It's been 25 years since Richard Sowada began showcasing independent films in the basement back room of Perth jazz venue, the Greenwich Club with the hope they would find a place in a conservative cinematic and social environment.
This year's Sydney Film Festival attendees have declared a pair of films set in the city as their favourites.
The event, to be headed by managing director Colin Daniels, will be an exploration of the best in music, screen, gaming, technology, and innovation, with more than 1,000 experiences.
"We made a horror film and it's found this wonderful audience. It's definitely unexpected. And I wouldn't even necessarily say that our film is a straight horror film, but obviously as soon as you squash someone's head, it tends to not really fall in any other genre, no matter what the rest of the movie's about."
'Blaze', 'How To Please A Woman', 'Sissy' and 'Sweet As' will contend for the best original feature prize at this year’s AWGIE Awards, while 'Mrs Harris Goes to Paris', 'The Stranger' and 'The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson' are up for the adapted gong. 'The Newsreader' leads in television with two nominations alongside 'Total Control', 'Firebite', 'Bump' and 'Heartbreak High'.
This year's AACTA Award for Best Film will be a contest between Baz Luhrmann’s 'Elvis', George Miller’s 'Three Thousand Years of Longing', Leah Purcell’s 'The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson', Thomas M. Wright's 'The Stranger', Western Sydney anthology feature 'Here Out West', and Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes' horror 'Sissy'.
Radio and television personality Amanda Keller will host this Wednesday's AACTA Awards ceremony, with an array of international and domestic talent confirmed to attend.
Leah Purcell's 'The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson' leads the nominees for the Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) Awards, which will be held later this year.