About
F4 is an unrivalled professional development opportunity for Australia’s emerging documentary filmmaking talent.
With a screening program held during the Australian International Documentary Conference, and in 2012 co-presented with the Adelaide Festival, F4 welcomes general public audiences as well as Conference delegates this unique screening program.
The screening program showcases first films from Australian documentary filmmakers at the start of their careers alongside the first films of documentary masters attending The Conference.
The F4 Award for Outstanding New Documentary Talent is presented during The Conference, to one exceptional filmmaker judged by a panel of high profile international documentary professionals.
Latest F4 News
F4 2012 - A Success
The cinema was full, the questions were intriguing and the answers were informative and inspiring. Thank you to all our filmmakers and audience members for making F4 2012 such a success.
A quote from Paul Gallasch, winner of the F4 Award for Outstanding Documentary.
"I would highly encourage you to continue investing in the F4 program. It was an extremely valuable experience for me and I'm sure that as time goes on I'll look back at it with ever growing assurance of its positive impact on my career. Just being in the presence of such prolific professionals was both a grounding and inspiring experience. So thank you again for making that happen."
L-R Natalia Almada - Master Filmmaker, Sandy George - Moderator, Annie Goldson - Master Filmmaker, Phil Grabsky - Master Filmmaker, Sean Gilligan - Emerging Filmmaker, Joost den Hartog - AIDC Executive Director, Caroline Man - F4 Manager, Weijun Chen - Master Filmmaker.
F4 Award Winner Announced
Paul Gallasch wins the Award for Outstanding New Documentary Talent.
Gallasch’s documentary KILLING ANNA was chosen out of four films which had been selected as finalists for showing at F4. Around 70 entries were received from emerging Australian documentary makers.
KILLING ANNA screens at 3pm Sunday 4 March, at the Mercury Cinema, Adelaide.
On behalf of the F4 jury, Claire Jager congratulated and commended all the four filmmakers. “It's a tall order to select a winner among these early career filmmakers when the films are so accomplished in quite distinct ways.
“KILLING ANNA was selected as winner for its original and bold premise - and the true cinematic growth in the filmmaker, the power of its ambiguity and the playfulness of the filmmakers shifting relationship to the camera and the audience"... Read more
F4 Program Announced
The full program is now available online - click here.
F4 is a FREE event during the opening weekend of the Adelaide Festival.
From over 60 entries the four new documentaries selected for presentation are: Sonia Bible (NSW) Recipe For Murder; Paul Gallasch (SA) Killing Anna; Sean Gilligan (QLD) Fantome Island; and David Tucker (NSW) My Thai Bride.
These four films will be shown alongside classic and recent documentaries from four of the world’s master documentary makers.
All eight filmmakers will be presenting Q &A sessions following the showings of their films.
The 2012 F4 Master Documentary Filmmakers are: Natalia Almada (Mexico) El General 2009 & El Velador 2011; Weijun Chen (China) The Biggest Chinese Restaurant In The World 2008 & Law of the Dragon 2011; Annie Goldson (NZ) Punitive Damage 1999 & Brother Number One 2011; and Phil Grabsky (UK) The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan 2004 & The Boy Mir - Ten Years in Afghanistan 2011.
F4 Master Filmmakers Announced
The four Master Documentary Filmmakers attending F4 2012 come from four different regions of the world – China, Mexico, England and New Zealand.
