Jury 2016
INTERNATIONAL JURY
RACHEL GARDNER
Rachel joined See-Saw Films as in-house film and television producer two years ago, after working with them on the NZ/UK co-production Slow West as the New Zealand producer.
Prior to this, Rachel co-managed Great Southern Film and Television, one of New Zealand’s premiere production companies, for seven years – either producing or executive producing all film, drama and scripted comedy.
In 2008 she was voted NZ producer of the year.
PARTHO SEN-GUPTA
Partho Sen-Gupta was born in Mumbai. He worked as Art Director and Production Designer on feature films, TV series and commercials in India.
He then studied Film direction at the FEMIS in Paris. His short films have screened at Locarno and Clermont-Ferrand film festivals.
His first feature film, Let the Wind Blow premiered at the Berlinale. His second feature film Sunrise premiered at the Busan IFF and since screened at 2015 Tribeca, Munich, BFI London, Sydney International Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival among others and won two Best Film awards.
Partho lives and works in Sydney.
FIONA WILLIAMS
Fiona Williams is managing editor of SBS Movies, where she writes film reviews and news about the world of cinema, and has interviewed filmmakers everywhere, from Cannes to Canberra.
She is also the Australian correspondent for the London-based magazine Screen International and www.screendaily.com, where she covers news for an audience of international film and TV producers.
Fiona has tracked the Australian film and television industry for over 15 years, and is a past editor of Encore magazine.
Fiona is a frequent film festival moderator and has been a regular at Flickerfest since the early days.
AUSTRALIAN JURY
JOCELYN MOORHOUSE
Jocelyn was born in Melbourne and graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School in 1984. She wrote and directed for numerous television shows prior to writing and directing her feature film debut Proof, which starred Hugo Weaving and Russell Crowe. Proof had its world premiere in Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991. The film screened at numerous international film festivals, wining many awards including the Sutherland Trophy by the British Film Institute, Critic’s Choice Award at Sao Paulo International Film Festival and Bronze Award at Tokyo International Film Festival.
In 1994 Jocelyn moved to Los Angeles to direct How to Make an American Quilt (1995) which starred Winona Ryder and Anne Bancroft and A Thousand Acres (1997) which starred Michele Pfeiffer, Jessica Lang and Colin Firth.
She works closely with her husband PJ Hogan and was producer on his films Muriel’s Wedding, Unconditional Love, Peter Pan and Mental.
Jocelyn directed her first play, Sex With Strangers by Laura Eason, at the Sydney Theatre Company in August 2012.
Jocelyn’s latest film The Dressmaker was adapted from Rosalie Ham’s novel and stars Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Hugh Weaving and Liam Hemsworth.
RICHARD HARRIS
Richard was previously CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and is now head of Business and Audience at Screen Australia.
As SAFC CEO Richard introduced a suite of initiatives and programs that underpinned a resurgence in local production levels and built the creative and production company base in South Australia.
In particular, he created FilmLab, the development program which nurtured a new generation of South Australian talent. He also oversaw the construction of Adelaide Studios.
Prior to the SAFC Richard was the Executive Director of the Australian Directors Guild.
His previous experience included policy positions at the Screen Producers Association of Australia and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.
He has taught media policy at the University of Sydney and is the author of Film in the Age of Digital Distribution.
In 2007, Variety labelled him one of 20 global film executives to watch and in 2010 he was listed as one of Encore’s ‘Power 50’.
SUSAN PRIOR
Susan Prior is a NIDA graduate who has worked successfully in all areas of film, television, and theatre in Australia. Film career highlights include winning an AACTA Award in 2015 for her performance in David Michod’s film The Rover.
She was also nominated for an AACTA in 2013 for the award winning show Puberty Blues and has had significant roles in Animal Kingdom, Aim High in Creation, Careless Love, Not Suitable For Children, View From Greenhaven Drive, Suburban Mayhem, to name a few as well as the forthcoming Jasper Jones directed by Rachel Perkins.
Susan also has a writing/acting credit on Paul Middleditch’s acclaimed indie film A Cold Summer. She won the Searchlight Griffin Theatre Prize for her one-act play Making Love to the Scarecrow.
Susan has worked with most of the major theatre companies in Australia, has appeared in London’s West End with the play Riflemind, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and most recently in the STC play The Present directed by Irish film/theatre director John Crowley.
Susan’s association with Flickerfest has been a long one – she has been part of the Selection Committee for 15 years and has appeared in short films such as Jennifer Kent’s Monster, Peter Templeman’s The Saviour (2008 Academy nomination), and Bunny New Girl by Natalie Van Den Dungen.
DOCUMENTARY JURY
SAM GRIFFIN
Sam Griffin has been an investment manager in the documentary unit at Screen Australia for four years, during which time she has been involved with the funding of award-winning feature documentaries, television series and emerging filmmaker initiatives.
Before moving back to Sydney in 2010, she worked in New York for 15 years as a director/producer for a New York production company where she was the supervising producer for a suite of lifestyle, fashion and art TV series.
While living in the U.S. Sam also produced and/or directed documentaries, shorts films, radio and theatre productions.
Sam started her career in the media as a writer at the Sydney Morning Herald.
