Acmi Podcasts

Kids are living the content dream. As viewers, they demand content streamed direct to their personal devices wherever they are, whenever they want it. As creators they are prolific - shooting, editing and sharing films with friends and family from wherever they are, as often as they are allowed! So how is the kids domestic and international marketplace responding to this desire for watching and creating content? What opportunities are there for factual filmmakers to create and deliver content to a young audience that is increasingly streaming anytime, anywhere? ABC Children’s Commissioning Editor Libbie Doherty will provide an introductory snapshot of the ambitious, startling, challenging and authentic kids factual trending in the international landscape. Libbie will discuss the ABC’s commissioning wish-list and explain the parameters of working with ABC Children’s. Joining Libbie on the panel are Laura Waters and Karla Burt of Princess Productions, the producers of the ground-breaking format My Year 12 Lif

When documentary and fiction collide, these films, and their creators, challenge conventions of how we tell, and how we respond to stories on screen. These are the films that grow between the cracks of narrative and documentary. They are not without their detractors, but increasingly, such innovative forms of filmmaking are opening up new platforms for filmmakers to exhibit their work and entice new audiences. In this session, ACMI’s Head of Film Programs, James Hewison, leads panelists in an intimate discussion, tracing this emerging form, and discuss ing their recent works that have embraced ambiguity and difference in the search for alternative forms of story-telling.

Filmmakers, their funders, sales agencies, PR firms, and festivals are all increasingly invested in knowing how exactly films can make social change - that is, "impact," for short. This is a unique moment as the sector is still in the early stages of defining itself, its terms, language, best practice, expectations and how it understands change and success. But how shall we measure impact, and who should do it? How can we make impact align with our goals, rather than having neoliberal and market values dominate? What do we do when projects don't have the impact we sought? Funders only want the good news, but the field only grows when we learn from experience. How do we leverage our short term gains to make long term change? When are our "impact media" projects over - when the film is done, when the change happens, or when our communities take over the movement? Our panelists, drawn from across the spectrum of this burgeoning field, tackle the tough questions and respond to yours, as we all try to make and be

The case of the San Antonio Four explored in Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four is one of many crimes in which the sexuality of the accused (four queer Latina women), is used as damning evidence of their guilt. This panel will draw on true crime documentaries including Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hoods, The Staircase and The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst to examine cases in which the (assumed) sexuality and personal proclivities of the accused created a fervor of queer panic in the eyes of the press and in turn the public.

The world is entering a new era with hacking, targeted use of social media and ‘fake news’ challenging our ideas of the role of media in a democracy, and many hard fought social justice gains coming under attack. In this context the role and responsibilities of media makers and technologists becomes critically important - particularly in challenging the emboldening of sexist and racist ideas. How as makers do we avoid perpetuating these divisive narratives by the way we build our projects or use platforms? How do we step up, build trust and ensure our process and our content encourages human connection and genuinely harnesses the potential of media impact for good? In this AIDC Impact strand keynote, filmmaker, technologist and creator of the Circle of 6 mobile app, Nancy Schwartzman will showcase creative approaches she has developed to challenge notions of neutrality in technology, and to use the power of story for good.

How local AR/VR producers can use the global market VR Plus Have you heard? By 2020, revenue from Augmented/Virtual Reality is forecast to reach $160 billion. Obviously there has never been a better time to get involved. But what does this mean for AR/VR documentary producers based in Australia? With so much investment funding and resources overseas, what is the best way to tap into them? What are the best new global platforms? And what does producing – not to mention distribution – even look like? For many Australians, the answers to these questions continue to lie in collaborating and co-producing internationally, working with funding bodies and initiatives beyond our borders. In this session, successful Australian AR/VR producers Katy Morrison (VRTOV) and Melanie Horkan (Fathom Film Group) will discuss moving into the international arena in order to create content. Drawing on their own professional experiences and insights, they will provide expert perspectives on how the Australian industry can maximise

Alternative Pathways to an Infinite Audience The fast-changing evolution of the distribution landscape is one of the most vexing and unnerving issues facing the screen industry today. New and fragmented consumer practices have severely disrupted the domination of the traditional release chain, while a deluge of cheap digital content erodes the profitability of alternative revenue streams. In this increasingly crowded market, competing for eyeballs – and distribution dollars – has never been tougher for independent documentaries, no matter the form. But is the news all bad? In an adapt-or-die scenario, filmmakers are getting creative. Crowdsourcing, “event” screenings, on-demand and multi-platform releases, as well as a host of clever campaign and social media strategies are just some of the ways filmmakers are shining a light on their work and breaking new ground. In this session, we draw on the lessons of two very different productions – webseries Black As (David Batty, 2016) and feature documentary Chasi

The Kid Warrior himself, Xiuhtezcatl (shu-tez-cat) Martinez appeared in this special schools-only presentation during his debut Australian Tour. Meet the 16 year old American Indigenous eco warrior and hip hop artist who is leading a new generation of environmental change makers, taking a brave stand on climate change and environmental issues, and reminding us of what’s at stake for his generation. Xiuhtezcatl has a strong message based on his Indigenous heritage to impart to Australian students about youth empowerment around climate change, positive and creative environmental action, and Indigenous connection to the natural world and culture. As Youth Director of the international youth activist group, Earth Guardians, Xiuhtezcatl has spoken to many students around the world, addressed the United Nations General Assembly, served on the US President’s Youth Council, and received the US Community Service Award from President Obama.

