38 films.
15 countries.
6 Australian premieres.
7 Queensland premieres.
This is sure to be the Gold Coast Film Festival’s biggest year yet!
Screen Queensland (SQ) is a proud major sponsor of the 2016 Gold Coast Film Festival
The Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) will run from Thursday 31 March until Sunday 10 April and is South East Queensland’s opportunity to come together and celebrate film and filmmaking, watching stories and learning how to get stories on screen.
The GCFF opens up opportunities for our local screen industry to come together and engage at the various workshops and other special events. It also allows Queensland to foster the emergence of new talent, new skills and new voices.
Here are some highlights of the 2016 program:
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WOMEN IN FILM
In 2016, the GCFF is pointing the lens on the issue of Women in Film to address the imbalance of female filmmakers in the (global) screen industry and focusing on women on and off screen.
For the first time in its history, all films in the GCFF program that pass the Bechdel Test will be noted with a tick of approval.
What is the Bechdel Test? A metric test that looks at whether films have realistic female characters, calling attention to gender inequality. The GCFF uses the test to measure whether a film:
- Has at least two named women in it
- Who have a conversation with each other
- About something other than a man.
The Bechdel Test is not a measure of how great a film is, nor does it tell you if the film has a woman writer or director. But it will make you think about how women are portrayed on screen.
FREE childminding
An issue raised at SQ’s Gender Matters Conversation in December 2015 was the challenge for working mothers in arranging child care for the times that industry events are scheduled. The GCFF is therefore introducing a wonderful new initiative in 2016 with free on-site childcare during two industry panels on Sunday 10 April; the Gender Matters panel and the Producing in Queensland panel. For more information on REELLife events, click here or to book in for complimentary childcare, click here.
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WOMEN IN FILM LUNCHEON
FRIDAY 1 APRIL | 12.00noon – 3.00PM Join the GCFF to celebrate Women In Film. Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at QT Bazaar, drinks, networking and insights from multi-talented guest speaker: Australian actor, film producer, writer, editor and director Gracie Otto.
After a string of award-winning short films, Gracie’s feature documentary The Last Impressario premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2013 and last year she set up an all-female production company, The Dollhouse Collective with Rose Byrne, Shannon Murphy, Krew Boylan and Jess Carrera.
WHERE | BAZAAR, QT GOLD COAST, COST | $95.00
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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CHAUVEL AWARD
The Gold Coast Film Festival is proud to revive the prestigious Chauvel Award and bring this event to the Gold Coast for the very first time.
The Chauvel Award was created in 1992 by the Brisbane International Film festival (BIFF) in honour of Queensland filmmaker Charles Chauvel and awarded to a distinguished contributor to Australian cinema.
This year GCFF selected a committee of esteemed industry professionals to decide the recipient of the 2016 Chauvel Award.
THE CHAUVEL AWARD COMMITTEE INCLUDES:
- David Stratton (Film critic)
- Jan Chapman (Award winning producer of The Piano and previous Chauvel Award recipient)
- Alan Finney (Chairman AFI and AACTA)
- Tracey Vieira (Screen Queensland CEO)
- Melanie Coombs (Academy Award winning Australian producer)
- Prof. Bruce Molloy (Film academic and GCFF Board Member)
The 2016 Chauvel Award Recipient is the very talented, CLAUDIA KARVAN.
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DAVID STRATTON IN CONVERSATION WITH CLAUDIA KARVAN (2016 CHAUVEL AWARD RECIPIENT)
WHERE | THE ARTS CENTRE GOLD COAST |$49.00 SATURDAY 9 APRIL | 6.30PM
The GCFF welcomes audiences to join us In Conversation With 2016 Chauvel Award Recipient, CLAUDIA KARVAN.
The night promises an intimate look at the career and contribution actress Claudia Karvan has made to Australian TV and cinema, accompanied by footage from her films and moderated by film critic and previous Chauvel Award recipient, David Stratton.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
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Early Winter (Q&A WITH PRODUCER)
DRAMA | CANADA/AUSTRALIA | 96 MINUTES | 18+ DIRECTOR MICHAEL ROWE | CAST SUZANNE CLEMENT, PAUL DOUCET, MAX LAFERRIERE
SUNDAY 10 APRIL, 1.30PM | THE ARTS CENTRE GOLD COAST
Proudly produced with the assistance of SQ, do not miss this gripping film from Australian writer/director Michael Rowe (2010 Cannes Caméra d’Or-winner for his debut film Leap Year) and prolific Brisbane-based producer Trish Lake.
Early Winter is a stark and unflinching portrait of two lost souls sleepwalking through a decaying marriage.
David lives a predictable life with his wife Maya and their two children. To please his wife with the latest gadgets, David works as a janitor in a retirement home. But when he begins to suspect that Maya is having an affair, he starts to lose ground, his past threatening to smash everything in his path. Beautifully observed, Early Winter reflects on how we seek happiness through our romantic partnerships, and the price we pay.
Awards/Notable Screenings: Venice Film Festival.
Screening followed by Q&A with Queensland producer Trish Lake.
