ACMI Stories & Ideas: Recent Episodes
ACMI
Australia's only national museum of film, video games, digital culture and art - situated at the heart of Melbourne in Fed Square. Listen to our latest podcasts of live events, playlists associated with exhibitions, and more.
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One of the most curious chapters in Australia's cinematic history began in 1948 when petroleum group Shell Company of Australia formed its own film production unit.'Shell Film Unit Australia' produced hundreds of promotional and educational films about mining, roads, infrastructure, sports and motoring and other similar topics. While films like The Back of Beyond (1954), which won the Grand Prix Absolute at the Venice Film Festival, provided a fascinating snapshot of 'remote' mid century Australia, its depictions of life in the Red Centre and the First Nations people who lived there, were often clouded with desires to further the colonial project – and oil.With her three-channel artwork Beneath Roads, ACMI Curator Jenna Rain Warwick has produced a poetic response to these works, intercutting archival government films, iconic Australian road movies and newly captured footage of the Aboriginal motorcycle club The Southern Warriors, to reinsert First Peoples knowledge legacies and representation into our cinematic canon and recontextualise our relationship to history, culture and Country.Jenna was joined by Art Gallery of New South Wales' curator of Film, Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd to discuss the Shell Film Unit and the nature of its travelogues, and the making of Beneath Roads, in a recorded conversation that took place at ACMI in July 2024.
For two decades, Universal Everything's Creative Director, Matt Pyke, has been working with teams of curious and creative beings worldwide to create large-scale, life-affirming digital artworks with the world's most iconic artists, institutions and brands – all while staying "small", artistically-driven and saying "no" to things they simply don't want to do. To unpack how they manage to do this, one of UE's longtime collaborators, Keri Elmsly, (our Executive Director of Programming) caught up with Matt Pyke to reflect on the collective's roots and key projects, and to find out where UE are heading next.Learn more about the 'Beings' exhibition at ACMI: acmi.net.au/beingsThe soundtrack for Beings, Music for Beings by Simon Pyke is now available on all digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-human world. When coupled with emerging technologies, these stories deepen our understanding of what it is to be something other than human.While developing their artworks, Marshmallow Laser Feast conducted a series of interviews with the foremost thinkers on nature, life and the more-than-human world. These include internationally renowned cultural ecologist and geophilosopher Dr David Abram, Professor of Plant-Soil-Processes at the University of Sheffield Katie J Field, author and founder of Schumacher College Dr Stephan Harding, and biologist and bestselling author Dr Merlin Sheldrake.In this episode, they discuss the interconnectedness of different organisms from different species - including us.
As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-human world. When coupled with emerging technologies, these stories deepen our understanding of what it is to be something other than human.While developing their artworks, Marshmallow Laser Feast conducted a series of interviews with the foremost thinkers on nature, life and the more-than-human world. These include internationally renowned cultural ecologist and geophilosopher Dr David Abram, Professor of Plant-Soil-Processes at the University of Sheffield Katie J Field, author and founder of Schumacher College Dr Stephan Harding, and biologist and bestselling author Dr Merlin Sheldrake.In this episode, they discuss individuality, consciousness and Gaia, the earth mother.
As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-human world. When coupled with emerging technologies, these stories deepen our understanding of what it is to be something other than human.While developing their artworks, Marshmallow Laser Feast conducted a series of interviews with the foremost thinkers on nature, life and the more-than-human world. These include internationally renowned cultural ecologist and geophilosopher Dr David Abram, Professor of Plant-Soil-Processes at the University of Sheffield Katie J Field, author and founder of Schumacher College Dr Stephan Harding, and biologist and bestselling author Dr Merlin Sheldrake. In this episode, they question – since everything is connected (according to science) – can anything ever really die?
As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-human world. When coupled with emerging technologies, these stories deepen our understanding of what it is to be something other than human.While developing their artworks, Marshmallow Laser Feast conducted a series of interviews with the foremost thinkers on nature, life and the more-than-human world. These include internationally renowned cultural ecologist and geophilosopher Dr David Abram, Professor of Plant-Soil-Processes at the University of Sheffield Katie J Field, author and founder of Schumacher College Dr Stephan Harding, and biologist and bestselling author Dr Merlin Sheldrake. In this episode, they discuss the fundamental rhythm that underpins not only the exhibition but all life on earth - breath.
This special episode of the Mirring Yalingwa Podcast, hosted by Wurundjeri and Ngurai-Illum-Wurrung man Jasper Cohen-Hunter, was recorded at ACMI to kick off NAIDOC Week for 2023. Produced by Jasper, the podcast focuses on Australian cinema and First Nations-led cinema productions.
Jasper Cohen-Hunter: "Across every generation, our Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and a prominent place in our communities and families. They are cultural knowledge-holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones.
That's why this NAIDOC Week 2023, I want to acknowledge Aunty Essie Coffey and Uncle Norm Hunter. Essie Coffey was a Murawarri activist, advocate and filmmaker concerned about the influence of white culture and education on Indigenous children. She was the first Indigenous woman to direct a documentary feature My Survival as an Aboriginal (1979). Uncle Norm Hunter was an advocate for education, he was instrumental in establishing the Gunung-Willam-Balluk Learning Centre, a part of the Kangan Institute. He was a proud Wurundjeri Elder who documented the stories of his mum, Nanna Jessie Hunter, the last girl born on Coranderrk Aboriginal Mission. Together they created a set of tapes to permanently tell her story, so that it was never lost to time."
Episode 2 of the Mirring Yalingwa Podcast was recorded in collaboration with ACMI this NAIDOC Week, and I want to personally thank them for facilitating Culture, Language and Lore during such an important time for Mob.
Subscribe to the Mirring Yalingwa Podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F1Z0v1arDmaLtNtuU58gy
Greta Nash's most recent short film, Heart Throb (2023), is about an 18-year-old, Gray (Gabriel Cali), whose love for his best friend Angelo is complicated by his desire for TikTok stardom. Last year, Greta underwent a Director's Attachment on Run Rabbit Run, funded by Screen Australia, and in the year prior, they wrote a polished draft of their first feature, School Camp, funded by Screen Tasmania.Greta wrote and directed the winning Tropfest film Two Piece in 2018, and their previous short film Locker Room premiered at the 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival and has since had over 9 million views online.
Since 2016, artist Anthony Tan has been working on Way To The Woods, a third person adventure game where a deer and a fawn must embark on a journey through an abandoned world to get home. Anthony joined ACMI X as resident in 2022 to put the finishing touches on his highly anticipated game, which has received global attention for its gorgeous art style, mechanics and soundtrack.In this episode of Inside ACMI X, Anthony spoke to us about the highs and lows he experienced making Way To The Woods and navigating the expectations of the game’s fanbase through to its completion.Throughout this episode you will hear snippets of music from the game composed by Aivi & Surasshu, the electronic music duo behind the soundtrack to the animated show Steven Universe
Have you considered what form is best for your story?In this episode, we talk about Jason's path into the industry and more broadly about his strategy for storytelling; finding a personal connection and considering the perfect form.Jason Christou is a creator/writer/director who tells stories infused by his Greek-Cypriot and Austrian/Slovenian descent across film, TV, documentary, interactive and games. His feature projects have been a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest, and selected to Warner Bros & The Blacklist’s “Aussie List”. He was a writer on ABC/Matchbox Pictures’ tv series NOWHERE BOYS, and a director’s apprentice on Sony/AMC’s PREACHER, and is a current Creative Victoria Creators Fund recipient for his interactive series/game WE THE JURY and a 2022 alumni and production funding recpient of the AFTRS National Documentary Talent Camp for SKINNY.
We explore how music can inspire the filmmaking process.This episode's guest is Eva Otsing, an Estonian born and raised visual artist and filmmaker. Eva spoke to us about her path into filmmaking and how music greatly inspires her work. We chat about her recent documentary CONFLUENCE which she directed, shot and edited, which takes an intimate look into the world of the Kiwi artist Charlotte Watson. We also discussed her new art documentary in development.This episode features music from Eva's documentary CONFLUENCE, composed by Ji Yoon Lee, and 'City Lament' composed by YL Hooi.
This episode is for those interested in creating visual art for games.
Our next guest on Inside ACMI X is concept Artist Zahraa Al Zubaydi who is currently working on Pixellated The Game, about a cyborg child who finds a way to connect to two opposing worlds she belongs with, in a universe of different dimensions drawn in different styles. We spoke to Zahraa about her pathway into videogames, and the development of and inspirations behind Pixellated The Game.
This episode is for anyone fascinated by celebrity culture.
Sarah Scales is a PhD Candidate at Swinburne University researching the theory of parasocial relationships and breakups and the negotiation process fans experience following a celebrity scandal. The cinema is her greatest passion in life, and she is fascinated by why and how audiences engage with the content they do, and the effects media can have on people. An ACMI X resident, she is currently working with company Media Mentors. You can find Sarah on Twitter at @sarahscales
This episode is for deep thinking comedy lovers.
Our guest is Emile Zile, an artist, filmmaker and performer who talks to us about his darkly comic practice – the critical re-use and re-encoding of media broadcasts, communication protocols and online platforms. His work reflects a distributed humanity, a yearning for transcendence and the limits of language.
Building on a background of live and single-channel video, his work uses site-specific performance, portraiture and filmmaking to capture the traces of humanity within an accelerating digital culture.
For our season finale, we interview new-media artist, PHD candidate and Lecturer at RMIT University, Tyler Payne.
Tyler's work focuses on the genre of self-portraiture in photography and video to investigate womens' embodiment through the lens of gendered advertising. She interrogates the impact that social media platforms such as Instagram have on women and their ability to visualise and share images of themselves.
Using a combination of video, still photography and electro-bricolage, Tyler investigates "the oppressive nature of the platform and the damages inherent in fitness and celebrity culture".
During our talk we discuss her primary research subject, Kim Kardashian.
This episode is for creatives juggling multiple passions. Meet our next guest on Inside ACMI X, Jacob Leaney, who has found a way to make music and games by combining the two.
Jacob is the founder of Things for Humans, the pop-music video game studio behind Video World. In this episode, Jacob shares his experience as a game developer, songwriter and producer. He is currently working on Halloween’s Valentine, the sequel to Video World.
Video World was showcased for Big Games Night In as part of Melbourne International Games Week (2–10 Oct 2021). Watch Jacob's introduction to the game: https://youtu.be/oge6sV1zzkM
In this episode of Inside ACMI X, we talk to resident Julian Wilton, Creative Director at Massive Monster Games Studio, about his experience making games with a focus on their new game, Cult of the Lamb, soon to be released.
Australian Game Developer Award winner Julian Wilton is an animator, illustrator, digital designer. He shipped his first console game before leaving university and is based in Melbourne, Australia, where he is completing a residency at ACMI X, working as the Creative Director at Massive Monster indie game development studio. Julian works closely with Massive Monster to develop Web, Mobile, Desktop & Console Games including their previous game The Adventure Pals.
Writer, director and star of 'The Drover's Wife: The Legend of MollyJohnson', Leah Purcell, spoke to us about her thoroughly researched, Blak feminist retelling of Henry Lawson's classic text.
Read the full transcript of the talk and an introduction to the film by Bryan Andy https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/leah-purcell-on-reclaiming-the-drovers-wife-with-the-legend-of-molly-johnson/
This week on Inside ACMI X, we’re talking to Emma Parker and Chris Leaver from experiential training company Isonomic, to explore how they’re using Mixed Reality technologies to upskill the Australian workforce.
Isonomic is a cutting edge immersive Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality company made up of talented developers, game designers and 3D artists who transform complex training into state-of-the-art immersive training in Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Emma is Isonomic’s founder and CEO, and she has worked as a transformation and change expert for over 20 years, consulting in major blue-chip environments. Chris handles production and delivery. He is a visual effects artist, producer and sculptor.
In this episode, we invited filmmaker, author and co-founder of Lean Filmmaking Kylie Eddy to discuss how she has re-imagined the development, production and distribution of independent films – and how she is challenging conventional wisdom with new ways of working.
Last year, Kylie and her collaborator and brother David Eddy released their new book, 'The Art of Lean Filmmaking: An unconventional guide to creating feature films'. In November 2021, they wrapped up a six-week online Lean Filmmaking academy.
This fortnight, we're talking to writer and narrative designer, and ACMI X resident, Alexander Swords. Alexander made the switch from writing for film to writing for videogames, and he now advocates for the power of interactive narrative and the need for diverse future storytellers. His work explores emotional games, games for change and the adaptation and evolution of stories moving to new mediums.
His book, Forest Paths Method for Narrative Design (2020), provides an accessible and collaborative approach to writing and narrative design for interactive and non-interactive storytelling. It is now used internationally to develop, research and educate in the fields of videogames and screenwriting.
In this episode, we discuss the intersection of videogames and film, focusing on development, production, distribution and technology. This chat explores ways practitioners across both industries already are and can continue to take advantage of opportunities within these artistic forms.
In this episode, we discuss mentorship and storytelling in the screen industry with Denise Eriksen, co-founder of Media Mentors. Using her wealth of experience and knowledge of all things broadcasting, Denise helps creative practitioners find their way into the industry.
About Denise Eriksen Denise has worked as a Journalist, Producer and Executive Producer around the world. She has been Head of Factual and Head of Current Affairs at the ABC; Head of Production and Development at SBS; and made programs for Seven, Nine, Ten and Foxtel over her lengthy career. She has trained TV professionals in many genres in Australia and around the world.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, VR and AR artist Marc-O-Matic began exploring the Crypto Art and NFT space, expanding his work into blockchain and metaverse platforms and eventually creating virtual worlds, animated artworks and digital wearables for an emerging decentralised economy. Two years on his work has earned over $1 million USD from NFTs – Non-Fungible Tokens – and is featured across some of the most notable NFT marketplaces including Super Rare, Makers Place, Decentraland, and festivals in the US like Art Basel Miami and NFT NYC.
In our first Inside ACMI X podcast, Marc-O-Matic talks about his practice and his own beginnings in this emerging space and offers practical advice for artists looking to make a living on the blockchain.
Inside ACMI X https://www.acmi.net.au/whats-on/inside-acmi-x-pocast
ACMI X Website: https://www.acmi.net.au/acmi-x/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/acmiXstudio
Marc-O-Matic Website: https://www.marcomatic.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/marc0matic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mr.marcomatic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcomatic/
COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE Is Australian press freedom an endangered species? What can be done to prevent the media being portrayed as the enemy of the people?
Australia has some of the most draconian anti-media laws of all Western countries. Police raids on journalists, national security laws that criminalise journalistic activities, attacks on whistleblowers, archaic defamation laws and restricted access to information have stifled the ability of journalists to hold power to account.
Investigative journalism is under threat globally and increasingly in countries where democracies have historically prevailed. At a time when attacks on press freedom around the world are on the rise, the risks faced by news, journalism and documentary are very real. But what can be done to stem the growing culture of secrecy and counter the epidemic of fake news, disinformation and manipulation that is eroding public discourse and democracy?
Join a distinguished panel of news, documentary and investigative journalists including ABC News’ Gaven Morris, filmmaker Yaara Bou Melhem and University of Queensland’s Professor Peter Greste to discuss the threat posed to press freedom. This session is a timely discussion of why public interest journalism should be protected and how the industry can help educate the public about their right to know before Australian journalists are labelled the enemy of the people.
CRAFT Meet the key people behind hit ABC shows that have delivered real world impact, and find out what’s next in 2020.
Commissioning distinctive TV that has a real-world impact on Australians and their communities is a major goal of ABC’s Factual and Documentary teams. The ABC has been leading the way with this form of programming through acclaimed series such as Old People’s Home for 4 Year Old’s, Employable Me, Don’t Stop The Music, Love On The Spectrum and War On Waste. In 2020, the ABC is presenting two major climate-themed series with Fight for Planet A: The Climate Challenge exploring how we can all help reduce both our individual and collective carbon emissions and Big Weather (and how to survive it) offering insight and practical advice on how to survive and thrive in a time of increasing extreme weather events. We will also see Shaun Micallef return to our screens as he delves into the nation’s relationship with alcohol, with Shaun Micallef’s On The Sauce.
