In its 50th year celebrations, the Australian Film Institute is thrilled to announce an exciting new initiative, the AFI Documentary Trailblazer and the L’Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Awards Non-Feature Nominees.
The AFI Documentary Trailblazer is a 50th Anniversary initiative. The initiative sees this year’s winner of the AFI Award for Best Documentary honoured at the International Trailblazer Tribute, held in Cannes, April 2009 at MIPDOC/MIPTV, the global television and content market. During this event, award-winning documentary-makers from Australia will join their contemporaries from Europe, North America, Africa and Asia-Pacific will be recognized for their creativity and innovation in the field of documentary filmmaking.
Australia’s delegate will have the opportunity to showcase their work to the international market, including broadcasters, distributors, filmmakers and press. Damian Trewhella, the AFI’s General Manager says that "To translate the critical success of the winning documentary into commercial opportunities for the filmmaker is the essence of this initiative. Having the winning Australian documentary filmmaker showcased on a global stage is the perfect way to complement the 50th anniversary of the AFI Awards."
This exciting initiative includes an all-expenses paid trip to Cannes to attend and screen their work to all MIPDOC/MIPTV attendees. AFI co-participants and supporters of the event include Sundance Channel USA and the International Documentary Association – IDA/HOTDOCS.
The nominees for the Best Documentary Award, the winner of which is eligible for the AFI Trailblazer prize, are:
Beyond Our Ken
Not Quite Hollywood
The Oasis
Rare Chicken Rescue
The nominees for Best Short Animation and Best Short Fiction Film are:
Best Short Animation
Chainsaw
Dog With Electric Collar
Mutt
Paper City Architects
Best Short Fiction Film
Four
The Ground Beneath
Jerrycan
My Rabit Hoppy
This year saw a great number of entrants in the non-feature categories and the nominees, as decided by industry juries, are an exciting and diverse selection of Australian film. A synopsis and cast and production credits summary of all non-feature nominees is attached and can also be found at www.afi.org.au
[release from Kerry O’Brien Publicity]