The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS) brought world-class make-up talent to Australia for the first time in the show’s 12 year history.
It was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, between 12-13 September 2009 and showcased the work of local and international award-winning make-up artists, both in beauty and prosthetic work.
Keynote speakers for the show included renowned Australian make-up artist Rae Morris – the make-up director of Australia’s Fashion Week, a four-time winner of Australia’s Make-up Artist of the Year award, and the author of Makeup: The Ultimate Guide.
IMATS Sydney hosted 60 international vendors, with educational seminars held throughout the weekend. 2500 visitors, both trade and consumer, were expected through the doors for the event.
Aspiring make-up artists from around the globe converged in Sydney to compete in the IMATS student competition. The competition was divided into beauty and prosthetic themes: this year’s beauty theme was Gothic and the prosthetic theme was X-Men Mutants. First-place winners in each category took home a $1,000 prize.
Overseas keynote speakers included Oscar® winner Howard Berger, Britain’s BAFTA-winning make-up effects designer Neill Gorton, and special make-up effects artist Gino Acevedo.
Berger, who won an Oscar® for his work on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, took the stage with his make-up team from Narnia. Berger and KNB (the company he founded with Gregory Nicotero) have also worked on critically acclaimed productions such as Inglourious Basterds, Drag Me to Hell, Sin City, the Kill Bill films, Casino, Army of Darkness and Dances with Wolves, as well as numerous television shows.
As the prosthetics supervisor for Weta Workshop, Acevedo oversaw all three Lord of the Rings films. He has also worked on Alien 3, The Nutty Professor, Godzilla, Men in Black, Independence Day and Peter Jackson’s King Kong, among other productions.