All of these shows demonstrate the importance of content that not only informs and entertains but has the power to connect the nation and drive real-world awareness and change.
In this session you will hear insights from key people on these shows, both in front of and behind the camera as well as the ABC’s Impact Producer. All have been pivotal in developing and delivering TV with a social purpose that resonates with audiences across all platforms.
This session features Craig Reucassel, Debbie Cuell, Karina Holden and Teri Calder and will be moderated by Stephen Oliver.
CRAFT Leading factual producers reveal how they tackled projects of scale … and scale doesn’t always mean big budget.
Leading factual producers discuss and demystify the oft-used term ‘scale’. From giant crews, fixed rigs and far-flung locations, to leading a tiny team shooting across a long timeframe – scale calls for precise decision making in the development process and in designing your production model.
What are the different production approaches that can be scaled to get the most out of the story and budget? Do you go big, long, lean, broad or deep to best access your story? How can you invert your production approach on the same story material?
Debbie Cuell, Jocelyn Little and Ben Ulm’s careers embody the full spectrum of scale, from big blue-chip to lean ob-doc. They will dissect making recent and upcoming series Ed Stafford: First Man Out, Old People’s Home for 4 Year-Olds, One Born Every Minute, Who Gets to Stay in Australia and Wild City.
Moderator Sarah Thornton (Network Ten) springboards this conversation from a Network commissioning perspective. Scale used to mean big budget but what does it mean in the current factual market?
CRAFT Director Jen Peedom discusses her story-focused approach to documentary writing, from pre-production through to editing.
What does it mean to ‘write’ a documentary?
For BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, Mountain), writing — and re-writing — defines each step of the filmmaking process. Emphasising the difference between covering an issue and telling an emotional story, this session will explore lessons borrowed from drama storytelling in shaping Jen’s compelling on-screen characters and journeys: encompassing thoughtful planning in research and pre-production, course-correction through principal shooting and interviews, and an openness to challenging feedback throughout editing.
Further points of discussion for this session include the differences between writing historical and unfolding stories, writing observational documentaries (when the outcome of a situation is unknown at the outset), and incorporating additional editorial tools (such as graphics and cards) at the editing stage for clarity.
BUSINESS Three major international cable networks discuss what worked in 2019, what's coming in 2020 and what they're looking for now.
Discovery International, A+E, and ESPN – three heavyweight international cable networks discuss their big successes from 2019, what exciting projects they have in the pipeline, and what they are looking for from production companies. This session will compare and contrast their audiences and their needs.
What brings in their audiences, what keeps them, what loses them? What are the differences between the US factual landscape and the UK one? Do US and UK audiences tend to favour different programming? What crosses over? What doesn’t? How does delivering to a truly international audience differ to focusing inside a specific national market? And in the bigger picture: How is the documentary series landscape changing in an age of instability.
As streaming services rise, battle and consolidate, linear TV must shake itself up to survive. How does that impact us right now? How might it play out?
COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE Meet the producer and creative director at the heart of one of the world's most enduring and celebrated documentary collectives.
For over 50 years, Gordon Quinn and Kartemquin Films have been at the forefront of documentary making in the US, not only embracing but also epitomising collaborative practices, championing new voices, and leading the way in the fight for independent media. All of these resonate with current discussions, both locally and globally around democracy and social justice, as well as AIDC 2020’s theme of collective intelligence.
Join Gordon in conversation as he discusses the essential role of documentary in a fair and just society through some of his key works from Inquiring Nuns and Last Pullman Car to Hoop Dreams, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, Minding the Gap and 63Boycott. Talking through his 50-plus years of experience, Gordon will expand on how to sustain documentary making amidst constant assaults on truth, and finding new ways to regenerate the form and industry. He’ll also discuss the expanding role of the producer in nurturing new talent and promoting and enabling diverse voices to tap into hyper-local stories that also reverberate with global audiences. This session promises to be both thought-provoking and inspiring.
CRAFT Emmy-Award nominated Director S. Leo Chiang takes a deep dive into finding and developing complex documentary characters.
In this craft session, Emmy-Award nominated Director S. Leo Chiang discusses the art of finding and unravelling multifaceted characters who share a common sense of idealism against the odds. Films such as Our Time Machine and A Village Called Versailles often focus on character development over obvious plot twists in order to highlight the powerful transformations the characters go through rather than the devastating losses they face.
Join Leo in conversation with Jeanie Davison (Development and Investment Manager of Documentary at Screen Australia) to unpack how he gains trust and develops relationships often in diasporic and marginal communities to tell heartbreaking stories of love, loss and standing up for what you believe in. Through personal anecdotes, Leo will give insight on a few of the major lessons he’s learned along the way.
CRAFT John Smithson discusses the creative challenges in crafting story in his new true-crime series I, Sniper.
High-end crime serials have become the pinnacle of factual, and the rise of streaming services offer an enticing opportunity with the budgets and the time to enable some serious creativity.
For four years Arrow Pictures, the new label of Creative Director John Smithson, has been working on I, Sniper. This 6 x 1hr serial tells the story of the DC Snipers, the two men who terrorised Washington DC in a city still traumatised by 9/11 one year earlier, killing people at random over 23 days of terror. This is the definitive account of an iconic American crime, told with law enforcement, survivors and victims’ families and, uniquely, in the words of the surviving shooter, in a series of calls from his supermax cell.
In conversation with Rachael Brown, John Smithson talks for the first time about the creative challenges of the genre, ahead of I, Sniper’s release.
CRAFT BAFTA award-winner Ninder Billing shares her insights on how to turn an idea into irresistible factual content.
In conversation with Ninder Billing promises to be a fascinating journey through the sometimes unforgiving landscape of factual television with one of Britain’s most respected and innovative television executives. From prime-time factual formats, access documentaries and authored films, Ninder navigates us through the creative path she’s beaten as both creator, producer and commissioner.
Ninder has never been one to ‘stay in her lane’ as she delights in moving broadly between genres, subject and form. She has launched genre-busting factual formats such as Operation Live, overseen celebrity-authored films, produced current affairs investigations, and created kid’s factual entertainment. At the heart of her programming is a keen awareness of audience and a passion for improving diversity in the media.
Ninder will share her insights on how to turn an idea into irresistible factual content and offer her tips on the best way to grab the attention of commissioners.
INNOVATION Join Marshmallow Laser Feast’s Robin McNicholas as he sheds light on their multi-sensory experiences at the intersection of science, technology, art and nature.
What does it mean to experience tree-time? How do animals see the world? How does our breath connect us to the plant world?
In this session Robin McNicholas, creative director of Marshmallow Laser Feast, discusses their process of creating immersive works which enable us to shift our perceptions. Experiencing the world as tree, animal or air, can enable encounters with the wonder and interconnectedness of the natural world.
Marshmallow Laser Feast are a UK-based team who develop experiential work involving technology. Founder & Creative Director Robin McNicholas shares R&D strategies for innovation along with the challenges & opportunities for creators interested in making work for connected global audiences.
Hunter Page-Lochard tells us about the person who is the conduit between the Dreaming and this world: The Cleverman. Written by Ryan Griffen. Republished with permission from Triple J & ABC.
Join artists Gabrielle De Vietri, Hanna Brontë and Eugenia Lim to talk video art and challenging provocations in the spheres of identity, immigration, race, nationalism and politics.
From exploring issues of gender and racial identity through the lens of hip-hop aesthetics to deconstructing the nature of globalisation and economics through video and performance, the artists will discuss their own practice in contemporary video art and film, and what excites them about the form's potential for political expression and social commentary.
Alice was first brought to life by Lewis Carroll, but she's sparked imaginations and been immortalised on screen many times since.
Join film critic and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas in conversation with Dr Michelle Smith (Monash University) and Dr Dan Golding (Swinburne University of Technology) as they discuss these 'electric' Alices and the unique representations of girlhood across time, space and media, exploring historical significance, contemporary potency and what Alice might mean in the future.
With each technological advancement, from early documentaries to social issue games and immersive VR, we've heard the promise of being able to step into alternate perspectives, to feel and share and experience a more complex type of understanding. But are these supposed "empathy machines" distancing us from true empathy and closer to voyeurism?
In this talk we interrogate the ethics, assumptions and privileges associated with technological storytelling.
Hosted by Santilla Chingaipe with Dr Fincina Hopgood, Brett Leavy and Amani Naseem.
How does a museum collect WeChat? Or show a laptop that was destroyed by security agencies because it held government secrets leaked by whistleblowers?
How could a museum collect computer viruses, or use source code to reveal decisions made by designers when a product was being made?
Digital design, game design and media design are all important aspects of contemporary design, yet institutions have struggled to effectively exhibit and collect, let alone 'preserve' them for future generations.
Seb and Natalie discuss current institutional approaches, including the V&A's rapid response collecting initiatives and ACMI's digital preservation.
Video games can transport players into ethereal experiences, create unique communities and become a medium for interactive and experimental art.
Join game designer and curator Chad Toprak (Freeplay), experimental games designers Michael Samyn and Auriea Harvey (Tale of Tales) and cultural curator Zuraida Buter (Zo-ii) for a deep dive into beautiful, wonderous and experiential game worlds.
There are innumerable theories of Alice, Wonderland and the characters she meets along the way.
Was Lewis Carroll inspired by hallucinogens? Reacting to new maths standards? Or having a personal identity crisis?
Perhaps the way we see the text tells us as much as our ourselves as it does about the enigmatic author.
Join us for a lively dissection of the text's myriad meanings with science communicator Stephanie Pradier, psychedelic VR artist Roger Essig and psychologist Professor Nick Haslam, hosted by author and critic Mel Campbell.
Decolonising the Australian film industry and how First Nations people want to be portrayed are the current debates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait actors, directors and producers. Join our host Leila Gurruwiwi (from Marngrook Football Show) along with guest panelists; award winning author Uncle Bruce Pascoe, playwright and filmmaker Tracey Rigney and academic Crystal McKinnon in a provocative discussion on Aboriginal identity and the Australian film and television industry. Our panelists will explore how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been showcased within the industry and what needs to be achieved by Indigenous film and television practitioners to take control of their identity.
Did you know that twenty percent of Australians live with disability? You probably wouldn't guess that from our media.
But things are gradually improving. In 2018, more people with disability and appearance diversity are writing and starring in TV and film, influencing on social media and getting opportunities as brand ambassadors. Young people today have a much greater chance of seeing themselves represented, knowing what's possible.
We'll be talking representation of people with disability on screens and behind the scenes, and why it's vital to give us a place at the table.
In an ever-changing media landscape, and with audiences savvy and cynical about advertising, brands are looking for more subtle ways to draw their customers in. Enter the documentary filmmaker. Does this offer an exciting new source of finance for documentary or is it a sell out? Is it still possible to make authentic stories within this form? Who has creative control in this environment? Why do brands give money to filmmakers and what do they want in return?
This session brings together a world-class panel of award-winning filmmakers, producers and broadcasters to share their first-hand experiences making documentary content for brands and the mechanics of building successful partnerships to do so. They will explore how brand funded content works, why they do it, how it is different to working within traditional funding pathways, and what the deals look like. Between them, our panel has made everything from online content to television to feature films, financed by brands. They will share the realities, the pitfalls and the opportunities of this new financial option in our documentary producing toolbox.
How do we build stronger alliances and create impact campaigns that engage audiences on issues, to create lasting change?
The phenomenal rise of documentary impact campaigns in recent years, following the success of Good Pitch Australia and the growing field of expertise, means we now have a global community of impact producers and a rich library of case studies to learn from. There is also a plethora of online tools and organisations offering expertise in delivering impact campaigns. So what have we learned and where are we going? What is the best impact approach for your project and budget?
Through unpacking several environmental sustainability themed case studies, our panellists from very different corners of the industry demonstrate the wide variety of ways to achieve genuine social impact.
Robert Fernandez has been producing award-winning documentaries and commercials for over 25 years - yet he still loves getting his hands dirty on budget spreadsheets 'I love the numbers'. Working with Errol Morris since The Fog of War, Fernandez recently delivered their biggest project to-date: the Netflix series Wormwood. With no precedent for its hybrid format or production model, it took 1.5 years to develop and finance with Netflix, and 2.5 years to shoot. Fernandez is the master producer behind a master director, and the man that 'did the numbers' to produce the opus Wormwood, replete with a feature shoot's worth of drama and 10-camera interview setups.
Is the recent trend in 80s retro films and TV symbolic of a nostalgia for a simpler era?
The 80s was a decade renowned for its excess - think money, drugs, eyeshadow and lycra. From Stranger Things and Glow to Spielberg’s upcoming Ready Player One, we look at contemporary TV and films that transport us back to the decade defined by ET, The Goonies, big hair, pastels and 12-sided dice.
But what does this recent trend in 80s retro nostalgia tell us about ourselves? Are we nostalgic for a simpler pre-Trump age?
Join filmmaker Glendyn Ivin, academic Dr Lauren Rosewarne and critic Mel Campbell in a neon-coloured, synth-scored exploration of our yearning for 80s small town America.
Copyright Acknowledgments
Title: Stranger Things, Series One, Episode One Copyright: Netflix
Title: Stranger Things, Series One, Episode Two Copyright: Netflix
Title: Glow, Series One, Episode Seven Copyright: Netflix
Title: Wet Hot American Summer Copyright: USA Films
Title: E.T. Copyright: Universal Pictures
Title: The Goonies Copyright: Warner Bros.
Title: Stand By Me Copyright: Columbia Pictures
Title: Puberty Blues, Season One, Episode One Copyright: Endemol Australia
Title: Puberty Blues, Season One, Episode Three Copyright: Endemol Australia
Title: Cracker Bag Copyright: Glendyn Ivin
This talk celebrated International Women’s Day with local filmmakers telling powerful and revealing stories. Filmmakers Sari Braithwaite, Chloe Brugale and Santilla Chingaipe were in conversation with Eloise Ross about their craft and processes, key collaborations and career pathways.
About the speakers
Santilla Chingaipe is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. She spent nearly a decade working for SBS World News which saw her report from across Africa and interview some of the continent's most prominent leaders. Her work explores cultural identities, contemporary migration and politics. Last year she presented a one-off documentary for SBS, Date My Race. Santilla is currently directing and writing documentary on the complexities of Australia’s South Sudanese community. Her latest film, Black As Me, is a short documentary exploring the perception of beauty and race in Australia. She writes regularly for The Saturday Paper.
Chloe Brugale is a screen practitioner with more than fifteen years' experience working across drama and factual productions, distribution, events and festival programming. As the General Manager of Robert Connolly’s company, Arenamedia, Chloe has contributed to many culturally and artistically innovative features, including The Turning, Spear and the box office hit Paper Planes. She also oversaw the successful release campaign of the documentary Chasing Asylum. Chloe’s producer credits include [CENSORED], an experimental documentary by director Sari Braithwaite, and Black As Me, a short film by director Santilla Chingaipe. Prior to Arenamedia, Chloe held positions at the Melbourne International Film Festival as Next Gen and Short Films programmer, the education department of the Cannes Film Festival and the avant-garde Utopia Cinemas in Avignon, France.
Sari Braithwaite is a filmmaker who works across the disciplines of history and film. Her documentary films have played at MIFF, SFF, Adelaide Film Festival, Canberra Film Festival, Antenna Film Festival, and BFI London. She was a recipient of the 2015 AFTRS Creative Fellowship to create an experimental work about Australian censorship. In addition to her own practice, Sari has also worked as a professional researcher on a wide variety of film and television documentaries, and continues to work in universities as a researcher.
