Celebrating its second year in Sydney as one of the most dynamic and interactive film events in Australia, SPAA FRINGE is back in 2008 for yet another brilliant two-day creative hothouse.
With more than 400 delegates attending last year and a history of prestigious guest speakers including Rick McCallum, Producer Star Wars; Jan Chapman, Producer Lantana; Andrew Mason, Producer The Matrix; and Peter Broderick, specialist in low budget, digital and distribution filmmaking, 2008 SPAA FRINGE is set to continue to inspire and provoke new and upcoming filmmakers.
“SPAA Fringe is the place where the disconnected can connect. It allows out-there film projects and their filmmakers to come in from the cold and learn about the mainstream industry in a lively and challenging way that’s not about compromising their creativity," said Geoff Brown, Executive Director, SPAA.
Held over two days on 24th and 25th October, at Chauvel Cinema and Paddington Town Hall, 2008 SPAA FRINGE will feature an incredible line up of key note speakers from all facets of the film industry, as well as workshops, interactive activities, unique access to the industry’s top Producers and obligatory networking festivities such as Opening and Closing night drinks!
This year also sees the return of Roundtables, which, with over 40 participants, facilitate a broader understanding of our VIP guest’s role in the industry, including the organisation of their company, and the types of projects they are interested in. 2008 SPAA FRINGE will also host over 50 One-on-One’s which allow delegates to talk candidly for 25 minutes with a senior industry player about their project, career and funding opportunities, etc.
Join the SPAA Fringe 2008 Facebook Group, providing delegates with the opportunity to meet people who are interested in similar projects or subjects. Start a discussion thread on the Facebook page and meet the people who share your passion, whether its science fiction, horror, doco, kids or whatever else that tickles your fancy.
In 2007, delegates were spoilt with an inspirational line up of key note speakers including Amy Hobby, Producer Secretary; Ben Batstone-Cunningham, Co-author Second Life: The Official Guide; Rachael Lucas, rock ‘n roll guerilla filmmaker and Director of Japanese surfing road movie Bondi Tsunami; Brendan Cook, Designer and animator who works with artists including The Cops, Paul Mac and Gotye; and Andrea Buck, Producer and Dee McLachlan, Director The Jammed.
As part of the line-up of events at SPAA FRINGE, the four finalists of the annual DigiSPAA Competition will be announced and have their films screened and judged by an expert industry panel based on the quality of the films and the filmmakers’ ability to demonstrate a clear marketing plan across a range of digital platforms.
In 2007, judges of the DigiSPAA Competition included Melanie Coombs, Producer of the Oscar winning Harvie Krumpet; Antony I. Ginnane, President of IFM World Releasing Inc.; Geoff Brown, Executive Director SPAA; Daniel Scharf, Producer of Geoffrey Wright’s AFI Award-winning Romper Stomper; and Colleen Meldrum, Program Director of Movie Network Channels.
In 2007, John L. Simpson won the prestigious ‘SPAARTAN’ Award for Men’s Group, and Kristian Moliere was runner up for the critically acclaimed, Boxing Day. Simpson’s Men’s Group, was invited to screen at Rotterdam Film Festival 2008, Warsaw Festival, Copenhagen Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival amongst others (Simpson also distributed The Jammed).
Tuesday 29th July marks the launch of 2008 SPAA FRINGE. The website is now live for your chance to purchase tickets for this stimulating and unique event. SPAA Fringe, an initiative of the Screen Producer’s Association of Australia (SPAA), is a forum for emerging Producers to gain knowledge, be inspired and evoke innovation within the film industry.
Stay tuned for more announcements, including the line-up of inspirational key-note speakers, program highlights and gala events guaranteed to satisfy even the keenest film buff’s hunger.
[release from Tsuki]