Nicole O’Donohue has been selected as the first-ever 37South: Accelerator Express producer by 37South: Bridging the Gap, the film co-financing market of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), and Accelerator, MIFF’s skills and craft development workshop for new short film directing talent.
37South: Accelerator Express is a collaboration of 37South: Bridging the Gap, which is focused on producers with ‘market-ready’ projects, and Accelerator. It comprises:
- 37 South: Accelerator Producer Express in which one lucky producer of an Accelerator short film who is developing a feature film with the same director is selected to participate in 37South: Bridging the Gap thereby accelerating this team’s project for consideration by registered buyers.
- 37South: Accelerator Screenings Express in which an Accelerator-selected program of short films has special screenings for 37South: Bridging the Gap’s registered producers thereby exposing the works of Accelerator top directors of tomorrow to today’s established producers.
O’Donohue’s selection means that she will receive registration to 37South: Bridging the Gap, where she will pitch Leon Ford’s GRIFF THE INVISIBILE, the first feature film project O’Donohue is financing, to 37South: Bridging the Gap’s more than 30 local and international financiers. O’Donohue is presently line producing low budget feature CEDAR BOYS, having produced short films THE LIST (Joel Edgerton), SPIDER (Nash Edgerton), PLAY (Ben West) and Leon Ford’s two short films KATOOMBA (which won best short at the 2008 St Kilda Festival) and THE MECHANICALS (which played at the 2005 Venice Film Festival). She is also served Associate Producer of TV series LOCKIE LEONARD.
“This is a fantastic chance to be part of an international financing market against the backdrop of MIFF and a great opportunity to kick-start the pitching and networking required to finance my feature project GRIFF THE INVISIBLE,” said O’Donohue.
“It’s inspiring that this kind of initiative is available to producers at a local level and I’m looking forward to meeting both local and international financiers/buyers as well as spending time with local producers and familiarising myself with the changes taking place in the Australian film industry right now. “
Meantime, the 37South: Accelerator Express Screenings will expose the work of Accelerator’s top directing talents of tomorrow to today’s established producers in a program of selected shorts from the Accelerator directing alumni for 37South2008’s 64 registered producers.
The 37South: Accelerator Express Screenings as follows:
37South: Accelerator Express – PROGRAM ONE (PROG LENGTH: 82 MINS) at 3:20pm THURSDAY 24th JULY ACMI 1. FOUR, directed by Erin White (Australia), 18 mins; NETHERLAND DWARF, David Michod (Australia), 15 mins; NICE SHOOTIN COWBOY, Ben Phelps (Australia), 15 mins;
DIRECTIONS, Kasimir Burgess (Australia), 14 mins; THE GROUND BENEATH, Rene Hernandez (Australia) 20 mins
37South: Accelerator Express – PROGRAM TWO (PROG LENGTH 96 MINS) at5pm THURSDAY 24th JULY ACMI 1. HAZE , Anthony Chen (Singapore), 14 mins; AHMAD’S GARDEN, Aaron Wilson (Australia) 15 mins; 296 SMITH STREET, John Evagora (Australia), 15 mins; HE.SHE.IT directed by John Alsop (Australia) 15 mins; HAWKER, Dustin Feneley (Australia), 13 mins; NEW BOY, Steph Green (Ireland), 11 mins; JERRYCAN, Julius Avery (Australia), 13 mins
37South: Accelerator Express – PROGRAM THREE (PROG LENGTH 81 MINS) at 8:30am FRIDAY 25th JULY ACMI 1. HELL’S GATES, Jonathan Auf Der Heide (AUSTRALIA), 21 mins; THE SKY IS ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL, Jeremy Cumpston (AUSTRALIA), 14 mins; THIS IS HER, Katie Wolfe (NZ), 12 mins
FAMILY MAN, Hugh Sullivan (Australia), 8 mins; CAREFUL WITH THIS AXE, Jason Stutter (NZ), 3 mins; DISSECTION, Callum Cooper (Australia), 9 mins; BETTY BANNED SWEETS, Michelle Savill (NZ), 14 mins.
37South: Bridging the Gap is the major event of 37South2008, which runs 24-27 July 2008 at MIFF. Details of the registered producers and financing guests will be announced shortly before the event.
[Release by LimelightPR]