Eloise Ross (host) is a writer, critic, and lecturer with a range of experience working with Melbourne film culture, both in organisational roles and as a qualified speaker. She has a PhD in cinema studies from La Trobe University and her research specialises in sound studies, Hollywood history, and the phenomenological experience of the cinema. Eloise has been widely published as a film critic, cultural commentator, and academic. She is a co-curator of the Melbourne Cinémathèque, currently teaches in the film department at Swinburne University, is co-host of the Senses of Cinema podcast.
From the Marvel and DC cinematic universes to small screen caped-crusaders and vigilantes, superheroes are more popular than ever. But how do superheroes reflect our place and power within society?
Whether it’s symbolic representations of asylum seekers and First Nations people on Cleverman, Jessica Jones battling PTSD or The Watchmen exploring the moral ambiguity of individuals with tremendous power, superheroes have the power (dare we say great responsibility?) to tell nuanced, reflective and universal stories.
Join us to discuss how our heroic representations hold a mirror up to contemporary views on ethics, justice and equality.
About the panel
Martyn Pedler
Martyn Pedler is a writer and academic who focuses on superhero stories. He's published chapters and presented internationally on subjects like how the Flash runs in a medium without movement and why Doctor Doom cried after 9/11. He's also been a longtime pop culture critic for Bookslut, Time Out Melbourne, Triple J Magazine and more. He is the writer of the 2012 feature film EXIT, and has several other screenplays in development.
Dr Liam Burke
Dr Liam Burke is the Cinema and Screen Studies coordinator at Swinburne University of Technology. He has written and edited a number of books on comic books and cinema including Superhero Movies, Fan Phenomena Batman, and The Comic Book Film Adaptation: Exploring Modern Hollywood’s Leading Genre. Liam is a chief investigator on the Superheroes & Me research project with ACMI. He recently directed the documentary short film @HOME, which was screened at a number of international film festivals and was broadcast on Irish television.
Brooke Maggs
Brooke Maggs is a freelance narrative designer and writer for games, VR and other creative industries. She one of the women featured in ACMI's Code Breaker's exhibition where you can play one of her latest projects, The Gardens Between, an adventure puzzle game.Recently, she received the 2017 MCV Pacific XBOX Women in Games Creative Impact award for her work in the games industry. Brooke is writing a science fiction novel for which she was shortlisted for the Ray Koppe Writer’s Residency and awarded a residency at the Varuna House. Her other writing includes academic research in creative writing practice.
Copyright Acknowledgments:
Title: The Avengers (2012) Copyright: Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Production Company
Title: Spiderman (2002) Copyright: Marvel Enterprises / Columbia Pictures
Title: Superman (1978) Copyright: Warner Bros
Title: Man of Steel (2013) Copyright: DC Entertainment / Warner Bros Pictures
Title: Daredevil Season 1 Episode 2 Copyright: Marvel Television / Netflix
Title: Cleverman Season 1 Episode 2 Copyright: Sundance Studios / ABC TV
Title: Superman Returns (2006) Copyright: Legendary Pictures / DC Comics / Warner Bros Pictures
ACMI presents Changing the Game, where speakers Steph Convery, Clem Ford, Leena van Deventer and Rae Johnston talk survival strategies for being a woman with an opinion on the internet.
Online games and social media have dramatically changed the way we interact, creating communities with common passions and interests that transcend geographical, socio/cultural and political boundaries. However, the online world has a dark underbelly where trolling, racism, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, doxing and misogyny are rife. In this provocative and proactive panel discussion, we explore the current landscape of social interactions through technology and the ways diverse players are taking the power back.
Warning: Contains strong language and content that some might find upsetting or disturbing.
Copyright acknowledgements:
Title: Damsels in Distress: Part 1 – Tropes vs Women in Video Games Copyright: Feminist Frequency
Please visit www.acmi.net.au for further information.
In this talk we explore the creative, technical, cultural and collaborative practice of creating VR from personal histories for this moving new work.
A Thin Black Line is an immersive VR experience that follows one family in the aftermath of the bombing of Darwin in 1942, when half the population fled believing a Japanese invasion was imminent. Among them was Indigenous filmmaker Douglas Watkin’s mother, just five-years old at the time.
Director Douglas Watkin, VRTOV's VR director Oscar Raby, artist Vernon Ah Kee and lead 3D artist Kalonica Quigley shared behind-the-scenes footage and early drawings from their unique journey bringing oral storytelling to digital life through graphic and game design.
See A Thin Black Line free from 3 March in the Untold Australia VR Showcase in our permanent exhibition Screen Worlds.
About The Speakers
Douglas Watkin Brisbane-based Indigenous filmmaker Douglas Watkin was born in Cairns, Far North Queensland. His broadcasting and filmmaking career began in television doing small news reports and producing various corporate videos, and has progressed to feature films, broadcast series and multimedia works for a range of clients and audiences. Douglas has been actively working in the film and television industry for over twenty years, including producing and directing multiple series for ABC and NiTV.
Oscar Raby Oscar Raby is an award-winning multimedia artist and Creative Director of independent digital production studio VRTOV. His Virtual Reality documentary Assent (2013), about the Chilean dictatorship, has been exhibited world-wide including screening at Sundance New Frontier, IDFA DocLab and Sheffield Doc/Fest where it received the Audience Choice Award for Cross-platform.
Kalonica Quigley Kalonica is a 3D Artist and Game Developer who has developed award-winning games with small teams and independently. She currently works as Lead 3D Artist at VRTOV, an independent studio that crafts virtual reality experiences at the borderline of film and games.
Vernon Ah Kee Born in Far North Queensland and currently living in Brisbane, Vernon is a member of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji and Gugu Yimithirr peoples.
Vernon’s multi-faceted practice includes works that range from large-scale drawings of his ancestors to hard-hitting text-based works and installations. In his work Ah Kee fuses the history and language of colonisation with contemporary black/white political issues in an ongoing investigation of race, colour and politics. Through clever puns and plays on words and objects Ah Kee fuses the history and language of colonisation with contemporary black/white political issues to expose degrees of underlying racism in Australian society.
Interactive digital narratives, fully-immersive VR, open source gaming, robots writing novels – what does the future of storytelling look like? What do emerging technological advances mean for writers and artists creating work in the digital era?
Four artists at the forefront of innovation in digital storytelling kicked off Digital Writers' Festival 2017 with a discussion about the impact of interactive digital narratives, virtual reality, geolocated narratives and more in conversation with artistic director Izzy Roberts-Orr.
Copyright acknowledgements:
Clips Played
Title: Door Into the Dark Trailer Copyright: Anagram Link played: https://vimeo.com/97591942 More info: http://weareanagram.co.uk/project/door-into-the-dark/ Title: The Gardens Between Copyright: TheVoxelAgents Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmBXEGmQ_og More info: http://thegardensbetween.com/ Title: The Gardens Between ~ Slow Trailer TEASER Copyright: TheVoxelAgents Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_AaniqoqfEMore info: http://thegardensbetween.com/ Title: Way From Home Copyright: Misha Myers Link played: N/A More info: http://profiles.arts.monash.edu.au/misha-myers/biography/ Title: Magic in Modern London: iPhone App Trailer Copyright: Amblr Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RJ77Q-uiKw More info: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/magic-in-modern-london/id555328123 Title: The Turning Forest Making Of Copyright: Vrtov Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6C3TBSqMTw More info: http://vrtov.com/projects/turning-forest/ Title: IS JAPAN COOL? DOU - 道 Copyright: ANA Link Played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLHukYrVi8M More info: https://www.ana-cooljapan.com/contents/dou/ Reading List referenced / not played Title: Our Friends Electric (excerpt) Copyright: Superflux and Mozilla Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsjunTAH-2A More info: http://superflux.in/index.php/work/friends-electric/# Title: Her Story Trailer Copyright: Sam Barlow Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaHw97l7-Lc More info: http://www.herstorygame.com/ Title: The story of Replika, the AI app that becomes you Copyright: Replika by Luka inc Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQGqMVuAk04 More info: https://replika.ai/ Title: A message from Karen | Blast Theory Copyright: Blast Theory Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqa2gTj2uYI// More info: https: www.blasttheory.co.uk/projects/karen/
In our uncertain era full of real life horror, what's driving our appetite for true crime and fascination with the macabre? From recent documentaries The Jinx, Making a Murderer and The Family to serial killer anti-heroes in film and TV, and the stark brutality of Scandi-noir, we examined our obsession with the dark side of human nature, the psychology of fear and how recent technological advances like biometric analysis are providing unique findings into our physiological response to on-screen horror.
Copyright acknowledgements:
Images & Clips Played
Title: Westwood Family Photograph Copyright: Westwood Family
Title: IT MAKES YOU JUMP OF FRIGHT Copyright: DWS93 Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t80sdBtB-Gc
Title: car commercial - sun roof feature, cat gets a suprise Copyright: lakers777 Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz-sC-vSIXk
Title: Most Scariest Video Ever Copyright: Social Dunya News Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTn90dTakOE
Title: Caving Claustrophobia Kill or Cure Copyright: Keith Edwards Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG0WJkmOwd0
Title: Horrific moment massive spider extracted from woman's ear Copyright: SWNS TV Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri2OrRdlxtY
Title: The Family Trailer Copyright: Dogwoof Link played: https://www.thefamilysect.com/
Title: Haunted Toaster Copyright: US Today Show, 1984 Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSwnWw65Wo
AFTRS Credits IMOTIONS IMAGES WITH PERMISSION ECLIPSE IMAGE: NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.IT ACCESSED 28.07.17 DROWNING IMAGE: EYESOFODYSSEUS.COM ACCESSED 28.07.17 MIRROR NEURON IMAGE: IMTERACTIVE-BIOLOGY.COM ACCESSED 29.07.17
From the surface of the sun to the depths of the prehistoric seas and the earth's orbit, VR continues to open portals onto worlds we could never physically inhabit. What potential does this technology hold for expanding the realms of human experience?
Erth's Scott Wright (Prehistoric VR), artist Jessie Hughes (Soul Of Sol – La Palma) and astrophysicist Professor Alan Duffy (Swinburne Uni) discussed art, tech and science in their latest VR works.
Copyright acknowledgements:
Clips Played
Title: Mars 2030 Copyright: Mars 2030 was created by FUSION in collaboration with NASA and is powered by Nvidia GeForce Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prpQB0nlRV8 Purchase / Experience: http://store.steampowered.com/app/510850/Mars_2030/ Title: the Blu: Whale Encounter | 3D 360 VR Copyright: Transport Wevr Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUpkVa4UkMg Purchase / Experience: https://www.transportvr.com/theblu-series Title: Tree VR – Seedling Copyright: Rainforest Alliance Link played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERffRXjTAqM Purchase / Experience: https://www.treeofficial.com/ Title: Soul of Sol | Inspiration | NASA | Thermonuclear Art – The Sun In Ultra-HD (4K) Copyright: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Link played: https://vimeo.com/167370549 Title: Soul of Sol | La Palma Copyright: Jessie Hughes Link played: https://vimeo.com/167207800 Title: Soul of Sol | Artist Residency Copyright: Jessie Hughes Link played: https://vimeo.com/167368978 Images Shown Prehistoric VR, Erth http://erth.com.au/ Sci VR,http://www.scivr.com.au/
Are the heroines of modern anime confronting the stereotyped female characters that preceded them? Or are they still designed merely to service the fantastical and unrealistic desires of male fans?
In this traditionally male-dominated genre, the growing trend of empowered female protagonists is a welcome development. Still, there’s no shortage of anime productions that feature excessive ‘fan-service’ – highly objectified representations of women. For every baddass heroine like Princess Mononoke’s San, there are the subjugated female characters in Keijo, designed purely for the male gaze.
Our panel of academics, critics and cultural commentators unraveled anime’s approach to women and tested whether it could become a new ground for feminism.
About The Panel
Jessica McCallum
Jessica McCallum currently works with Madman Entertainment, a Melbourne founded and leading Australian independent entertainment company. As the Head of Social Media and Anime Marketing, Jess is responsible for social media strategies and marketing initiatives. She has played an instrumental part in propelling the growth of Madman's anime audience and community by developing effective and engaging campaigns for key product categories and releases. Working alongside peers who are pushing the organisation in exciting new directions, both in theatrical (Your Name, A Silent Voice), national anime festivals and direct-to-consumer digital streaming via AnimeLab, Jess is extremely passionate about bringing the latest and greatest anime content to Aussie and NZ fans.
Phillip Brophy
Philip Brophy curated the first major retrospective of manga artist Osamu Tezuka for the National Gallery of Victoria in 2006. The exhibition toured to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco the following year. In 2005, he was commissioned to write “100 Anime” for the British Film Institute in London. In previous years he has curated film retrospective programmes for the Melbourne International Film Festival on Tezuka (1995) and Studio Ghibli (1997). He interviewed Hayao Miyazaki in Tokyo for the exhibition he curated on Japanese and American animation for the Museum of Contemporary Art, “Kaboom!” (1993). He has been published extensively in international journals on anime and manga.
Nikki Lam
Nikki Lam is a visual artist, curator and programmer based in Melbourne. Working primarily with the moving image, she is passionate about the cross-sections of screen cultures, media arts and representations. Born in Hong Kong, she is interested in exploring the translations of post-colonial identities and narratives in the hybrid world, often through the studies of rituals, language, time and space. She is the former Artistic Director of Channels Video Art Festival (2014-2016) and has worked in a range of arts organisations including Footscray Community Arts Centre, Peril Magazine and Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT). She is currently ACMI X Coordinator for the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Nikki grew up with anime in Hong Kong and would consider the medium as the fundamental ingredient of her formative years.
Title: Kill La Kill Season One Copyright: Madman Entertainment
Title: Keijo!!!!!! Season One Copyright: Crunchyroll
Title: Psycho Pass Season One Copyright: Madman Entertainment
Title: Attack on Titan Season One Copyright: Madman Entertainment
Title: Perfume Live @ Tokyo Dome Copyright: Perfume Records
The representation of gender diversity on screen has a complex history, from invisibility to stereotypical representations of otherness, including the sexually mischievous to the homicidal maniac.
In this conversation our panel of filmmakers, critics, festival directors and artists to talked about the history and politics of gender diverse representation in films like Funeral Parade of Roses, Tomboy, The Crying Game and Boys Don’t Cry, as well as Orange is the New Black, Transparent and Billions. The panel will explore the problematic casting and stereotyping of gender diverse characters to the more progressive titles that have paved the way for more positive and nuanced gender expression on screen.
About The Panel
Bobuq Sayed (Host)
Bobuq Sayed is a writer, multi-media artist and community organiser of the Afghan diaspora. They co-edit Archer Magazine and they are the co-founder of the Australian QTPoC activist collective, Colour Tongues.
They are one-half of the sound art project, SWALLOW, and an active member of performance art vehicle, Embittered Swish. Their work highlights the unresolved and the grotesque; the ugliness of marginality.
Amos Gebhardt
Gebhardt’s cinematic portraits of humanness invoke multiple art forms including dance, documentary and performance. Drawn to disruptive representations of identity, Gebhardt has created moving image works for gallery exhibitions, cinema and broadcast exhibiting at ACMI, MONA, Gertrude Contemporary, M+, Monash Gallery of Art, SBS and ABC. Gebhardt is a recipient of the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship, given to select artists who demonstrate outstanding talent and exceptional courage in their practice and is currently working on two video installations to be presented at the Adelaide Biennial 2018.
Cerise Howard
Cerise Howard is the Artistic Director of the Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia. A co-founding member of tilde: Melbourne Trans & Gender Diverse Film Festival and a committee member of the Melbourne Cinémathèque, she is also a freelance writer and critic who reports for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival daily newspaper and co-hosts Plato's Cave, broadcast live and podcast weekly by 3RRR.
