As technological developments turn anyone with a video mobile into a potential short film maker and new media formats champion 'user generated content', what does this mean for people trying to make a difference through film?

If you're interested in films and social change, what do you need to know about: changes in the nature of film production, the rise of online distribution, finding and engaging modern audiences, and finding people to fund your ideas?

Find all this and more in 'Reaching off the Screen'. It's not your usual box office politics.

Jump into this forum and start a conversation with:

Susan MacKinnon (Executive Producer of The Oasis)

Susan is a Consulting Producer with Shark Island Productions, and her credits include the recently completed films, The Oasis and In The Company Of Actors. She is an Executive Officer and a Director of Shark Island's philanthropic initiative Documentary Australia Foundation, established to create a new funding model from private grants to the documentary industry. 

She is currently Executive Producer on a number of films including the animated feature documentary Global Haywire directed by Oscar winning Bruce Petty and the musical feature '4'. 

<!-- D(["mb","\u003cbr\u003e\n\n \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnna Broinowski\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003eAnna is an Australian Film Institute \naward winning director and NIDA graduate who has been making films since \n1995. Her documentaries and shorts have won numerous awards in Australia \nand overseas including 3 AFI\u0026#39;s, 2 Australian Film Critics\u0026#39; Awards \nand the prestigious 2007 Rome Film Festival 20,000 euro \u0026#39;Cult\u0026#39; prize. \nPrior to filmmaking Anna was a playwright and actress, winning the 1996 \nNSW Premier\u0026#39;s Literary prize for her play THE GAP. Following the successful \ntheatrical release of the docudrama FORBIDDEN LIE$ in 2007, Anna is \nnow developing a slate of drama and documentary feature films. \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/font\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSBS\u0026#39;s \n\u0026#39;Living Black\u0026#39; Video Journalists\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003eLiving Black is Australia\u0026#39;s premier \nIndigenous current affairs program, and the only show tackling such \nissues on prime time television. \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLeah Sapin (Media That Matters Film \nFestival)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003eLeah Sapin is Festival \u0026amp; Outreach \nManager at the Media That Matters Film Festival, a project of Arts Engine, \nInc. Arts Engine, Inc. supports, produces, and distributes independent \nmedia of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, \neducators and the general public. By fostering the production and use \nof independent film, video and new media, Arts Engine connects media \nmakers and active audiences in order to spur critical consideration \nof pressing social issues.  \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSil-Nyin Cameron (World of Women Film \nFestival)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003eSil Nyin is Director of the World of \nWomen Film Festival.   \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Lowenthal \u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\u003eAndrew is a media and technology activist \nbased in Melbourne, Australia. He is the co-founder of EngageMedia, \na video sharing site focussed on social and environmental issues in \nSoutheast Asia, Australia and the Pacific. EngageMedia also produce \nPlumi, a free software video sharing platform. In 2006 EngageMedia coordinated \nTransmission with Rome\u0026#39;s Candida TV, a global meeting of social justice \nonline video distribution projects. ",1] ); //-->From 1998 to 2005 Susan was the Documentary Investment Manager at the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC), where she assisted filmmakers in negotiating finances for their documentaries. She has also worked as an independent producer for many years and has won many awards and gained international acclaim for her documentaries. Her very popular short drama, Fetch, screened at over fifty world festivals, including Official Competition at Cannes. Her successful documentaries include – Eternity; Loaded- The Gun Lovers; You Must Remember This; Dinner for Six; Somewhere Between Light and Reflection; and Men and Their Sheds. Susan is also a board member for the South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian Documentary Conference. 

Anna Broinowski

Anna is an Australian Film Institute award winning director and NIDA graduate who has been making films since 1995. Her documentaries and shorts have won numerous awards in Australia and overseas including 3 AFI's, 2 Australian Film Critics' Awards and the prestigious 2007 Rome Film Festival 20,000 euro 'Cult' prize. Prior to filmmaking Anna was a playwright and actress, winning the 1996 NSW Premier's Literary prize for her play THE GAP. Following the successful theatrical release of the docudrama FORBIDDEN LIE$ in 2007, Anna is now developing a slate of drama and documentary feature films. 

SBS's 'Living Black' Video Journalists

Living Black is Australia's premier Indigenous current affairs program, and the only show tackling such issues on prime time television. Yalda Hakim and Kris Flanders are video journalists with Living Black.

