Mumbai: The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund has confirmed a slate of 12 films, with a six-film line-up for 2008 and a further six for 2009.
Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said the MIFF Premiere Fund, which received $1.6 million from the Brumby Government last year, now has 12 films which are fully financed.
"The aim of the MIFF Premiere Fund is to provide financial support to Victorian films to assist their production and premiere at Australia’s most popular film festival," Jennings said.
"The MIFF Premiere Fund boosts local production by providing more opportunities for Victorian filmmakers to bring their stories to the big screen and these films also benefit from an international showcase through their association with the film festival."
MIFF executive director Richard Moore said the premiere of six new local feature documentaries from the Premiere Fund at MIFF 2008 will greatly enrich the MIFF 2008 line-up for audiences at Australia’s largest film festival.
"The debut of these Premiere Fund titles will be a significant day for MIFF as the festival takes its long standing relationship with Victorian filmmakers to a new level and opens an exciting pipeline of new local content for 2008 and 2009 film festivals and beyond," Moore said.
MIFF 2008 (25 July – 10 August) includes six premieres of feature-length documentaries—Celebrity, Not Quite Hollywood, Bastardy, Angel of the Wind, Whatever Happened to Brenda Hean and Rock and Roll Nerd.
MIFF 2009 includes five feature films and one feature-length documentary—Bran Nue Dae, Blessed, The Loved Ones, Balibo, The Last Man and Indonesia Calling.