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REELIFE at the Gold Coast Film Festival
The Gold Coast Film Festival is committed to encouraging, promoting and assisting Australian filmmaking talent through their REELLIFE series of seminars, workshops and panels. Whether you are a film fan, student, emerging filmmaker or professional, you’ll find a REELLIFE session that will open your mind, answer questions or develop your skills.
FRIDAY 1 APRIL, 3.30pm – 4.30pm | ENHANCE STORYTELLING WITH VFX
‘Outside-the-box’ thinking and an artist driven approach is what’s behind Cutting Edge’s imaginative VFX solutions. Meet the VFX artists behind some of the industry’s best work. See before-and-after case studies and hear first hand how they work with directors and producers in creating truly unique and seamless VFX.
FRIDAY 1 APRIL, 4.30pm – 5.30pm | THE FUTURE OF EDITING
In this conversation with numerous editors you will gain an insight into the craft of editing, emerging trends, and industry changes. Listen in for tips, hints and tricks used by some of film and television’s best editors. This is a must for emerging talent, filmmakers and film lovers alike. Presented by Cutting Edge and the Australian Screen Editors Guild.
SATURDAY 2 APRIL | 3.00PM – 4.00PM | CROWDFUNDING YOUR NEXT PROJECT
Whether you are planning a short film or feature or you’re in the middle of a creative project and need some help finishing it, crowdfunding can be an especially useful tool to raise funds. How does it work? What are the best strategies to ensure you reach your goal? Hear the experience of two filmmakers who used crowdfunding and learn top tips from a crowdfunding expert.
SATURDAY 2 APRIL, 4.00PM – 5.00PM | FIRST TIME DIRECTING:
Hear from first and second time directors about their experience of getting their first film made. What were the challenges? How is directing a feature different from a short? What’s the one thing you should know if you want to be a director? Three directors tell all.
SUNDAY, 3 APRIL | 2.00PM – 3.00PM HOW TO REACH PEOPLE (AND PROFIT): THE NEW DISTRIBUTION
The way films reach audiences has changed significantly in the past two years. The new big players are streaming services and smaller films are now choosing the event screening model. What are the industry challenges? How can filmmakers get their film to the public? What is an impact producer? Hear from distributors and filmmakers in the know.
FRIDAY, 8 APRIL | 4.00 – 5.00PM WRITING WOMEN CHARACTERS
How do you write realistic women characters? It might sound like a silly question, but currently only 57% of films pass the Bechdel Test (see Page 10), which means women character development is currently peripheral for many writers. With new funding priorities for stories about women (and for women audiences), we talk to novelists, screenplay writers and Screen Queensland about writing women characters.
FRIDAY, 8 APRIL | 5.00PM – 6.00PM ADAPTATION
Join the writers of The Last Cab To Darwin and Girl Asleep as they discuss how they adapted their theatre plays into screenplays. A must for anyone with a novel or play they would love to adapt for screen.
SATURDAY 9 APRIL, 2.00PM- 3.00PM | GETTING YOUR CREATIVE PROJECT NOTICED – PR & MARKETING 101
How do you get more likes? How do you get interviewed by media? What do you need to publicise your film? What can you do for free to get your film, book or project noticed? A panel of marketing, media and PR professionals answer these questions and more!
SATURDAY 9 APRIL, 12.00pm – 1.00pm | HOW TO TALK ABOUT FILMS
A must for anyone in a film group or who talks about films with friends. We speak with four film critics who write for magazines and newspapers and appear on radio and TV about how to talk about films. What should you look for when watching a film?
SUNDAY, 10 APRIL | 4.00PM – 5.00PM GENDER MATTERS
Are there enough stories being told by women and for women audiences? Are women adequately represented in key creative film roles? If not, why not and what can we do about it? Join a diverse range of film industry professionals as they discuss these big questions.
SUNDAY, 10 APRIL | 5.00PM – 6.00PM PRODUCING IN QUEENSLAND
Join us for a discussion with Queensland’s industry-leading producers as we explore their experiences producing, how to make producing work without heading to LA and what the future holds for producing in Queensland.
WHERE | THE ARTS CENTRE GOLD COAST
COST | FREE, BUT BOOKING REQUIRED AS SPACE IS LIMITED FOR DETAILS ON PANELISTS AND BIOS, CLICK HERE.
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Broke
Sports Drama | Australian
Friday 1 April, 6:00pm | Arts Centre Gold Coast | TICKETS
A sports-themed drama like no other, Broke follows the story of a disgraced rugby league star and gambling addict, Ben “BK” Kelly (Steve Le Marquand), who attempts to turn his life around with the support of his two biggest fans: ageing battler, Cec (Max Cullen), and his daughter, single-mother Terri (Claire van der Boom). Hotly contemporary and grittily realistic, Broke is a topical story of redemption, hope and determination.
Filmed entirely in Queensland with an all Queensland crew!
- Associate Producer/Hair Stylist: Rex Silver
- Hairdresser: Katelyn Small
- Set Dresser: Cindi Bush
- Props: Ben Bowen
- James Nightingale: Gaffer
- Katherine Kuppan: Production Coordinator
- Kerry Thomas: Production Coordinator
Screening followed by a Q&A with director Heath Davis, producer Luke Graham and cast, Steve Le Marquand.
