CONFIRMED: Wednesday 18 May in the Bon Marche Studio from 12 noon to 1pm.
There will be an official talk by the film festival’s director Nashen Moodley about his career and the Sydney Film Festival Selections plus a preview of the types of films to expect. Exclusive guest, multi-award winning director and cinematographer Gillian Leahy will also be attending to talk about her career and doco film ‘Baxter and Me’ which is being screened at this year’s festival.
Just announced: additional special guest: Filmmaker Craig Boreham, also UTS ulumni will be speaking. His film ‘Teenage Kicks‘ will feature at SFF 2016.
About Gillian:
Director Gillian Leahy (Baxter and Me) arriving at the 63rd Sydney Film Festival program official launch at Customs House.
Having completed an honours Anthropology Degree at Sydney University in 1973, Gillian Leahy studied at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. She worked as a clapper loader on four feature films and worked as an independent director and camera operator on a number of films. She was a member of the editorial board of FILMNEWS. She began teaching at UTS in 1983. She has directed over 16 films ranging in length from 10 to 55 minutes. She has written three as yet un-produced feature scripts with funding from the Australian Film Commission. She is best known for her experimental essay film, MY LIFE WITHOUT STEVE, which won an AFI Award for Best Experimental Film and Best Film at the Melbourne Film Festival, amongst other awards. She wrote, produced and directed OUR PARK, a documentary made for SBS TV. She is currently writing a feature film script, THE WEATHERMAN LIED, which tells the story of a man who disappears from his life and family. She writes on documentary theory.
About Craig:
Craig Boreham, is a Sydney based writer, director and graduate of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Much of Craig’s video and film work focuses on themes of sexuality and the politics of desire. His films have been seen in over 200 festival screenings and received numerous awards including “The City of Melbourne Best Short Film Award”, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and Best Independent Film, Newtown Flicks Festival – Sydney. His short drama TRANSIENT premiered at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for the Teddy Award for best short film. Craig was invited to return to Berlin as one of two Australian directors chosen to attend the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2006. THE CINEMA OF TRUE POISON, a retrospective of Craig’s work was presented in 2008 by Fundacion Triangulo in Madrid, and in 2009, Craig was invited to direct a chapter of the multistory feature film BEFORE THE RAIN, a coproduction between two of Australia’s most prestigious film and drama institutions, The National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Craig is currently developing two feature films with producer Annmaree J Bell (FRAIL, DROWNING).
A bit about Nashen:
Nashen Moodley is the Director of Sydney Film Festival. During his four
years at the helm, the Festival has grown significantly. Moodley’s career in
film programming has encompassed leadership roles as Manager and
Head of Programming at the Durban International Film Festival
(2001–2011) and as a programming consultant for Dubai International
Film Festival (2005–present). His film writing and criticism has appeared in
newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, GQ, the Sunday
Tribune, the Sunday Independent, and Mail & Guardian. Nashen has
served as an Industry Consultant at the International Film Festival
Rotterdam, and as an expert at the Berlinale Talent Campus. He has also
been an adviser to several other festivals including India's International
Film Festival of Kerala, South Korea& Busan International Film Festival and
Africala in Mexico City.
