Jury 2015

INTERNATIONAL JURY

AL CLARK

Al ClarkAl Clark has produced films for the past 30 years, first in the UK – where his credits include Nineteen Eighty-Four, Absolute Beginners and Gothic – then in Australia. His Australian films – which have been selected for most major film festivals and distributed worldwide – include The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Chopper, Siam Sunset, The Hard Word, Razzle Dazzle, Blessed and Red Hill.

The recipient of the 2013 AACTA Raymond Longford Award for lifetime achievement, he is also the author of two books, Raymond Chandler in Hollywood and The Lavender Bus.

STEPHAN ELLIOTT

Stephan Elliott headshotOne of Australia’s leading film directors, Stephan Elliott began his career as an assistant director/editor before directing Frauds, starring Phil Collins and Hugo Weaving.

His second feature, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) starring Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, went on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time, collecting an Academy Award, BAFTA and AFI Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Make Up/Hair as well as nominations for a Writers Guild Award and a Golden Globe for Best Comedy/Musical.

Stephan directed the thriller Eye of the Beholder (1999) starring Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, KD Lang and Jason Priestley. The film premiered at Venice that year winning the Brussels Sci-fi and Fantasy Festival – an award also shared by his film Frauds.

Stephan’s earlier film then became Priscilla The Musical, (which opened on Broadway in 2011) and he directed the adaption of a Noel Coward play, Easy Virtue starring Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas.

In 2010 Stephan directed A Few Best Men starring Kris Marshall, Xavier Samuel, Kevin Bishop and featuring Olivia Newton John.  The film opened across Australia in January 2012 as the most successful Australian comedy at the box office in over 10 years.  Most recently, Stephan directed the short film Rio, Eu Te Amo – part of the Cities of Love franchise, starring Ryan Kwanten, a collective feature film, composed of 10 short film segments from 10 visionary directors from across the globe.

KATH SHELPER

Kath Shelper headshotKath has produced more short films than she cares to remember including: Warwick’s Green Bush (Best Panorama Short Film – Berlinale, Sundance, IF Award) and NANA (Crystal Bear – Berlinale, IF Award), Beck’s Plains Empty (Sundance) and Sally Riley’s Confessions Of A Headhunter (Best Short – AFI Awards). She received the Inside Film Award for Rising Talent in 2005 and is currently the President of Metro Screen.

Kath produced Samson & Delilah and The Darkside with Warwick Thornton and more recently the ABC’s Black Comedy and documentary Tender with Lynette Wallworth. She is currently in production on Brendan Cowell’s Ruben Guthrie.

AUSTRALIAN JURY

DAVID FIELD

David Field headshotDavid Field has held an exceptional career in Australian film and television and is undoubtedly one of Australia’s mostly highly renowned actors. His numerous film credits include Ghosts of the Civil Dead, Chopper, Getting’ Square, Two Hands, The Night We Called It a Day, Mystery Road and The Rover. In television, David is well known for the lead role in City Homicide over four seasons, as well as roles in A Moody Christmas, The Moodys, Wilfred, Wildboys and Rake amongst many others.

As a director David has enjoyed great success and his directing credits include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? and Dealer’s Choice at the State Theatre Company of South Australia and Misanthrope and Pauline Hambone at Belvoir Street. However, as a director, David is mostly highly renowned for his feature film The Combination, which was followed up by 2014’s feature Convict.

David has been widely acknowledged by his peers and the public with multiple AFIs, IF Awards, Helpmann Awards, Sydney Theatre Critic Awards and FCCA nominations for his work. In 2006 he was awarded the Centenary Medal of Australia for Contributions Made to Australian Society and Australian Film Production.

NICOLE DADE

Nicole Dade headshotNicole has 12 years’ experience working in development, production, commissioning and emerging talent.  As development executive at Screen Australia, Nicole manages the development of a slate of feature films, short films, animation and high end television.

Recently she was Head of Development at Atlantic Film Group and was previously Head of Production and Development for UK screen agency Screen South.  Nicole has designed and managed high-profile UK development and production initiatives for BFI London Film Festival, Film4, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Warp X.

Nicole was a Production Executive at Screen East and executive produced Digital Shorts with the UK Film Council New Cinema Fund. She started her career in film at First Take Films, which commissioned and produced the first short films of filmmakers including Andrea Arnold.

EMMA LUNG

Emma Lung headshotAward winning actress Emma Lung has worked in film, television and theatre both here and abroad.  Her film credits include Peaches with Hugo Weaving, The Boys Are Back with Clive Owen, The Jammed, Crave.

