Natalie Rona Miller is an Australian film distributor, exhibitor and producer. She is known as the founder of film distribution house Sharmill Films, and the Melbourne theatres Longford Cinema and

Cinema Nova Lygon Street is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, running through the inner northern suburbs of Carlton, Carlton North, Princes Hill and Brunswick East. Lygon Street is synonymous with the Italian community of Melbourne, forming t ...

Film industry career

Miller studied at

Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne ("For God and for Home") , established = , type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding school , denomination = Uniting , slogan = "MLC girls become world-ready women"< ...

, and then completed an arts degree at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. She began her career working in journalism and public relations at the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, then entered the film industry working on public relations for the Melbourne Film Festival for 17 years. In the mid-1960s, she was so impressed by

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...

's surrealist film ''

The Exterminating Angel ''The Exterminating Angel'' ( es, El ángel exterminador, links=no) is a 1962 Mexican surrealist film written and directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Silvia Pinal, and produced by Pinal's then-husband Gustavo Alatriste. It tells the story of a g ...

'', which had shown at the festival, that she purchased the Australian distribution rights herself and exhibited it at the

Palais Theatre The Palais Theatre (originally Palais Pictures) is a historic picture palace located in St Kilda, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. With a capacity of nearly 3,000 people, it is the largest seated theatre in Australia. Replac ...

in Melbourne to give the film a wider audience. Following the success of her first foray into film exhibition, Miller founded Sharmill Films in 1967, which specialises in the distribution of arthouse films in Australia. Miller also founded two cinemas in Melbourne: the Longford Cinema in

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...

, which closed in 2005 after

Village Cinemas Village Cinemas is an Australian-based multinational movie theater, film exhibition brand that mainly shows blockbuster (entertainment), blockbuster, mainstream, children's film, children and family films and some arthouse, foreign language fil ...

opened a multiplex at

The Jam Factory 250px, Jam Factory, Chapel Street The Jam Factory is a shopping and entertainment centre, located in Chapel Street, South Yarra, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The Jam Factory is owned by Newmark Capital Limited. It is also the headquarte ...

; and

, an arthouse cinema in

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

(co-founded with Barry Peake) which began with two screens and has now expanded to 16.

Honours and awards

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(2001): For service to the Australian film industry, particularly the production, distribution and exhibition of quality film. *Chevalier dans L'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

(2003): For services to the promotion of French culture in Australia. * In 2011, the Natalie Miller Fellowship was founded, which awards a $10,000 fellowship to women working in the film industry in Australia. *

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(2013): For distinguished service to the film industry through promotion of screen culture, as a mentor to emerging film-makers, particularly women, and contributions to advisory and professional organisations. *

Screen Producers Australia Screen Producers Australia (SPA), formerly the Screen Producers' Association of Australia (SPAA) and earlier names, is a national organisation representing film production businesses, emerging producers, service providers and screen industry supp ...

Lifetime Achievement Award (2015) *

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

(2017)

References

External links

Sharmill FilmsNatalie Miller Fellowship
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Natalie Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Film distributors of Australia Australian film producers University of Melbourne alumni University of Melbourne women People educated at Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres