The Sydney Film Festival
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The Sydney Film Festival has rested true to its principle of simply showcasing great films and, as such, it has helped to develop a spirit of basic chumminess and openness to innovation. One gets to se both international, Australian and alternative films by famous directors.
History of Sydney Film Festival
The first Australian Film Festival was held in January 1952. Inspired by the first Australian Film Festival held at Olinda in the Dandenongs outside Melbourne, many people in Sydney started giving a serious thought of organizing a similar Film Festival in Sydney after returning from Olinda. A committee was formed with Alan Stout, Professor of Philosophy at the Sydney University, as the chairperson. Other members in the committee included filmmakers John Heyer and John Kingsford Smith and Sydney University Film Group President David Donaldson. After several round of meetings with various interested people and other related organizations, it was decided to hold the first festival at Sydney University, and David Donaldson agreed to take on the role of director.
The first festival opened on June 11, 1954 and screened in four halls at Sydney University over four days before moving to public venues in the city and suburbs. Attendance was at full capacity with 1,200 tickets sold at one guinea each. The films included Jacques Tati's Jour de fête (1948), Rene Clair's Sous les toits de Paris (1930), John Heyer's The Back of Beyond (1954), Roberto Rossellini's Germany Year Zero (1947) and Buster Keaton's The General (1926).
The festival remained at Sydney University until 1968, at which time it moved to the Wintergarden in Rose Bay. In 1974 it moved to its current main venue, the historic State Theatre in the centre of Sydney, and remained their ever since. The festival also screens at the Dendy Opera Quays, and two screens at the George Street Cinema Complex.
Present scenario of Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival has grown over the years both in terms of films screened and the days of its operation and today it has emerged as one of the biggest events in Australia. Today the films that are screened on the festival come from various corners of the world. Premiering the hottest films from Australia and around the globe, the festival presents a sophisticated program of over 200 films, red carpet events, awards nights and master classes in a crammed 16-day period enjoyed by more than 133,000 film lovers each year.
The program celebrates the best of the world's cinema and includes features, short films, animations, documentaries and retrospectives, as well as a series of forums and lectures by local and international industry professionals, critics and academics. In addition, the festival administers the highly regarded Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, the Urban Cinefile Audience Awards and the FIPRESCI International Critics (Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) Prize for Documentary.
2007 Sydney Film Festival
The 2007 Sydney Film Festival will be commencing from 8th of June and will go on till 24th of June. Given below is the event detail:
Street address: Suite 105, Level 5, 414-418 Elizabeth St,
Surry Hills, New South Wales, 2010, Australia
Postal address: PO Box 96, Strawberry Hills,
New South Wales, 2012, Australia
Email info@sydfilm-fest.com.au
Country Australia
State New South Wales
Town Sydney
Venues State Theatre
Dendy Opera Quays
The Sydney Film Festival is one of the major events in Australia. Though the festival is facing some problems nowadays and has to depend on the sponsorship and government support for the money, it glamour has not withered. It is evolving every year and still is capable of drawing a large number of film lovers from all round the world.
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