Independent filmmakers hub Metro Screen have announced they are partnering with the Sydney Film Festival (SFF) to present two free events at the festival aimed at emerging filmmakers who both run and have a strong passion for film festivals and the role they have to play in the cultural dynamics of the city.
Hosted by CJ Johnson, the “Meet the Dendy Award Finalists” event consists of both a Q&A and panel discussion featuring each of the 2015 Dendy Award Finalists, whose films will also be screening as part of the festival. If you’re either a budding filmmaker or just a lover of short films, this event is an awesome opportunity to hear firsthand about the filmmaking adventures undertaken by each of the finalists, as well as getting a chance to hear their opinion on current trends within Australia’s short film industry.
“Meet the Dendy Awards Finalists” will be held from 1.30-3.30pm, Sunday 14 June, in the Treasury Room of the Sydney Film Festival Hub inside Sydney Town Hall.
If this isn’t enough to whet your appetite, be sure to check out “The Future of Film Festivals in the Digital Age”, a special panel discussion presented by Metro Screen’s Film Festivals Australia Initiative. The panel features director of The Festivalists, Mathieu Ravier; Paul Struthers, who is both director of the Mardi Gras Film Festival and Queer Screen Film Festival, as well as a member of the SFF marketing team; and Mouna Zayla, co-director of the Arab Film Festival Australia.
Facilitated by film academic, critic and Golden Age Cinema programmer Kate Jinx, the panel will set out to ask the question of how Sydney can sustain the 100 or so film festivals which currently take place in the city, especially with regard to the arrival of VOD demand services such as Netflix, the ongoing issues of online piracy, and the fact that many commercial cinemas are currently operating on an alarmingly low occupancy rate.
“The Future of Film Festivals in the Digital Age” takes place from 7-8.30pm, Wednesday 10 June, in the Treasury Room.
To see the full line-up of both films and events set to take place at SFF, head to http://www.sff.org.au/
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