With Christmas around the corner, this is the last official IF newsletter for 2018.
It’s been our pleasure to report on a busy year, which saw Australian films perform respectably at the box office despite a crowded market and often limited P&A spend. Peter Rabbit, Ladies in Black and Breath were all commercial hits. Screen Australia’s Indigenous department turned 25, and stories from Indigenous filmmakers – like Sweet Country and Mystery Road – dominated the year, capturing both audiences and acclaim. In TV, shows like Mr Inbetween and Harrow resonated internationally. Our emerging filmmakers also speak to a bright future, with Charles Williams’ All These Creatures winning the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d’Or, and Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe’s short animation Lost & Found shortlisted for an Oscar just today.
And of course, the industry continued to debate policy settings, grapple with digital disruption, and try to promote safer, more diverse and more inclusive workplaces. Within each of these issues are key considerations for the sector’s sustainable future – we have no doubt we’ll continue to report on each in the year ahead.
Speaking of 2019, we’re certain it will kick off with a bang with six Australian features at the Sundance Film Festival: Sophie Hyde’s Animals, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy and Punch, Abe Forsythe’s Little Monsters, Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, Grant Sputore’s I Am Mother and Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale.
Thank you to our readers, contributors and advertisers who have been with us this year.
Throughout the break, we’ll send you newsletters with what we thought were our best and most pertinent stories of 2018.
We wish all of you a restful Christmas and a Happy New Year. We’ll be back January 7, 2019.
– Jackie Keast, Don Groves, Cameron Boon and Mark Kuban.