Cerise is also the bassist for punk, performance art, queer rock band Queen Kong and The HOMOsapiens. They will be launching "You Come from a DFO, I Come from a UFO" Thursday February 1st at the Northcote Social Club.
Copyright Acknowlegments
Title: Eat the Rich Copyright: New Line Cinema
Title: Rocky Horror Picture Show Copyright: 20th Century Fox
Title: Dallas Buyers Club Copyright: Focus Features
Title: Women in Revolt Copyright: Morrissey
Title: Funeral Parade of Roses Copyright: Art Theatre Guild
Title: The Crying Game Copyright: Palace Pictures / Miramax
Title: Orlando Copyright: Sony Pictures Classics
Title: Tangerine Copyright: Magnolia Pictures
Title: Something Must Break Copyright: Garagefilm International / Fasad Postproduktion
Title: There are no others Copyright: Amos Gebhardt
Masterclass with the creative team behind podcast Trace
Despite the global success of podcasts like Serial, the team behind Trace didn’t set out to emulate other popular true crime podcasts. Trace had a different ambition, chiefly to find justice and truth for the sons of Maria James, who was murdered nearly 38 years ago.
In this masterclass, the journalist, producer and sound designer will break down how they created ABC’s first ‘true crime’ podcast; from distilling a 16 month investigation in to a story structure, creating a soundscape that would captivate listeners, maximising ABC’s cross platform reach to harness new leads, through to the team’s journalistic intent at the heart of the creative storytelling.
Editing Masterclass with Erin Casper
In this exclusive masterclass, Erin will share her personal approach to editing by thinking about the construction of each film as a language of its own, spoken cinematically through an editor’s hands.
Drawing on excerpts from her award-winning films such as Our School, American Promise, The Last Season and The New Black, this masterclass will explore her creative process, writing with images and crafting cinematic language in non-fiction films.
Fashion illustration is experiencing a renaissance. Fueled by the shareability on social media, talented illustrators can now catch the eye of both consumers and fashion houses on the look out for fresh ideas.
Fashion on Film curator James Nolen will host a panel of local expert fashion illustrators about the sketches that happen before a stitch is sewn, and how illustration is leading the fashion world into innovative, uncharted territory.
The subjects of this year's program, Yves Saint Laurent and Manolo Blahnik, were both furious sketchers. Yves would create hundreds in preparation for each collection, and Manolo, who has created over 30,000 shoes in a career spanning close to five decades, has a pencil attached to his bed in case of somnolent inspiration.
Joining James on the panel will be Melbourne-based fashion illustrator and educator Angie Réhe whose work has appeared in a host of high end mastheads including Vogue, Elle, Harper's BAZAAR, L’Officiel, as well as Jimmy Choo and illustrator Katie Geppert who (amongst many things) has been developing some unique works for one of the hottest designers/labels of the moment, Virgil Abloh's Off-White and rounding out the panel will be Danielle Whitfield, Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the National Gallery of Victoria.
In the lead up to the opening of Wonderland ACMI Curator Jess Bram spoke to Colleen Atwood about her work designing the costumes for the 2010 Tim Burton film: Alice in Wonderland.
About Wonderland: Fall down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, a world premiere exhibition celebrating the timeless stories of Lewis Carroll and Alice’s adventures on screen.
From first gracing the page in 1865, Alice has delighted audiences and inspired artists across generations. In more than 40 cinematic odysseys, she has epitomised the best in animation, been an arthouse icon and a blockbuster success.
Alongside her journey through pop culture, Wonderland explores how filmmaking, special effects and technology have reimagined one of the world’s most beloved characters.
In this must-see event, take a trip through the looking glass into an immersive, enchanted world that draws together a remarkable selection of original behind-the-scenes material.
The more curious you are, the more you’ll discover.
Yohji Yamamoto has been reinterpreting the rules of fashion for over four decades.
In light of the Australian premiere season of Yohji Yamamoto: Dressmaker screening exclusively as part of Melbourne Fashion Week at ACMI, film programmer James Nolen will be joined by fashion experts, fashion historians and Yamamoto super fans, as they delve into the history of this celebrated Japanese designer.
We are delighted to have hosted Australian fashion legend Joe Saba, specialist retailers Thi Lam, Yahav Ron, Sebastian Supel and Octavius La Rosa and Yamamoto collector Dr Gene Sherman.
This Q&A with Ian Collie, Wally Elnour, Ez Eldin Deng, Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw, Matt Cameron and Elise McCredie follwed the screening of the first episode of Sunshine which was selected as Series Mania Melbourne's opening night screening,
Sunshine is a vibrant, kinetic and compelling high stakes fictional crime drama that explores a world of contrasts - truth and reconstruction, past and present, hope and heartbreak – felt by those forging a new life in a foreign land.
The 4 x 1 hour series is set in the summer of 2017 in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine. The story follows Jacob Garang (Wally Elnour), a young, aspiring South Sudanese-Australian basketball player who is on the cusp of being picked up by scouts for the US College league. However, Jacob’s team is not up to his standard and so he angles to bring in a new coach to help with the team’s performance. His pick is Eddie Grattan (Anthony LaPaglia), a local who once played for a US college team, but has long since retired and operates a small sports store in Sunshine. Almost against his best instincts, Eddie accepts an approach by Jacob to coach his underperforming team, The Sunshine Kings.
In the midst of his aspirations, Jacob finds himself answering to Sunshine-raised lawyer Zara Skelton (Melanie Lynskey) when he is caught up in a police investigation involving a young teenage girl who has been violently assaulted and is now in a coma fighting for her life.
In Cambodia's first Oscar-nominated film, director Rithy Panh uses clay animated figures, archival footage and voice-over narration to tell a deeply personal story.
Starting with a photograph taken between 1975 and 1979 by the Khmer Rouge when they ruled over Cambodia, Panh uses the image as a source of contemplation, meditation and as a verbal and visual record of genocide. The only surviving records of the Cambodian genocide are the propaganda images and films that the Khmer Rouge created, compelling Panh to recreate the 'missing picture' between the state sanctioned lies. In the process creating a powerful document on the potency of the moving image and the brave act of bearing witness.
Please join us for a a post-screening Q&A with the film’s director Rithy Panh and hosted by Philippa Hawker.
“We need to raise it up, we need to fight and to shout, but we also need to bring it down, to talk and to listen in order to make change” Donald Betts Junior
Following the screening of I Am Not Your Negro, former Kansas State Senator Donald Betts Jr and American history professor Michael Ondaatje entered into a lively conversation about race politics and resistance from the civil rights era to present day America.
Having conquered the cutthroat world of satirical online cooking shows with The Katering Show (Australian TV's all-time most viewed digital series), the two Kates are ready to take their trademark sassy swipe at morning lifestyle television in Get Krack!n, a new series for Seeso and ABC.
Each morning the Kates will shuffle through a roster of unsafe demonstrations, surly guests, unprepared experts and the over-lit decomposition of the duo’s already rocky relationship. Viewers will quickly discover that McLennan and McCartney will leave no cultural touchstone unturned, even though they are in no capacity qualified to speak on them, or on anything for that matter.
As always, neither of the women has any sense of on-camera technique. While McCartney’s Daria-esque enthusiasm is a total miss-match to the bright and breezy format, McLennan’s hosting is imbued with a fetid air of desperation. The show should be McCartney and McLennan’s Big US Break. But, like any televisual format that the Kates put their rough, manly hands to, things on Get Krack!n will go downhill fast.
This Q&A with Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney followed the screening of the first two episodes.
To celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition Code Breakers, join us for a discussion with some of the top female critics, developers, designers and artists.
Hosted by actor, director and author, Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen, Breaking the Code featured makers Nicole Stark and Brooke Maggs and leading games expert Dr Helen Stuckey as they dived into their artistic and technical processes and insider advice for breaking into the games industry.
Featuring live gameplay from works featured in the exhibition including The Gardens Between and Ninja Pizza Girl, the panel delved into the creative inspiration behind these boundary pushing games and characters, from a kick-ass ninja pizza delivery girl to time-travelling adventurers.
Stephanie Bendixsen (known by her gamer tag ‘Hex’) is an Australian video game critic and television presenter, well known for her presenting role for ABCTV’s Good Game and its companion show for younger gamers, Good Game: Spawn Point.
Nicole Stark entered the games industry during the formative years of Krome Studios working on their first PS2 title, Sunny Garcia Surfing. She worked as the entire character department on Barbie Ice Skating. In 2011 she formed Disparity Games with her husband Jason Stark, developing the multi award-winning Ninja Pizza Girl.
Brooke Maggs is a writer, researcher, and a narrative and game designer. Her area of research is in the importance of games and play in creative writing practice and the intersections between traditional and digital storytelling. Brooke's current projects include The Gardens Between and Earthlight.
Dr Helen Stuckey is a media arts curator and researcher with extensive experience in exhibition research and development. She is Program Manager of Games at RMIT, Melbourne. Helen was a member of the Curatorial Advisory Committee that assisted ACMI in the development of Code Breakers.
Event Notes
1:39 The assumptions women game makers face Nicole Stark “I will never be one of the guys” Brooke Maggs “Its assumed women play a certain type of games” Stephanie Bendixsen “Women don’t want to play games they don’t see themselves represented well in. It’s great to see a more confident shift with women working in games to change that.” Helen Stuckey “Games that women enjoy don’t sell. It’s a myth” 4:40 What the industry used to look like? 6:52 What games got you hooked and when did you realise you could make a career out of it? 10:03 What have been the most significant changes in the industry? 23:00 How the games and game makers were selected for the exhibition Code Breakers? 25:11 What does an exhibition like Code Breakers mean for the industry? 31:47 The inspiration for The Garden’s Between 38:50 The themes in Ninja Pizza Girl 42:20 What do you love about making indie games? 44:11 What are the big developments that have come out of the Australian indie industry? 46:35 What they’re working on now? 48:50 How have developments in technology impacted how you make games? 49:50 Where would you like the industry to go in the future? 51:40 What games are you playing now? 52:50 What have been your fxxx yeah this is why I persevere moments? 54:30 What is the best way for young people to get into the industry? 56:30 How do you navigate difficulties in the workplace? 58:00 Do you see new tropes on women arising? 1:04:30 How important is accessibility in getting indie games out to a wider audience? 1:08:50 Degree vs portfolio – what is more useful to get a job?
Join us for this animation industry masterclass with the founders of Aardman Studios Peter Lord and David Sproxton, and Academy Award-winning animator Adam Elliot (Mary & Max, Harvie Krumpet).
Aardman Studios is renowned for their signature animation style and unique character creations, like the eccentric inventor and his loyal canine in Wallace & Gromit and the melancholy mountain lion of Creature Comforts.
The masters will share trade secrets about the studio’s storyboarding, model making and animation techniques, as well as insider tips on producing for animation and how to forge a sustainable animation career.
Peter and David will also discuss their predictions for the animation industry, including new platforms, markets and opportunities, as well as their latest foray into the brave new world of VR.
3:45 The beginnings of Aardman 10:00 The arrival of Morph 12:37 Aardman’s secret plasticine formula 14:50 Documentary animation. 20:53 “British people are so dull.” - Creature comforts 24:45 Where the ideas come from? 29:20 How ideas progress in drawings, the progression of Wallace 37:20 Innovations in stop motion animation 42:39 Aardman’s handmade style 43:40 Scripting 52:00 Storyboarding and the Train Chase sequence 57:00 Music magic 58:30 Puns and humour 1:03:11 Secrets in the Sets 1:08:11 Camera movement 1:12:40 Acting out 1:17:00 Switching to digital cameras and cinematography 1:23:10 Financing and crowd funding 1:29:40 VR 1:34:20 Q&A
Spend a grand night out with the award-winning founders of Aardman Animations, Peter Lord and David Sproxton!
In this exclusive talk the creators of beloved animations like Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep discussed their extraordinary careers, including the animations that have inspired and influenced their work.
Australian director Darcy Prendergast hosted the event.
Evolving from origins in clay animation as lead sculptor on the 2009 film Mary & Max, Prendergast is an internationally renowned director.
Darcy is known for his work directing clips for Gotye, Neil Young, Aloe Blacc, Greenday and many more, as well as creating the Nickelodeon cartoon series Supa Phresh. His work has played at SXSW, Annecy International Animation Festival, Sydney Film Festival and the Guggenheim Museum, and he's the founder-director of production company Oh Yeah Wow.
One aspect of Wallace and Gromit's world that audiences find so endearing are the fabulous inventions' and contraptions. Their eccentricities are so funny and clever. All these contraptions are so idiosyncratic of the Aardman world. Hear about the wacky inventiveness behind the cracking contraptions.
Some puppets have complex wire structures like the wererabbit and some are simple like Morph who is pure plasticine and uses it to his advantage. He can literally morph into anything. The props and sets on Aardman films are based on real life objects. The perfection in the smallest of details such as a carrot in a grocery stall make the sets believable.
Moulding plasticine into a world of wonderful – hear from the master craftspeople.
From little ideas big things grow. Drawing and sketching is where ideas are hatched. Hear the stories behind the drawings of Shaun the Sheep and Were Rabbit and get an insight into how the drawings come to life.
Peter Lord and David Sproxton started making films together when they were 12 years old and have been making films ever since. This year Aardman Studios turns 40. Hear how the studio grew and the diversity of work they have created.
Much to the joy of Twin Peaks fans, master of surrealist nightmares David Lynch has re-visited Twin Peaks after 25 years. Season three sees the return of many of the characters that touched our hearts and haunted our dreams.
Join Andy Hazel, host of 'Twin Peaks: The Return, A Podcast' and a panel of writers and critics for some damn fine coffee and doughnuts as we venture back to the realm of the Black Lodge.
“Emotional connection is almost always my goal - whether it is using humour, nostalgia, euphoria, heartbreak or fear.” Warren Fu
This was a rare opportunity to discuss music videos, art design and illustration with internationally acclaimed director Warren Fu.
Warren lives to conjure the impossible and bring audiences into the extraordinary worlds of his imagination. These days he's known for his work directing film clips for Daft Punk, The Weeknd, Snoop Dog, Pharrell Williams, The Strokes and The Killers, amongst others.
Earlier in his career he worked as an art director at Lucasfilm, where he created prominent characters and designs for Star Wars. He has worked as a concept and visual effects artist for a number of films including Star Trek, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Terminator Salvation and A.I.
He's also been the brains behind iconic advertising campaigns for Samsung, Adidas and Reebok.
Australian director Darcy Prendergast will host the event.
Darcy is known for his work directing clips for Gotye, Neil Young, Aloe Blacc, Greenday, as well as directing the Nickelodeon mini series Supa Phresh. His work has played at SXSW, Annecy International Animation Festival, Sydney Film Festival and the Guggenheim Museum, and he's the founder-director of production company Oh Yeah Wow.
Simon Alty has been in the video game industry for over 25 years and is currently the Managing Director at Zenimax Australia (Bethesda). Starting with Ocean Software back in 1991, Simon has developed his career within several global gaming and software companies including Rising Star Games, Atari/Infogrames and The 3DO Company before running international marketing companies in both Sydney and the UK. A passionate advocate of the potential for video games in Australia, he’s played a pivotal role in bringing over hundreds of games to the market. From V Rally and Worms in the 90s, to The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Fallout 4 and now DOOM in 2016
Japanese denim is now considered the Rolls Royce of denim in the world today.
In light of our screenings of Devin Leisher's revelatory documentary Weaving Shibusa, some of Melbourne's great retailers in, and wearers of Japanese denim came together to discuss their love and admiration for these highly prized wardrobe pieces.
Joining Film Programmer James Nolen on the panel were Chris Pickings (Pickings and Parry), Martin Kirby (Godspeed Store), denim wizard Ant Wicks (Anthill Workshop) and denim whisperer Nick Hughes (Denham).
