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Sony executive Glenn Gainor to deliver the keynote at CinefestOZ

Glenn Gainor.

Glenn Gainor, the president of Sony Innovation Studios and head of physical production at Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s CinefestOZ.

Screen Gems has been responsible for numerous high-grossing movies includings The Intruder, The Perfect Guy, No Good Deed, Think Like a Man, Friends with Benefits and Obsessed.

Housed on the Sony lot, Sony Innovation Studios provides the latest virtual production technology for film, television, gaming and other platforms across Sony companies and the broader industry.

Gainor’s keynote address, Embracing Technology as an Empowerment Tool, will explore how filmmakers can have their stories heard by millions through the use of emerging technologies.

He will present the world premiere of Taste, the film fronting the global launch of Sony’s new Xperia smartphone technology, Cinema Pro powered by CineAlta, which offers cinema-quality images from a pocket-sized camera.

The story of a chef who uses advanced technology to source the sub-molecular essence of food without harming the environment, its production ethos enables filmmakers to gain access to a range of exotic and remote locations.

“I was was intrigued to join the festival because I have always admired the Australian film market and any chance to see homegrown films with a different perspective is truly a treat for me,” Gainor said. “It’s important to share the passion of storytelling with other passionate professional and emerging filmmakers.”

Another industry program highlight is the Director’s Chair, which provides industry practitioners and festival audiences with the opportunity to meet and hear from one of Australia’s acclaimed feature film directors.

Australian Directors’ Guild CEO Kingston Anderson will moderate the Q&A session with CinefestOZ’s guest of honour and film prize jury chair Rachel Ward.

Ward will head a jury of industry professionals who will determine the winner of the 2019 CinefestOZ $100,000 film prize. Her film Palm Beach, starring Bryan Brown, Greta Scacchi, Sam Neill and Richard. E. Grant, which opened the 2019 Sydney Film Festival and launches in cinemas on August 8, will screen at CinefestOZ.

The Industry Program also includes:

SPA Breakfast Briefing

Melanie Horkan from Screen Producers Australia in conversation with Glenn Gainor, covering a range of topics from the importance of sustainable storytelling, to what it takes to make a Hollywood studio movie compared to local market films.

New Platforms Panel

SVOD, OTT and emerging platforms are changing the media and entertainment landscape from how content is commissioned to production processes and distribution. In this session, decision makers from the new platforms discuss the current state of the industry, new trends and content commissioning.

Brown Sugar Apple Grunt presentation

Māori and Pacific New Zealand filmmakers Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton from Brown Sugar Apple Grunt will talk about their experience producing Waru, Vai and the last film of the trilogy Kāinga.

Filming in WA Workshop

This workshop explores the results and future of the Western Australian Film Fund, hosted by Screenwest production attraction and services co-ordinator Gabrielle Cole and head of strategic projects and screen investment Matthew Horrocks.

CinefestOZ CEO Malinda Nixon said: “Over the years the CinefestOZ Industry Program has yielded amazing networking opportunities for screen practitioners, resulting in several films being made in the South West region in the past six years, with many more in development.”

The CinefestOZ Industry Program runs from August 29-31 in Busselton, WA. The full film and event program and ticket sales go live on July 26.