MARTIN BUTLER
Martin Butler graduated from Oxford University and went to work for the manager of The Who. He migrated to Australia in 1980 and spent the next 25 years as a long-form current affairs television producer.
Martin has produced well over 100 hours of quality television in his time at the ABC and SBS on current affairs programs Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent and Dateline.
In 2007, Martin left public broadcasting to enter the perilous world of documentary filmmaking.
He teamed up with former Dateline colleague Bentley Dean and went on to make the award-winning documentary Contact – a film about the last desert peoples’ first-contact with modern Australia – and the landmark four-part series First Footprints.
Since 2014 they have made the feature film Tanna, a love story set in the remote mountains of Vanuatu.
MAYA NEWELL
Maya is an Australian filmmaker with a focus on documentary.
Her award-winning short TWO won Best New Documentary Talent of Australia at AIDC 2011 and her subsequent films Growing Up Gayby and feature documentary Gayby Baby, made in collaboration with Charlotte Mars, tell the story of same-sex families from the perspective of the kids.
Gayby Baby was selected for Good Pitch Australia 2014, premiered at Hot Docs, Toronto and was nominated for an ACCTA, AWGIE and was a winner of Best Documentary in the ATOM awards 2015.
Gayby Baby is distributed in Australia by Madman Entertainment and has sold in territories around the world.
GREENFLICKS JURY
MITZI GOLDMAN
Mitzi has thirty years experience as documentary director, writer, editor and producer.
Her award winning films have been screened around the world. She produced End of the Rainbow, which premiered at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, and Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography, and directed A Common Purpose, which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2011 Sydney Film Festival.
Mitzi was formerly Co-Head of Documentary at Australian Film Television & Radio School and Chair of the Australian International Documentary Conference. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies.
RONNI KAHN
Ronni Kahn, wanting to make a significant contribution to society, in 2004 founded OzHarvest, Australia’s first perishable food rescue organisation collecting excess food from commercial outlets and delivering it, direct and free of charge to charities.
OzHarvest is the official Australian partner for the United Nation Environment Programme Think.Eat.Save – Reduce Your Foodprint campaign.
Ronni has been recognised as a leader in the fields of entrepreneurship, social impact and innovation and has been awarded with numerous achievements for her work and commitment to the community, some of which include:
- Veuve Clicquot Award Business Woman Tribute Award for Innovation, Entrepreneurial Skill and Contribution to the Community in 2012.
- Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2012
- Australia’s Local Hero, Australian of the Year Awards 2010
- InStyle Woman of Style Award – Community /Charity category 2011
- Enriched List by American Express in 2010
MICHAEL MOBBS
Michael Mobbs practised law for 19 years then began a long journey back to rejoin the human race.
His first step was to stop his own pollution and in 1996 he disconnected his inner Sydney house from mains water, sewer and installed a solar system and in March 2015 he disconnected from the main electricity grid.
Since 1996, he has worked on hundreds of sustainable projects across Australia; from helping to develop local council and other government sustainability policies to residential and commercial projects and infrastructure.
FLiCKERUP JURY
LIRON GILMORE
Liron Gilmore is a Film Lecturer 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 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.
RAHEL ROMAHN
One of Australia’s rising young actors, Rahel Romahn was heralded for his recent portrayal of troubled teenager Tarek in the SBS drama The Principal which aired to critical acclaim.
Most recently completing filming of Wayne Blair’s highly anticipated ABC drama Cleverman, Rahel’s other television credits include teen drama series Ready For This, Channel Nine’s Underbelly: The Golden Mile, the Seven Network’s Gangs of Oz and The Disney Channel’s Random Dares.
Rahel most recently appeared in Peter Andrikidis’ feature comedy Alex and Eve. His other film credits include David Field’s controversial drama The Combination, as well as Battle Therapy Too and The Day Hollywood Died. Rahel also played the lead role of Lewis in the Academy® Award shortlisted short film The Ground Beneath, a Flickerfest film.
In 2016 Rahel will be seen in the pivotal lead role of Nick in Abe Forsythe’s highly anticipated feature film, Down Under.
CALLAN McAULIFFE
Callan is a young Australian actor, currently enjoying an international career trajectory in the USA/UK and Australia. Callan is best known for his roles in Rob Reiner’s award-winning Flipped, Spielberg and Michael Bay’s DreamWorks’ sci-fi I Am Number Four; and in Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby.
In 2013 the Toronto International Film Festival named Callan a TIFF “break-out” actor for his role as Dominic, a young French-Canadian, in the coming-of-age film, Beneath the Harvest Sky. In 2014 Callan played support lead to Samuel L Jackson in Kite, a feature film based on the ground breaking Japanese anime of the same name.
In 2015 Callan debuted in his first UK lead role as Sean Flynn in Robot Overlords. co-starring with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson. Other recent films include Hacker, Stanford Prison Experiment, Point of Honor directed by Randall Wallace (Writer and Producer of Braveheart) and Homeland.
Callan is working with Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) on the animated feature film Mademoiselle & Marmaduke – and will play the young bushranger in the Australian feature film The Legend of Ben Hall – releasing 2016.