Australian Council of Film Societiesacofs.org.au
/ref> ACOFS is the

national body National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

for

film societies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The inaugural meeting was held in Sydney in November 1949 and the constitution was adopted at a second meeting which is the official start of ACOFS, in 1950. Only two Federations existed at this time, from Victoria and NSW, but individual societies were represented from Queensland, ACT and Tasmania. The early issues which motivated ACOFS members were censorship, UNESCO ideals, sales tax on 16mm films and acquisition of suitable titles. ACOFS has seen many fluctuations in its membership and activities since then and in 2005 celebrated fifty four years of operation. There has been a lively and active film society culture in Australia for over sixty years.

Film Societies in Australia

The membership of Australia's film societies varies between 15 and over 1000. In country areas probably 20 to 30 is the norm. Many films have only been seen in

by members of the general public when programmed by a film society. Most of the films screened by

are selected from the more than 6,000 titles held in the Non-Theatrical Lending Collection, owned and managed by the National Film and Sound Archive. This is a world-renowned collection of 16 mm

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

and short films and more recently DVDs which are available to film societies for a service charge. There is another lending facility within the Archive of mainly Australian films which on different terms are also available for screening. Protecting these invaluable resources has been one of ACOFS' main activities over the past few years.

Notable Presidents

The inaugural meeting of ACOFS was chaired by

John Heyer John Whitefoord Heyer (14 September 1916 – 19 June 2001) was an Australian documentary filmmaker, who is often described as the father of Australian documentary film.''Oxford companion to Australian film'' (1999) John Heyer spent the majo ...

the notable documentary film maker. The first President in 1950 was Professor AK Stout and during the first decade such notable figures as Frank Nicholls (Vic), WH (Bill) Perkins (Tas), Erwin Rado (Vic) David Donaldson (NSW) and Ray Fisher (Vic) all had spells in the Presidential seat. Barrie King was instrumental in reviving ACOFS in 1974 after several years of inactivity, and alternated between President and Secretary as the needs arose for the next twenty five years. A leading figure in the International Film Theatre in Perth, the Western Australian Federation of Film Societies and the State Archive of Western Australia, Barrie was totally involved in the film culture until an untimely stroke compelled him to relinquish all positions in 1999. Barrie had been a campaigner for foundation of the National Film and Sound Archive and was a member of its first Advisory Committee from 1984. John Turner became Treasurer of ACOFS in 1974 and remained in that position for 25 years, taking over from Barrie King as President in 1999 until the present (2008). John produced all seven editions of the ACOFS 16mm Catalogue (two were in conjunction with the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

) and the first Catalogue of the NLA Film Study Collection (with Andrew Pike). John has been a strong campaigner for the Film Study Collection over many years.

Members

There are six state federations covering the six states, Australian Capital Territory and

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

, and approximately two hundred film societies as members of these federations. *
Federation of Victorian Film Societies
' *
New South Wales Federation of Film Societies
' *
West Australian Federation of Film Societies
' *
South Australian Federation of Film Societies
' *
Tasmanian Federation of Film Societies
' *
Federation of Queensland Film Societies
' *
Screen & Study Institute (SASI)
' (Associate Member)''

Annual General Meetings

The state federations operate independently, and delegates from each state Federation meet once a year at the ''ACOFS'' Conference and AGM to set policy for the coming year. In the past the Conference/AGM tended to be held in rotation around the State capital cities usually lasting for two days. With COVID restrictions, meetings have been held using internet tools. At the 2022 AGM, the newly elected executive committee was: President: Prodos S N Marinakis (QLD/VIC) Vice President: Mark Horner (TAS) Secretary: Jason Lockwood (NSW) Treasurer: Kerry McKinnon (QLD)

Services

''ACOFS'' itself provides publicity, education and information, but its main role is to keep the film society movement to the forefront when government policy and self-interest pushes the many

non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...

, fragmented Australian film bodies to the fore. The state federations on the other hand have a more hands on approach, and provide insurance policies, preview feature and short films, provide film and DVD technical advice, run film weekends and generally help the smaller societies to stay afloat year after year. ''ACOFS'' can provide a state-by-state listing of film societies around Australia. Existing groups or individuals interested in starting a film society can request information and advice from the State Federations of Film Societies or ''ACOFS'' (the parent body). They provide information, advice and services that are not available to the individual. Among the benefits available through ACOFS and the Federations are: * A film insurance scheme to protect against loss or damage of film * Film distribution arrangements to reduce the cost of film hire and freight * A DVD screening rights agreement with the major DVD distributors in Australia to cover the screening rights for DVDs screened by member film societies. Publications ACOFS publishes a number of Fact Sheets and othe
documentation
These are as of April 2018 Fact Sheet #1 – 16mm films from ACMI Fact Sheet #2 – Borrowing from the NFSA Fact Sheet #3a – How to Obtain your DVDs & Get Screening Rights Fact Sheet #3b – DVD Distributor Contacts Fact Sheet #3c – DVD Agreements – Info for Distributors Fact Sheet #4 – How to Start a Film Society Federation Fact Sheet #5 – Public Liability Insurance Projectionist's Reference Manual The Film Society Handbook ''ACOFS'' is a member of the International Federation of Film Societies.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.acofs.org.au/ Film organisations in Australia