Subject: FTONEWS #225 Date: Tuesday, 11 September 2007 6:37 PM From: ftonews <[email protected]> To: ftonews <[email protected]> Conversation: FTONEWS #225 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FTONEWS #225: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FTO NEWS Sydney Film Festival Goes Global Sydney - The Biggest New Bollywood Star FTO Congratulates NSW 40th Annual AWGIE Award Winners Production Investment – EOI Deadline Oct 15 Aurora – Deadline Nov 26 Young Filmmakers Fund – Deadline Oct 15 Young Filmmakers Fund - Update INDUSTRY NEWS AFTRS - 2008 MA Program, TV Writers & Producers SPAA Conference - Updates SPAA Fringe, Sydney – Tickets Available EVENTS/DEADLINES MetroScreen – Structure your screenplay to sell Popcorn Taxi – Disinformation TV Portable worlds 2nd Edition – Deadline Oct 19 Tropfest Introduces Trop Jr Screen Editors Awards – Entries Deadline Sept 14 Flickerfest – Entries Deadline Sept 14 FIFO 2008 – Submission Deadline Oct 15 3rd Edition of the Asia-Australia Media Executive Leadership Program Children's Feature Film Development Initiative – Deadline Oct 29 7th Annual Bondi Short Film Festival – Entry Deadline Nov 9 2008 BlueCat Screenwriting Lab – Deadline Oct 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL GOES GLOBAL Arts Minister Frank Sartor announced a $1.8million package to establish a major new international film prize as part of the Sydney Film Festival. For full Media Release: Web: http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au/content.asp?content=3&Id=468 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYDNEY - THE BIGGEST NEW BOLLYWOOD STAR Arts Minister Frank Sartor and Tourism Minister Matt Brown have hailed the NSW film industry’s biggest foray into Bollywood an outstanding success, as Heyy Babyy became a smash hit in India. For full Media Release: Web: http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au/content.asp?id=466&content=3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FTO CONGRATULATES NSW 40TH ANNUAL AWGIE AWARD WINNERS New South Wales has featured prominently in the 2007 AWGIE Awards with Keith Thompson winning the prize for Outstanding Australian Script of the Year for CLUBLAND. Tania Chambers, Chief Executive of the New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO) congratulated Keith Thompson and other NSW winners. The FTO supported several AWGIE winning film, television and interactive media projects through its various programs of assistance. CLUBLAND, which in addition to the Outstanding Australian Script of the Year Award, shared with Tony Ayres’ HOME SONG STORIES the Original Feature Film Award, received script development, production investment, a production loan and travel assistance from the FTO. HOME SONG STORIES received travel assistance. Other AWGIE winners from NSW in 2007 are: • Children’s Television (C Classification) – LOST IN THE DESERT, DOUBLE TROUBLE (Episode 7) by Danielle MacLean • Interactive Media – CHIKO ACCIDENTAL ALIEN by Stu Connolly • Documentary (Public Broadcast) – CONSTRUCTING AUSTRALIA: THE BRIDGE by Simon Nasht • Television Original – CALL BACK (TWO TWISTED) by Matthew Macknamara • Telemovie Original – AT THE GATES: BLACKJACK by Katherine Thomson • Television Mini Series Original – BASTARD BOYS by Sue Smith • Short Film - BUTTON by Claire Tonkin The television series award was won by LOVE MY WAY, which received FTO investment when it first went into production, for the series 3 episode Cold Blooded Creatures, by Tony McNamara. “It is thrilling to see so many New South Wales projects, across the various categories, winning these significant industry awards. I’d particularly like to congratulate Keith Thompson for his AWGIE Awards for CLUBLAND, which is a film supported by the FTO from development, right through production and into its national and international cinema release,” Tania Chambers said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 1 of 6 PRODUCTION INVESTMENT ROUND 19 – DEADLINE 0CT 15 EOI Deadline, 10am, Monday 15 October, 2007. Please advise the FTO via an EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) if intending to submit to this round. NO APPLICATION FORM IS REQUIRED AT THIS STAGE. This is a preliminary EOI and should consist only of the following: 1. Applicant details including company and contact details. 