The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is back for another year, its 21st Year!!! This year’s list of films programmed for the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival features a number of the finest productions released by the French film industry in the past 12 months.

With many of the the films receiving or been nominated for many prestigious awards it’s definitely not an event to be missed.

One of the great movies featured at this event entails the intense love affair between two creative giants; Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky.

Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky

Paris 1913, Coco Chanel is devoted to her work and madly in love with the handsome and very wealthy Arthur “Boy” Capel. At the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Igor Stravinsky premieres his Rite of Spring. Coco attends the premiere and is mesmerised. But the revolutionary work is too modern, too radical: the enraged audience boos and jeers. A near-riot ensues. Stravinsky is inconsolable.

7 years later. Now rich, respected and successful, Coco is devastated by Boy Capel’s death. She meets Stravinsky again – now a penniless refugee living in exile in Paris after the Russian Revolution, The attraction between them is immediate and electric. Coco offers Stravinsky the use of her new villa in Garches, so that he will be able to work, and he moves in straight away, with his children and consumptive wife. And so a passionate, intense love affair between two creative giants begins.

The First Factual Films Festival (F4) is a new screening program held during the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) 2010. Co-presented by AIDC and the Media Resource Centre, F4 showcases first films from Australian documentary filmmakers at the start of their careers alongside the first films of legendary documentary masters attending AIDC 2010.

Reworking an animated short film in just three days was the task three students from Swinburne University faced when they represented Australia at the Asia Pacific Animation Challenge (APAC).

After winning an Australia-wide contest with their animated film Tweet Revenge, the multimedia students flew to Hong Kong for the APAC. Their work was critiqued by a panel of judges and the team had to improve it by the end of the challenge.

Tweet Revenge follows the story of a man whose car has been defaced by birds and the ways in which he tries to settle the score.

By the end of the challenge, the team’s hard work and occasional arguments led to them winning the ‘best video blog’ award, for the recorded diary they kept over the three days.

According to student Steven Donnet, the video blog sums up their time at the challenge. “We wanted to get our humour across and document some of the arguments we had – we all had different working styles,” he said. “After seeing other video blogs, we were pleased to notice we weren’t the only team that argued!”

Donnet said the best thing about APAC was the experience he gained. “I learned there that nothing ever goes to plan! It was tough trying to get so much done in such a short space of time. It taught me a lot about working under pressure.”

Donnet plans to continue working in the animation industry, with improved career prospects since the challenge. “The networking was great, I met so many people,” he said. “Since getting back to Australia I’ve had people call me and offer me jobs.”

A trailer for Tweet Revenge can be viewed at www.tweet-revenge.com

The Yallingup Surfilm Festival is proud to announce the long awaited summer of 2010 screening lineup. With 12 screenings in all, films from around the world are making their way to YSF10 for World Premieres, World Festival Premieres and Australian Premieres.

Held in Yallingup, WA January 22-24, from a cast of international film submissions and honored panelists of the surfing world, this event is one to set the bar for the evolution of surf films.

This year, the first inaugural YSF has received an influx of films stemming from stories at the core essence of surf culture.  From Mexico to Bangladesh, Peru to California, Australia to Indonesia, the lineup invites a journey to the heart of the phenomenon that is global surf culture.

YSF10 was created with the aim to explore surf culture and experience the influence it has in individual lives as well as in the wider world of surfing.  Renowned for their contribution to surf Culture, YSF10 has been privileged to have Albe Falzon, Dr Dave Jenkins, Time Baker, Drew Kampion, Damon Eastaugh, John Malloy, Rick Jakovich & Tim Baker as dedicated panelists.

This year YSF10 will be screening 9 films at Madfish Wines, Friday the 22nd- Sunday the 24^th starting at 6 pm.  Due to an overwhelming amount of extraordinary films there will be one screening daily starting at noon at the Yallingup Hall as well as one screening daily at Samudra 2:30, Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24^th of January. 

Surf filmmaking has been approached from many diverse angles and YSF is an event dedicated to delivering the soul aspect that encompasses a surfer’s approach to life.   For full film synopsis and trailers please go to www.yallingupsurfilm.com.au

AIDC 2010 aims to connect Australia with the world and the world with Australia. The world is getting smaller and stories are getting bigger.

International co-production will take centre stage at the 2010 conference by building relationships and exploring common ground, sharing experiences and teaming up for business.

If you are involved in the factual content industry you simply can’t miss the Australian International Documentary Conference.

The St George Open Air Cinema offers comfortable grandstand seating, Dolby Digital surround sound and a film program with premieres, previews and the latest releases. Each December this event sells out. The cinema has a restaurant and bar. The 2010 season film schedule is now available and pre-sales commence on 17 December 2009.

The S.P.A.S.H is an independent organisation dedicated to the discovery and study of undocumented, suppressed and censored historical events that have occurred in Australia since becoming a federation on the 1st of January 1901.

We are slowly building our online home. In the coming months we aim to expand the content and features of our home and project sites. With over 200 years of history to sift through, we hope to bring you some incredible stories and some fascinating artifacts.

Our first public project is the story of a desert-dwelling, film-making cult called the Dreamtime 79.

In addition to providing you with some insight into the history of the Dreamtime 79, we bring you a gallery of 13 film posters designed by cult leader Ray “Millenium Ray” Author. You can help support The S.P.A.S.H and future projects by purchasing reproductions from this collection of unique memorabilia.

Flickerfest is Australia’s only Academy® Award accredited short film festival. The program covers three competitive categories: International, Australian and Documentary. There are 1500 entries and 23 national touring venues. The competitive programs will be joined by a special programs and forums, including the Australian premiere of Stories On Human Rights, a series of 22 short films by award-winning filmmakers from across the world, and the Best of the Oscars. Bondi Pavilion Bondi Beach; then on tour.

19th Flickerfest festival – Sydney, then national tour  Flickerfest Director Bronwyn Kidd & filmmaker Gemma Lee introducing her film, 2009. Image courtesy of Flickerfest. 8–17 January 2010; then national tour till March 2010

After three hugely successful years, the Optus One 80 Project is back giving aspiring TV and Film Makers a shot at drama production – this could be your chance to crack into the notoriously tough Film and TV industry with the ultimate leg up thanks to Optus, MTV, Blackberry® and Event Cinemas.