Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund films triumph!
The last two weeks have bought a litany of good news for the filmmakers involved in the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund’s 2007 slate of films. Following on from the announcement that LUCKY MILES (dir Michael James Rowland) had won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Sydney Film Festival, the film was then selected into the prestigious Competition section at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, to compete with a dozen international feature films. At the closing ceremony the filmmakers were delighted to learn that Lucky Miles won the Special Jury Prize, the second most important award in the festival.
Days ago the Australian Film Institute [AFI] released details of the finalists in the Documentary, Short Film and Animation categories. The feature documentaries FORBIDDEN LIE$ (dir Ana Bronowski) and WORDS FROM THE CITY (dir; Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham), both AFFIF films, were nominated and two short films from the slate, SWING and SPIKE UP were nominated for Best Short Film. SWING (dir: Chris Haughton) also wowed the judges at the St Kilda Film Festival and took out top prize there recently.
Twelve films received AFFIF funding in 2007 and this crop of new awards gives a strong indication of how the Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) has an ability to support films with both artistic flair and wide appeal.
LUCKY MILES’ success follows hot on the footsteps of THE HOME SONG STORIES (dir Tony Ayres) which last month won the NSW Premiers Literary Award for Best Screenplay and played two sold out sessions at the Sydney Film Festival, while FORBIDDEN LIES was placed in the top 5 most popular films in the Toronto HOTDOCS Festival.
Festival Director, Katrina Sedgwick, says, ‘It’s wonderful to see the success of these films and to have been able to play a role in supporting these talented Australian film makers to achieve their vision’.
Festival Chair, Cheryl Bart, says, ‘South Australia is again leading the pack in screen industries. Our primary concern is to support South Australians from the emerging Anthony Maras to the established Rolf de Heer whether it be financially through our Investment Fund, or in helping them in other ways. But we are also enabling Australian filmmakers to launch their creative vision - and are thrilled to celebrate their successes’.
The AFFIF provides equity investment in Australian screen production of $500,000 per year for two years. To date it has already invested over $1.813m.
Since its establishment in 2002 the AFFIF has invested in films including Sarah Watt’s Look Both Ways which opened the 2005 Adelaide Film Festival and went on to win awards across the world, and Rolf de Heer’s, Ten Canoes, which achieved stunning success around the globe.
The 2009 Adelaide Film Festival will run from 19 February to 1 March.
Following is a summary of the phenomenal success the 2007 AFFIF films are having:
FEATURES
Boxing Day (dir: Kriv Stenders, prod: Kristian Moliere)
Festivals
Adelaide Film Festival 2007
Sydney Film Festival 2007
Dungog Film Festival 2007
REVelation Film Festival 2007
Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange Australian Film Festival 2007 (Israel)
Lucky Miles: (dir: Michael Rowland, prod: Jo Dyer and Lesley Dyer)
Festivals
Adelaide Film Festival 2007 - Opening Night film
Sydney Film Festival 2007
Karlovy Vary Film Festival 07 (In Competition
Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange Australian Film Festival 2007 (Israel)
Awards
Winner- Audience Award, Sydney Film Festival 2007
Winner – Special Jury Prize, Karlovy Vary 2007
Dr Plonk (dir: Rolf de Heer, prod: Julie Ryan)
Adelaide Film Festival 2007- Closing Night film
The Home Song Stories (dir Tony Ayres, prod: Michael McMahon and Liz Watts)
[NB marketing investment only]
Festivals
World Premiere 2007 - Official Selection 2007 Berlin Film Festival
Adelaide Film Festival 2007- in Competition
Sydney Film Festival 2007
The Longest Night Festival, Hobart 2007 - Opening Film
Melbourne Film Festival 2007
Toronto Film Festival 2007
Awards
Winner – Script Writing Award, NSW Premier’s Literary Prize 2007
Nominated for an AWGIE award in the Original Feature Film category (2007)
DOCUMENTARIES
Forbidden Lie$ (dir: Anna Boinskowski, prod: Sally Regan)
Festivals
HOTDOCS, Toronto
Awards
Words from the City (dir: Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham, prod: Phillipa Campey)
Festivals
Sydney Film Festival 2007
REVelation Film Festival, Perth
Awards
Nominated - FIPRESCI for Best Documentary
SHORT FILMS
Crocodile Dreaming (dir: Darlene Johnson, prod: Sue Milliken)
Festivals
Adelaide Film Festival 2007;
Message Sticks Film Festival 2007 – Opening Night film
National Geographic All Roads Film Festival 2007 (USA)
Sweet & Sour (dir: Eddie White, prod: Sam White, Barry Plews, Hugh Nguyen and Ren Zhong Lun)
Festivals
Adelaide Film Festival 2007
Sydney Film Festival 2007
St Kilda Film Festival 2007
Awards
Winner- Yoram Gross Animation Award, Sydney Film Festival 2007
Swing (dir: Chris Houghton, prod: Louise Pascale)
Festivals
Adelaide Film Festival 2007
Sydney Film Festival 2007
St Kilda Film Festival 2007
Awards
Winner - Best Short Film, St Kilda Sydney Film Festival 2007
What the Future Sounded Like (dir: Matthew Bate, prod: Clare Harris)
Festivals
Adelaide Film Festival 2007
Sydney Film Festival 2007
Berkshire International Film Festival 2007 (USA)
