Same Dungog, new content
The Dungog Film Festival starts tomorrow, and according to director Allanah Zitserman, this is the year it will incorporate television into its program, at a much deeper level.
“There’s a lot more room for cross-pollination between film and TV in this country, and we want to encourage it and get both sides talking and discussing ways in which we can work together more,” Zitserman told Encore.
“It’s a great amount of talent in both industries, so let’s bring them together. We will be showing unaired TV pilots and we’ll have two live script readings for television projects.
“We’re working with all the broadcasters this year, both free-to-air and pay TV. Many television executives have already confirmed their attendance this year, and I will be working with the industry on how best to incorporate the TV aspects over the next few years,” said Zitserman.
In addition to the new TV content, in its fourth edition the Dungog Film Festival will still be full of film premieres, including Lou (Belinda Chayko), Road Train (Dean Francis), Passengers (Michael Bond and Cameron Daddo) and Surviving Georgia (Sandra Sciberras).
“Our criteria is not about a specific genre, or how it was shot; it’s really about the quality of storytelling. We work very closely with all the different distributors of all the Australian films that are being released, independents and studios,” explained Zitserman.
Over four days, Dungog will screen 12 features, 12 documentaries, 132 short films and five classics. All of it is Australian content.
“It’s an incredibly dynamic and extensive program. In fact we’re the biggest showcase of Australian content in the world,” said Zitserman.
Other classic Dungog events and activities will also be back, such as the ‘In the Raw’ live script readings, workshops and panel discussions, speed auditioning and masterclasses – this year, courtesy of directors Gillian Armstrong and Nadia Tass.
Dungog has teamed up with the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), Australian Directors Guild (ADG) and the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA). Their sessions will be of general interest, but aimed particularly at young people attending as part of the extended schools program, which now includes the Hunter region, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
“The ADG will present a ‘how do I get started?’ session, which is going to be an overview of digital filmmaking and the importance of good storytelling. AFTRS is presenting Production design, the invisible craft, as well as the ‘In The Raw’ script readings. And the NFSA is going to present Australian classics, and providing a historical context for those works,” said Zitserman.
According to Zitserman, Dungog has attracted a high level of corporate involvement, with sponsors like NSW Mining (for the third consecutive year) and Hoyts-owned, vending machine-based DVD rental service Oovie. The fact that a film festival is being supported by a home entertainment service talks about the synergy between distribution windows.
“It’s all about getting our content out to as many audiences as possible. Content consumption is a growing area, as people consume content in all sources in different ways nowadays.,” explained Zitserman.
“But there’s still great value in the cinema release; it plays a big role in the success and what happens to the other windows as well. Each film has a different journey I suppose, and the important thing is that it does find its audience.”
Another partner is iTunes, which will create a podcast of Dungog sessions and make them available through the online store.
This kind of support is necessary because bigger means more expensive, especially in a small country town like Dungog.
“We are putting on a world class film festival in a country town that doesn’t have the facilities, so we need to build the infrastructure. We are developing the accommodation and transport strategies, and there’s so much you need to bring in. I hope that over the years it will get easier to put on, and more sustainable,” said Zitserman.
Although it has attracted the interest of the mainstream media, Dungog is not about glamour. If anything, it’s about networking and doing business.
“Its location makes it a unique experience for everybody; an opportunity to get out of the city and actually stop, inspire, educate and communicate with each other in a way that you can’t do when you’re rushing from one venue to another around in the city,” Zitserman said.
Dungog Film Festival, May 27-30 Full program available on the Dungog website.
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Dungog Film Festival
Cant wait…never heard of the place till I was invited to bring my famous gourmet dogs along! Now I am pumped up to the max and am bringing my young son to help work and see some of our beautiful country and learn some culture. As a boy from Tassy I love the country people and life style. Look out for a Hot didely Dog the weekend ey 🙂
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