Fire At Sea is a masterly work of documentary filmmaking about the Mediterranean island at the epicentre of the refugee crisis in Europe.
Panel discussion by filmmaker and cinematographer Bentley Dean (Tanna) will moderate a discussion with lawyer, filmmaker and President of Liberty Victoria, Jessie Taylor; journalist and editor Michael Green (They Cannot Take the Sky, Behind the Wire); Behind the Wire contributor and former asylum seeker Aran Mylvaganam; and media professional and former Director of Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV), Fotis Kapetopoulos.
No network – commercial or otherwise – has fully escaped being the centre of some kind of public outrage and disgust over the last few years. But is audience provocation in the factual space really such a bad thing? In the competitive world of television, a parade of “ground-breaking social experiments” are just some of the ways that networks can make their mark. Adrian Swift (Head of Content Production and Development, Nine Network) is no stranger to contentious factual programming. From Married at First Sight’s charges of sneaky producers and “unreality tv” to The Briefcase’s “poverty porn”, he has navigated public outcry and heated debate on more than one occasion. In exclusive one-on-one conversation, Adrian Swift shares with Denise Eriksen his unorthodox approach to creating controversial shows, considering what works, what doesn’t, and how far is too far when trying to capture an audience.
At a time when fake news is said to have helped swing an election result, finding varied and reliable sources of information has never been more important. But with traditional broadcast platforms under siege from a slew of digital competitors expanding at a rate of knots, how do we ensure the integrity of storytelling in our post truth world? With social media posts and audience comment providing a constant feedback loop for the creation of their short form content, organisations like Buzzfeed can quickly rack up global audience numbers that most broadcasters and long form filmmakers can only dream about – think the Standing Rock Protest in the US - and they can also get their material out there far faster than long form filmmakers ever could. The traditionalists might argue that the short form model doesn’t provide for the context and rigorous examination that their subjects require. But are they doing themselves a disservice by ignoring what’s going on in the digital space and missing an opportunity to add vital weapons to their storytelling arsenal? In this session, Nicola Harvey (Managing Editor, Buzzfeed Australia) joins award-winning director Anna Broinowski (Pauline Hanson: Please Explain!) and journalist Matt Davis (Foreign Correspondent) to explore the connection between social media and the political documentary and discuss how important the viral video can be to short AND long form video journalism.
Storytelling is at the core of all human art. Storytelling provides a way of sharing and interpreting experiences, bringing an understanding and meaning of human existence. Throughout history, storytelling has evolved through different media from verbal into written, from theatre into film, and now into Virtual Reality. VR is empowering storytellers with new tools and platforms to produce innovative content that immerse the viewer in ways like never before.
In this podcast we discuss the exciting new ways of storytelling in VR (in games and cinematic VR).Exploring topics such as constructing narrative for VR, immersion: how to tell a stories now that the audience is more than just a passive observer, presence, perspective, direction and agency.
Panellists include: Brendan Croxon, Brooke Maggs, Clea Frost, Piers Mussared and Chris Bailey.
Jason Scott is a Free Range Archivist and Software Curator at the Internet Archive, a non-profit tasked with saving the content of the world. His work includes everything from overseeing the mass ingestion of data, to running metadata/description programs against collections, or reaching out to third parties to discuss partnerships with the Internet Archive.
After the stunning success of Netflix’s Making a Murderer and HBO’s The Jinx, it seems that true crime is on the mind of every TV commissioning editor the world over. These two shows are just the tip of the iceberg of an amazing array of documentary, factual and unscripted programming that are drawing in big business and big bucks for producers and broadcasters alike. Internationally, unscripted series such as 60 Days In are capturing audiences in unprecedented numbers. Locally, the success of programs like Conviction (ABC) and Deep Water (SBS) reveal that local commissioners can explore Australia’s most unsettling crimes to great acclaim. The verdict is in: True Crime is hot, and we want more of it. So how can producers tap into this trend and make successful and engaging content? What are broadcasters looking for? And how can we keep the genre fresh and exciting while remaining respectful to the subjects and stories we seek to tell? True Crime All the Time will canvass all of these questions – and more.
Kids are living the content dream. As viewers, they demand content streamed direct to their personal devices wherever they are, whenever they want it. As creators they are prolific - shooting, editing and sharing films with friends and family from wherever they are, as often as they are allowed! So how is the kids domestic and international marketplace responding to this desire for watching and creating content? What opportunities are there for factual filmmakers to create and deliver content to a young audience that is increasingly streaming anytime, anywhere? ABC Children’s Commissioning Editor Libbie Doherty will provide an introductory snapshot of the ambitious, startling, challenging and authentic kids factual trending in the international landscape. Libbie will discuss the ABC’s commissioning wish-list and explain the parameters of working with ABC Children’s. Joining Libbie on the panel are Laura Waters and Karla Burt of Princess Productions, the producers of the ground-breaking format My Year 12 Life. They will discuss the ethics of working with children as content creators, and the key pointers for collaborating with teenagers and maximising their media skills.
When documentary and fiction collide, these films, and their creators, challenge conventions of how we tell, and how we respond to stories on screen. These are the films that grow between the cracks of narrative and documentary. They are not without their detractors, but increasingly, such innovative forms of filmmaking are opening up new platforms for filmmakers to exhibit their work and entice new audiences. In this session, ACMI’s Head of Film Programs, James Hewison, leads panelists in an intimate discussion, tracing this emerging form, and discuss ing their recent works that have embraced ambiguity and difference in the search for alternative forms of story-telling.
Filmmakers, their funders, sales agencies, PR firms, and festivals are all increasingly invested in knowing how exactly films can make social change - that is, "impact," for short. This is a unique moment as the sector is still in the early stages of defining itself, its terms, language, best practice, expectations and how it understands change and success. But how shall we measure impact, and who should do it? How can we make impact align with our goals, rather than having neoliberal and market values dominate? What do we do when projects don't have the impact we sought? Funders only want the good news, but the field only grows when we learn from experience. How do we leverage our short term gains to make long term change? When are our "impact media" projects over - when the film is done, when the change happens, or when our communities take over the movement? Our panelists, drawn from across the spectrum of this burgeoning field, tackle the tough questions and respond to yours, as we all try to make and be the difference we want to see.
The case of the San Antonio Four explored in Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four is one of many crimes in which the sexuality of the accused (four queer Latina women), is used as damning evidence of their guilt.
This panel will draw on true crime documentaries including Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hoods, The Staircase and The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst to examine cases in which the (assumed) sexuality and personal proclivities of the accused created a fervor of queer panic in the eyes of the press and in turn the public.
The world is entering a new era with hacking, targeted use of social media and ‘fake news’ challenging our ideas of the role of media in a democracy, and many hard fought social justice gains coming under attack. In this context the role and responsibilities of media makers and technologists becomes critically important - particularly in challenging the emboldening of sexist and racist ideas. How as makers do we avoid perpetuating these divisive narratives by the way we build our projects or use platforms? How do we step up, build trust and ensure our process and our content encourages human connection and genuinely harnesses the potential of media impact for good? In this AIDC Impact strand keynote, filmmaker, technologist and creator of the Circle of 6 mobile app, Nancy Schwartzman will showcase creative approaches she has developed to challenge notions of neutrality in technology, and to use the power of story for good.
How local AR/VR producers can use the global market VR Plus Have you heard? By 2020, revenue from Augmented/Virtual Reality is forecast to reach $160 billion. Obviously there has never been a better time to get involved. But what does this mean for AR/VR documentary producers based in Australia? With so much investment funding and resources overseas, what is the best way to tap into them? What are the best new global platforms? And what does producing – not to mention distribution – even look like? For many Australians, the answers to these questions continue to lie in collaborating and co-producing internationally, working with funding bodies and initiatives beyond our borders. In this session, successful Australian AR/VR producers Katy Morrison (VRTOV) and Melanie Horkan (Fathom Film Group) will discuss moving into the international arena in order to create content. Drawing on their own professional experiences and insights, they will provide expert perspectives on how the Australian industry can maximise creativity and opportunity here at home.
Alternative Pathways to an Infinite Audience
The fast-changing evolution of the distribution landscape is one of the most vexing and unnerving issues facing the screen industry today. New and fragmented consumer practices have severely disrupted the domination of the traditional release chain, while a deluge of cheap digital content erodes the profitability of alternative revenue streams. In this increasingly crowded market, competing for eyeballs – and distribution dollars – has never been tougher for independent documentaries, no matter the form. But is the news all bad? In an adapt-or-die scenario, filmmakers are getting creative. Crowdsourcing, “event” screenings, on-demand and multi-platform releases, as well as a host of clever campaign and social media strategies are just some of the ways filmmakers are shining a light on their work and breaking new ground. In this session, we draw on the lessons of two very different productions – webseries Black As (David Batty, 2016) and feature documentary Chasing Asylum (Eva Orner, 2016) – to posit the question: can we turn challenge into opportunity?
The Kid Warrior himself, Xiuhtezcatl (shu-tez-cat) Martinez appeared in this special schools-only presentation during his debut Australian Tour.
Meet the 16 year old American Indigenous eco warrior and hip hop artist who is leading a new generation of environmental change makers, taking a brave stand on climate change and environmental issues, and reminding us of what’s at stake for his generation.
Xiuhtezcatl has a strong message based on his Indigenous heritage to impart to Australian students about youth empowerment around climate change, positive and creative environmental action, and Indigenous connection to the natural world and culture.
As Youth Director of the international youth activist group, Earth Guardians, Xiuhtezcatl has spoken to many students around the world, addressed the United Nations General Assembly, served on the US President’s Youth Council, and received the US Community Service Award from President Obama.
Creative Entrepreneurship Spotlight - The story of CultureLabel.com & other creative industries pioneers
Peter Tullin is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of CultureLabel.com, a venture capital funded ecommerce site retailing art and design products from leading international culture brands including Tate, V&A and British Museum. Having grown the idea from scratch CultureLabel.com was successfully sold in 2014. He is also the Co-Founder of global ideas conference REMIX Summits which takes place in cities including New York, London and Sydney.
This talk is an opportunity to learn from the lessons of a 5-year journey from the inception of a creative industries start-up to the point of sale and exit - a personal take on the ups and downs of running your own creative enterprise.
Through REMIX and their co-working space from creative entrepreneurs in Shoreditch, Peter also comes into contact with some of the leading innovators in the creative industries and he will also look at who is operating ahead of the curve and how are they changing the landscape? He also analyses some of the trends that sit behind their success, the support mechanisms that have helped them and the emerging business models and alternative funding and investment streams they are tapping into.
Following the a screening on Sunday 26th February, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson and Australian International Documentary Conference CEO, Andrew Wiseman joined ACMI's Head of Film Programs, James Hewison in conversation about her remarkable film.
A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina; the day of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment: these scenes and others are woven into Cameraperson, a tapestry of footage captured over the 25-year career of documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson.
Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image-makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality and crafted narrative.
Russell Briggs, Director of Exhibitions & Collections ACMI
As the source material for big pop-culture exhibitions begins to be locked up more and more by people who claim ownership of the IP, it becomes increasingly difficult to find fertile areas of exploration that could be transformed into large-scale shows with universal appeal for international touring. For cultural institutions that want to exhibit on a large scale and/or tour, the need to push the boundaries of risk-taking has now become essential. This presentation looks at recent big touring shows, including ones created and being currently developed at ACMI, to see how risk was addressed and what it means for institutions who are thinking of either taking big shows or developing their own.
Tea Uglow, Creative Director Google Creative Lab Nils Pokel, Digital Experience Manager Auckland War Memorial Museum Sarah Tutton, Senior Curator ACMI
VR has been going through yet another cyclical revival driven largely by improvements in hardware resulting in a new surge of public interest. With content relatively scarce, there has been a huge investment from many different sectors in content creation. Several museums have jumped on the bandwagon with VR exhibits, 360 degree video presentations, and even rumors of loaning Hololens to visitors much as they have done historically with audio guides. How is this moment different from the 1990s and 2000s? Where are the truly exciting opportunities for museums? And how do we get beyond just having to manage visitor expectations and the resultant problems with ‘more tech’?
An emoji smile has the same effect on the brain as a real smile...and other fascinating reveries.
Werner Herzog is a self-confessed technical luddite and poses a terrifying vision of the future in his documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of a Connected World.
Senior Film Programmer Kristy Matheson discusses the big questions on technology with MuseumNext speakers Keir Winesmith Head of Web + Digital Platforms at SFMOMA and John O’Shea Senior Exhibition Manager at National Media Museum in this fascinating response to Herzog's documentary.
Julia Kaganskiy, Director of NEW INC and ACMI CEO Katrina Sedgwick discuss the role of 'cultural incubators' in our modern day institutional landscape. Julia is a recognised cultural producer across the art and technology fields. She has been cited by Fast Company (2011) and Business Insider (2013) as one of the most influential women in technology and profiled in the 2012 AOL/PBS series MAKERS honouring women leaders.
"He looks superbly rock-n-roll in every connotation of the word." Media Production Team Leader Richard Greenhalgh talks with Senior Film Programmer Kristy Matheson about the upcoming film season on Jim Jarmusch, his distinctive directorial approach and his fabulous cameo characters.
Since 1988, when his first film Fleurs (1987) was presented as a background for a weather broadcast on French television, Philippe Parreno has sought to redefine the exhibition experience. Working with the exhibition itself as a medium, Parreno explores its possibilities beyond the presentation of individual works to create scripted spaces within which a series of events unfolds.
Parreno is a collaborative artist whose practice encompasses film, sculpture, drawing, and text. The dialogic nature of his work is evident in the films and exhibitions that have been produced through collaboration with artists, architects, musicians, composers and philosophers. Through work that draws on cinema, science fiction, architecture, the phantasmagorical, and the natural, Parreno merges reality and fiction to produce exhibitions that radically challenge our notions of reality, memory and the passage of time.
Working with leading filmmakers such as Danny Boyle and Roman Polanski, Nicolas Becker’s many credits include Gravity, Ex Machina, Wuthering Heights, and Andrea Arnold’s forthcoming American Honey.
Join us for a rare opportunity to gain insight into Becker’s unique working methods and multi-disciplinary approach, and learn about designing sound across a wide array of film and arts projects. Illustrated with clips, Becker will share details of his practice – devising a bespoke process to create original and distinctive soundscapes for each project – and explain the reasoning behind his artistic approach.
Prof. Henry Jenkins Keynote (Live Via Skype) “What Else Can You Do With Them?” Superheroes and the Civic Imagination
Women in Comics Panel - Hope Larson, Nicola Scott, Tom Taylor, Sarah Richardson, Naja Later
Taking inspiration from cinema, science fiction, architecture, and cybernetics, acclaimed French artist Philippe Parreno merges reality and fiction to produce exhibitions that radically challenge our notions of memory and the passage of time. Parreno has become internationally renowned for producing exhibitions as durational experiences in which time is both subject matter and medium, as important an element as space in the creation and experience of his art.
Listen to this In Conversation event to hear Parreno discuss and deconstruct his newest exhibition, Thenabouts with Dr. Amelia Barikin.
Gender, Paratexts and Everyday Superheroes from #WheresRey to “the Chewbacca Mum” - Tama Leaver & Luke Webster, Curtin University
Contested Identities: the importance of continuity and adaptation in serialised superhero narratives - Jack Teiwes, University of Melbourne
Was a talk held as part of Superhero Identities Symposium It is hard to imagine a time when superheroes have been more pervasive in popular culture. As one of our most beloved folkloric traditions these costume-clad adventurers have become a means to negotiate and articulate identities in response to fictional heroes.
From big screen heroes to lesser-known comic book vigilantes and real-life costumed heroes, this special two-day symposium, featuring award-winning creators and academic experts, will unmask superheroes across all eras and media platforms. Featuring industry interviews and panels alongside presentations from leading superhero scholars, the symposium will see over 50 experts presenting on topics ranging from Netflix’s Jessica Jones, to convention cosplay and Wonder Woman’s 75th anniversary.
