Ian Dunlop honoured with NFSA Award for Film Preservation
Ian Dunlop with the Ken G Hall Award
On Thursday 9 July 2009, the NFSA announced the 2009 recipient of the National Film and Sound Archive Award for Film Preservation, internationally renowned Australian documentary filmmaker Ian Dunlop OAM.
NFSA CEO Dr Darryl McIntyre said the award was presented to Ian Dunlop in acknowledgement of his major contribution to the preservation of films of Australian Indigenous communities through his own work and his preservation and protection of the work of others.
''A pioneer of modern Australian visual anthropology, Ian documented traditional Aboriginal communities during a period of tremendous change and upheaval, his films helped build a broader awareness of the Aboriginal world view, the land rights movement and the impact of Western culture on the Aboriginal way of life.''
Wake in Fright strikes a chord with audiences nationwide
Jack Thompson at the NFSA
Restored to pristine condition by the NFSA and Atlab/Deluxe, Wake in Fright has struck a chord with audiences across Australia following its premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in June.
Wake in Fright has been warmly received by critics and audiences alike, taking an impressive $136,000 (Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia) in the first three weeks of its limited release in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
Wake in Fright star Jack Thompson visited the NFSA headquarters in Canberra on 1 July to help launch the Wake in Fright season at Arc cinema, joining 666 ABC Radio Canberra broadcaster Genevieve Jacobs for an audience Q&A after the movie.
Then on 8 July, the NFSA Big Screen Australian Film Festival took Wake in Fright 'home' to Broken Hill. The screening at Silver City Cinema was introduced by Jack's co-star Peter Whittle and later locals gathered in the pub to reminisce and reflect on the film and their town, nearly forty years after the film was shot and first shown there.
Wake in Fright continues to stir discussion and debate in the media and wider community about Australian identity, our love/hate relationship with the Outback and, of course, kangaroos.
Wake in Fright opens in Adelaide and Brisbane cinemas on 23 July with more locations to follow.
Learn more about Wake in Fright at NFSA's australianscreen online.
NFSA Indigenous Sound and Vision project for students
Young Indigenous students from Queanbeyan recently spent a week receiving specialised training in film and media production, as well as performance skills in the areas of Hip Hop, MC-ing and DJ-ing. The students undertook the Queanbeyan Indigenous Sound and Vision Project, a five-day intensive workshop for Indigenous youth. The Project was initiated by the NFSA and supported by Metro Screen's Mobile Unit and the Axis Youth Centre in Queanbeyan.
Love Letters from the NFSA collection
Fan Mail from the NFSA collection
In 1809 the first Postmaster General was appointed in Sydney, so it is only fitting that 200 years later Australia Post is blowing up the balloons, pouring the champagne and celebrating the writing, and sending, of Australian letters.
With its year-long project called Letters of a Nation, Australia Post is collecting letters from all over the country to feature on the Australia Post website, and eventually in a book, Two Hundred Australian Letters.
Documents and Artefacts Senior Curator Sonia Gherdevich says that the project managers at Australia Post were delighted with the contribution from the NFSA of letters written by children to their favourite TV personalities. Grahame Bond from Aunty Jack and Simon Townsend from Wonder World gave enthusiastic approval for the letters to be displayed.
Sharing our Indigenous collections overseas
Indigenous Branch in NZ
In June 2009 the Indigenous Collections Branch were able to accept an invitation from the New Zealand Film Archives and travelled to Wellington and Auckland to present talks and screen Indigenous films as part of cross cultural engagement activities.
The visit coincided with the Matariki festival celebrating the Maori New Year, which provided opportunity for the staff to network with representatives from other cultural and collecting institutions, such as the National Library of New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, New Zealand Sound Archives and the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa.
Visits to each of these institutions allowed the NFSA's Indigenous collection staff to forge relationships with their Maori counterparts and to workshop issues relating to Indigenous collections management, Indigenous policy, intellectual property and future collaboration.
