CinéfestOZ is delighted to announce the members of the jury who will decide on the winner of its inaugural $100,000 Film Prize.
Actress Marta Dusseldorp, film selector Benjamin Illos, producer Sue Milliken and film reviewer Margaret Pomeranz, along with jury chair, acclaimed Australian director Bruce Beresford, have been invited to decide the winner of Australia’s richest film prize at the festival, which takes place in South West Western Australia next month.
“We are extremely honoured to have a group of such esteemed members of the film industry on board to help select the winner of our inaugural Film Prize,” said deputy chair of CinéfestOZ Helen Shervington.“They bring to the table experience and a great deal of standing in the industry and we look forward to hearing their final verdict on who will walk away with this prestigious prize.”
The CinéfestOZ Film Prize encourages excellence in Australian filmmaking by providing a $100,000 award to an Australian feature film or feature-length documentary.
The festival received more than 20 submissions for the Prize, which were last week narrowed down to six finalists. Felony, Son of a Gun, The Reckoning, The Waler: Australia’s Great War Horse and MIFF@CinefestOZ films My Mistress and Paper Planes will all contend for the Prize, which will be announced at the festival on Saturday, 23rd August.
Each of the six finalists will screen during the CinèfestOZ, along with an exciting program of other new Australian and French features, short films, documentaries, industry workshops and related events. The Waler: Australia’s Great War Horse will have its world premiere at CinéfestOZ while the festival will also host the Australian premieres of Son of a Gun and The Reckoning. CinéfestOZ will also screen for the first time in Western Australia Felony, My Mistress and Paper Planes.
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.
2014 CinéfestOZ Film Prize Jury
Bruce Beresford (Chair)
Bruce is an Australian Director who has made more than 30 films over a 50 year career. Among the long list of notable films he has made are Don’s Party, The Getting of Wisdom, Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies, Mao’s Last Dancer and the Academy Award-winning Driving Miss Daisy. Bruce has also directed several operas and theatrical productions.
Marta Dusseldorp
Marta is an award-winning Australian actor whose film credits include Burning Man, Innocence, Praise and Paradise Road. She played the title role of Janet King in the ABC drama series of the same name and has also starred alongside Guy Pearce in tele-movie series Jack Irish. Marta has most recently starred in the #1 Australian drama A Place to Call Home, as the lead character Sarah Adams, for Channel 7.
Benjamin Illos
Benjamin is a film selector for the Directors’ Fortnight. This Cannes parallel section, created in 1968 by the French Directors’ Guild, aims to support filmmakers and encourage their exposure to audiences and professionals alike. Benjamin participated to several publications as a film critic, worked as a film editor, and collaborated for a decade with Pierre Rissient promoting films and directors.
Sue Milliken
Sue has been producing films in Australia since the 1970s. Films she has produced include The Odd Angry Shot, The Fringe Dwellers, Black Robe, Sirens, Dating the Enemy and Paradise Road. Her most recent production, the documentary The Redfern Story screened on ABC in July. She is a past president of the Screen Producers’ Association of Australia and was made a Life Member in 1991. She is a former Chair of the Australian Film Commission and served on the Film and Literature Board of Review. In 2003 she received the Australian Film Institute’s Raymond Longford Award for her contribution to the Australian film industry. In 2008 she was made an officer of the Order of Australia (OA) for her service to the Australian film industry. Her memoir, Selective Memory, about her life in film was published in 2013.
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz AM has co-hosted The Movie Show on SBS and At The Movies on ABC with David Stratton for nearly three decades. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University and was selected for the Playwright’s Studio at NIDA after which she began writing for television, radio and film. She joined the newly established Special Broadcasting Service in 1980 as writer/producer which led to her being appointed producer for David Stratton’s movie hostings. Some years later, in 1986, they were able to get The Movie Show up and running. The duo moved to the ABC in 2004 to establish At The Movies. Margaret has served as a member of the Advertising Standards Board, is a past President of the Film Critics Circle of Australia and has been both President and
Vice-President of Watch on Censorship