Delia Hou, NVIDIA VR Business Development & Sales, discusses NVIDIA‘s investment in developing NVIDIA VR Works to help the VR ecosystem grow, improve, and succeed. Delia will also share how NVIDIA is helping VR developers to create world class content, as well as providing opportunities to showcase their work at NVIDIA events and facilitate global business partnerships.
Mike Chi, VR New Technology, discusses the HTC VIVE, its role in VR and how it can be applied to a range of other industry applications including VR gaming, film production and education. Mike will introduce the VIVE X Accelerator program - designed to support startups and to provide education, investment and mentorship - and share his thoughts on the next big trends in VR technology.
Whilst VR technology is still relativity in its infancy, it is the entrepreneurs, innovators and technical enthusiasts at the forefront of content creation as they test, trial and experiment with this rapidly emerging technology. In this session, VR specialists discuss VR technologies including 360 filming, interactive VR experiences (real time engines), spacial audio techniques and post production pathways. Moderated by Emily Harridge, Founder of Visual Playround and PLaTO Realityand featuring Piers Mussared, Jumpgate VR, Emre Deniz, Opaque Media Group and Sally-Anne Kellaway, Zero Latency.
How can traditional screen content creators utilise their skills in the contemporary screen form of VR? Moderator Christy Dena (Writer-Designer-Director at Universe Creation) and VR content creators including Oscar Raby and Katy Morrison VRTOV, Nathan Anderson StartVR, Dan Koerner Sandpit and Michael Beets PLaTO Reality share the creative possibilities and complexities of writing, shooting and editing VR for dramatic and meaningful effect.
What is the current state of play of VR both here and abroad and how is VR being applied to immersive and interactive filmmaking? Moderator Astrid Scott (Senior Producer and Strategist, ABC Research and Development) will be joined by Katy Morrison, VRTOV, Emre Can Deniz, Opaque Media Group, James Boyce, Grumpy Sailor and Scott Vandonkelaa, Zero Latency as they discuss the breadth of VR experimentation, different production approaches and the current funding and distribution landscape.
Presented as part of Hey Girl, this panel discussion, hosted by comedian Judith Lucy, will look at girls on screen in a special evening dedicated to dissecting some of the funniest and fetchest pop-culture favourites.
Featuring Mel Campbell, Jessica Knight, Billie Tumarkin and Candy Bowers this conversation is suited to girls, anyone who was once a girl and anybody who knows a girl.
It’s hard to know whether to cheer or groan at the success of Lena Dunham’s hit TV show Girls. On one hand, it’s encouraging to see real, imperfect female bodies on screen. On the other hand, it’s depressing that such images are still revolutionary. ‘There's people who don't want to see bodies like mine, or bodies like their own bodies,’ Dunham has said.
Girls is just one show that has inspired some fiery debates about female representation and diversity in popular culture. Our panel – comprising some of the smartest young women we know – will also respond to clips from Broad City, Freaks & Geeks, The Katering Show, Puberty Blues and, of course, Mean Girls. Can we see ourselves in these characters? Who is left out in representations of girls on screen? What power do these representations hold over our imaginations? And could there ever be a show about girls as gross as The Inbetweeners?
Lauded by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as “one of the great modern masters of the cinema” Roman Polanski has over the course of five decades refined a formal film language and expressed a mordantly ironic worldview in genre-defining films that are provocative, compelling and inventive.
ROMAN: 10 x Polanski proposes ten key films drawn from Polanski’s filmography – from the director’s Polish New Wave debut, Knife in the Water to his 2010 political thriller, The Ghost Writer, by way of the director’s British films of the ‘60s, New Hollywood classics Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown and Paris-set thrillers The Tenant, Frantic and Bitter Moon.
In this podcast Roberta Ciabarra who curated the season talks to Spiro Economopoulos about her reasons for picking these 10 films and how the extraordinary circumstances of Polanski's life are reflected in his work.
Nyarri Nyarri Morgan is a Martu man from the Western Desert who lives in the remote Parnngurr Community of W.A. He lived his early life with no contact with western culture until he witnessed an atomic test held by the British government in the South Australian desert.
It was an experience that had a profound impact on Morgan and, over half a century later, led to a collaboration with Sydney-based immersive technology artist and director, Lynette Wallworth. His story is now the subject of the Virtual Reality film, Collisions.
Collisions drops audiences in the middle of the Pilbara desert – home of Morgan and of the Martu people. This conversation will take Morgan’s experience filming Collisions as a starting point for a broader discussion of the issues facing the Martu people in this remote region of Western Australia.
Joined by Wallworth, Nyarri's wife Nola and young filmmaker and Martu leader Curtis Taylor, Morgan will speak about his life, his work as an artist and the fate of the Martu people since the actions in Collisions took place.
An activist elder who has seen his community through some dramatic changes, a speaker of seven western desert languages, an artist whose work has been exhibited across the world and a man whose story is now being shared in VR – meet this extraordinary Australian and his family for a discussion of culture, contention, creativity and collaboration.
Lynette Wallworth is an acclaimed Australian artist and director whose immersive installations and films reflect connections between people and the natural world as well as explore fragile human states of grace.
Curtis Taylor is a filmmaker, screen artist and a young Martu leader.
Ngalangka Nola Taylor is a painter and one of the senior translators and cultural advisors on the Canning Stock Route Project.
Our latest VR Commission, Ghosts, Toast and the Things Unsaid is an intimate virtual reality experience that invites audiences to become the ghosts of couple, Steve and Maude, and revisit the kitchen where they fell in love, grew old and apart. The work provokes a meditation on our propensity to keep secrets, the words that go unheard, and what this means for our relationships.
Theatre Director, Enrique Vargas and Artist and Filmmaker, Lynette Wallworth both create immersive works that explore bold new ways of telling and experiencing stories. In Echo of the Shadow, Vargas invites the audience to enter a sensorial labyrinth, a singular experience of looking, listening, smelling, tasting and touching.
In Collisions, audiences are taken on a virtual journey to the remote Western Australian desert where Martu elder, Nyarri Nyarri Morgan, shares the story of the impact of the 1957 atomic bomb testing on his homelands.
Join Enrique and Lynette in a conversation moderated by Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway about creating immersive worlds, audience interaction and experiential storytelling and their most recent works showing at ACMI as part of Melbourne Festival.
Lynette Wallworth is an acclaimed Australian artist and director whose immersive installations and films reflect connections between people and the natural world, while also exploring fragile human states of grace. Her works use mesmeric environments, interactive technologies and narrative long form to engage with viewers. They have screened at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian, Vienna Festival and the London Film Festival.
Enrique Vargas is a Colombian dramaturge and anthropologist who is renowned for his immersive and experiential theatre works. He began inventing games in the intricate and labyrinthine coffee plantations typical of the Andes surroundings where he grew up. His productions include Ariadna’s Thread, Oraculos and The Memory of the Wine, amongst many more, which have shown at Taipei Performing Arts Center, World Theatre Festival Shizuoka, London International Festival and the Theatre Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogotá.
Warning: This podcast contains coarse language and adult themes and is not suitable for children under 18 years of age.
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures screens at ACMI from the 22nd September.
ACMI's Head of Film Programs, James Hewison shares his thoughts on the film and the man.
Winner of the Best Documentary prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Weiner is a wonderfully stranger-than-fiction tale of political scandal and contemporary morality. Anthony Weiner was a democratic congressman on the rise when a ‘sexting’ scandal forced a humiliating resignation. Two years later, he ran for New York City mayor, betting that his ideas would trump his indiscretions. With unprecedented access, Weiner takes us inside this fascinating political comeback-turned-meltdown.
In this post screening Q and A ACMI's Head of Film Programs James Hewison talks about the film, politics and life in the public eye with Adam Bandt, Federal Member for Melbourne.
Celebrate the SCORSESE exhibition and join one of the master filmmaker’s long time collaborators, BAFTA and Oscar winning designer Sandy Powell OBE, as she delivers a masterclass on costume design and gives a fascinating insight into her extraordinary career.
From working closely with Scorsese on films including The Aviator, Gangs of New York and Wolf of Wall Street, to the collaborative process of designing costume for celebrated films such as Carol and Cinderella, the acclaimed designer will appear at ACMI for a special night of conversation hosted by Associate Professor Jessica Bugg (School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT) to explore her iconic work, her influences, and her creative partnerships with Scorsese and a range of legendary filmmakers.
Powell, who has won the Academy Award for Costume Design three times for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Young Victoria (2009), and has been nominated a total of twelve times, is renowned for her ability to form long lasting, creative collaborations with a diverse range of auteurs. Across a career spanning over 3 decades, Powell has helped shape the celebrated films of Derek Jarman (Caravaggio, The Last of England), Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy), Todd Hayes (Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, Carol) and of course, Martin Scorsese.
When it comes to working with Scorsese – with whom she has worked with on six films to date – Powell says there is always serious attention to detail. "When an actor comes onto the set wearing a costume for the first time, he'll actually go and touch them and touch the cloth," she states. "He's always very interested."
Providing a rare insight into her interconnected work with such celebrated directors, Powell will explore her own creative processes and will look back over a body of work that has positioned her as one of the most highly acclaimed designers in the film industry in this very special masterclass event.
DOOM has long been one of the most innovative, and most loved, titles in video games. In celebration of the launch of the newest entry in the franchise, we're proud to present a chance for audiences to explore the development of the game with Marty Stratton, Executive Producer at id Software. Marty will be connected via live video conference from Dallas.
In addition to following the development journey and challenges involved in maintaining the legacy of DOOM, we will be exploring Marty’s career highlights to date and his tips for getting into the industry, as well as having a broader discussion around AAA development in the modern age.
Developed by id Software, the studio that pioneered the first-person shooter genre and created multiplayer Deathmatch, DOOM has made its return this month as a brutally fun and challenging modern-day gaming experience.
Marty Stratton has been a passionate and driven game developer for more than 20 years. In his current role as Executive Producer and director at id Software, Marty is responsible for guiding the development and direction of the latest DOOM video game. Having joined id in 2000, Marty has been an integral part of the studio’s development and leadership teams throughout the creation of Team Arena, DOOM 3, QUAKE LIVE, and RAGE. He is now taking on his biggest and most exciting challenge yet, leading the studio’s team as they deliver an ambitious new chapter in the much-loved first-person shooter franchise, DOOM. Marty began his games career in 1995 as a QA tester at Activision and by 1997 was the publisher’s producer working with id on QUAKE II and QUAKE III: Arena.
Renowned for his visual, kinetic style, his deeply informed passion for screen history and his tireless championing of film preservation, Scorsese’s innovative and multifaceted work has defined him as one of the world’s greatest filmmakers.
In this talk, our experts are uncovering the range of influences that have helped shaped Scorsese’s own films, discussing the iconic collaborations that have defined his work, and exploring the rich cinematic history that routinely inspires the filmmaker.
Examining the distinctive cinematic impact of the screen legend, Dr Mark Nicholls (University of Melbourne) will lead a group of special guests including Dr Bruce Isaacs (Film Studies, University of Sydney), Dr Adrian Danks (RMIT) and writer, editor and critic Rebecca Harkins-Cross in a cinematic exploration of the indelible cinematic legacy of the prolific and passionate auteur.
Featuring a special address from renowned film scholar Professor Ian Christie (UK), editor of Scorsese on Scorsese (Faber and Faber, 1996).
Supported by United States Consulate General Melbourne
"Martin Scorsese's films, from Mean Streets to The Aviator, are explosive in their impact, crammed with information and detail. Scorsese is torn between the sacred and the profane. On the one hand, his Catholic upbringing leads him to tackle religious subjects, while the Saturday matinee kid in him revels in the trashy gore of his gangster films." - David Stratton
Describing Scorsese as the most passionate of the post-1960’s new wave of young directors, which included cinema luminaries such as Bogdanovich, Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas, Stratton anoints the great director as “the cinema’s greatest proselytiser”, a film maker consistently converting audiences with his rapid fire style and palpable passion for the art form.
In this rare opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s leading voices on world cinema, Stratton will survey the master filmmaker’s impactful catalogue of films, examining the body of work on show in Essential Scorsese and exploring the impact of one of contemporary cinema’s most influential creators.
David Stratton
David Stratton was the director of the Sydney Film Festival from 1966-1983. He contributes film reviews to The Australian, and is the author of two books on Australian cinema: The Last New Wave and The Avocado Plantation. From 1981-2004 he presented films on SBS Television and was, with Margaret Pomeranz, co-host of The Movie Show from 1986-2004. In July 2004, Margaret and David moved to ABC Television with their show, At The Movies, which aired until 2014.
Prison Songs is an award-winning documentary musical made by WA filmmakers Kelrick Martin and Harry Bardwell, working in association with Indigenous singer/songwriter Shellie Morris and acclaimed British documentary maker, and pioneer of the documentary musical form, Brian Hill.
It is a real musical set in a very real situation, and like any musical it uses the expressive qualities of music, songs and dance to communicate intimacy and conviction, giving it an emotional resonance unfamiliar to conventional documentary forms.
In this session, Prison Songs forms the basis of a case study in documentary musicals, acting as a launching point to illuminate elements like structure, casting, musical composition and intended impact.
Speakers: Kelrick Martin (Director), Harry Bardwell (Producer) and Shellie Morris and Casey Bennetto (Composers) Host: Leanne Pooley
In 2015, a number of very high profile blockbuster documentaries or docbusters showed cinema managers and audiences that it is possible to lure patrons to the cinema in large numbers to experience non-fiction feature length films.
The rise and rise of cinema on demand as a way to de-risk the decision to screen documentaries in the cinema has also meant that many more films have a shot at drawing audiences (in large numbers) to the cinema.
This session looks at the financial model of cinema on demand and what it takes, in general, to mount a successful theatrical release using crowd-sourced audiences and discuss in particular what it took to make two films – Graceful Girls and Black Hole –two of 2015’s docbusters.
Speakers: David Doepel (Managing Director Leap Frog Films and TUGG Australia &
NZ), Olivia Peniston-Bird (Producer, Writer and Director of Graceful Girls) and Joao
Dujon Pereira (Producer, Writer and Director of Black Hole)
Host: Roy Ackerman (Pulse Films UK)
Screenrights is the not for profit collecting society for the Australian and New
Zealand screen industry. It collects licence fees related to the use of broadcast
programs and distributes the money to rights-holders. Screenrights licensees include
Government, Educational institutions and Pay TV operators.
2015 marked an eventful year for Screenrights. In addition to relaunching its
Disbursement Service, Screenrights negotiated licences with Australian schools and
universities, and advocated for a simplification of the Copyright Act.
In this session, Screenrights representatives update AIDC attendees on progress
across these fronts and answer questions about their work in the year ahead
Speakers: Simon Lake (CEO, Screenrights), Emma Madison (Head of Member
Relations, Screenrights) and Veronica Fury (Producer, WildBear Entertainment)
Host: Ruari Elkington
In this session, a panel of experts illuminate the opportunities, success factors and deal terms existing in the booming VOD sector that is disrupting the programming plans of established channels.
Key topics addressed include defining SVOD, TVOD and AVOD; identifying what Netflix, Amazon and platforms like CuriosityStream pay for programs; considering the differences in deals; exploring how they commission originals; and also how producers can sell to them.
Speakers: Rebecca Heap (Head of Strategy and Digital, iView), Roger
Jackson (Producer and Co-founder, Kinonation), Sharon Ramsay-Luck (Head of Sales & amp; Business Development, ABC Commercial)
Host: Peter Hamilton (DocumentaryTelevision.com)
With tough local TV market conditions and the influence of globalisation on the film and television industry, 'patchwork' financing has become a way for producers to secure financing by cobbling together multiple markets and platforms. But in order to successfully finance and secure multiple deals, it is important to understand these international marketplaces and manage the expectations of multiple deals.
