MMW Round Two Launch

Event Report by Nicole Hansson

Women in Film and Television NSW proudly launched its Round Two Media Mentorship for Women in April.

Ana Tiwary the MMW Program Director gave a brief review and update of the programs successful achievements and  thanked the sponsors, Holding Redlich, New South Wales Film and Television Office, Spring in Alaska, Content and Technology Magazine, Miller Camera Support and City of Sydney.

The newly elected WIFT NSW President Jane Roscoe (Network Programmer, SBS Television)  spoke on the topic “Global Trends in Television”. These observations and comments gave the audience an excellent insight into the state of the industry at the current time.

Jane noted that the effects of the global economic downturn have resulted in revenue being down which has led to an air of general nervousness. “Feel good” variety shows and obse

rvational documentaries are the formats that are working. Programs on finance are also doing well in the current market – looking at getting back to basics, how do we knuckle down and get through this economic climate? In regards to Drama it is high end quality, long running series that are targeted in terms of their audience – “niche dramas” that are working.

The Forum on “Creative Producing” included the following top industry speakers.

Rosemary Blight (Executive Producer/ Owner Goalpost Pictures - Clubland, Eternity Man, Closed for Winter - also Round 2 Mentor)

Kath Shelper (Producer/ Owner Scarlett Pictures - Samson and Delilah)

Tom Zybrycki (Leading award-winning documentary filmmaker - also Round 1 Mentor)

Julia Overton (Investment Manager for documentary and feature at Screen Australia - also Round 1 Mentor)

Melissa Azizi, an emerging filmmaker and Round 1 Mentee was the forum moderator.

The general consensus amongst the panellists can be summarised in the following points:
*You need to like the film you are collaborating on, you have to share the passion.
*Respect the people and place the project has come from and be unconditional in your support.
*Understand the vision of the person you are working with, believe in that vision and be interested in making that dream together.
*As Cath Shelper stated “Creating that space for braveness to take place”
*Collaboration is very important. Issues do arise with a creative team.
*What is paramount is the relationship. The discussions about the script are vital, belief in the same direction.
*Work with the market and the director. The process is very important.
*Rosemary Blight gave the clear and concise analogy of helping to put the right ingredients together. The project is fused into a whole that you can pull apart.

To hear directly from such experienced professionals was an exceptional opportunity for mentees, mentors and other industry professionals alike.

The launch officially concluded with the presentation and acknowledgement of Certificates of Achievement for Round One mentees.

An excellent networking opportunity wrapped it up. Stimulating conversation combined with nibbling from circulating patters of sushi was the perfect end to a very successful launch.

SPEAKER BIOS:

JANE ROSCOE: Network Programmer - SBS Television
Jane Roscoe has been at SBS for over four years and is currently the Network Programmer overseeing SBS 1 and 2. During that time she has attended the major Television and Film markets including MIPTV, MIPCOM, BANFF, BERLINALE, SUNNYSIDE OF THE DOC, HOT DOCS, IDFA, HISTORY CONGRESS, SCIENCE CONGRESS, SPAA and AIDC. She has an extensive network of producers, distributers and broadcasters from around the world. She acquires content for all genres and has particular interests in documentary, factual hybrids scripted comedy. She is the SBS Executive on the Indigenous Emerging Talent Mentoring Award, and is committed to helping young practitioners on their journeys. Previously Jane was Head of Screen Studies and Research at the AFTRS. During her career as an academic she has published extensively on audiences, documentary and factual programming. Her work on Big Brother and its audience is well sited, as is her work on mock-documentary. Her last book was Faking It: Mock-Documentary and the Subversion of Factuality (with Craig Hight, MUP, 2001). In 2005 she gave The Henry Meyer lecture ‘When Theory Met Practice’ discussing her move from academia to broadcasting. Jane is currently the President of Women in Film and Television NSW.

