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Very confident about Summer Coda: Sharmill

Sharmill Films director Natalie Miller says she believes in small releases, and is confident in the distributor’s first Australian film, Summer Coda, after its success at MIFF.

What were your strongest performing films of the 2009/2010 financial year?

Our best releases were Soul Kitchen by Fatih Akin and the French romance Mademoiselle Chambon, and our alternate content with the Metropolitan Opera from New York, National Theatre of London, Paris Opera Ballets.

What titles didn’t necessarily meet your expectations?

Eden is West and Amreeka.
How experimental are Sharmill’s plans in terms of distribution models?

We are not experimental, but do believe in small releases; there are not too many cinemas for art house films. We distribute our cultural content, operas, plays and ballets in an alternate way with selected screenings only, to make them an event.

Are you focusing your promotional efforts across a wider range of platforms?
Yes. Of course, there’s  a big push into social media to capture one sector of the market.

What was your best campaign of the year?
Soul Kitchen.

Is Sharmill likely to enter the 3D market?
We may distribute cultural content on 3D, but there are no big plans for features.

While 2009 registered a record box office intake, attendance was down a little. Can ticket premiums compensate for that decrease in attendance, in the long term?
Ticket prices account for some of the results in the equations, but its all about content. Also, our business is cyclical. Distribute good films and you will get the results.

Is the slate of Australian films more diverse than it was a couple of years ago? Will the performance of recent local hits increase distributors’ interest in local product?
Yes, I think there is increased interest in Australian films as there has been some very good ones in the market place; you just have to work harder.

How would you describe your experience distributing Australian films? I believe Richard Grey’s Summer Coda will be your first.

We launched Summer Coda at the Melbourne International Film Festival and it had a huge buzz, selling out in the first 24 hours of MIFF tickets going on sale. This shows great interest for Australian films. We release on October 21 and feel very confident.

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