Australian film doyen David Stratton AM is set to receive the Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers’ top honour at a presentation in Sydney on November 29.
Stratton will be named the 2024 National Cinema Pioneer of the Year in recognition of his lengthy achievements and contribution to the Australian cinema industry including as a writer, reviewer, and former director of the Sydney Film Festival (1966-1983).
The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers president, Lori Flekser, said Stratton had made an “extraordinary contribution to our industry” and is “the epitome of all this Award stands for”.
He was feature film programmer for SBS TV, host of Movie of the Week and Cinema Classics on SBS (1981-2003), co-host with Margaret Pomeranz of The Movie Show on SBS (1986-2003) and At The Movies on ABC TV (2003-2014). He also reviewed films for Variety (1983-2003) and The Australian (1990-2023), as well as contributed articles to The Age, The Bulletin, The Sydney Morning Herald, Cinema Papers and International Film Guide (UK).
His books include The Last New Wave (1980), The Avocado Plantation (1990), I Peed on Fellini, 101 Marvellous Movies You May Have Missed (2018) and My Favourite Movies (2021). David’s third book on Australian cinema – Australia At The Movies – will be published by Allen & Unwin in November.
Stratton’s voluminous knowledge of film saw him serve as a member of the international jury at the Venice Film Festival on two occasions, and he has also served on international juries in Berlin, Montreal, Karlovy Vary, Hawaii and Adelaide. He has also twice been president of the FIPRESCI (International Film Critics) juries in Cannes and once in Venice.
His achievements have also been recognised through other awards, including the Longford Award and the Chauvel Award. He is a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France) and has an honorary degree from both Sydney and Macquarie Universities. Most recently, he lectured on film history as part of the continuing education program at Sydney University (1988-2023).
The National Cinema Pioneer of the Year award was first presented in 1969, with previous recipients including cinematographer Russell Boyd ACS ASC (Picnic At Hanging Rock, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World), producers Jill Robb (Careful He Might Hear You) and Patricia Lovell AM MBE (Gallipoli, Picnic At Hanging Rock), arthouse distributor and cinema owner/exhibitor Natalie Miller AO, and Animal Logic’s Zareh Nalbandian. Last year, the joint recipients were film distributors Andrew Mackie and Richard Payten.
The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers has also announced its State recipients:
- 2024 Queensland Cinema Pioneers of the Year – Freya & Graham Tienan
- 2024 Victorian Cinema Pioneer of the Year – Vincent Parisella
- 2024 Tasmanian Cinema Pioneer of the Year – Carol Diprose
- 2024 South Australian Cinema Pioneer of the Year – Shane Fulwood
- 2024 Western Australian Cinema Pioneer of the Year – Joanne McDonald
- 2024 NSW Cinema Pioneer of the Year – Paul Brennan