PRESS RELEASE
Maryanne Redpath, Director of the Generation section and official delegate for the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), will visit Australia this month to view new Australian feature films for consideration for the 2014 festival. Maryanne is also the head curator for Berlinale special program ‘NATIVe – A Journey into Indigenous Cinema’, which was launched in 2013.
Widely regarded as one of the top three film festivals in the world, Berlinale sold more than 300,000 tickets in 2013, and was attended by almost 20,000 film professionals from 124 countries. The Berlinale also hosts the nine-day European Film Market. In 2013 the market had over 8,000 participants from 95 counties, an increase on previous years.
In 2013, Australian films were very well received at the festival, with some enjoying prestigious awards. Kim Mordaunt’s debut feature The Rocket won the Best First Feature Award, with a €50,000 prize, as well as Best Feature in the Generation Kplus program. Matthew Moore’s The Amber Amulet was awarded Best Short Film in the same section. This is the second year that Matthew has won the award and the fourth year in a row that an Australian film has won it.
The festival’s Generation Kplus program is a section devoted to young people. Its children’s and international juries also awarded Special Mentions to Catriona McKenzie’s feature Satellite Boy.
The 2013 festival also included the specially-curated Australian Indigenous program for NATIVe, featuring three feature films and four short dramas and documentaries.
The festival accepts international entries in the following sections: Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation and Berlinale Shorts.
Eligible Australian feature films for the 2014 Berlinale may be viewed by Maryanne in Australia. If your feature film meets the festival entry requirements please contact Dale Fairbairn, Marketing Manager Industry Support, at dale.fairbairn@screenaustralia.gov.au
Submissions for the 2014 festival will open this month. Short films and documentaries should be submitted directly to the festival via its website. If you let Dale know once you have submitted your film, she will inform Maryanne during her visit.
Submission deadline to Screen Australia is 5pm, Wednesday 25 September.
The Berlin International Film Festival will take place 6–16 February 2014.
Entry requirements: www.berlinale.de/en/branche/_filmanmeldung/filmanmeldung_allgem/index.html