This session explores the issues around managing stakeholder expectations and the pressure of keeping everyone happy; issues around delivering one offs vs multiple versions; and issues around different languages, tones and styles as well as cultural and historic differences.
Speakers: Ewan Angus (BBC Scotland), Seniha Tunaboylu (Modern Times Group)
and Julia Redwood (Prospero Productions)
Host: Veronica Fury (WildBear Entertainment)
It’s not often that a documentary makes headlines, but that’s what happened
during The Jinx’s six-week run on HBO in 2015. It was one of the most fascinating
and celebrated documentary series of recent times – the now-famous finale
reported on the front page of the New York Times and its revelations prompting a
new murder trial for its subject, Robert Durst.
Two of the series’ filmmakers – Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier – discuss the
long and complicated production of the series and the ethics of investigation in a
revealing discussion with The Saturday Paper’s Martin McKenzie-Murray. The
session examines questions of access – and considers whether Australia’s legal
jurisdictions would ever permit a project of similar scope. Marc and Zac also provide
a sneak preview of their latest project, a true crime podcast about the American
mob.
Speakers: Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier
Host: Martin McKenzie-Murray
Opportunities for commissioning, financing and distributing short form docs are increasing every day. Short form is arguably better suited to the dynamic shifts and new opportunities occurring in global media than long form. They are less complicated to finance and produce, and more agile and quick to reach target audiences.
Alongside the shrinking demand for long-form and the log-jam at the door of broadcasters, comes a boom in online platforms and a growing appetite for short form. Whether it’s arts and culture, powerful human-interest stories or urgent global issues, audience demand for short docs is growing.
In this session, leading players in the burgeoning short docs space explore what these changes mean for the future of documentary, and also provide insight into what they’re looking for and what their platforms offer.
Speakers: Lindsay Crouse (New York Times Op-Docs Coordinating Producer), Katy
Roberts (VICE Media), Jennifer Byrne (Head of Video at Dazed Media, UK) and
Charlie Phillips (Guardian News & Media, UK).
Host: Dr Cathy Henkel (Director, WA Screen Academy)
Filmmakers Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier of The Jinx reveal how the tools
of narrative filmmaking – in particular, ‘detective stories’ – can serve the documentarian, and share the cinema and television that has most informed their approach to documentary storytelling.
By taking us inside scenes from their landmark HBO docuseries, Smerling and Stuart-
Pontier dissect the techniques and challenges of unravelling a mystery with suspense, character and complexity, and also unpack the ethics of applying the
conventions of fiction to documentary. It provides a unique insight into the relationship between storytelling and truth, and the philosophies and techniques that go into building narratives around real people and real events.
Speakers: Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier
Host: Sari Braithwaite
Traditionalists may be outraged, but it is possible to create quality, popular factual content that is later formatted and sold to broadcasters around the world.
These ‘Format’ concepts keep on giving for their creators and make it easier for broadcasters to commit their dollars to ambitious factual projects with less risk.
The three speakers in this session know all about this ‘F’ word. They’ve created, sold and adapted formats and, between them, have been responsible for content in dozens of countries around the world.
Speakers: Julie Christie (Director, Julie Christie Inc. Ltd.), Magnus Temple (Co-Founder and Chief Executive, The Garden) and Lyndal Marks (Executive Producer,
Factual, Network Seven).
Host: Denise Eriksen (Executive Producer, Eriksen Media)
Magnus Temple is one of the UK’s most successful and most respected
television executives. His company The Garden is a prolific supplier of acclaimed
long form documentary series, including 24 Hours in A&E and 24 Hours in Police
Custody, and with Nick Curwin he pioneered the fixed-rig genre with The Family and
One Born Every Minute.
In this comprehensive Masterclass, Temple explores the conceptual philosophy
behind The Garden’s success by deconstructing series like 24 Hours in A&E and
illuminating the methods used to create long-running formats that keep people
coming back. He also reveals how his team pulled off the feat of organising 100
crews across Britain on a single day for Keeping Britain Alive: One Day in the NHS - a
format sold to the ABC and now screening as Keeping Australia Alive.
Speaker: Magnus Temple
Host: Mandy Chang
Grieving following the death of his young son, Parker reluctantly returns to work as a private investigator, observing a woman from an abandoned apartment. Unsure of whether he’s losing his mind, Parker soon witnesses bizarre happenings, unaware that the derelict building that he surveys her from has birthed a dark presence that slowly threatens to consume him.
This is a recording of the Q&A with director Joseph Sims-Dennett that followed the screening of the film at ACMI
An increased demand for ‘super-premium’ documentary content is examined in The
Rise of the Superdoc, as one of the world’s top factual producers, John Smithson
(Touching the Void, 127 hours, Sherpa), discusses his extensive career in storytelling
with producer Phil Craig.
Exploring mega-budget commissions, international co-productions and the content
demands of broadcasters, subscriber channels and new VOD players, Smithson
provides an expert insight into how producers can make the best of ‘the age of the
superdoc’.
Speaker: John Smithson
Host: Phil Craig
In this revealing panel discussion, the filmmakers behind acclaimed feature
documentary Sherpa explore the process of creating a film in the aftermath of
unexpected disaster.
Director, writer and co-producer Jennifer Peedom (Miracle on Everest, Solo), editor
Christian Gazal (Happy Feet, The Little Death) and producers Bridget Ikin (An Angel
at My Table, Look Both Ways) and John Smithson (Touching the Void, 127 Hours)
give their account of how an avalanche that killed 16 sherpas on Everest gave rise to
a story different to what they originally planned to tell. Analysing the challenges they
faced in capturing it, the panel uncover the creative, physical and emotional effort
that goes into making a successful theatrical documentary.
Speakers: Jennifer Peedom, Bridget Ikin, Christian Gazal and John Smithson
Vision. Strategy. Distribution. Evaluation – the four key steps to building the perfect campaign. Yet, no matter how closely you follow the rules, sometimes the marrying of art and activism just doesn't seem to want to follow suit.
This session gives filmmakers, producers and industry professionals a sneak peek into all the messiness that comes with the job. With a focus on these different stages, experienced panellists provide insight into Australian and international impact campaign design – sharing knowledge and ideas designed to help filmmakers maximise their impact potential.
Speakers: Alex Kelly (Impact and Distribution Producer, Echotango), Anna Kaplan (Impact Producer, That Sugar Film) and Mitzi Goldman (CEO, Documentary Australia Foundation) Host: Alice Burgin (Campaign Director, The Bully Project)
Campaign tactics like private influencer screenings for business leaders, lobbying of government officials, and donation or petition drives have become all the rage – in part because the results of these efforts are easy to measure. The rise of big data has made the demand for impact metrics all but impossible to avoid for filmmakers seeking funding.
But does any of this actually constitute positive social change? Is it possible that these strategies mirror deregulation and privatisation, concentrating more economic, political and social power into the hands of fewer people?
In this session, Borderline Media’s Jennifer MacArthur explores pre-existing, alternative and difficult to measure methods of change, and how they might inform a bigger picture idea of ‘impact’.
Speaker: Jennifer MacArthur (Borderline Media, US)
Virtual Reality: Documentary Outside the Frame
Virtual Reality has quickly become the most-talked about technology in the media industry. From the BBC to Hollywood, media-makers around the globe are experimenting with VR as an entirely new way to tell stories. But what are the opportunities for non-fiction storytellers in a medium that puts the audience at the centre of the action?
This session brings together Australian and international pioneers in documentary Virtual Reality storytelling to share their experiences and reflect on the opportunities that arise when working in this medium, and the new thinking that the format demands of documentary makers.
Speakers: Julie Young, Astrid Scott, (Senior Producer/Experience Strategist, ABC) and Katy Morrison (Producer, VRTOV). Host: Jess Linington (Researcher/Producer, i-Docs / VRTOV
Dubbed "The Indie Queen" by TIME magazine, Parker Posey has forged a formidable presence in the world of independent cinema, earning her crown playing an impressive range of quirky characters on the big screen.
Along with her star turns in classics such as Dazed and Confused, Party Girl, and The House of Yes, Posey has formed an equally as interesting television resume, popping up on the box with fierce regularity throughout her 25 year career.
Complementing In Praise of Parker Posey, this session of Talking TV took an inquisitive look at the small screen outings of this truly unique cinematic royal.
After her first professional acting gig on the soap opera As the World Turns, Posey has made some memorable appearances on the small screen throughout her career. From her cult-favourite recurring role in the Tales of the City mini-series to guest voicing on The Simpsons and Futurama, and more recently playing recurring guest characters on seasons of Louie and The Good Wife.
Join our panel of guests including The Good Copy’s Penny Modra, writer Sinead Stubbins, The Age’s Bhakthi Puvanenthiran and Guardian Australia’s film and TV critic Luke Buckmaster as they explore the small screen offerings of the Indie Queen, and look back over a television resume as diverse and idiosyncratic as the actress herself.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Relive The Stardom and Celebrity of David Bowie, a two-day multi-discipline symposium we hosted that saw artists, academics and cultural commentators reflect upon the influence of and on David Bowie in rock, pop, film, art, fashion and performance.
Join us for a keynote lecture by artist Julian Rosefeldt as he discusses his practice and pays homage to the beauty of artists’ manifestos, the basis of his new work 'Manifesto', featuring Cate Blanchett.
Julian Rosefeldt’s work reflects the artist’s fascination with day-to-day reality and the stereotypes, clichés and mindless repetitions that suffuse popular culture.
Rosefeldt is renowned for his visually opulent and meticulously choreographed moving image artworks. Inspired equally by film, art and pop-culture histories, Rosefeldt creates complex and compelling experiences that combine narrative and non-linear film installations.
With works that are often projected simultaneously onto several screens, Rosefeldt carries viewers into surreal, theatrical realms, where the inhabitants are absorbed by the rituals of everyday life. Within these episodic arrangements, Rosefeldt uses familiar cinematic tropes and devices to explore themes of dislocation, alienation, and social and psychological disruption.
Join Hong Kong-based curator, researcher, teacher, writer and critic Sam Ho as he explores the history of Hong Kong cinema, outlining the historical, cultural and economic factors that coalesced into an exceptional aesthetics enjoyed and celebrated all over the world.
Hong Kong has a unique cinematic history. A tiny city and never a sovereign state, it managed to fashion a film industry comparable to any national cinema, with a long and rich history and a distinctive aesthetics all its own. At once very Chinese and very westernized, Hong Kong’s highly eventful and sometimes traumatic past converges on film to generate a glorious cinema, inspiring films of intensely dramatic stories and grippingly compelling characters.
Sam Ho is a curator, researcher, teacher, writer and critic. Based in Hong Kong and the United States, Ho specializes in the study of Hong Kong cinema but had also written extensively and curated programs on various aspects of cinema, including films from China, the United States, Europe and other parts of Asia. His writing had appeared in books, academic journals, newspapers, magazines and on the internet. His work had been translated into many different languages, including Chinese, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Korean.
Ho has given many lectures on films across the globe, and has served as juror, media panelist or advisor for many international film festivals and award organizations, including the Pacific Meridian International Film Festival in Vladivostok, Russia; the Asian Film Festival in Vesoul, France; the Hong Kong International Film Festival; the Hong Kong Film Awards; the Best Chinese Films of the Year Award, Beijing, China; and the China Times Express Bests Films of the Year Awards, Taiwan.
Emma Beddows is a professional geek. She holds a PhD in transmedia storytelling, popular culture and fans. She is a freelance narrative and media consultant, co-hosts for the pop-culture podcast The Whatcha Show, and works for Swinburne Online where she teaches university students in media and communications.
In this podcast Emma Beddows examines how recognisable sci-fi tropes are reflected in, and have had deep influence on the work of the music icon.
Mel Campbell is a journalist, author and cultural critic who researches and writes about fashion, film and television, books and ideas, advertising and branding, media, and the wonderful, underrated banalities of everyday life.
In this podcast Mel Campbell explores how Bowie flagged his changing musical directions through the changing of his costume, how his sartorial choices are tied to the performance of gender and sexuality, and how the costumes of an icon informed an entire generation.
'Transparent' is a multilayered story about an LA-based Jewish family, whose patriarch Mort has begun to transition from male to a truer female self, named Maura. More than just a coming out story about Maura’s transitioning, the first season of the series has presented a murky, at times uncomfortable, exploration of family, gender, identity and human connection.
Our panel of speakers explore the first season of 'Transparent', examine its attempts at transformative representation, and tackle issues of gender and transgender representation on the small screen.
With a film career spanning over 40 years locally and internationally, award-winning Australian film and documentary director Gillian Armstrong shares her top five favourite films of all time.
Visiting artist and writer Tanja Stark examines Bowie’s long-term fascination with Carl Jung, introduces some of Jung’s key ideas and begins an exploration of some intriguing links between the music icon and the Swiss psychiatrist.
From Klaus Nomi to Tally Brown to modern day, Bowie's career has intertwined with cabaret and pop/club sub-cultures, weaving an intricate tapestry of mutual influence. Rock cabaret singer-songwriter Geraldine Quinn explores the contribution of underground scenes and their inherent gender-flux to the Bowie myth, and his influence on practitioners of the genre from the 1970s to today.
Bowie’s sustained narrative of modern anxiety and impending doom has always set him apart in the often feel-good world of rock ’n’ roll as we know it.
Starting with the storyboards and video for Bowie’s shelved Diamond Dogs movie project, Michael Dwyer springboards into one of the defining themes of Bowie’s catalogue, one which the man himself once described as his own personal “non-specific nagging fear”.
Actor Wendy Hughes is joined by friends Jill Robb and Lex Marinos in a warm and witty reflection upon her remarkable career.
Recorded: 18 Apr 2009.
Director Mark Forstmann and editor Ken Sallows talk about the independently financed feature Monkey Puzzle.
Recorded: 8 Nov 2008.
Director Jamie Blanks, writer Everett de Roche and actors John Brumpton and Robert Taylor provide insight into the making of this Aussie thriller.
Recorded: 15 Nov 2008.
A no-holds-barred discussion about playing games for a living, writing about them and becoming somewhat famous in the process.
Recorded: 10 July 2008.
As part of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, we hosted a panel exploring over half a decade of Australian television broadcasting with a fascinating look at the ABC.
With its history stretching back to 1956, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is an integral part of the Australian television landscape. ACMI and the Emerging Writers' Festival bring together a special panel of writers, critics and commentators to explore over half a decade of what many refer to as "Aunty", with a fascinating exploration of our national broadcaster.
Taking a look back at its humble beginnings broadcasting a single non-commercial television channel, all the way through to its current position providing a suite of content across numerous terrestrial, digital and web based channels, our panel will explore past programs and examine the current crop of acclaimed ABC series including Rake, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and Redfern Now.
Recorded on 4/5/2014
CEO and co-founder of DreamWorks speaks exclusively about creating, leading and inspiring the world's largest animation studio in this rare one-off Australian event. A must-see for filmmakers, animators, fans and would-be moguls of tomorrow, hosted by Channel 10's Executive General Manager, Russel Howcroft (best known as The Gruen Transfer's advertising media personality).
Katzenberg began his career at Paramount Pictures before moving to Walt Disney Pictures where he is credited with turning the ailing animation studio around. Under his management, Disney produced some of their most critically acclaimed and highest grossing features to date, including The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. He also secured a successful partnership with Pixar Studios and helped bring Miramax Films to Disney. Katzenberg eventually joined forces with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen to start DreamWorks SKG.
Under Katzenberg's leadership, DreamWorks has become the largest animation studio in the world releasing 28 animated feature films, which have enjoyed both critical and commercial success, earning nine Academy Award® nominations, twice winning Best Animated Feature.
In 2013, Katzenberg was awarded the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes. Together with his wife Marilyn, Katzenberg provides support and leads fundraising efforts focused predominately on healthcare, education, the arts and the environment.