Creative Entrepreneurship Spotlight - The story of CultureLabel.com & other creative industries pioneers Peter Tullin is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of CultureLabel.com, a venture capital funded ecommerce site retailing art and design products from leading international culture brands including Tate, V&A and British Museum. Having grown the idea from scratch CultureLabel.com was successfully sold in 2014. He is also the Co-Founder of global ideas conference REMIX Summits which takes place in cities including New York, London and Sydney. This talk is an opportunity to learn from the lessons of a 5-year journey from the inception of a creative industries start-up to the point of sale and exit - a personal take on the ups and downs of running your own creative enterprise. Through REMIX and their co-working space from creative entrepreneurs in Shoreditch, Peter also comes into contact with some of the leading innovators in the creative industries and he will also look at who is operating ahead of the

Following the a screening on Sunday 26th February, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson and Australian International Documentary Conference CEO, Andrew Wiseman joined ACMI's Head of Film Programs, James Hewison in conversation about her remarkable film. A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina; the day of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment: these scenes and others are woven into Cameraperson, a tapestry of footage captured over the 25-year career of documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image-makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality and crafted narrative.

Russell Briggs, Director of Exhibitions & Collections ACMI As the source material for big pop-culture exhibitions begins to be locked up more and more by people who claim ownership of the IP, it becomes increasingly difficult to find fertile areas of exploration that could be transformed into large-scale shows with universal appeal for international touring. For cultural institutions that want to exhibit on a large scale and/or tour, the need to push the boundaries of risk-taking has now become essential. This presentation looks at recent big touring shows, including ones created and being currently developed at ACMI, to see how risk was addressed and what it means for institutions who are thinking of either taking big shows or developing their own.

Tea Uglow, Creative Director Google Creative Lab Nils Pokel, Digital Experience Manager Auckland War Memorial Museum Sarah Tutton, Senior Curator ACMI VR has been going through yet another cyclical revival driven largely by improvements in hardware resulting in a new surge of public interest. With content relatively scarce, there has been a huge investment from many different sectors in content creation. Several museums have jumped on the bandwagon with VR exhibits, 360 degree video presentations, and even rumors of loaning Hololens to visitors much as they have done historically with audio guides. How is this moment different from the 1990s and 2000s? Where are the truly exciting opportunities for museums? And how do we get beyond just having to manage visitor expectations and the resultant problems with ‘more tech’?

An emoji smile has the same effect on the brain as a real smile...and other fascinating reveries. Werner Herzog is a self-confessed technical luddite and poses a terrifying vision of the future in his documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of a Connected World. Senior Film Programmer Kristy Matheson discusses the big questions on technology with MuseumNext speakers Keir Winesmith Head of Web + Digital Platforms at SFMOMA and John O’Shea Senior Exhibition Manager at National Media Museum in this fascinating response to Herzog's documentary.

Julia Kaganskiy, Director of NEW INC and ACMI CEO Katrina Sedgwick discuss the role of 'cultural incubators' in our modern day institutional landscape. Julia is a recognised cultural producer across the art and technology fields. She has been cited by Fast Company (2011) and Business Insider (2013) as one of the most influential women in technology and profiled in the 2012 AOL/PBS series MAKERS honouring women leaders.

"He looks superbly rock-n-roll in every connotation of the word." Media Production Team Leader Richard Greenhalgh talks with Senior Film Programmer Kristy Matheson about the upcoming film season on Jim Jarmusch, his distinctive directorial approach and his fabulous cameo characters.

Since 1988, when his first film Fleurs (1987) was presented as a background for a weather broadcast on French television, Philippe Parreno has sought to redefine the exhibition experience. Working with the exhibition itself as a medium, Parreno explores its possibilities beyond the presentation of individual works to create scripted spaces within which a series of events unfolds. Parreno is a collaborative artist whose practice encompasses film, sculpture, drawing, and text. The dialogic nature of his work is evident in the films and exhibitions that have been produced through collaboration with artists, architects, musicians, composers and philosophers. Through work that draws on cinema, science fiction, architecture, the phantasmagorical, and the natural, Parreno merges reality and fiction to produce exhibitions that radically challenge our notions of reality, memory and the passage of time.

Working with leading filmmakers such as Danny Boyle and Roman Polanski, Nicolas Becker’s many credits include Gravity, Ex Machina, Wuthering Heights, and Andrea Arnold’s forthcoming American Honey. Join us for a rare opportunity to gain insight into Becker’s unique working methods and multi-disciplinary approach, and learn about designing sound across a wide array of film and arts projects. Illustrated with clips, Becker will share details of his practice – devising a bespoke process to create original and distinctive soundscapes for each project – and explain the reasoning behind his artistic approach.

Hope Larson Symposium Interview

Paul Dini Public Interview

Prof. Henry Jenkins Keynote (Live Via Skype) “What Else Can You Do With Them?” Superheroes and the Civic Imagination