In television Emma appeared in the critically acclaimed HBO series Entourage, other credits include The Cooks, The Straits.  For her work in the short film Stranded with Emily Browning, Emma was awarded AFI and Magnolia Awards and the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding Talent.

She is currently performing alongside Michael Dorman and Jessica Tovey in Network Ten’s much-loved Wonderland.

LUCY HILL

Lucy Hill headshotBefore starting at Hopscotch in 2007, Lucy studied Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Media Arts & Production) at the University of Technology, Sydney and went on to receive First Class Honours in Creative Writing. While studying, she worked for producer Rebel Penfold-Russell (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Paws, Frauds) at her shingle, Rebelstudio.

Working across many departments at Hopscotch, Lucy moved entirely into production and acquisitions in 2009. In the role of Acquisitions Manager at the company – which is now known as Entertainment One Australia – she has had active involvement in the acquisition of such films as The Kids are All Right, The Sapphires, Satellite Boy, The Butler, Philomena, The Broken Circle Breakdown and Pride.

Lucy has also acted as Production Coordinator on several projects including acclaimed Australian artist Emma Magenta’s the gradual demise of phillipa finch, and as Development Manager within Hopscotch Features , a joint venture between Hopscotch principal Troy Lum, producer Andrew Mason and writer John Collee, working on such films as Saving Mr Banks and The Water Diviner.

Lucy is currently Head of Acquisitions for Entertainment One Australia.

DOCUMENTARY JURY

JEN PEEDOM

Jen Peedom headshotJen Peedom is well-known for her gripping, intimate portraits of people in extreme circumstances. Her credits include the internationally renowned documentaries Miracle on Everest, Living the End and Solo, for which she has won numerous awards and screened at major festivals internationally.

Jen was the inaugural David & Joan Williams Documentary Fellowship which recognizes and rewards creative ambition, intellectual rigour and innovation in documentary cinema.

She is currently Executive Producing a number of projects for Jungleboys as well as continuing her work as a director.

Jen is currently in post-production on a major feature documentary project Sherpa, with producers Bridget Ikin (Look Both Ways, An Angel at My Table) and John Smithson (Touching the Void, 127 Hours).

In 2003, while working as Managing Director of IF Media and Publisher of IF Magazine, she was awarded NSW Young Business Woman of the Year.

MARCUS GILLEZEAU

Marcus Gillezeau headshotAACTA and Emmy® award winning filmmaker, executive producer and entrepreneur Marcus Gillezeau [Jillezo] is the CEO of Firelight Productions, a Sydney based film and television company specialising in all-media drama, documentary and 3D production.

Marcus has over 20 years experience in the film and TV industry. He began as a film editor before moving into producing and executive producing.

His screen credits stretch the gamut from documentaries such as Hell Bento to award-winning Storm Surfers series and include TV series Scorched and documentary Rocket Compulsion.

Marcus has been a board member of Metro Screen and has recently consolidated his film career with a Masters in Screen Business at AFTRS.

ANDREA ULBRICK

Andrea Ulbrick headshotAndrea joined the ABC’s Factual department as a Commissioning Editor in January 2014. Andrea is an award-winning director, presenter and producer of documentary films whose career spans 25 years and several continents. After many years as a TV and radio journalist, Andrea worked in Jakarta, covering events including the fall of Soeharto.

Gaining an MA at AFTRS in 2000, Andrea then began directing documentaries for companies such as Heiress Films, Serendipity Productions/ Artemis International, Essential Media, Shine Australia, Screenworld and Fremantle Media, on various programs including Outback House, The Floating Brothel, Nerves of Steel, Rodney’s Robot Revolution, Are You My Mother, Class of 2011, Hello Birdy, Who Do You Think You Are, X Factor and Australia’s Got Talent. She has also worked in Wales for ITV Wales, S4C, Foxtel France Television and UKTV.

She has produced and directed a range of international science &history co-productions for ABC TV, SBS, CBC, Arte France, BBC, Channel 4, WNET, National Geographic and Discovery.

GREENFLICKS JURY

PAT FISKE

Pat Fiske headshotPat Fiske of Bower Bird Films Pty. Ltd. has been producing and directing films since the early 1970s and has been a prominent member of Australia’s independent filmmaking community. In 2001, she was awarded the prestigious Stanley Hawes Award for her outstanding contribution to the documentary industry in Australia at the Australian Documentary Conference in Perth.

In the 1970s and 80s, she was on the boards of Filmnews and ASDA and was Co-Head of the Documentary Department at AFTRS with Mitzi Goldman from 2002 to 2008, which initiated Ozdox, the Australian Documentary Forum in 2003.

