Alan Finney joins Jury President, the legendary Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi, Cameron Bailey, Co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival, Japanese director and actress Kaori Momoi, Israeli director Samuel Maoz, and the Executive Chairman of the China Film Producers Association, Ming Zhenjiang.
Alan Finney’s passion for cinema began at Melbourne University in the 1960s. During the Australian film renaissance of the 1970s, when he was at Roadshow Film Distributors, he oversaw the production, distribution and marketing of films such as Alvin Purple, Petersen, End Play and Eliza Fraser. Over many years at Roadshow, Alan supervised the release of some of Australia’s biggest box offices successes such as Mad Max, Breaker Morant, Proof, Romper Stomper, Bad Boy Bubby, The Piano, Muriel’s Wedding, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, The Castle and The Man Who Sued God.
He joined Buena Vista International (now Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) in 1998 as Vice President and Managing Director of Buena Vista International (Australia and New Zealand). He left the Disney Company in April, 2010.
Alan has also served on the Board of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and as a Board Member of The Australian Film Institute. He is presently Chair of the Australian Film Institute. In the Australia Day Honours for 2002 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the Australian Film Industry. In 2010 at the Screen Producers of Australia Association Conference he was awarded the Maura Fay Award for Services to the Industry.
"Alan’s passion, energy and commitment is legendary and I am delighted that he will bring those qualities to his deliberations as a member of the 2011 APSA International Jury,” said Des Power, Chairman of APSA.
The 2011 APSA International Jury will meet on Australia’s Gold Coast in late November ahead of the APSA Ceremony on November 24, 2011. Thirty-seven films from 19 countries and areas have been nominated in this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the region’s highest accolade in film.
The members of the 2011 International Jury will automatically be inducted into the Asia Pacific Screen Academy. Led by Patron Jack Thompson, the Academy is a growing body of the region’s most influential names in film including past APSA Winners, Nominees, International Jury and Nominations Council members.
