The NSW Film and Television Office (FTO) and Sydney Film Festival announced
today an annual scholarship in honour of the life and work of the late
Rasmussen. The announcement was made at a Machinima Industry Function as part
of Sydney Film Festival’s Digital Innovators program strand.
The Scholarship (awarded from 2009) will be administered by the FTO,
Sydney Film Festival and a group of trustees – Robert Connolly, Jacqueline
Turnure, Shiloh McClean, Rosemary Blight, Mary O’Malley, Mark Abicht and
George Mannix, who were all important friends and colleagues to Peter.
“The annual $5000 Scholarship will be awarded to a person whose
work embodies the spirit of Peter Rasmussen. It is to celebrate vision and
determination,” said Tania Chambers, Chief Executive of the NSW Film and
Television Office.
A writer and director, Peter’s work included the screenplays for In the Winter Dark and Mad Bomber in Love, and in the last years
of his career he pioneered the machinima genre of 3D animation using game
technology.
“Sydney
Film Festival had the privilege of screening Peter Rasmussen’s work as
screenwriter (In the Winter Dark,
SFF 1998) and filmmaker, (The Picture Woman,
SFF 1998) and most recently machinima-maker, with last year’s premiere of
the world’s first original full-length machinima feature, Stolen Life (SFF 2007) which Peter
co-created with Jackie Turnure,” said Clare Stewart, Executive Director of
Sydney Film Festival. “It is fitting that the festival join forces with
NSW FTO and the trustees to recognise the contribution of a man regarded for
his professionalism, originality and integrity.”
Peter Giles, AFTRS Head of Digital Media, said: “Peter was a
pioneer in the field of machinima with the imagination and determination to
shape a new means of expression. The Scholarship will continue Peter’s
spirit and
generosity with his knowledge and ideas.”
More details, including the criteria and judging process, will be
announced shortly.
The
scholarship will take the form of a cash award of $5,000 each year.The scholarship will be awarded to a filmmaker for innovation or
Innovative practice in their work, not limited to any craft. It could
include writing, producing or directing or machinima.
It will be
open to Australian or international filmmakers, student or professional, young
or old, and will be open to filmmakers whose work or works are in any
format, media or stage of completion.
The scholarship will not
be tied to any specific task, and will be available for the filmmaker to use
for living expenses, travel or project costs, at their discretion.
It will be
awarded, except in exceptional circumstances, to a filmmaker whose work in not
otherwise awarded in the same Festival.
The FTO can accept donations while it and the trustees set up the formal
arrangements. More details will be announced in the near future.
[Release by TM Publicity for the NSW FTO]