Recorded 10/4/2014
Even writers go to the movies. And sometimes, when the movie is really, really, good (or really, really bad), they write about them. In this very special edition of Desert Island Flicks, five writers will share their favourite films and the work these films have inspired.
Taking the concept of the Top Five film list and turning it on its head, ACMI and the Emerging Writers' Festival are sending not one but five castaways to the desert island.
Once stranded with nothing but their favourite films, these writers will need to choose their number one favourite film of all time. The writers will then spend a lively evening discussing why these stories mean so much to them and exploring their own works that these films have inspired.
Co-presented by ACMI and the Emerging Writers' Festival.
Recorded on 3/5/2014
Key creatives talk about the history and mythology of the Australian games industry.
Recorded: 29 June 2012
Take a look at a range of models that developers and distributors are using to creatively produce games.
Recorded: 29 June 2012
A discussion about the issues faced by cultural institutions in collecting and preserving videogame content.
Recorded: 29 June 2012
Tim Schafer discusses his creative process and the importance of story in games.
Recorded: 29 June 2012
Key Australian game industry figures discuss the future of the games industry (Part 1 of 2).
Recorded: 28 June 2012
Key Australian game industry figures discuss the future of the games industry (Part 2 of 2).
Recorded: 28 June 2012
Does the changing nature of games development really provide new opportunities?
Recorded: 28 June 2012
Explore the challenges of creating a cultural framework for exhibiting and programming videogames.
Recorded: 28 June 2012
Dr Meredith Jones, Sarah Gibson and Professor Peter McNeil look at the Cinderella story.
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011
Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Writer/director Sarah Gibson and producer Sue Maslin provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Re-enchantment project.
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011
Dr Saige Walton, Angela Ndalianis, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Martyn Pedler talk end-of-the-world scenarios on the box.
Recorded: 25 February 2010
Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Kimberley Pearce, Jazmina Cininas and Professor Barbara Creed explore interpretations of this fairy tale classic.
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011
Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Writer and director Sarah Gibson and producer Sue Maslin discuss this immersive project.
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011
Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Cathy Cole, Dr Terrie Waddell and Dr Rebecca Do Rozario discuss contemporary reworkings of Bluebeard.
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011
Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Joy Norton, Adam Hunt, Dr Meredith Jones and Suzanne Boccalatte examine the symbolic language of fairy tales.
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011
Our panel explore what it means to be an independent developer at the fringes of the mainstream and beyond.
Recorded: 26 March 2013
Re:Play: Paul Callaghan, Sara Haghdoosti, Dr. Josh Nelson and Craig Duturbure discuss transmogrification, the process of adaptations.
Recorded: 17 July 2012
Dr Saige Walton, Angela Ndalianis, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Martyn Pedler enter the realms of the great Undead.
Recorded: 5 November 2009
Re:Play: Helen Stucky, Daniel Golding, David Surman and Leena Van Deventer get under the skin of gaming's most iconic characters.
Recorded: 21 August 2012
Experts on 'The Sims' discuss our fascination with the tiny virtual townsfolk and love of simulation games.
Recorded: 18 June 2013
Debi Enker, Mark Nicholls and Sian Prior discuss the history and splendour of the television masterpiece Mad Men.
Recorded: 27 May 2010
Daniel Golding, Ben McKenzie, Brendan Keogh and Christy Dena journey to the unexplored worlds presented by videogames.
Recorded: 18 September 2012
Stephan Schutze, Christian McCrea, Paul Verhoeven and Angela Ndalianis discuss our fascination with horror in gaming and film.
Recorded: 16 October 2012
Michael Williams, Clementine Ford and Michael Adams search for America within the dark Baltimore streets of HBO's The Wire.
Recorded: 29 April 2010
Take a look at the iconic music video show with John Safran, Sarah-Jane Woulahan, Sophie Zoellner and Madeline Palmer.
Oscar Hillerström, Adam Richard and V's Jane Badler take a voyage through sci-fi spin-offs, remakes, revivals and reincarnations.
Recorded: 29 July 2010
Dr Saige Walton, Mel Campbell and Radha O'Meara have a heart-to-heart about teen dramas on the small screen.
Recorded: 3 June 2010
Ian Gouldstone, David Surman and Dr Esther Milne take a moral roller-coaster ride through this runaway cult series.
Recorded: 21 October 2010
Martyn Pedler, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Simone Hine, Christian McCrea and Dr Saige Walton on the surrealist TV masterpiece.
Recorded: 25 November 2010
Experimental filmmakers Arthur and Corinne Cantrill discuss their work, which is featured in ACMI's Light Years exhibition.
Josh Kinal and John Richards from the Boxcutters podcast investigate the enduring popularity of after-school teen dramas.
Recorded: 24 February 2011
Terrie Waddell, Rolando Caputo and Gabrielle Murray venture into town.
Recorded: 30 September 2010
Dr Saige Walton, Dr Esther Milne, Mel Campbell, Catherine Deveny and Clementine Ford take a look at ladies on the tube.
Recorded: 19 May 2011
Join The Boxcutters and guest puppeteers as they guide us through Jim Henson's TV legacy.
William Kentridge talks with Five Themes curator Mark Rosenthal about the uncertainty, ambiguity and polemical politics in his work.
Recorded: 6 Mar 2012
Doctor Who diehards discuss the beloved sci fi series and argue the case for their ultimate Time Lord.
Anthony Capon, David Surman, Ian Gouldstone and Patty Huntington tear at the seams of small screen fashion.
Recorded: 31 March 2011
Martyn Pedler returns for a second look at film and television's loveable monsters, maniacs and killers.
Recorded: 28 April 2011
Catherine Deveny, Mel Campbell, Daniel Burt and Tim Hunter look at the most fascinating bad boys on the box.
Recorded: 25 August 2011
Emily Maguire, Robert Jan and Helena Jankowski sink their teeth into Bon Temps' supernatural inhabitants.
Recorded: 30 June 2011
Robert Jan, Clementine Ford, Josh Kinal, John Richards and Dr Djoymi Baker explore the cultural impact of this classic sci fi series.
Recorded: 27 October 2011
Pull on your never-nudes, grab a frozen banana and get ready to celebrate the cult TV hit Arrested Development.
Recorded: 29 March 2012
Our panelists take a look back over the most memorable blood-spattered, sexed-up TV series.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 23 February 2012
Mel Campbell and Tim Hunter go head to head with non-believers in a debate on all things Gleeful.
Recorded: 24 November 2011
Rochelle Siemienowicz, Katherine Thomson, Anna Borghesi and Margot Anderson discuss the Australian costume designer.
Recorded: 4 May 2013
Film academic John Flaus and NGV Curator, Roger Leong, discuss one of Hollywood's greatest costume designers, Adrian.
Luke Ryan, Dr Djoymi Baker, Clementine Ford and George Ivanoff discuss TV's most brutal series.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 26 July 2012
Join Josh Kinal, Clementine Ford and Andrew Murfett as they explore the bad boys and girls of SAMCRO.
Recorded: 31 May 2012
The Boxcutters delve deep into the archives with an amusing look at the different ways that TV shows can go wrong.
Recorded: 30 August 2012
A live gameplay event in which the indie video game producer shared her insights into the acclaimed video game 'Journey'.
Recorded: 24 October 2012
Mel Campbell, Peter Mattessi, Karen Pickering and Debi Enker explore the world of Downton Abbey.
Recorded: 28 June 2012
Take a look at the evolving face of queer representation on the small screen.
Recorded: 26 April 2012
Mark Nicholls, Paola Di Trocchio and Jake Wilson dissect how masculinity is defined on the silver screen.
Recorded: 21 July 2013
Our panellists revisit the cancelled teen sleuth show Veronica Mars and the how fan support enabled a movie.
Recorded: 27 May 2014
Our panel of guests explores the evolving world of GLBTI characters on TV.
Recorded: 23 March 2013
Our illustrious panel take a look at television's latest group of 'it' girls.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 29 November 2012
Our panelists discuss the sudden end of HBO's polarising drama and its flawed female lead.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 29 August 2013
Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott explore and celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who.
Recorded: 21 November 2013
Paul Verhoeven, Luke Ryan and Angela Ndalianis dissect this popular, zombie-infested drama.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 28 February 2013
Clementine Ford, Byron Bache, Jess McGuire and Ben Pobjie mull over our love of prison dramas.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 27 February 2014
An expert panel discuss how directors often move between the industries of music videos, films and television.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 11 February 2014
An expert panel dissect the most controversial, political and poignant videos by the world's best female musicians.
Recorded: 17 October 2013
An exploration of how video is used in Australian hip hop music with panel discussions and live performances.
[explicit content]
Recorded: 26 January 2014
From the famed improv house Upright Citizen’s Brigade, to a groundbreaking self-conceived web series, and finally to the breakout Comedy Central hit of the same name, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer have built their Broad City from the ground up.
Wrapping its first season earlier this year, Broad City introduced viewers to the often chaotic and profoundly funny world of fictional Abbi & Ilana, outsized versions of the show’s creators/stars themselves.
With the deeply joyous relationship between the two twenty-something’s always present, the duo’s antics have earned themselves the titles of televisions favourite new slackers, winning fans and critics alike during the series initial 10 episode run.
Join our panel of talented broads, including Clementine Ford, Greta Parry, Penny Modra, Stephanie Van Schilt and Brodie Lancaster, as they discuss Broad City.
Wrapping its first season earlier this year, Broad City introduced viewers to the often chaotic and profoundly funny world of fictional Abbi and Ilana, outsized versions of the show’s creators/stars themselves.
With the deeply joyous relationship between the two twenty-somethings always present, the duo’s antics have earned themselves the titles of television's favourite new slackers, winning fans and critics alike during the series' initial ten-episode run.
Relive our panel of talented broads discussing Broad City with this podcast.
The panel includes Clementine Ford, Greta Parry, Penny Modra, Stephanie Van Schilt and Brodie Lancaster.
Recorded: 16 September 2014
Take a self-guided audio exploration and discover the unknown stories of familiar places.
Created by DIS-cour.se in collaboration with a group of Melbourne-based emerging writers, the tour is designed to complement our Cathedrals of Culture screenings. It takes the form of a narrated audio stream complemented by a psychogeographical map - offering an 'urban dérive' between ACMI and MPavilion. Also known as an “unplanned journey through a landscape”, this particular dérive invites you to experience a well-known stretch of Melbourne via a new, multi-dimensional narrative.
More than ever, visual effects are becoming an essential element of storytelling for film, TV and digital mediums. From science fiction to period dramas, all productions now relish the creative freedom released through access to the highest quality VFX tools.
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
Writer and journalist, Dan Edwards explores the rich, historical legacy of the Wulin – or World of the Warriors – through Chinese literature, charting the wuxia tradition as it developed on screen in the Hong Kong and Taiwan film industries.
Recorded: 23 February 2015
As part of the China Up Close Programs this talk from 9 February 2015 examined the infinite variety of forms offered by conceptual art to express ideas of freedom, and explore how artists such as Ai Weiwei take on the role of commentators on the many issues impacting contemporary Chinese identity.
The panel featured Claire Roberts, Aaron Seeto and Scot Rankin.
Recorded: 9 February 2015
Exploring the redefined Chinese modernity present in Jia Zhangke’s A Touch of Sin this talk examines the global context of an emerging capitalist economy and the impact on the changing world of the middle class in contemporary China.
Featuring Dr Ying Qian, Mike Walsh and Professor Kerry Brown.
Recorded: 16 February 2015
A discussion about the complex and nuanced contemporary transformation brought on by rapid urbanisation, that is forcing China to take different approaches to environmental issues, the pace of development, and global connections.
Featuring Dr Siqing Chen and Dan Edwards. Includes screening of The Iron Ministry (J.P. Sniadecki, 2014).
Recorded: 15 March 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
In this podcast we investigate the new Golden Age of Scandinavian television, from Forbrydelsen to Bron/Broen, and the popular US remakes that followed in their wake.
Recorded: 25 November 2014
Telecomputation (the transfer of information across a network) holds many ramifications for art, and various artists and curators have embraced or resisted its influence.
Curator Mohammad Salemy examines the rise of data transference in curatorial practice and the consequences of cultural automation in contemporary and future art.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
Between 2003 and 2005 filmmaker David Hinton traveled 2,500 nautical miles on three expeditions aboard the schooner Nooderlicht filming artists, scientists and educators exploring the pristine environment of the High Arctic as part of the Cape Farewell project. The result was Art From a Changing Arctic.
The film was screened at ACMI on 04 May 2015, at the conclusion of the film there was a Q&A session and discussion with David Buckland, Artistic Director, Cape Farewell (UK); Caroline Lambert, Climate and Environment Counsellor, Delegation of the European Union to Australia, Canberra; David Karoly, Professor of Meteorology and an ARC Federation Fellow in the School of Earth Sciences, Research Director, Climate and Energy at the EU Centre on Shared Complex Challenges, The University of Melbourne. The discussion will be moderated by John Wiseman, Deputy Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of Melbourne.
Recorded: 4 May 2015
Join representatives from some of the most innovative technology organisations on the planet for an exciting glimpse at the Internet of Things. From wearable technology that helps prevent heart attacks to a kitchen so smart it begins cooking dinner before you get home, join us on a journey into the future of connected living.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
The Foundry brings together some of the best VFX studios in Australia and abroad to articulate through specific case studies and demonstrations the endless possibilities that compositing, 3D, and animation software bring to a production.
Recorded: 14 February 2015
Lannister, Baratheon, Stark, Tyrell, Targaryen. As another season of HBO’s smash hit comes to a close, Game of Thrones will be back in the House, as we take a trip back to Westeros to explore the evolution of TV’s most dysfunctional noble families.
After exploring the first two brutal seasons of Game of Thrones back in 2012, our panel will revisit the beheadings, red weddings and royal undoings of the ensuing three seasons, and examine the epic fandom that has engulfed the show.
With HBO’s groundbreaking announcement of the simultaneous global broadcasting of its fifth season, Game of Thrones cemented its place in TV history as a worldwide phenomenon.
Back in 2012 when we first examined the show in an evening of discussion, debate and some rather saucy erotic fan fiction, the popularity of the program was steadily climbing. Families had done battle, houses had fallen, and a handful of eggs had spectacularly hatched.
But a lot can happen in three seasons, particularly in Westeros. With new characters emerging and old characters losing battles – and potentially their heads – season five promises to offer viewers more dragons, more fights, more sex, more epic battles, and a lot more snow (both atmospheric and of the Jon variety).
Our panel of guests including film critic and writer for Guardian Australia Luke Buckmaster, journalist, author and cultural critic Mel Campbell, writer Luke Ryan and writer and broadcaster Clementine Ford, strapped their armour on, sharpened their swords and returned to the Seven Kingdoms to discuss who is still in the running to win TV’s most cut-throat game of thrones.
Recorded: 30 June 2015
Based on stories and characters from Thomas Harris’ much-loved book series, Hannibal has taken viewers on an often macabre and lurid psychological journey into the minds of two of Harris’ most interesting characters.
Our panel of speakers examines the relationship between FBI special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), and speculates about what could be in store for TV’s most beguilingly gruesome twosome.
Recorded: 17 March 2015
A podcast of our 'Investigating True Detective' talk which looks at the gritty crime series.
With its transfixing debut season winning over both critics and viewers, HBO’s 'True Detective' cemented its place in television history. Through a combination of gritty narrative, mysterious visual style and revolutionary casting, the show has revitalised the long- standing TV crime genre.
Featuring Dr Rodney Taveira of the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney, creator and host of the Cherchez la Femme feminist talkshow and director of the Girls On Film festival Karen Pickering, and Associate Professor of Screen Arts at La Trobe University, Terrie Waddell. Hosted by writer and broadcaster Jess McGuire.