At present, she works part time as a curator for the Australian Screen Online, is making two short films for Earlyworks, ABC, and the National Portrait Gallery (my favourite australian) and is developing projects.

Pat’s work as a Producer includes River of No Return (2008), Beats Across Borders (2006), Selling Sickness (2004), Business Behind Bars (2001), a two part series which won a 2001 Walkley Award.

Her credits as a Director/Producer include: Following the Fenceline; Rocking the Foundations, and An Artist in Eden. She has directed Doc’, a portrait of Herbert Vere Evatt ; For All the World to See, a portrait of Professor Fred Hollows; Australia Daze;  Night Patrol, Endo What? and co-directed Woolloomooloo, Leaping off the Edge.

LIANE ROSSLER

Liane Rossler headshotLiane Rossler is an artist, designer, curator, creative advisor and ambassador for issues relating to design and the environment.

Recent work includes Here and Now, Supercyclers and Happy Talk; projects focused on clever and beautiful sustainable design practice.

Liane was also co-founder, former designer and director of Dinosaur Designs for 25 years and also co-founded GreenUps.

 

 

BEN PEACOCK

Ben Peacock bodyshotBen is a writer, cancer survivor and a founder of do-good agency, Republic of Everyone,

He’s on a mission to help create 100 ideas that make the world a better place. So far the list includes the award winning Tails for Whales, the even more award-winning Garage Sale Trail, the fledgling Grow It Local, and the Greens ad made famous by the Gruen Transfer.

Ben’s book, Lessons From My Left Testicle, is about surviving cancer and learning to live. He is a spokesperson for the Cancer Council and a member of their Men’s Health Committee. In his spare time he surfs, plays guitar and dreams of life in a Kombi.

 

FLICKERUP JURY

MATTHEW MOORE

Matthew Moore headshotDirector Matt Moore’s short film Julian was accepted into the Generation Kplus section of The 62nd International Berlin Film Festival and went on to win The Crystal Bear for Best Short Film.

Julian went on to win The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts AACTA Award for Best Short Fiction Film, The Jury Prize and Audience Choice Award at Flickerfest and competed in over 30 International festivals, winning over a dozen awards.

Julian was also selected as one of seven short films to screen at Les Cesar Academie Des Arts Et Techniques Du Cinema’s Golden Night of The Worlds Best Short Films of the Year in Paris.

The Amber Amulet, Matthew’s second short film as writer/director/producer made it’s World Premiere in the Generation Kplus section of The 63rd International Berlin Film Festival.  It too went on to win the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film.

Other awards include The Australian Writers Guild AWGIE Award for Best Screenplay in a Short Film, The Audience Award at St Kilda Short Film Festival, The Audience Choice Award at TIFF Kids and The Oscar Qualifying Grand Prix for Best Short FIlm from The Heartland Film Festival.

Matthew is developing a feature film with Goalpost Pictures.

LIRON GILMORE

Liron Gilmore headshotLiron Gilmore is a Film Lecture at SAE who specialises in digital imaging, film studies, video editing as well as experimental film practices.

She has completed a Bachelor of Visual Communications and a Masters of Media Arts & Production at UTS. Liron has worked across a range of film productions from short-films to documentaries, including her own experimental film projects that she writes and directs.

Liron is currently working towards a PhD in the area of film psychology.

 

ODESSA YOUNG

Odessa YoungOdessa Young is an emerging Australian actress with a growing body of work. Odessa made her television debut as a spoiled and imperious Victorian-era child on the award-winning ABC series My Place and most recently as a troubled teenager in Channel Ten’s popular drama Wonderland.

Other television credits include Tricky Business (Channel 9) in which she played Emma, daughter to Gigi Edgley’s lead character, and an appearance in The Moody’s (ABC).

Odessa’s visceral performances on screen demonstrate a depth and complexity far beyond her age. Highlights include: High school outcast Stella in the comedy Bloomers; the bored and fatally curious Alice, drawn to the dark and dangerous in neo-noir thriller Blood Pulls a Gun (official selection for 2014 SXSW Film Festival and 2014 Melbourne Film Festival & Flickerfest 2014); and the dreamy, yearning Lucy of 50s-era The Tender Dark.

A senior student at a Sydney performing arts high school, Odessa is combining acting with completing her studies. Outside school she is a passionate student of screen and literature, devouring books and film in her spare time.

She recently completed filming the lead in Sue Brooks (Japanese Story) film LOOKING FOR GRACE alongside Richard Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell.