SPAA is extremely pleased to announce the finalists for the 2007 Digi SPAA Feature Film Competition:
* Beautiful – Producer Shaun Newcombe (VIC)
* Boxing Day – Producer Kristian Mliere (SA)
* Men’s Group – Producer John L Simpson (NSW)
* Rats & Cats – Producer Jason Byrne (VIC)
The finalists lauded as outstanding, represent the new wave of Australian digital feature filmmaking says Executive Director, Geoff Brown:
‘There is a new Australian Cinema and it’s revealing itself through DigiSPAA. These are new filmmakers using their imagination, craft and writing skills with the new digital technology to achieve outstanding results outside of the mainstream’.
2007 Digi SPAA received 19 entries in 2007, building upon former years which saw 13 entries in 2005 and 17 entries in 2006. The judging panel includes Melanie Coombs, producer of the Oscar winning Harvie Krumpet, Antony I. Ginnane, President of IFM World Releasing Inc., Geoff Brown, Executive Director SPAA; Daniel Scharf, Producer of Geoffrey Wright’s AFI Award-winning Romper Stomper; and Colleen Meldrum, Program Director, Movie Network Channels.
The four Digi SPAA finalists will be screened at this year’s SPAA Fringe conference on 26 and 27 October at the Chauvel Cinema in Sydney. From the four finalists, two grand finalists will be announced at SPAA Fringe Closing Night.
The Grand Prize winner of Digi SPAA’s inaugural SPAARTAN Award, will be announced at the SPAA Conference in November on the Gold Coast. The winner will be made available at the SPAA Conference to prominent international and local delegates, so they will have lots of exposure to the top dogs of the industry.
Digi SPAA is a creative project of the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) an industry body that represents Australian independent film and television producers on all issues affecting the business and creative aspects of screen production. Digi SPAA is proudly supported by Movie Network Channels which is distributed via subscription TV platforms FOXTEL, AUSTAR, Optus, SelecTV, and Neighbourhood Cable.
For further information go to http://www.spaa.org.au/
[release from Tsuki]