .It will also provide clear guidance for the program.s administrator, Screen Australia, and the government in the operation of the Offset..
The government first announced plans to define the limits of a documentary in the 2012-13 Federal Budget following Screen Australia.s failed court battle to reject Essential Media and Entertainment.s Offset application for TV series Lush House.
Screen Australia argued that the ten-episode cleaning series was an infotainment program rather...
Arts Minister Simon Crean said the absence of a legislative definition and recent court decisions have created financial uncertainty for producers.
.Inserting a definition of the term .documentary. will give producers greater confidence about the eligibility of their production and will support the success of the Producer Offset as a funding mechanism,. he said in a statement. .It will also provide clear guidance for the program.s administrator, Screen Australia, and the government in the operation of the Offset..
The government first announced plans to define the limits of a documentary in the 2012-13 Federal Budget following Screen Australia.s failed court battle to reject Essential Media and Entertainment.s Offset application for TV series Lush House.
Screen Australia argued that the ten-episode cleaning series was an infotainment program rather...
- 7/5/2012
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
The Government has made a last gasp decision to delay its reforms to the Living Away From Home Allowance which were due to take place from Sunday.
The changes – which will see the axing of a perk worth thousands of dollars a year will now be put off until October 1.
The issue has triggered huge debate on Mumbrella’s comment threads because of the large number of workers from overseas and particularly the UK employed within the media and marketing industry.
The end of the allowance – which effectively allows recipients to claim living costs tax free – will see claimants thousands of dollars a year worse off. Even if employers do not increase salaries to make up the shortfall they will be hit with an increased super bill.
However, the three month extension does at least partly address criticisms during the consultation period that Lafha was axed on too short notice,...
The changes – which will see the axing of a perk worth thousands of dollars a year will now be put off until October 1.
The issue has triggered huge debate on Mumbrella’s comment threads because of the large number of workers from overseas and particularly the UK employed within the media and marketing industry.
The end of the allowance – which effectively allows recipients to claim living costs tax free – will see claimants thousands of dollars a year worse off. Even if employers do not increase salaries to make up the shortfall they will be hit with an increased super bill.
However, the three month extension does at least partly address criticisms during the consultation period that Lafha was axed on too short notice,...
- 6/28/2012
- by mumbrella
- Encore Magazine
Filmmaker Julia Overton will receive the 2012 Aidc Stanley Hawes Award at this month's Australian International Documentary Conference in Adelaide.
The Aidc said Overton's long tenure at government funding agencies was characterised by humanity rather than bureaucracy, and she never viewed guidelines as rules.
"She will go to great lengths to assist individual filmmakers and promote the documentary genre as a whole, and has opened more doors for documentaries, both in Australia and to the rest of the world, then anyone in the business," the Aidc said in a statement.
The co-chair of the Aidc board, Mitzi Goldman, said Overton was a "powerhouse" and her "imprint on Australian documentary has been immeasurable".
Overton has worked for the Australian Film Commission, the Film Finance Corporation, and Screen Australia, and has also produced feature films (Cut, Spider and Rose, Fistful of Flies, Until the End of the World, Travelling North), TV dramas (Aftershocks,...
The Aidc said Overton's long tenure at government funding agencies was characterised by humanity rather than bureaucracy, and she never viewed guidelines as rules.
"She will go to great lengths to assist individual filmmakers and promote the documentary genre as a whole, and has opened more doors for documentaries, both in Australia and to the rest of the world, then anyone in the business," the Aidc said in a statement.
The co-chair of the Aidc board, Mitzi Goldman, said Overton was a "powerhouse" and her "imprint on Australian documentary has been immeasurable".
Overton has worked for the Australian Film Commission, the Film Finance Corporation, and Screen Australia, and has also produced feature films (Cut, Spider and Rose, Fistful of Flies, Until the End of the World, Travelling North), TV dramas (Aftershocks,...
- 2/20/2012
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
Nitin Kumar Pamnani’s I am Your Poet won the Best Documentary Film (upto 40 minutes duration) award comprising the Golden Conch and Rs. 5 lakh at the 12th Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation films.
Pamnani’s film in Hindi and Bhojpuri is about the poetry of Rama Shankar Yadav ‘Vidrohi.’
Shape of the Shapeless by the New York based film maker Jayant Cherian was adjudged the second Best short Film with Silver Conch and Rs. 250,000/- in cash.
Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris won the Golden Conch for Best Documentary Film above 40 minutes duration. The British film maker’s documentary tells the story of the ‘Gulabi Gang’ which is active in Uttar Pradesh, empowering women.
The Silver Conch for Best Documentary above 40 minutes duration is shared by Dreaming Taj Mahal by Nirmal Chandar and the Russian entry Home by Olga Maurina.
The Golden Conch for Best Fiction...
Pamnani’s film in Hindi and Bhojpuri is about the poetry of Rama Shankar Yadav ‘Vidrohi.’
Shape of the Shapeless by the New York based film maker Jayant Cherian was adjudged the second Best short Film with Silver Conch and Rs. 250,000/- in cash.
Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris won the Golden Conch for Best Documentary Film above 40 minutes duration. The British film maker’s documentary tells the story of the ‘Gulabi Gang’ which is active in Uttar Pradesh, empowering women.
The Silver Conch for Best Documentary above 40 minutes duration is shared by Dreaming Taj Mahal by Nirmal Chandar and the Russian entry Home by Olga Maurina.
The Golden Conch for Best Fiction...
- 2/10/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The Nsw Government has used almost a quarter of its recently announced $25m budget for the film industry to fund five features, four TV series, one telemovie, 12 docos and one cross-platform project.
The projects include Mei Mei, an Australia/China co-production starring Guy Pearce, and The Hunter, with American actor Willem Dafoe.
The biggest winner is Joanna Werner’s children’s drama Dance Academy, with $500,000 towards production of season two.
Vincent Sheehan’s production The Hunter will be shot in Tasmania and China, with a majority of crew from Nsw and post-production also taking place in this state – it will receive $400,000 from the Government.
The production expenditure of these projects is expected to reach $62m.
These are the projects receiving funds from the Nsw Government in this round:
Features
Mei-mei
Production Company: Portal Pictures Finance: $200,000 Writers: Martin Edmond, Pauline Chan, Philip Dalkin. Producers: Penny Carl-Nelson, Pauline Chan, Lesley Stevens,...
The projects include Mei Mei, an Australia/China co-production starring Guy Pearce, and The Hunter, with American actor Willem Dafoe.
The biggest winner is Joanna Werner’s children’s drama Dance Academy, with $500,000 towards production of season two.
Vincent Sheehan’s production The Hunter will be shot in Tasmania and China, with a majority of crew from Nsw and post-production also taking place in this state – it will receive $400,000 from the Government.
The production expenditure of these projects is expected to reach $62m.
These are the projects receiving funds from the Nsw Government in this round:
Features
Mei-mei
Production Company: Portal Pictures Finance: $200,000 Writers: Martin Edmond, Pauline Chan, Philip Dalkin. Producers: Penny Carl-Nelson, Pauline Chan, Lesley Stevens,...
- 8/4/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
David Bradbury is one of Australia's most successful documentary makers and his work is inspired by compelling social and political issues. Two of his films, Frontline which profiled war cameraman Neil Davis and Chile: Hasta Cuando? on the brutal military dictatorship of General Pinochet, were nominated for Academy Awards. So what would persuade this prolific documentarian to make a surfing film? Originally Bradbury took on Going Vertical: The Shortboard Revolution as a favour for friend and producer Robert Raymond but he did not require much convincing. While confessing to being more of a board rider than a surfer, Bradbury says, "I grew up with Midget Farrelly and Bob Brown being heroes of mine so I was happy to take on the job and do my bit with it.
- 3/3/2010
- FilmInk.com.au
- Ten Canoes, the most critically acclaimed Australian film of the year, swept the Australian Film Institute awards last week. The film depicts the cautionary tale of lust and loyalty that an Aboriginal tribe recounts to a young member. Incredibly it is first feature from Australia made in a language indigenous. The film, directed by the experienced Rolf de Heer and newcomer Peter Djigirr, has been generating award buzz since it was selected, and won a Special Jury Prize, at Cannes earlier this year. On Thursday the film won, Best Direction, the much deserved Best Cinematography for Ian Jones, Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Original Screenplay. Unsurprisingly Ten Canoes also managed to secure the L’Oreal Paris AFI Award for Best Film. De Heer was further honoured with the Brian Kennedy Award, an award that is given in respect of a filmmaker’s relentless pursuit of excellence in filmmaking.
- 12/12/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.