The Australian Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney. The festival showcases the films of Australian talent working in a variety of mediums, including; feature films,

short films A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, television and online

web content Web content is the wikt:text, text, visual system, visual or audio signal, audio Content (media), content that is made available online and user encountered as part of the online usage and user experience, experience on websites. It may include t ...

. In addition to showcasing

Australian film The cinema of Australia had its beginnings with the 1906 production of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received internati ...

, the festival promotes the growth and recognition of Australian cinema through industry led workshops and discussion forums. It is well known for hosting the

Australian Film Walk of Fame The Australian Film Walk of Fame is a collection of plaques on the footpath outside the Ritz Cinema in the suburb of Randwick, Sydney, Australia. Formed in 2008 at the Ritz Cinema, the initiative was established to honour Australian actors and ...

, which has honoured recipients such as

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress, producer and scriptwriter. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film, '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in ''High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher in ...

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

Gary Sweet Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in '' Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), ''Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody'' (as Cody), '' Big Sky'' (as Chris Manning), ''Bod ...

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Australia. He became wid ...

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Mad Max'' and ''The Great Gatsby''. On TV, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack C ...

and

Michael Caton Michael Caton (born 21 July 1943) is an Australian television, film and stage actor, comedian and television host, best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series ''The Sullivans'', Darryl Kerrigan in 1997's low-budget hi ...

History

Established by current festival director Barry Watterson, The Australian Film Festival evolved from the 2009 Australian Film Week, a week-long showcase of classic

Australian films The cinema of Australia had its beginnings with the 1906 production of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received internati ...

held at the Randwick Ritz cinema during Sydney's Coogee Arts Fest. The expansion saw the festival become Australia's most comprehensive presentation of Australian film, with founding director Barry Watterson citing the purpose of the festival being "The long term development of Australian film content in a rapidly changing environment and the building of audiences for Australian film."

2010: 24 February – 7 March

The Australian Film Festival premiered on 24 February 2010 at Randwick Ritz cinema. In collaboration with

Popcorn Taxi Popcorn Taxi was an Australian independent non-competitive film festival that presented regular film screenings followed by a live Q&A with related 'talent' immediately afterward. The unique nature of each screening was that the events provide pat ...

, the festival's opening night reunited the original cast and crew of ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...

'' for a screening of the Australian

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

, followed be a Q&A with actors including

and

Hugh Keays-Byrne Hugh Keays-Byrne (18 May 1947 – 2 December 2020) was a British-Australian actor and film director. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was best known for playing the main antagonist in two films from the ''Mad Max'' franchise ...

. The festival ran for 11 days, and screened 21 feature films, short films and documentaries, including; ''

Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by George Miller. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, and E.G ...

'', ''

The Dinner Party ''The Dinner Party'' is an installation artwork by feminist artist Judy Chicago. Widely regarded as the first epic feminist artwork, it functions as a symbolic history of women in civilization. There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triangul ...

'' and ''

Bad Boy Bubby ''Bad Boy Bubby'' is a 1993 black comedy film written and directed by Rolf de Heer, and starring Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill and Carmel Johnson. Hope stars as the titular character, a mentally challenged man who has been held ...

''. The inaugural Australian Film Festival concluded on 7 March with the Australian Short Film Competition, coinciding with

The Spot The Spot, or thespot.com, was the first episodic online story (1995–1997), and covered bandwidth and production costs by offering paid advertising banners on the web pages and product placement within the journal entries. The site earned one o ...

Food and Film Festival at Randwick.

2011: 2–12 March

In its second year, the Australian Film Festival opened on 2 March with Australian production '' The Wedding Party'', alongside a showcase of Sydney premieres that included '' The Reef'', ''

Griff the Invisible ''Griff the Invisible'' is a 2010 Australian romantic superhero, comedy-drama film written and directed by Leon Ford. The story is about Griff (Ryan Kwanten), a socially awkward office worker who spends his days being bullied by his workmates. ...

'' and ''

A Heartbeat Away ''A Heartbeat Away'' is a 2011 Australian musical comedy film about a marching band in a small town. Plot A young man with high aspirations as a musician steps up to become the musical director of the local marching band after his father is hur ...

''. Included in the Australian Film Festival Program was a free session of

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was writ ...

, which screened outdoors at

Clovelly Clovelly () is a privately-owned harbour village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. The settlement and surrounding land belongs to John Rous who inherited it from his mother in 1983. He belongs to the Hamlyn family who have managed th ...

Beach Cinema By the Sea. Following on from the retrospective session of ''Mad Max'' in 2010, Popcorn Taxi returned again with a screening of ''

The Sum of Us The Sum of Us can refer to: *'' The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together'', a 2021 best-selling political book by Heather McGhee. *''The Sum of Us (play)'', a 1990 play by Australian writer and director David Steve ...

''. Lead actor

was in attendance for the film and the Q&A session which followed. The second AFF closed on 12 March with The Spot Food and Film Festival and the Australian Short Film Competition, which was judged by Australian filmmakers and actors, including David Field.

Festival Events

Australian Short Film competition

The Australian Short Film Competition is traditionally held on the last day of the AFF, and is one of the Festival's competitive elements. In 2011, notable short films screened during the competition included The Telegram Man and the 2011 Academy Award Winning Best Animated Short,

The Lost Thing ''The Lost Thing'' is a picture book written and illustrated by Shaun Tan that was also adapted into an Academy Award-winning animated short film. Plot Set in the near future, a dystopian Melbourne, Australia, ''The Lost Thing'' is a story abou ...

. In 2010, My Uncle Bluey won the Australian Short Film Competition. In 2011, the competition was won by Ariel Klieman's film Deeper Than Yesterday.

FutureFilm Screenplay competition

The Future Film Scriptwriting Competition, in association with Networking Action For Filmmakers And Actors, provides writers with the opportunity to have their short scripts acted on stage through a moved reading. In 2011, judges included Liz Doran and Ross Grayson Bell. The winner of the competition is awarded a $1000 cash prize.

Workshops

The Australian Film Festival presents multiple workshops, seminars and scriptwriting competitions throughout their season, encouraging the growth and discussion of Australian cinema. Past workshops have included discussions with filmmakers, practical filmmaking courses and scriptwriting tutorials. In 2011, filmmakers such as

Louise Alston Louise Alston is an Australian film director and producer best known for the movies ''All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane'' and '' Jucy''. Biography Alston was born in Wagga Wagga, and studied at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School ...

Gale Edwards Gale Edwards (born 14 November 1954) is an Australian theatre director, who has worked extensively throughout Australia and internationally. She has also directed for television and film. Professional career Edwards began her career at Adelaid ...

and Andrew Traucki all led one of the AFF's workshops.

The Australian Film Walk of Fame

The Australian Film Walk of Fame began in 2008 at the Randwick Ritz as an initiative to honor Australian film celebrities. Recipients inducted to the Walk of Frame prior to the inception of the Australian Film Festival have included

and

Charles Tingwell Charles William Tingwell Member of the Order of Australia, AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian film, television, theatre and radio actor. One of the veterans of ...

. On 7 March 2010, with the support of Randwick City Council and the Ritz Cinema, the Australian Film Festival inducted

and

to the Australian Film Walk of Fame. In 2011,

and

were both initiated to the Australian Film Walk of Fame on 13 March, the closing night of the second Australian Film Festival.

Festival Directors

* Barry Watterson (2010 – Present)

References

External links

{{Commons category, Australian Film Festival * Australian Film Festival Official Websit

Film festivals in Sydney