ROSEMARY BLIGHT: Rosemary is one of Australia’s leading producers and a principal partner of independent production company Goalpost Pictures Australia.  Rosemary has just completed THE ETERNITY MAN with UK director Julien Temple and is also executive producer of James Bogle’s feature film CLOSED FOR WINTER, starring Natalie Imbruglia and based on Georgia Blain’s novel of the same name.  Rosemary is the producer of the 2007 Sundance hit CLUBLAND (released as INTRODUCING THE DWIGHTS by Warner Independent Pictures in USA), starring Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn, directed by Cherie Nowlan and written by Keith Thompson. Rosemary’s other feature credits include Neil Mansfield’s FRESH AIR and James Bogle’s award winning IN THE WINTER DARK. Rosemary’s television credits include the ratings winning telemovie GO BIG, the 26-part drama series, LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD , the AFI and Logie nominated telemovies SMALL CLAIMS 1, 2 & 3 and the telemovie STEPFATHER OF THE BRIDE , written by Geoffrey Atherden. Rosemary is Executive Producer of series 1 & 2 of the AFI and Logie winner LOCKIE LEONARD, the 26-part children’s series, based on the novels by Tim Winton and SCORCHED, the major television and cross platform event for the Nine Network and Granada. Rosemary Blight is a board member of the New South Wales Film & Television Office.

KATH SHELPER: Kath is an award winning Australian film producer. She was the recipient of the 2005 Inside Film Award for Rising Talent. Her production credits include Confessions of a Headhunter, Plains Empty, Bush Mechanics, Above the Dust Level, and Green Bush. She was a founding member of the film production company Film Depot along with fellow producers Louise Smith and Matthew Dabner. Kath now works out of her own production company Scarlett Pictures. She has just completed her first feature film, the award winning Samson and Delilah directed and filmed by Warwick Thornton, starring Rowan MacNamara and Marissa Gibson and featuring Mitjili Napanangka Gibson. The film premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival, February 2009 and has won best first feature at Cannes Film Festival – the Camer d’Or.          .

TOM ZUBRYCKI: Tom is one of Australia’s leading documentary filmmakers. He specialises in telling local stories which have universal significance, and his films have won him many awards – internationally and in Australia. His recent credits as director include Temple of Dreams which was one of the highlights of the Sydney Film Festival 2007, Vietnam Symphony (2005), Molly & Mobarak (2003), The Secret Safari (2001), The Diplomat (2000) and Billal (1996). His credits as producer include Exile in Sarajevo (1995), Stolen Generations (2000), Making Venus (2002) and The Intervention: Katherine, NT (2008) In 2008 the Australian Directors Guild honoured him with the Cecil Holmes Award in recognition for his body of work and his role in mentoring emerging filmmakers.

JULIA OVERTON: Julia is an Investment Manager for documentary and feature film at Screen Australia (SA) She is a graduate of University of New England (BA Hons 1st) in English, Communications and Classics. Julia has a multi-faceted track record as an independent producer of feature films, television drama, documentary, children’s TV and animation. Prior to joining Screen Australia Julia was a development executive at Australian Film Commission where she assisted in the development of  a number of successful projects such as the Oscar winning animation Harvie Krumpet, the Cannes selected dramas Jew Boy, Crackerbag and Sexy Thing, the multi award winning documentary Jabe Babe a Heightened Life and a number of feature films. Her credits include feature films (Cut, Spider and Rose, Fistful of Flies, Until the End of the World, Travelling North), television drama (Aftershocks, The Long Ride, Tudawali), children’s TV (the Winners series) short drama (Entertaining Angels, I Eugenia) documentary (Black Man’s Houses) and animation (Pianoforte). Julia is on the board of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), is a member of Australian Directors Guild and co National Coordinator for Input, the public television conference.

MELISSA AZIZI: Melissa earned a BA Hon First Class (Art History and Theory/Performance studies) at USYD and MA Media Arts and Production at UTS. After being awarded several prizes at both universities for her short films Melissa formed Cinedream with fellow UTS graduate Will Kuether. She is currently producing a short film with the NSW FTO and writing her first feature. Melissa Azizi was mentored by Julia Overton in Round 1 of the Media Mentorship for Women program.

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