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Aussie
films strong Cannes presence, by Jonathon Moran -
7th May 2004
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald / AAP)
For a country of roughly 20 million
people, Australian talent consumes a large chunk
of the international film industry.
From
actors Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts
and Heath Ledger to film director Peter Weir and
animator Adam Elliott, Australians are certainly
putting themselves out there.
And
this year's Cannes International Film Festival,
now in its 57th year, will feature its share of
Australians.
Two
Australian films have been selected for the event
which begins on May 12 and runs through until
May 23.
Cate
Shortland's Somersault will feature as part of
the esteemed Un Certain Regard category while
Victorian College of the Arts student Pia Borg's
animated film Footnote will be seen in the prestigious
Cinefondation section.
"The
Cannes Film Festival is the premiere international
event on the calendar," Australian Film Commission
chief executive Kim Dalton said.
"It
is an event which showcases some of the best of
international cinema via a number of official
strands of the festival.
"It
is incredibly important in terms of providing
recognition to creative talent, profile to a film
which is about to be released into the market
place and providing an opportunity for an initial
crystal response to new work."
Australia's
history at Cannes dates back to Charles Chauvel's
entry with Jedda in 1955 - nine years after the
first film festival was held in the southern French
city.
More
recently, Cannes has been the showground for films
such as Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge starring Kidman
and Ewan McGregor and Toni Collette's Japanese
Story.
"We
went for a couple of years without anything in
any of the official selections and the last couple
of years we have had several," Mr Dalton
said.
"Given
the size of our industry Australia has always
done very well in terms of some level of representation."
Australian
Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) director
Malcolm Long agreed, adding Cannes was an important
place for budding film makers.
"Like
the Oscars and a number of other world festivals,
Cannes is a crucial place where our graduates
get to be noticed," Mr Long said.
"I
think we fight above our weight for a small country."
Links:
Official
websites
Cannes
International Film Festival
Australian
Film Commission
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Entertainment Group
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