In celebrating Victorian screen industry achievements in 2007/08, Film Victoria has presented director Matt Saville and Infinite Interactive with the Greg Tepper and Tim Richards Awards respectively.
Shannon Murphy's debut feature 'Babyteeth', a bittersweet comedy starring Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis, Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace, will have its world premiere in official competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
Some 34 feature films will compete for nominations for this year's AACTA Awards, and the longlist covers diverse range of titles, from box office earners like 'Top End Wedding' and 'Storm Boy', through to the critically lauded 'The Nightingale' and micro budget indies like 'Suburban Wildlife'.
Many Australian exhibitors are up in arms about the upcoming theatrical releases of the Netflix productions 'The King', 'The Irishman', 'Marriage Story' and 'The Two Popes'.
More cracks are appearing in the previously impregnable 90-day theatrical window, causing consternation among the major chains and some independent cinemas.
The chairman of the National Association of Cinema Operators (NACO) has warned that Netflix and other streaming companies are endangering medium-sized films that can gross $5 million-$8 million in Australia.
Lingo Pictures' four-part TV drama 'Lambs of God' has collected an unprecedented 18 AACTA Award nominations, while Jennifer Kent's 'The Nightingale' leads in film with 15 nods.
"I don't think it's any secret that the distribution and exhibition space for movies that aren't tentpole is getting tougher and tougher all the time. People want to watch things at home. I like to watch things at home. And people's TVs are amazing."