The ZOOM link will be sent to you on the date of the event.
Open to members and non-members. Become a WIFT Australia member HERE
A WIFT Virtual event, sponsored by Screen Queensland through the Screen Culture Funding program
WIFT Australia is proud to present these two outstanding filmmakers in conversation online to share their unique insight into the creative process of Disney’s live-action production Mulan.
Mulan was shot in New Zealand and China in 2018. The dynamic on-set team, director Niki Caro (MNZM) and cinematographer Mandy Walker (ACS, ASC) came together for this historic project.
This event is also notable as WIFT Australia’s first major collaboration with WIFT NZ.
In this intimate conversation Caro and Walker will also share personal success stories and tips on maintaining creative drive during the COVID-19 lockdown. An opportunity will be provided for the audience to post questions for the Q&A segment.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
NIKI CARO
Niki Caro’s (Director) first feature, “Memory & Desire” (1997), was in the lineup at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Special Jury Prize at the New Zealand Film Awards. Her second feature film, “Whale Rider,” won 27 international awards, at prestigious international film festivals such as Toronto, Sundance, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Seattle and Maui. The film earned an Academy Award® nomination for Keisha Castle-Hughes.
Caro then directed “North Country,” starring Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek and Woody Harrelson. Theron and McDormand were nominated for best actress and best supporting actress respectively at the 2005 Academy Awards®, Golden Globe® Awards, BAFTAs, Satellite Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards®. Caro’s more recent feature-length films include “A Heavenly Vintage,” “McFarland, USA,” “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”
MANDY WALKER
Mandy Walker (Cinematographer) has shot 18 feature films, including “The Mountain Between Us” (2017), “Hidden Figures” (2016), “Truth” (2015), “Tracks” (2013), “Australia” (2007) and “Shattered Glass” (2003), along with many commercials. She has been the recipient of many cinematography awards over the years.
Walker is also on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is on the board of American Society of Cinematographers; an accredited member and Hall of Fame honoree of the Australian Cinematographers Society; an executive member of Women in Film; and a board member of the NEB of the IATSE Local 600.
Pearl Tan (moderator) is currently the Senior Lecturer in Directing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) overseeing the Directing stream in the undergraduate program.
She was Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee within the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and held positions on the MEAA Board and the National Performers Committee (NPC) for Actors Equity. She has been in the AFTRS Council, on the Screen Australia Gender Matters Taskforce, and was NSW Chapter Head for the Australian Directors Guild (ADG). Currently, she sits on the board of Critical Stages Touring and the ADG. She was also named a Woman of Influence by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac in 2016.
