Paul Barry is an actor, director, writer, and teacher. A graduate of NIDA (1996), he has since taught thousands of people, both at his alma mater and its counterparts such as WAAPA and AFTRS, and has been a professional reader to almost every casting director in Sydney.
Our panel of industry judges has chosen the nine films that will be screened at this year’s festival. The finalist films will be in competition for the Best Film award worth AU$9500 (including AU$1000 cash). The judges were: director and long-standing member of the Australian film industry Martha Ansara, director and editor Lucas Bradley, Variety magazine film critic Russell Edwards, and sound mixer and designer John Hresc.
Kate Gaul graduated from NIDA in directing in 1996 and later trained with the Anne Bogart SITI Company. She has been Associate Director at the Ensemble Theatre and has directed a wide variety of stage productions.
Kate is now the Artistic Director of Siren Theatre Co. and has also written and directed two short films: Embrace and Cake.
Miranda Tapsell was born in Darwin and grew up in Kakadu National Park. She began performing at the age of seven when she joined a tap dance group. Having started with summer acting courses at NIDA and a local youth theatre company, Miranda has recently appeared in the acclaimed telemovie Mabo and the Cannes hit The Sapphires (opening nationally on 9 August).
Martha Ansara has been recording oral histories with cinematographers for over 35 years. This project has now come to fruition in the form of a coffee-table book, The Shadowcatchers.
Throughout his 28 years in the industry, John Platt’s passion for stills photography has remained strong and seen him amass a collection of over 20,000 images — predominantly of crews he has worked with. His images in the book are second in number only to The National Film and Sound Archive.
What happens when a professional tennis player reunites with his childhood best friend, a “professional” drug dealer? See it all happen in Better Man, the new play by Alex Lykos, the writer of the Alex & Eve trilogy.
Tony Chu of NAFA will once again be unleashed on the cast and crew of the production. In his inimitable style, Tony will guide a “Show & Tell” session immediately after the performance.
Tony Chu of NAFA will once again be unleashed on the cast and crew of the production. In his inimitable style, Tony will guide a “Show & Tell” session immediately after the performance.