Press release from Sydney Travelling Film Festival
Australia’s longest running regional film festival, The Travelling Film Festival, has been provided with additional funding by Screen Queensland from the Screen Culture Funding Programme, receiving a grant totalling $25,000, which will allow its October/November 2011 tour to extend to Toowoomba and Charters Towers.
Screen Queensland CEO Maureen Barron said the annual Screen Culture program was designed to support Queensland festivals and the local film industry through cultural activity, debate, peer contact, and promoting an understanding of the local screen production industry.
“Funding of $25 000 to Australia’s longest running regional film festival, the Sydney Travelling Film Festival, will help to expand the festival’s network of venues to include Mackay, Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Charters Towers, Townsville and Cairns”.
The Travelling Film Festival is a project of the Sydney Film Festival that was started by David Stratton in 1974. It offers regional communities access to Australian and international features, documentaries and short films and the opportunity to meet and workshop with industry guests.
Screen Queensland commissioned Sydney Travelling Film Festival to investigate the potential for extending the TFF in Queensland.
“I would like to thank Screen Queensland for their support,” said Claudia Santangelo, Sydney Travelling Film Festival Manager, “and I to also thank the organisations, societies, institutions and community members who participated in the research and pledged their support for a touring film festival in their town.”
The Sydney Travelling Film Festival now travels to 16 regional locations annually in NT, NSW and Queensland. The seven Queensland 2011 TFF locations and dates are;
– Mackay: 7-9 October, Mackay City Cinema
– Bundaberg: 14 – 16 October, Bowraville Theatre
– Toowoomba: 21 – 23 October, Toowoomba Strand
– Charters Towers: 28 – 30 October, Torrs Drive Inn
– Cairns: 11 – 15 November, Cairns City Cinema
– Townsville: 18 – 22 November, Warrina Complex