Leah Sapin (Media That Matters Film Festival)

Leah Sapin is Festival & Outreach Manager at the Media That Matters Film Festival, a project of Arts Engine, Inc. Based in New York, Arts Engine, Inc. supports, produces, and distributes independent media of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, educators and the general public. By fostering the production and use of independent film, video and new media, Arts Engine connects media makers and active audiences in order to spur critical consideration of pressing social issues.  

Sil-Nyin Cameron (World of Women Film Festival)

Sil-Nyin is Director of the World of Women Film Festival.  

Andrew Lowenthal

Andrew Lowenthal is a Melbourne based media and technology activist. He is co-founder of EngageMedia.org, a video sharing site covering social justice and environmental issues in the Asia-Pacific. He's also a project manager of Plumi, a free software video sharing platform produced by EngageMedia. At the moment he's working on getting 50 video activists and web developers half-way up a volcano in West Java in May for a 5 day camp about online video distribution called Transmission Asia-Pacific. The other half of his time is spent as the participatory media project leader for the UK based tactical Technology Collective where he is editor of the soon to be released Citizen Journalism Toolkit, a collection of guides and free software tools for participatory media creation.

Daniel Cross

Daniel is a multi-disciplined award winning documentary filmmaker who has made his mark with films concerning the issues of homelessness in Canada. His feature length films, The Street film (with the homeless) and S.P.I.T: Squegee Punks In Traffic received theatrical distribution and critical acclaim. They are reflective of his artistic philosophy that film is a medium for affecting social and political change. Daniel also has experience in TV broadcast, having directed and produced the Gemini nominated Too Colourful for the League and George, From Athens to Beijing currently in production with CTV, BBC Storyville and TV2 Denmark. In addition to making films, Daniel is active in the film community, serving as an executive on national boards, including the CFTPA and DOC (formerly CIFC). He also teaches film production at Concordia University and is President of EyeSteel Films.

Loosie Craig

Loosie is a director of 'pie full of blackbirds', a multi-platform production company based in Sydney. While continually researching, developing and shooting documentaries, she works as a music video producer & editor. Most recently, Loosie was the production manager of 'Review with Myles Barlow', an new ABC comedy series due to air later in the year (Starchild Productions). Loosie has been a member of the OzDox committee for a number of years and is dedicated to fostering a community of support and dialogue within the Australian documentary industry. Because of this, she's recently established EDNA :: emerging doco-makers network of australia (www.emergingdoco.com.au) She has a Bachelor of Media from Macquarie University.

Chair: Marc Fennell

Marc Fennell is the in-house film critic for Australia's National Youth Broadcaster triple j. Each week he dishes up reviews of new films, DVDs on triple j radio. Also on radio, Marc presents 'Film Ed 101', a segment that gives film culture a much-needed needed dose of mainline smack.  On triple j tv Marc presents a weekly movie culture segment 'Flicked'. And in triple j's monthly magazine j mag Marc scribes all the dvd/cinema reviews and film interviews.   

In case you were wondering how all this started, back in high school a wee Marc Fennell won the Australian Film Institute's inaugural Young Film Critic Competition. Since then Marc has spent every waking moment skinny-dipping in the endless ocean of movies and pop-culture. He spent almost 4 years as the resident film critic and reporter of Sydney youth broadcaster FBi 94.5, where he reviewed over 400 films and reported on everything from Punk cinema to Porn Flicks. Marc also presented a film interview show featuring the likes of Kevin Smith, Richard Linklater, Malcolm McLaren and Buffy creator Joss Whedon. In 2004 Marc joined SBS TV's The Movie Show where each week he dug up cult DVD's. Along the way Marc has also been a contributor to ABC Radio, The Movie Network, The Canberra Times, Bigpond Movies, Dazed + Confused Magazine, MySpace Black Carpet, Popcorn Taxi, Yen Magazine and many more.

Extra Reading:

“Is social change media a delusion?”
An article by California Newsreel’s Larry Daressa on their 30^th birthday.

http://www.newsreel.org/articles/socialme.htm

“Aboriginal Art and Film: The Politics of Representation”

An article by Marcia Langton.

http://www.rouge.com.au/6/aboriginal.html