The 2012 F4 Master Documentary Filmmakers are:
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Phil Grabsky, Filmmaker, Seventh Art, UK Phil Grabsky is an award-winning documentary film-maker. With a film career spanning 25 years, Phil and his company Seventh Art Productions make films for cinema, television and DVD. Phil’s cinema films include Muhammad Ali – Through the Eyes of the World, The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan, In Search of Mozart, Escape from Luanda, In Search of Beethoven and, most recently, The Boy Mir – Ten Years in Afghanistan. These films have played in festivals worldwide, winning numerous awards for Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, Best Screenwriting, Best Editing, Best Music. |
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Natalia Almada, Director, Mexico Recipient of the 2009 Sundance Documentary Directing Award for her film “El General,” Almada’s most recent film “El Velador” premiered at New Directors/New Films and the Cannes' Directors' Fortnight. Her previous credits include “Al Otro Lado,” her award-winning debut feature documentary about immigration, drug trafficking and corrido music. Almada’s films have screened at The Sundance Film Festival, The Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim Museum and have broadcast on the award-winning series POV. |
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Annie Goldson, Producer and Director, Occasional Productions, New Zealand Annie has been producing and directing award-winning documentaries for two decades. Her best-known titles include Punitive Damage, Georgie Girl, An Island Calling and Brother Number One. Her works have won over 50 major awards at international film festivals and have sold to most of major broadcasters in the world including HBO, POV (PBS), C4, the CBC, the ABC and ARD. |
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Weijun Chen, Director and Producer, China His first film My Life Is My Philosophy (30’) was nominated for the best documentary of the year by the Chinese National Association of Broadcasters. In 2003 he completed To Live Is Better Than To Die (88’), which was awarded a Peabody and Grierson award, as well at the Rodlf Vrfba Award from the One World Festival. Please Vote For Me won the Sterling Feature Award at the Silverdocs Documentary Festival (2007).Nominated for the 2008 International EMMY Awards, Shortlist for Oscars, Grierson 2008 the British Documentary Awards, Jonathan Gili Award. The Biggest Chinese Restaurant in The World (2008), The Law Of Dragon (2010). |
2012 Master Film Screenings
Phil Grabsky (UK)
The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan 2004 & The Boy Mir - ten years in Afghanistan, 2011
Natalia Almada (Mexico)
El General 2009 & El Velador 2011
Annie Goldson (NZ)
Punitive Damage 1999 & Brother Number One 2011
Weijun Chen (China)
The Biggest Chinese Restaurant In The World 2008 & TBC
Joost Den Hartog, Director of AIDC said, “AIDC is delighted to present the finest of international documentary as part of the 2012 Adelaide Festival’s opening weekend free activities. The four renowned master filmmakers come from all directions of the globe and it’s wonderful that they can be here for the screening of their films and to take audience questions.”
The full F4 program will be announced in January 2012.
Umoja: No Men Allowed Awarded Best Short Documentary
Umoja: No Men Allowed has been awarded the prize for Best Short Documentary (Hackett Films IF Award) at this year's prestigious Jameson IF Awards.
In early 2010, Umoja won the inaugural F4 Award for Outstanding New Documentary Talent at the Australian International Documentary Conference.
For more information on click here.
For the official Umoja site click here.
F4 2012 is Co-Presented with the Adelaide Festival of Arts
F4 2012 is pleased to be co-presented with the Adelaide Festival of Arts during the opening weekend of the Festival.
Joost den Hartog, Director of AIDC said, “AIDC is delighted to be presenting F4 in association with the 2012 Adelaide Festival of Arts.
What a time to get immersed in the world of documentary.
The world’s most influential documentary professionals will land on Adelaide during the Adelaide Festival of Arts, and this will enhance Adelaide’s creative atmosphere.”
Paul Grabowsky, Artistic Director, 2012 Adelaide Festival said, "It is very exciting to have F4 as part of the Adelaide Festival 2012 program.
It's great that such an exceptional professional development opportunity and program for Australia’s emerging documentary film makers is part of our Festival."
Submission for F4 2012 are Closed
We received a large number of submissions all of which are of a very high standard.
Successful entrants will be notified in mid January.
F4 2011 First Filmmaker Testimonials
“Being part of the F4 festival is such a great opportunity for an emerging filmmaker - to have your work seen and discussed by other industry professionals, to engage and network with other creative people who are passionate about exploring the world we live in, and to be mentored and inspired by the best filmmakers the documentary community has to offer.
“Being a guest of the AIDC means you also gain valuable insights into how the documentary market operates, and is a great catalyst for thinking about how to approach future projects with this market in mind.”
Pete Gleeson - Director SOMETHING TO TELL YOU
"Being part of F4 was a unique opportunity which really opened my eyes to the possibilities that are out there for young filmmakers in Australia. Meeting both new and experience documentary filmmakers, I was wonderfully surprised with the various ways in which the documentary scene is growing each day. I was especially honored to have the chance to meet and learn from some very experienced filmmakers in the master classes."
Vessal Safaei – Director STREETS OF MY CHILDHOOD
“A week surrounded by some of the most inspiring documentarists in the world, screening your film in front of a full house of doco-lovers, attending talks, having meetings with the doco community about future projects, masterclasses with the likes of Bob Connolly, Pamela Yates, Paco de Onis and Steve James, not to mention setting up camp in the Hilton Hotel... All this alongside three other talented, likeminded filmmakers. Being a part of F4 at AIDC was such a wonderful, thought provoking experience. It is great that there are opportunities like this for emerging filmmakers who need a step up. Thank you AIDC!”
Maya Newall – Director TWO
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