ADVERTISEMENT

MIFF selects Breakthru Screenings

Press release from Limelight PR

Seven films have been selected for the MIFF 37ºSouth: Breakthru Screenings at MIFF 37ºSouth Market, the Melbourne International Film Festival’s film co-financing event that runs 22-25 July 2010.

MIFF 37ºSouth’s Breakthru Screenings showcase selected new Australian and NZ films seeking world sales agents and/or local distribution to invited buyers attending the MIFF 37ºSouth Market. The producer of each film is registered for MIFF 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap – the market’s program of one-to-one meetings with financiers/buyers, plus roundtables and networking events which has a record 74 producers registered this year.

This year’s Breakthru Screenings are,  Amanda Jane’s MIFF Premiere Fund co-financed The Wedding Party (producer: Nicole Minchin), which is the Festival’s opening night film; Centre Place (Mia de Rauch); Colourful Dead Things (Stuart van Eysden); Dreamland (David Jowsey); Summer Coda (Richard Gray); Surviving Georgia (Kate Whitbread, Spencer McLaren); and The Little Things (Jacob Livermore). Breakthru screenings started in 2008 – in that time participating films including Strangers Lovers Killers, Lake Mungo, I’m Not Harry Jenson, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Blind Company have secured distribution and/or sales agent representation.

MIFF 37ºSouth are also happy to announce this year’s Accelerator Express candidate – one lucky producer of an Accelerator short film (MIFF’s workshop for short film directing talent) has been selected to participate in MIFF 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap – thereby accelerating this team’s feature project for consideration by registered buyers. Sacha Rodriguez has been selected the 2010 Accelerator Express candidate – Rodriguez produced the short film The Visitor (MIFF & Accelerator 2007), will pitch Sasha Whitehouse’s ReCycle to MIFF 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap’s film financiers. Rodriguez’s development slate also includes the film scripts Carmen 17, God’s Eye and 2 Cell Lock Up.

Accelerator short films will also be distributed to all 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap’s registered producers, thereby exposing the works of our top directors of tomorrow to today’s established producers.

More than 60 other producers have been selected for MIFF 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap to pitch script-stage project slates, including Yael Bergman (I Love You Too), Chris Brown (Daybreakers), Andrea Buck (The Jammed), Philippa Campbell (Black Sheep), Chris Fitchett (Blurred), Robyn Kershaw (Bran Nue Dae), Helen Leake (Black & White), Angela Littlejohn (Apron Strings),  Marian Macgowan (South Solitary), Michael McMahon (The Home Song Stories),  David Parker (Matching Jack) and David Rapsey (Lake Mungo). The number of scheduled one-to-one meetings between produces and financiers at MIFF 37ºSouth: Bridging the Gap has increased 26% to 915 (up from last year’s 723 and 2008’s 592), while overall meetings across the various strands of MIFF 37ºSouth Market (which includes 37ºSouth’s Books at MIFF and 37ºSouth: PostScript&Direct) have increased 13% to 1,182.

MIFF 37ºSouth Market is the exclusive Australia/NZ institutional partner of London’s Production Finance Market (PFM) and the Abu Dhabi Circle.  For more information on the Melbourne International Film Festival visit www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au