The Australian Feature Film Summit (AFFS) has unveiled the program and first round of speakers for its in-person portion in May.
"Not every film connects with an audience and not every film can be successful, but as an Australian industry, we’re potentially in a position to be able to better influence the fate of Aussie films, find and develop new ways of better connecting them to audience, and establish how to better inform producers about which projects are more likely to be commercially successful.”
The two stage event, to be held across October and February, aims to break down the silos between producers, distributors and exhibitors, and foster ideas as to how to work together differently to ensure theatrical success for Aussie features.
Australian feature films are currently dominating the box office, with exhibitors reporting a "revitalised" audience appetite for local stories. However, both producers and distributors have concerns about being able to actually get Aussie features off the ground in the future, with the Producer Offset slated to fall from 40 to 30 per cent from July.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship (NMF) organisers have appealed for more Indigenous female screen practitioners to apply for the fellowship that provides an annual $20,000 grant for leadership advancement.
Opening on 250-plus screens on August 27, the day after its CinefestOZ premiere at Orana Cinemas in Busselton, Jeremy Sims' 'RAMS' will be the first Australian wide release since cinemas re-opened.