The records smashed by doco 'John Farnham: Finding the Voice' have proven that Australians will still come out in numbers to see local stories on the big screen, and there is significant optimism among exhibitors about the commercial potential of 'Force of Nature: The Dry 2'. However, broadly the year so far has been a very slow one for Australian films at the box office.
Joy Hopwood's musical rom-com 'Get a Life, Alright' will screen on 9GO this month, as the independent filmmaker continues to build momentum with her company Joyhouse Productions.
The NSW Government has followed the lead of its federal counterpart in taking steps to bring the state's arts and creative industries under one policy.
After helming TV series such as 'Mystery Road' and 'Firebite', Warwick Thornton returns to where he says his heart is – cinema – with 'The New Boy'. The writer, director and DOP talks to IF about the making of the film and his approach to directing - "there are no f***ing rules".
Made Up Stories producer Bruna Papandrea, Binge executive director Alison Hurbert-Burns, and First Nations multi-hyphenates Leah Purcell, Kodie Bedford, and Jub Clerc have been added to the SXSW Sydney line-up as the event draws closer.
Screenwest’s West Coast Visions funding, which backs debut feature directors from WA, has proven to be one of the country’s most effective talent escalators. From this year onward, Screen Australia will commit an extra $500,000 to the initiative annually. IF talks to recent recipients, the teams behind 'He Ain't Heavy', now in post, and 'Birthright', now fully financed and set to enter production later this year.
There has been more movement at the top for the nation's screen agencies, with former WildBear Entertainment head of production Holly Trueman appointed CEO of Screen Canberra.
Ludo production manager Rhiannon Steffensen and animation director Claire Renton will appear in-conversation at the ACMI next week to talk about the studio's role in producing 'Arrkutja Tharra Kungka Kutjara, Two Girls'.