2. The creative team and cast attached if any (max 1 page) 3. An extended synopsis of the project, and type of project (max 1 page) 4. Proposed Financing plan and Status of finance and proposed FTO amount requested. (max 2 pages) Once an EOI is received Project Officers will liaise with producers as the financing of their project develops. Only those projects able to demonstrate financial readiness will be invited to progress formally into the round. At this time, a formal application form along with usual submission materials will be required and assessment will proceed in the normal way. Funding decisions will be made at the FTO Board meeting in December 2007. For more information about the FTO’s EOI: Contact: Angelique Edmonds, Assistant, Development & Investment PH: 02-9264-6400 Email: [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AURORA – DEADLINE NOV 26 The next deadline for applications for the FTO’s Aurora Script Workshop is 26 November 2007. The FTO is looking for well developed feature scripts, written in any genre. Projects must also have a Director and Producer attached. Guidelines and Application Forms will be available early October from the FTO website: http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au/fund.asp?id=219 For more information about AURORA contact: Harriet McKern, Coordinator Aurora PH: 02-9264-6400 Email: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUNG FILMMAKERS FUND – DEADLINE OCT 15 Are you a NSW resident aged 18-35? Do you have a story to tell? On Screen? Online? Since the inception of the program in 1995, the FTO has funded 107 projects with an exceptional variety of subject matter including short dramas, documentaries, animation, and experimental films. The next application closing date is Monday 15 October 2007. Guidelines, application forms, and all the information you require contact: Valerie Allerton, Coordinator YFF & Digital FX PH: 02-9264-6400 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au/fund.asp?id=48 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOUNG FILMMAKERS FUND - UPDATE The following YFF films have recently been accepted into or screened at festivals, have been offered licensing agreements, or have received nominations and awards: BUTTON – writer Clare Tonkin, director Catherine McVeigh, producer Melinda Tually. Australian Writer's Guild, AWGIE Award to Clare Tonkin. CHECKPOINT - producers Tim Kriebig & Ben Phelps, writer/director Ben Phelps. ATOM Awards nominee for Best Fiction Film; Cinema Jove International Film Festival, Special Mention, Spain; Festival des Antipodes, St. Tropez, France; Interfilm International Film Festival Berlin, Germany; Rhode Island International Film Festival, USA; Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China; Festival Internacional De Filmets, Spain; St Petersburg International Short and Animation Film Festival, Russia; Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA; Encounters International Short Film Festival, UK; Milwaukee International Film Festival, USA; Vladivostok International Film Festival, Russia; Illinois International Film Festival, USA; Homebrewed International Film Festival, Australia; Seattle International Film Festival, USA. Web: http://www.checkpointmovie.com/ CROSSBOW – producers Polly Staniford & Angie Fielder, writer/director David Michod. Fitzroy Shorts; Milano Film Festival; Festival des Antipodes, Saint Tropez France. PROJECTING THE BODY – producer Sophie Harper, writer/director Walter McIntosh. Screening at the QueerDoc Film Festival, CarriageWorks - Bay 20 (Theatre 2), 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW, Wednesday 12 Sep 2007, 7:00 PM Web: http://www.queerscreen.com.au LEN’S LOVE STORY – producer Michaela Kalowski, writer/director Sonia Whiteman. Festival des Antipodes, Saint Tropez France. PRADA HANDBAG – producer Vanessa Barrett, associate producer Einar Johansen, Page 2 of 6 writer/director Stuart Vauvert. Web: http://www.escendi.com.au/pradahandbag Caught Short Film Festival - Thursday 6 September at the TAP Gallery 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst. Doors at 7.30pm for pre-screening drinks with the films set to commence at 8pm. THE MOUSE THAT ATE MY BRAIN – producer Nik Goldsworthy, writer/director Phillip Middleton. Festival des Antipodes, Saint Tropez France. For more information: Valerie Allerton, Coordinator YFF & Digital FX PH: 02-9264-6400 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au/fund.asp?id=48 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFTERS - 2008 MA FULL-TIME PROGRAM AFTRS is calling for television writers and producers to enrol in it’s 2008 full-time MA programme in Sydney. Successful applicants will join a table of writers and producers to plot, write and produce up to 2 hours