The Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) has been delayed further, moving from February to May.
The second stage of the Australian Feature Film Summit (AFFS), which was scheduled to be held alongside the convention, will also move with it.
Typically held in October, AIMC was originally postponed by manager NACO (National Association of Cinema Operators Australasia) and presenting partners the MPDAA (Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia), Roadshow Films and AIDA (Australian Independent Distributor Association), to February given the Delta outbreak.
However, the decision was made to push back the convention further, given continued uncertainty around travel for studios and talent. NACO also reports that it is currently very difficult to secure consent to screen content and to obtain the latest trailers and footage.
NACO executive director Michael Hawkins said: “The goal of the convention is to facilitate the finest environment for distributors to present their latest and greatest content and showcase the stars, directors and producers and excite the exhibition industry about the year ahead. There is no more important time than now to enthuse with the product that will have our cinema business back bigger and stronger than ever. Delaying the convention a few months is the best decision for all involved.”
AIMC will now be held May 9-11 at Sydney’s State Theatre, while the AFFS will now be held May 12.
“We remain committed to bringing together exhibitors and distributors with producers and investors for a whole of industry approach to growing the success of the local feature film industry and look forward to now running the Australian Feature Film Summit in May,” said AFFS director Sue Maslin.
As a result of pushing back the date, the deadline for the AFFS Road Test feature submissions has also been extended to 5pm on December 15.