Tuesday 15 December 2009

FilmINK Awards

Its FilmINK awards time!

So if Into the Shadows, frustrated you, fired you up or just made you think about film at large then go to this link and place a vote! Thanks!!

Monday 2 November 2009

On the streets & SBS Review

After a long week, I'm back home in Canberra. It has been great to get out to cinemas
and meet audience members and here what they have had to say about Into the Shadows - and
the issues it raises.

If you have seen it, post some comments about your thoughts or join the facebook group. If you have not seen it, its still in cinemas this week. Thanks!

Here is a recent review by SBS

Thursday 29 October 2009

Into the Shadows on Triple J

Into the Shadows is finally prompting some debate on the issues surrounding the film industry.
Listen to the podcasts to hear what some of the industry insiders and the general public have to say! A big thanks to John Barrington and the team at Hack for putting together a great segment.

www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/notes/s2722568.htm

Sunday 25 October 2009

Friday 23 October 2009

VODO

For a long time the bad things about piracy have been stated. Yet again, we miss the point. Its not the fact that consumers are sharing files illegal that is the marvel here, that has happened for decades - tape to tape - cd to cd - hard disk to hard disk the list goes on...

however it is the sharing technology that is the amazing part and the thing that needs to be explored and harnessed. thankfully some really smart guys are making it begin to happen ... in 10 years it will all probably happen through this way somehow in some form, what do you reckon?

http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/15/new-website-leverages-piracy-tool-to-help-filmmakers/

Friday 18 September 2009

Last chance to Vote is today!

Last day to vote for INTO THE SHADOWS for the Inside Film Awards is TODAY!

Please get behind this and you can help Into the Shadows be seen and heard!

Best,
Andrew.

Thursday 27 August 2009

Opening Night

On Saturday night INTO THE SHADOWS opened the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. It was a good night and the film received a hearty applause. It was the first public Q and A I had to do for the film and it went really well, a lot of passionate responses and questions from the crowd. Mike Smith from Indie Film Nation was there and typed up a short piece on his thoughts on the film, and you will be able to hear an interview with Mike and myself on his podcast Indie Film Nation come this Monday.

Here is his review:

Into The Shadows (Directed by Andrew Scarano) was great choice for this year's opening night film for MUFF. The current state of the Australian film industry has been kicked around in the arts community and wider Australian mainstream media for a number of years. This documentary took a holistic approach to the subject and gave a historical reference to the industry. Then moved through the years of Australian filmmaking to modern times. The film then took a look at the films, the exhibitors, recent events and the future.

This is difficult matter to cover effectively in an hour and half but Scarano choices and style has pulled together a very enjoyable documentary. It's informative but without being too dry. I was disappointed to hear that the a number of the major Australian film festival like (MIFF and SFF) both had chosen to overlook this documentary which is well made and provided a balanced, fair critique of the Australian film industry.

Into The Shadows certainly doesn't leave it's audience in all gloom and doom but introduces the notion that exciting times are ahead and the gate keepers of traditional exhibition/distribution can be bypassed by thinking outside the square. The internet may still be another solution. As the music industry has learned they should embrace new technology and maybe the motion picture industry should take stock. Exciting times are approaching for those that they have the heart and determination.


Best.
Andrew.

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Opening the 2009 Melbourne Underground Film Festival

Its Official! Into the Shadows will opening the 2009 Melbourne Underground Film Festival!

Here is how the organisers of the festival summed up the documentary. Hope to see you there.

Into the Shadows
dir. Andrew Scarano / AUS

For ten years MUFF has been championing independent and
underground filmmaking and highlighting the appalling state
of the Australian film industry. This year, we are proud to
screen Andrew Scarano and Phil Hignett’s feature documentary
(fresh from last year’s MUFF Academy), which follows these
exact issues with precision and integrity. The film tracks the
development of Australian film from its inception, through
the glory years of the 1970s to the travesty of today, and
emphasizes the need for a rebirth of independent cinema
and for new and revolutionary ways of screening films.

Featuring exclusive must-see interviews from Andrew Denton,
George Miller, Rolf De Heer, Scott Hicks, Bruce Beresford,
representatives from Disney, Sony, Madman and scores of
independent Aussie cinemas and festivals, and many many
more (including MUFF’s own Richard Wolstencroft!) as well
as amazing footage of landmark events such as the closure
of independent cinema Electric Shadows in 2006. You won’t
believe how much you’ll learn from this film. It’ll open your
eyes, move you, enrage you, and force you into action. Into
the Shadows is not only a fantastic film, it’s an important one
- for anyone who identifies with MUFF’s ideology, who despairs
at the state of our nation’s film industry, who laments the
dominance of the multiplex over the independent theatre, and
asks – why? And more to the point – what can we do about it?
Q&A with filmmakers to follow.

Tuesday 23 June 2009

VOTE FOR IF AWARDS

We had a very positive screening at Dungog Film Festival!

The audience that saw the film all seemed to have a reaction to it: wether they were frustrated by the state of the Australian film industry, impassioned to do something about Australian film culture or simply soaked in the film - even a few laughs along the way which was cool.

If you saw the film at Dungog then show your support by visiting theIF AWARDS website. Here you can register and vote for
INTO THE SHADOWS. The winner is decided by the overall score given not the amount of votes so if you liked the film get behind it and hopefully we can encourage more people to see it and begin discussing, debating the issues that come out of the documentary.

Cheers-
Andrew.

Friday 15 May 2009

Bud Tingwell dies at 86


Today one of Australia's great screen legends, Bud Tingewell passed on at the age of 86.

I had the great pleasure to work with Bud on a short film I co-produced in 2006. He was an absolute gentleman, professional and a man with many stories to tell.

I will never forget sitting around after to shoot to listen to him recount his days of acting with Chips Rafferty and his time spent overseas. It was like being transported back to the glory days of filmmaking and Bud was the time capsule of knowledge.

CHARLES BUD TINGWELL - REST IN PEACE.

-Andrew.

Sunday 3 May 2009

Distribution Deal

It's Official!

Into the Shadows will be distributed by Ronin Films.

Ronin made a name for themselves throughout the 80s and 90s as a key independent distributor of Australian films and often sourced foreign films from then untapped countries such as Japan and China.

Ronin became known with hits like Shine and Strictly Ballroom but today focus mainly on the educational market. As Canberra's only real distributor of films (and me being a local Canberran) it has worked out well and I look forward to working with Ronin over the next few months distributing and marketing the film.

- Andrew.

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Sydney Film Festival

Today after 2 and a half years of blood, sweat and tears on Monday 16th February we put INTO THE SHADOWS into an express post bag and sent it off for submission to the 2009 Sydney Film Festival! This is our first submission for Into the Shadows and also our debut entry into a national and international festival.

Now, fingers crossed and we begin the waiting game.

Wednesday 14 January 2009

The Overlanders


The Overlanders (1946)

It's the start of WWII in Northern Australia. The Japanese are getting close. People are evacuating and burning everything in a "scorched earth" policy. Rather than kill all their cattle, a disparate group decides to drive them overland half way across the continent.

Does anyone else think the synopsis of, 1946 film 'The Overlanders' sounds eerily familiar?