This is the first book to offer an in-depth examination of the history, operation, and growth of film festivals as a cultural phenomenon within Australia. Tracing the birth of film festivals in Australia in the 1950s through to their present abundance, it asks why film festivals have prospered as audience-driven spectacles throughout Australia, while never developing the same industry and market foci of their international fellows. Drawing on over sixty-years of archival records, festival commentary, interviews with festival insiders and ephemera, this book opens up a largely uncharted history of film culture activity in Australia.

Summary: Offers readers an in-depth examination of ten exemplary shorts, and features the script taken into production for each work. Charting the creative process from idea to screen, each script is accompanied by an interview with the key creative contributor as well as a personal and passionate response to the film by an Australian writer.

Every year thousands of filmmakers like you unleash their newly completed movies upon the film festival circuit. Whether you're a first-timer with a comedy short or a seasoned veteran with a documentary feature, you all face the same set of problems. You all ask the same questions. You all want the pleasure of seeing your film play before a festival audience and gain the recognition it deserves. This is your book. Film Festival secrets will help you select the right festivals for your film, prepare your festival screener, save money on festival fees, create marketing collateral, and craft a screening sell out plan. And that's just the beginning.

The Australian Film Yearbook features the work of the flourishing Australian film industry, with over one hundred Australian feature, non-fiction, and short films released to cinemas, streaming platforms, and film festivals during 2021.Discover a thriving and vital film industry that is positively buzzing with filmmakers eager to tell Australian stories, with over forty interviews and contributions that highlight the range of skill-sets and wealth of talent on show during 2021. Sharing their voice and perspectives on what it means to be a filmmaker are Australian creatives such as Costume Designer Erin Roche (High Ground), Director Sally Aitken (Playing with Sharks), Editor Rachel Grierson-Johns (Strong Female Lead), Director Matthew Walker (I'm Wanita), Composer Angela Little (Streamline), Writer/Director Thomas Wilson-White (The Greenhouse), Editor Nick Fenton (Nitram) and filmmakers Tina Fielding, Jacqueline Pelczar, and Cody Greenwood (Sparkles).From independent films through to Hollywood-backed productions, you will find critical examinations of iconic and hidden Australian films, providing a historical touchstone for where Australian cinema was during the turbulent year filled with changes and challenges - 2021.

Filmmakers have honed their skills and many have achieved critical and popular success at home and abroad, as have actors and other crew. American filmmakers and companies have found it cheaper to make films in Australia because wages and salaries are lower, tax rebates have been attractive and the expertise in most areas of filmmaking is comparable to that of anywhere in the world. At the same time, Australian audiences still enjoy watching Australian films, making some of them profitable, even if this is a small profit when considered in Hollywood terms. New Zealand filmmakers, cast and crew have shown that they are equal to the world’s best in making films with international themes, while other films have shown that the world is interested in New Zealand narratives and settings. Increased support for Maori filmmakers and stories has had a significant impact on production levels and on the diversity of stories that now reach the screen. It has also helped create more viable career paths for those who continue to be based in their home country. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on leading films as well as many directors, writers, actors and producers. It also covers early pioneers, film companies, genres and government bodies.