A host of actors, filmmakers and industry luminaries will head to the South West of Western Australia later this month for the seventh annual CinéfestOZ.
More than 30 actors, directors and producers will attend the prestigious festival – among them top names such as actors Marta Dusseldorp, Joel and Nash Edgerton, Myles Pollard, David Wenham, Viva Bianca, Alex Williams, Harrison Gilbertson, directors Bruce Beresford and Robert Connolly and industry representatives including ABC’s At the Movies host Margaret Pomeranz.
This year’s CinéfestOZ will feature more than 60 films, including 13 Australian, 10 French and one “Aussies Abroad”, 13 community screenings and 29 short films, over the five-day event. Across the festival there will be three world premieres, five Australian premieres and 11 WA premieres.
This year will also see the introduction of the $100,000 Film Prize – Australia’s richest film prize – awarded to the producer of an Australian feature film or feature-length documentary. The Prize will be presented at CinéfestOZ’s gala event on August 23rd.
Felony, Son of a Gun, The Reckoning, The Waler: Australia’s Great War Horse and MIFF@CinéfestOZ films My Mistress and Paper Planes have all been shortlisted for the award and representatives from each will attend CinéfestOZ to present their film:
•FELONY – Joel Edgerton, Matthew Saville (director), Rosemary Blight (producer)
•MY MISTRESS – Harrison Gilbertson, Stephen Lance (director), Leanne Tonkes (producer)
•PAPER PLANES – David Wenham, Robert Connolly (director), Liz Kearney (producer)
•SON OF A GUN – Nash Edgerton, Julius Avery (director), Tim White (producer), Janelle Landers (co-producer)
•THE RECKONING – Alex Williams, Viva Bianca, John V Soto (director), Deidre Kitcher (producer)
•THE WALER – AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WAR HORSE: Marian Bartsch (producer), Barry Strickland (writer),Brad Manera (presenter) Professor Roland Perry (presenter).
Also in attendance at the festival will be the Film Prize jury – Marta Dusseldorp, Benjamin Illos, Sue Milliken, Margaret Pomeranz and chair Bruce Beresford.
As well as enjoying the more than 200 public screenings of Australian and French feature films, documentaries and shorts at this year’s festival, CinéfestOZ guests will also be invited to enjoy other aspects of the festival, including the Directors’ Lunch at Aravina Estate, Cine-snaps schools program, script workshops, filmmaker Q&A sessions and Side Bar (short film) screenings.
“We feel so privileged to have so many people we know and respect heading our way later this month and we look forward to spending what promises to be a truly wonderful five days with them in our beautiful neck of the woods,” Shervington added.
CinéfestOZ is supported by the State Government through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program, which is funded by Royalties for Regions. The festival acknowledges its strong partnership with ScreenWest, Western Australia’s screen funding and development agency.
ScreenWest will also have in attendance at the festival several industry guests including managing director of Roadshow films Joel Pearlman, head of production at Roadshow Film Seph McKenna, festival organiser Chen Jie, Variety Asia bureau chief Patrick Frater and investment banking and media expert Joseph Newton Cohen.